California: Ford introduces flexible Mach-E lease for Uber drivers
Ford is introducing Ford Drive, a flexible leasing programme to help Uber drivers to switch to electric cars. So far, the offer is only available in some California cities.
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VWCV unveils ID. Buzz with longer wheelbase
Volkswagen is launching the ID. Buzz as a seven-seater version. The longer model was developed primarily for the US market and will mark the return of the VW bus to North America next year. Plus, the seven-seater also brings some technology upgrades to Europe.
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Great Wall hires Steffen Cost as Europe COO
Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor (GWM) is bringing Steffen Cost, an experienced car executive, to its European management team. The 56-year-old has been heading operations at GWM’s European headquarters as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) since 1 June.
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Lucid Motors raises capital through stock offering
The US electric carmaker Lucid Motors wants to raise about $3 billion through a stock offering. The majority will come from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which already has a stake of more than 60 per cent in Lucid.
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Gothenburg: Renova orders H2 truck fleet from H2X
Australian developer H2X will deliver a fleet of H2 trucks to Swedish waste and recycling company Renova for use in Gothenburg. The order is worth up to 240 million Swedish kronor (about €20.6 million), according to H2X.
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Cubonic integrates electric drives from Punch Powertrain
Cubonic will integrate electric drives from Punch Powertrain into its vehicle architecture – specifically for its Cubonic’s PeopleMover minibus and CargoMover light transport vehicle.
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Andrew Cornelia becomes CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America
Andrew Cornelia is the new CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America. The manager will be in charge of launching and operating the fast charging network in North America.
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Australia: Canberra orders 94 electric buses
The Australian city of Canberra has purchased 94 electric buses. The first should be delivered later this year, while the rest will join the city fleet progressively through 2026.
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UAE: Einride to set up freight grid with autonomous trucks
The Swedish electric transport specialist Einride wants to bring more than 2,000 electric trucks (some of them autonomous) and charging infrastructure to the United Arab Emirates. The goal is to set up a 550-kilometre “freight mobility grid”.
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Spain includes pre-owned vehicles in subsidiary programme
The Spanish government is extending its EV subsidy Moves III to include pre-owned vehicles. But they cannot be more than a year old. Moreover, fleet operators can apply for grants for more electric cars than before.
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Toyota announces BEV production in the US
Toyota will produce its first BEV model in the US in 2025. It will be a completely new model: a three-row, battery-electric SUV.
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BorgWarner to invest in Mexican site
US automotive supplier BorgWarner is investing an undisclosed amount in its Ramos Arizpe Campus in Mexico. The move will create some 280 new jobs.
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New charging parks at airports in Finland and Lithuania
Lithuania and Finland are increasing the number of charging options for electric cars at airports. At the Lithuanian airports of Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga, around 170 new charging points for electric vehicles will be installed in the coming years.
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Manz joins Customcells Group
Manz AG becomes a shareholder of the Customcells Group. The German engineering company is taking a rather unusual route – through its investment in the subsidiary Customcells Tübingen GmbH.
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ACC opens battery factory in France
Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint venture by Stellantis, Total and Mercedes-Benz, inaugurated its first factory in France. However, the “Grand Opening” is not synonymous with commissioning, which will take place later this year.
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Comau develops automated second-life storage line
Italian automation specialist Comau, part of the Stellantis Group, is developing a fully automated system for sustainable battery recycling and second-life reuse as part of the EU’s Flex-BD project.
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Mercedes EQE SUV goes on sale in China
Mercedes-Benz has started selling its EQE SUV in China. About half a year after its market launch in Europe, four versions of the new electric model are available there from 486,000 yuan (about €64,000).
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Daimler Truck and Toyota plan to merge Fuso and Hino
Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturers Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus and Hino Motors are planning to merge and cooperate in commercial vehicle development, procurement and production – also with a view to electrification.
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Volkswagen may build its next battery factory in Indonesia
The Volkswagen Group is allegedly planning a battery factory for electric cars in Indonesia. Citing Ikmal Lukma, Secretary of the Indonesian Ministry of Investment, local media report that Volkswagen intends to invest around €4.7 billion in the factory.
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Skoda launches Enyaq L&K with 210 kW
Skoda rounds off its purely electric SUV series with the Enyaq L&K. The new variant will have a maximum system output of 210 kW and a higher WLTP range of up to 570 kilometres. In addition, there are new design features and, according to Skoda, particularly extensive standard equipment.
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Volkswagen scraps plans for a second battery factory in Lower Saxony
According to a media report, Volkswagen currently sees no chance of realising a second battery cell factory in Lower Saxony, Germany. Lower Saxony’s Minister President Stephan Weil spoke out in favour of a second cell factory in Emden – but was outvoted in the supervisory board because of the costs involved.
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i-skaB: Research project on automated fuel cell production
The joint project i-skaB wants to further develop fuel cell production. The goal is to fully automate what is currently primarily a manual production process.
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Ford secures lithium for future electric cars
Ford is procuring lithium on a large scale for the batteries for its electric cars. The carmaker now signed agreements with five companies. Depending on the supplier, the first battery-grade materials will be delivered to the carmaker between 2025 and 2026.
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Drum roll for Mercedes eCitaro with FC range extender
Daimler Buses announced the imminent series launch of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro fuel cell. The manufacturer’s first series-production electric bus with a fuel cell as range extender will be presented at the Global Public Transport Summit (GPTS) from 4 to 7 June 2023 in Barcelona.
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No end in sight: US and EU continue negotiations on clean car deal
Negotiations between the US and the EU on the planned agreement on the critical minerals for EVs are taking longer than expected. It would give European carmakers access to tax credits in the US.
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Lucid brings two more Air variants to Europe
US electric car manufacturer Lucid Motors announced pricing for two more Lucid Air luxury sedan variants for Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway. These are the Air Pure AWD and the Air Touring, which feature the smaller 92 kWh battery pack for up to 725 kilometres WLTP range.
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VinFast plans new models and hopes to break even in 2024
Vietnamese manufacturer VinFast is ramping up exports and will likely sell 40,000 to 50,000 EVs this year – nearly seven times as much as in 2022. And the company is looking to launch two new models.
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Gotion High-Tech prepares LMFP cell production
The Chinese battery cell manufacturer Gotion High-Tech has presented a battery cell based on lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), intended to help electric cars achieve ranges of 1,000 kilometres according to Chinese standards.
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LGES to buy lithium from GT1 in Canada
South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution (LGES) is investing in Australian-based lithium miner Green Technology Metals (GT1) and has signed a preliminary supply agreement with GT1 for North America.
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Panasonic to quadruple its battery production
Panasonic wants to increase its annual production capacity for EV battery cells to 200 GWh by March 2031. That would be around four times what it currently produces. To do so, Panasonic is focusing more on production in North America.
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