BYD announced the official launch of its Han EV series, the brand’s long-awaited flagship offering for the global mid-to-large luxury sedan market, including three pure electric models and one hybrid model. The Han EV will be sold in China at first. Its extended-range version will sell at 229,800 RMB (US$32,900),... Read more →

Kia Motors Corporation has founded ‘Purple M’, a new start-up designed to offer customized EV mobility services. Purple M is a new joint venture created in partnership between Kia Motors and CODE42.ai, a Korean technology firm pioneering the transition to autonomous Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS). Through this new start-up, Kia and CODE42.ai... Read more →

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a package of major clean transportation initiatives, including a “Make Ready” order approved by the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to advance New York’s commitment to accelerate its transition to cleaner mobility. The EV Make-Ready Program will be funded by investor-owned... Read more →

US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette announced $139 million in federal funding for 55 projects across the country that will support new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies (DE-FOA-0002197, earlier post). Funded through the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), projects will conduct research... Read more →

Lightning Systems has introduced an all-electric powertrain for the popular Ford F-550 Chassis Cab. The new Lightning Electric Ford F-550 will be available in gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) of 17,500 to 19,500 pounds. Orders from fleets are being accepted immediately. The new Lightning Electric Ford F-550 model will offer... Read more →

Solaris will supply 29 electric buses to Offenbach am Main. This is the second biggest order from Germany for electric buses made by Solaris. The 140,000-strong city of Offenbach, located in the German state of Hesse, ordered 20 twelve-meter Solaris Urbino 12 electric and 9 eighteen-meter, articulated Solaris Urbino 18... Read more →

The BMW Group has signed a long-term supply contract worth €2 billion for battery cells with the Swedish company Northvolt. The battery cells will be produced in Europe at the Northvolt gigafactory currently under construction in Skellefteå in northern Sweden (series plant Northvolt Ett) from 2024. Northvolt will obtain 100%... Read more →

Hitachi ABB Power Grids has launched Grid-eMotion Fleet, a scalable, modular and fully customizable solution for large-scale EV charging of smart public and commercial transport. The smart mobility solution enables operators efficiently to scale-up their operations. The global technology leader has been pioneering EV charging solutions since 2013, where it... Read more →

Nissan introduced the all-new Nissan Ariya, an electric crossover SUV that lets customers travel up to approximately 300 miles per charge (preliminary Nissan estimate for long-range 2WD model). CEO Makoto Uchida and Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta unveiled the Ariya to a global audience during a livestreamed event at the... Read more →

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) opened one of the most extensive electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at a North American test facility. This next-generation charging station at its Arizona Proving Grounds will be used to help VWGoA evaluate battery and charging performance under extreme hot-weather conditions. Engineers will also receive... Read more →

Representatives of the municipal operator MZK Malbork (Poland) and Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. signed a contract for the delivery of six electric buses. Newly commissioned Urbino 12 electric buses will start the electrification of the city’s public transport. Emission-free buses will make it to Malbork in September 2021 at... Read more →

BMW unveiled the iX3 electric SUV (earlier post), offering full electric mobility in a BMW X model. Electric power consumption combined in the WLTP test cycle is 19.5 – 18.5 kWh/100 km. The operating range is up to 460 kilometers (285 miles) in the statutory new WLTP test cycle (up... Read more →

Power management company Eaton said it is a key contributor and supporter of the National Zero-Emission Truck (ZET) Coalition’s newly issued priority federal recommendations. Eaton’s new 4-speed transmission for heavy-duty electric commercial vehicles is the latest addition to its growing eMobility portfolio of electrified vehicle (EV) transmissions. The ZET Coalition,... Read more →

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia announced a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU), committing to work collaboratively to advance and accelerate the market for electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including large pickup trucks and vans, delivery trucks, box trucks, school and transit buses, and long-haul delivery trucks (big-rigs). The... Read more →

Mullen Technologies Inc., a Southern California-based licensed electric vehicle manufacturer, executed an LOI with Axiom Financial for $135 million in funding to acquire and build out an electric vehicle manufacturing plant. Mullen also has extended the exclusivity period for the pending merger with Net Element. The parties amended the originally... Read more →

The Egenberger bus company in Thierhaupten, Germany has taken delivery of two Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric buses. The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro features 2 x electric hub motor, 2 x 125 kW, 2 x 485 N·m, 12 HV battery modules, 24 kWh per HV battery module, Preventive Brake Assist, Sideguard Assist, length/width/height: 12135/2550/3400... Read more →

