For its next-generation electric and hybrid vehicles, Lexus has unveiled an e-drive control system called "Direct4," and an all-battery electric concept vehicle based on the technology is expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2021.
French specialist vehicle manufacturer Gaussin is partnering with FC specialist Plug Power to launch fuel cell powered transport vehicles, and has also announced the commercial launch of a range of vehicles for use at airports.
US-based Aptera Motors is now accepting pre-orders for its three-wheeled solar electric car, which is advertised as having a range of up to 1,000 miles, equivalent to around 1,600 kilometres.
Toyota has announced production preparations for a new all-electric SUV model. The mid-sized vehicle will be based on the new e-TNGA platform, which the Japanese company has now also released more key data on.
The first Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (SR+) from China have now arrived in Europe, but the new battery with LFP cells is showing weaknesses in the current low temperatures, according to initial reports in Chinese media. However, the sources are thin.
The Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft (DVG) plans to convert bus line 934 completely to electric buses by the end of 2021. Seven articulated electric buses have now been ordered for this purpose. The contract for this was awarded to EvoBus.
The Opel Mokka-e isn't scheduled for delivery until March 2021, but the rush for the small e-SUV is apparently so great that some variants will be sold out by September 2021.
BMW has unveiled a new generation of apps. The "My BMW" app replaces the "Connected" app and is primarily intended to offer an expanded range of functions for electrified vehicles.
Following General Motors, Bosch is now also distancing itself from Nikola, a US startup specializing in fuel cell and battery trucks. The German automotive supplier has reduced its stake in Nikola, according to a media report.
Polish bus manufacturer Solaris is pinning its hopes on two large electric bus orders from Greece: apparently Athens and Thessaloniki are looking into expanding their fleets by a total of 1,300 buses in the coming months.
Volvo's electric brand plans to open three more Polestar Spaces in Germany before the end of December, with showrooms in Cologne, Stuttgart and Hamburg to follow the launch in Düsseldorf.
Daimler's Supervisory Board has given CEO Ola Källenius the green light for an investment package worth more than €70 billion, a sum Daimler plans to invest in research and development as well as property, plant and equipment from 2021 to 2025, in particular to drive forward electrification and digitization.
After the serious fraud allegations against Nikola, short seller Hindenburg Research is now taking a look at the next electric vehicle manufacturer: the Chinese small car manufacturer Kandi, which has also been active in the USA since this year.
Sono Motors has announced its chassis development collaboration with Team Rosberg Engineering (TRE), covering the development, simulation and production of a suspension and chassis system.
The PSA Group and Toyota are now offering the Opel Zafira passenger van and its derivatives with electric instead of diesel engines. This works really well - although not for all applications. Reporter Christoph M. Schwarzer subjected the Opel minibus to an analysis.
Hannover's energy service provider Enercity has expanded its fleet by nine VW ID.3's. With currently a good 70 electric vehicles, Enercity has almost doubled the share of electric vehicles in its fleet to around 15 percent compared to the previous year.
Bus operator Nobina Sverige has ordered 22 Lion's City E electric buses from MAN Truck & Bus, which recently started series production in Poland. The 22 e-buses will be in use in Malmö from June 2021.
A few days after Audi, BMW has also announced its withdrawal from Formula E. The Munich-based company will end its involvement in the electric racing series at the end of the coming season in order to sharpen its focus on series production.
Following in the footsteps of the Volkswagen Group, the Audi brand has now also approved its investment planning round for 2021 to 2025, which provides for a total of around €35 billion, in particular for future vehicle projects.
The Turkish bus manufacturer Temsa is exporting its first electric buses to Sweden. Six examples of the MD9 electriCity will be used in future by the bus company Connect Bus in and around the island region of Öckerö.
In Australia and New Zealand, various government agencies have launched several e-projects, mainly involving e-buses but also, in some cases, the official vehicles of the agencies themselves.
California-based Zero Labs has developed a standardized platform that can be used to convert a variety of classic car models to electric drive. The platform is expected to be available in the fall of 2021, when the manufacturer also plans to release a list of all classic cars that can be converted based on the underpinnings.
British company Lunaz, which specialises in electric classic cars, has announced that it is now converting classic Range Rovers to electric drive. Prices start from £245,000 (excluding tax). As well as an electric drive, you get a refurbished and upgraded car in return.
Plans for the launch of the Mia 2.0 electric car are being revived: after announcing last year that production of the small car would start in early 2020, it is now said that the start of production is being targeted for Q1 2023.
Hyundai plans to introduce at least 12 battery-electric models by 2025, according to its updated "Strategy 2025" roadmap, which has now been unveiled. Hyundai will also rely on the new 800-volt E-GMP platform, which will first be used in the Ioniq 5 in 2021.
