In a move to make electric vehicles accessible to all, France introduces a “social leasing” program, offering low-income drivers the chance to lease electric cars for as low as €40 per month. President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative aims to democratize EV access, making it an affordable reality for those with limited financial means. Amidst the drive towards sustainability, this innovative program… Read more…
Be.EV chargers are coming to Decathlon sports stores in the UK
Be.EV has partnered with Decathlon to provide the sporting goods chain with ultra-rapid charging at stores across the UK. The deal is Decathlon’s first partnership with a public charging network. Sites are already in the pipeline. Read more…
Tesla and Mercedes-Benz to compensate for loss of German EV subsidies
The German government announced that it will abruptly end its subsidy program for electric vehicles on December 31, which has dealt a blow to automakers in one of its biggest European markets. But Tesla and Mercedes-Benz say that they will compensate for it, covering the full price of the subsidy for German buyers, with other automakers joining in. Read more…
Volkswagen to bring back buttons after complaints about its touchscreen
In a strange reversal of plan, it looks like Volkswagen is revising its interior design. After a slew of complaints about its touchscreen-heavy interiors, the German brand is bringing back more good, old-fashioned physical buttons, according to Autocar. Read more…
Group14 and SK Materials produce silicon-based anode material
Asia’s first large-scale production facility for silicon-based anode material for electric vehicle batteries will start commercial operation in South Korea early next year. The silicon-carbon anode material SCC55 will be produced by Group14. Read more…
USSM secures fresh capital for recycling plant in the USA
Appian Capital Advisory has committed USD 230 million to battery materials producer US Strategic Metals (USSM) for the completion of its cobalt and nickel mine and a hydrometallurgical battery materials recycling plant in the US state of Missouri. The latter is scheduled to go into operation at the end of next year. Read more…
TPS to deliver Volkswagen components in Volkswagen EVs
TPS, the parts business of Volkswagen Group UK, is bringing electric vehicles into its delivery fleet. The company opted for the Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID. Buzz and is rolling out the new EVs to service centres across the UK and Northern Ireland. Read more…
EU lawmakers take watered-down Euro 7 deal one step further
The EU Parliament and Council have agreed on a new Euro 7 emissions standard, provisionally, before the final approval. So far, the new rules remain watered-down to the point that NGOs consider it a greenwashing measure. Read more…
Fast-charging stations for Croatia
GreenWay, a CPO headquartered in Poland, plans to install 300 high-power charging stations in Croatia over the next three to five years. Read more…
Alibaba’s planned stake sale should have transient impact on Xpeng shares, says Morgan Stanley
The direct impact of Alibaba’s share sale on Xpeng shares should be transient and manageable, Morgan Stanley said. Read more…
Nio receives major investment from CYVN Holdings
The Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio has secured additional capital totalling 2.2 billion US dollars. The money comes from the investment holding company CYVN from Abu Dhabi, making it the largest single shareholder in the electric car manufacturer. Read more…
Everrati expands its portfolio of Porsche 911 EV conversions with a rare, 1990’s era Type 964 RSR
EV conversion specialist Everrati Automotive has introduced a fifth electrified Porsche 911, now offering a cutting-edge version of the ultra-rare 1993 Type 964 RSR 3.8. By implementing an all-electric powertrain, this classic gets better acceleration than the original but still boasts most of the design elements that make it an RSR. Read more…
Nio secures $2.2 billion investment from Abu Dhabi government fund
Nio has sealed the deal for a fresh round of financing from CYVN Holdings LLC, the Abu Dhabi government fund, acquiring a 20% stake in the Chinese electric vehicle giant. This move follows CYVN’s initial investment of €1.03 billion in July, bringing their total investment to a staggering €3.08 billion. In this latest transaction, CYVN will inject €2.05 billion in… Read more…
BYD donates RMB 10 million for earthquake relief in northwest China’s Gansu
Gansu was hit by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake late last night, which has killed 105 people and injured 186 others. Read more…
Extinguishing lithium battery fires
Our battery show report in this issue contains stories on various materials engineered to prevent a thermal runaway in a cell in a lithium-ion pack from spreading and cause a major fire (writes Peter Donaldson).
Prevention is better than cure because, rare though they are, thermal runaways in EV lithium-ion batteries contain all four elements of the ‘fire tetrahedron’ – heat, oxygen, fuel and a chemical reaction – making them notoriously hard to extinguish. Putting them out is far from impossible, however. Read more…
China EV insurance registrations for week ending Dec17: Nio 3,400, Xpeng 4,800, Li Auto 11,300, Tesla 18,300
Between December 1 and December 17, Nio was 7,900, Xpeng 8,700 and Tesla 41,700 units. Read more…
How swappable batteries are helping Uber Eats deliver your food faster
Food delivery in crowded cities – or really any type of delivery – tends to work better on two wheels. Smaller vehicles just slip through densely packed streets more easily. Electric bikes and e-scooters have become the dominant form of food delivery in many cities and countries worldwide. Now, a new partnership between Uber Eats and Gogoro is helping make those deliveries even quicker and easier. Read more…
Tesla to offer package that turns Cybertruck into an actual boat
Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla plans to offer a “mod package” that is going to turn the Cybertruck into a boat – at least to traverse 100 meters of water. Read more…
Quick Charge Podcast: December 18, 2023
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Read more…
CYVN to become Nio’s largest shareholder, while William Li to retain most voting rights
At the end of February, Li’s stake in Nio was 10.5 percent, with 44.2 percent of the voting rights. CYVN will hold a 20.1 percent stake in Nio after its latest investment. Read more…