Motiv Power Systems, a sustainable technology company delivering all-electric chassis with a proven software platform for the electrification of medium-duty trucks and buses, announced the deployment of its first electric trolley with the Town of Estes Park in Colorado, with one more planned. The Town operates a free shuttle service... Read more →

Four weeks after the start of ordering for the limited ID.3 1ST for pre-bookers, Volkswagen is opening the ordering system to the public on 20 July 2020. Customers in many European countries will be able to choose from seven pre-configured ID.3 models at dealerships and to order the appropriate charging... Read more →

Fisker Inc. recently completed a $50-million Series C financing round funded by Moore Strategic Ventures, LLC, the private investment vehicle of Louis M. Bacon. The proceeds will be used to support the next phase of engineering work on the Fisker Ocean all-electric luxury SUV, due for launch in 2022. Cowen... Read more →

Freight carrier the Delanchy Group, which has been using a 100% electric Renault Trucks D prototype since 2017, has received the first D Z.E. series model. (Earlier post.) Renault Trucks and the Delanchy Group have been working together for more than fifty years. Since 2017, the Delanchy Group has been... Read more →

Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced a $770,000-investment to help Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro build 28 electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the province. The federal funding, which builds on $1,289,400 the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is investing in the project, is provided through the Electric Vehicle and... Read more →

Rivian has closed an investment round of $2.5 billion. The financing was led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. Rivian has developed and vertically integrated a connected electric platform that can be flexibly applied to a range of applications including the company’s adventure products as... Read more →

Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. has delivered two Urbino 12 electric buses to the city of Würzburg, Germany. It is the first delivery performed for the operator NVG Omnibus-Betriebs-GmbH. It is the first time that the customer has opted for battery vehicles. Solaris is also providing the charging infrastructure—two stationary... Read more →

China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) and Honda have signed an agreement to form a comprehensive strategic alliance on new energy vehicle batteries to strengthen their strategic partnership and promote the popularization of electrified vehicles. This agreement will enable the two companies to begin discussions on a broad range... Read more →

HUBER+SUHNER, a leading worldwide supplier of electrical and optical connectivity solutions, has launched its new Direct Current (DC) high-power charging system RADOX HPC200, completing the company’s RADOX HPC portfolio. RADOX HPC200 is designed to provide uncooled charging for electric vehicles rated at 200 A and peak charging up to 300... Read more →

The California Energy Commission has awarded an approximately $2.9-million grant to CleanSpark, Inc., a diversified software and services company, and ReJoule, a battery diagnostics and optimization company. The grant is slated to be deployed over the next 30 months. The funds will be distributed to the multi-group partnership of clean... Read more →

Karma Automotive, the Southern California-based luxury electric vehicle manufacturer and a developer of advanced technologies in automotive industry, and China-based PATEO, an IoV (input/output virtualization) enterprise, have partnered to integrate the PATEO Qing Mobile solution as a Proof of Concept (POC), as a whole or in parts, to use in... Read more →

LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) is launching the VN5, its new electric light commercial van. Available to order now, first VN5 deliveries will commence in RHD form in Q4, with LHD models available from March 2021. Based on the same architecture and proven eCity range-extender technology as LEVC’s TX electric... Read more →

The EU could slash truck carbon pollution by more than a fifth (22%) in a decade by requiring its main cities to have electric truck charging infrastructure, according to a new study released by European environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). The analysis by T&E’s Lucien Mathieu of truck flows... Read more →

In a joint research project funded by the HessenAgentur, the EDAG Group and Hexagon Purus (a specialist in composite high-pressure tanks and systems for installation in vehicles of all kinds) are investigating how a hybrid storage system can be implemented that can combine the advantages of both hybrid and battery... Read more →

The hydrogen bus Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen is being tested again in Austria. After successful test runs in Vienna in June, the bus was handed over to the Dr. Richard Group, the largest private bus operator in Austria, which presented the vehicle in St. Pölten on 7 July 2020. The... Read more →

Replacing a gasoline-powered ride-hailing vehicle with an electric vehicle can deliver three times the carbon benefits of a personally owned electric vehicle, according to a study by a University of California, Davis, researcher of Uber and Lyft data. The paper is published in the journal Nature Energy. Ride-hailing vehicles travel... Read more →

Luxury EV maker Lucid Motors plans to open 20 retail locations—known as Lucid Studios—and service centers throughout North America by the end of 2021. Most immediately, Lucid will open Studios and service centers in the following locations: Silicon Valley Studio: Located at Lucid’s Global Headquarters in Newark, CA Los Angeles... Read more →