US manufacturer Atlis Motor Vehicles is now quoting prices for its XT all-electric pickup truck unveiled last year, which will be offered with three battery options for 300, 400 and 500 miles (around 480, 640 and 800 km) and is due to launch in 2021.
Startup Volta Trucks has announced plans to develop an all-electric refrigerated truck based on the Volta Zero, in partnership with Petit Forestier Group, which specializes in refrigerated truck rentals.
Two major electric bus manufacturers are responding to rising demand: Chinese manufacturer BYD is apparently planning to extensively expand its plant in Hungary, while US manufacturer Proterra is one step further and has now opened a new battery production line at its plant in Los Angeles County.
Sono Motors has announced its intention to present the new prototype generation of the Sion at CES in January 2021. According to a media report, that might soon not be Sono Motors' only connection to the U.S.: the Munich-based startup is reportedly aiming for the U.S. stock market.
Utility Iberdrola and bank BNP Paribas have put together an eMobility entry package for Spanish individuals and businesses, and also plan to launch financing solutions for Iberdrola customers in other European countries such as Portugal, Italy and France.
With its electric cars based on the e-CMP platform, the French PSA Group now covers a whole range of vehicle segments - from compact cars to five-metre vans. With the ë-C4, the Citroën brand is not only aiming to score points in the compact class, but also to set itself apart from the in-house competition with increased efficiency. An initial, brief test drive shows whether the [...]
Akasol has been contracted by an unnamed commercial vehicle manufacturer from Turkey to supply its battery systems from 2021 to 2025. The customer plans to install Akasol's second and third generation battery systems in an existing and a new type of bus, it says.
Swiss supplier Autoneum is offering a frunk made of "Ultra-Silent" that has been specially developed for electric vehicles. Thanks to textile fibers, the material is said to save more than three kilos in weight compared to the plastic solutions commonly used in electric vehicles today and also improves vehicle acoustics.
The Nissan Leaf is undergoing some upgrades for the new model year. The Leaf MY20 christened version has been in production since mid-November and will be rolling into dealerships "very soon" according to the Japanese. Prices for the Nissan Stromer continue to start from €29,233.95.
Audi's Artemis task force for highly automated electric cars has now been spun off into an independent company, Alexander Hitzinger, managing director of the new Artemis GmbH announced on LinkedIn.
An all-electric Citroën ë-Dispatch aka Citroën ë-Jumpy will help London Christmas Tree Rental deliver its trees for Christmas. The e-transporter is expected to travel more than 2,000 miles emission-free as part of the initiative, saving more than 428kg of CO2 compared to an equivalent diesel van.
Ford has now published all the data and prices of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E for the German market. New compared to the presentation of the model are, among other things, the price details for the extended range variants (88 kWh) with rear and all-wheel drive.
Mercedes-Benz Vans plans to put the eSprinter on a new platform, the "Electric Versatiles Platform (EVP)," which will allow for longer ranges and different bodies to prepare the electric Sprinter for the demands of the North American market - and potential major customer Amazon.
Volvo Cars has announced that it will assemble electric motors at its engine plant in Skövde, Sweden, and plans to build a complete in-house production of e-motors there by the middle of this decade.
Audi has announced that it will start series production of the e-tron GT at the Böllinger Höfe site "in the next few days". The Ingolstadt company's most powerful electric model to date is to be built in the Neckarsulm plant, which is part of the Neckarsulm plant, in a balance sheet-neutral manner.
Some 169,000 so-called new energy vehicles (BEVs, PHEVs and FCEVs) were sold in China in November, up 136.5 percent year-on-year, according to the China Passenger Car Association, with SAIC GM Wuling (SGMW), BYD and Tesla selling the most e-vehicles last month.
The electric village car project in the Rhine-Hunsrück district is entering the second of three planned rounds. After the first project year has run, the eight Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E. are changing locations these days, meaning that a further eight Hunsrück villages will benefit from the programme for one year.
Tesla has apparently begun production of the Model Y in Shanghai, with drone video showing around 40 examples of the Model Y in a parking lot at the plant. Elon Musk indirectly confirmed the start of production on Twitter, writing that he plans to travel to Shanghai in January - apparently to start deliveries.
Volkswagen is doing too little to boost sales of its e-cars, Greenpeace accuses the automaker in research now published based on test interviews at 50 VW dealerships nationwide.
California-based eMobility startup Canoo delivers a preview of an all-electric, multi-purpose delivery vehicle based on the company's familiar platform.
Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG) has ordered five Mercedes-Benz eCitaro with solid-state batteries. Delivery of the electric buses is scheduled for the beginning of 2022. The scope of supply also includes five permanently installed charging systems, each with an output of 150 kW, as well as three mobile workshop chargers of 40 kW each, including service.