Orange EV and McLane Company, Inc., announced the deployment of Orange EV T-Series pure-electric terminal trucks to the McLane Foodservice distribution center in Riverside, California. Deploying heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles furthers McLane’s Green Advantage initiatives to reduce the company’s environmental impact. McLane’s pure-electric yard trucks (aka terminal trucks, hostlers, spotters) are... Read more →

Continental has adopted Renesas Electronics Corporation’s high-performance Renesas R-Car M3 System-on-Chip (SoC) for its first-generation Body High-Performance Computer (HPC). The HPC is an automotive computing platform that provides centralized control of vehicle systems and is equipped with secure gateway functionality to enable cloud service connectivity. The R-Car M3 supports over-the-air... Read more →

Audi presented the Q4 e-tron concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show as a preview of the first compact electric SUV from Audi. (Earlier post.) With the Q4 Sportback e-tron, the brand is now presenting the second model of the product line that will go into production in 2021 as... Read more →

AMPLY Power (earlier post) is managing the charging of electric buses for SolTrans, a public transportation provider for south Solano County, California. Unique to this application, AMPLY is operating its cloud-based software in conjunction with the fueling of SolTrans buses that run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Soltran’s Operations and... Read more →

Volkswagen has begun conversion of its Emden, Germany plant to support the production of Evs; the first electric cars are to roll off the production line there from 2022. With the conversion of our plant at Emden into a production location for electric vehicles, Volkswagen is forcing the pace of... Read more →

A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has used a vehicle dynamics model to evaluate the trade-off between automation and electric vehicle range and battery longevity. The researchers compared vehicle-level energy use, range and battery life of a vehicle equipped to attain Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) levels... Read more →

Demand for raw materials used in the production of electric car batteries is set to soar, prompting the UN trade body, UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), to call for the social and environmental impacts of the extraction of raw materials, which include human rights abuses, to be... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz AG has taken numerous measures to sustainably improve its cost structure and become significantly more efficient. An important lever for this is the adjustment and realignment of capacity within its global production network. Against this backdrop, the company intends to start talks on the sale of its car plant... Read more →

Ford has awarded TomTom a global multi-year deal to provide Ford’s next-generation SYNC with its real-time traffic service. The all-new 2021 Ford F-150 pickup and the soon to be delivered all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV are the first Ford vehicles available with the technology. TomTom Traffic provides accurate, real-time traffic information,... Read more →

The BMW Group has opened the Competence Center for E-Drive Production at its largest European manufacturing location in Dingolfing. Having produced electric powertrain components in Dingolfing since 2013, the BMW Group is now expanding its capacity significantly. Production of the highly integrated BMW e-drive—final assembly Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder and... Read more →

NEVS has presented its new mobility ecosystem: PONS—the first generation of autonomous vehicles with a connected user interface. The self-driving vehicle Sango is the centerpiece of the system. The self-driving vehicle Sango NEVS developed PONS because cities all over the world, clogged by pollution and traffic, want to do whatever... Read more →

A new Leaderboard Report from Guidehouse Insights evaluates the strategy and execution of 21 electric vehicle (EV) upstarts, with Rivian, NIO, and Nikola ranked as the leading market players. The Guidehouse Insights Leaderboard Grid Interest in and adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel... Read more →

Volvo Penta has developed an electric driveline for leading fire service vehicle manufacturer Rosenbauer’s pioneering fire truck, enabling a new solution with zero exhaust emissions and significantly reduced noise levels. The truck is currently undergoing intensive testing and will soon begin real-world customer testing with fire departments in Berlin, Amsterdam... Read more →

Lucid Motors announced that it has achieved a new mark in aerodynamic efficiency for its luxury electric car, the Lucid Air. With tests recently completed at Windshear’s advanced rolling-road wind tunnel, Lucid verified a coefficient of drag of 0.21, making the Lucid Air the most aero-efficient luxury car. As quick... Read more →

Order banks are now open for the Ford Mustang Mach-E EV in the US, and reservation holders are now being invited to convert their reservations to official orders. Ford also is confirming updated performance specs following recent charging and driver-assist technology news (earlier post)—specifically: Extended-range all-wheel-drive Mach-E will deliver 346... Read more →

The Sonoma Coast Incentive Project is promoting easy access to electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure with nearly $7 million in incentives over the next three years for the purchase and installation of public EV chargers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties in California. Beginning July 8, qualifying sites can apply for rebates... Read more →

Xpeng Motors has begun China-wide delivery of its new P7 super-long range, high-performance, smart EV sports sedan to customers. This follows the receiving of the official production license on 19 May from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for its new own-built, wholly-owned factory, the Zhaoqing Xpeng Motors Intelligent... Read more →