Since the timetable change on 13 December, seven Solaris electric buses - six Urbino 12 electric solo buses and one Urbino 18 electric articulated bus - have been in service in Offenbach.
BMW has activated the online configurator for the all-electric iX3 in Germany and published the price and equipment list that will be valid from January 1. According to this, the starting price is slightly lower than originally announced, namely 66,300 euros (incl. 19% VAT) for the Inspiring variant.
Ari Motors, based in Borna near Leipzig, Germany, is offering a number of new features for its Ari 458 electric van for the new 2021 model year. The most important update involves the lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are available for the first time and are expected to significantly increase the vehicle's range.
The Vatican has just announced that it will be converting its fleet to electric drive. Caritas in Germany, the welfare organisation of the Catholic Church, is moving faster. Caritas for the Archdiocese of Paderborn is one of the pioneers of the change, soon to have 400 electric cars.
Charging infrastructure specialist Xcharge has installed 50 charging points at the island's four airports and charging infrastructure at high-traffic locations along the most popular tourist routes for rental car company Hertz in Corsica, with all DC units delivering 120 or 150 kW.
e.GO Mobile plans to start production at its main plant in Germany in early 2021 after relaunching under the Next.e.GO Mobile name. The Aachen, Germany-based electric car manufacturer has also signed an agreement with the Greek government to set up a second series production facility.
In Canada, the driver of an overly Christmas-decorated Tesla Model 3 was ticketed. Police found fault not only with the vehicle's distracting lights, which could have caused accidents, but also with the lights' insecure attachment. auto-motor-und-sport.de, twitter.com
Volkswagen is specifying the announcement made public the other day that it will turn its main plant in Wolfsburg into a model factory for the highly automated production of e-vehicles. Among other things, a new electric car with improved battery technology and more modern software is to be built there in a few years.
After Hyundai gave a first preview of its smallest e-car to date in October, the Korean manufacturer now shows in a touching video what the mini-electric car for children is really capable of thanks to its EAVC technology (Emotion Adaptive Vehicle Control) - in use at a children's hospital in Barcelona. hyundai.news
Zoox, the Californian startup acquired by Amazon in June 2020, presents a preview of its first robotaxi, which is powered purely by electricity and comes without a steering wheel or cockpit, meaning it is designed for fully autonomous driving.
Siemens Smart Infrastructure has received a major order from Hamburger Hochbahn to equip two of the six carports at the Alsterdorf bus depot with a total of 96 charging points as well as medium- and low-voltage technology. Commissioning is scheduled for summer 2021.
Keolis Nederland has now put 246 all-electric buses into service in the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel, the bulk of the 259 e-bus order placed with BYD at the end of 2019, with the remaining 13 battery buses scheduled for delivery in spring 2021.
Subaru Europe has announced the launch of an all-electric model "for the first half of the 2020s", but so far remains very vague on that. Subaru promises more info "over the course of the next year".
Munich-based Sono Motors has closed a 45 million euro financing deal. So far, there are around 12,400 pre-orders for its Sion solar electric car. A few days ago, Sono Motors had announced that it would present the new prototype generation in January.
Nissan is using its Leaf to power Christmas trees at a number of shopping malls in the Philippines in the run-up to Christmas, a move the Japanese manufacturer hopes will demonstrate its electric model's bidirectional charging technology. nissannews.com
Toyota is reportedly planning to unveil a prototype electric car with a solid-state battery as early as next year, offering a range of 500 kilometres with a battery charging time of just ten minutes, with sales expected to start in the "early 2020s".
From the beginning of 2021, the German commercial vehicle manufacturer Faun will take over the distribution of electric trucks of the Futuricum brand from the Swiss company Designwerk within the EU. Faun and Designwerk have now signed a cooperation agreement to this effect.
Production of the Model S and Model X in Fremont will be halted for just under three weeks, fueling speculation that both models could be getting a refresh. Meanwhile, Tesla has now signed up for production of the performance version of the Model 3 there, according to reports from China.
The VW ID.3 will get some upgrades next year, according to a British media report. Charging power will be increased to 130 kW towards the middle of 2021 and to 170 kW by the end of 2021. There are also plans for a modest range increase by the end of next year.
Mercedes-Benz is now providing a comprehensive overview of the production locations for its EQ brand electric offensive, including production of the EQA at the Rastatt plant ahead of the model's world premiere on 20 January 2021.
Tesla has started mass production of the Model Y in Shanghai and lowered the model's prices, but there are also some changes to the China-built Model 3 to kick off the year.
Tesla delivered 499,550 vehicles last year, reaching all but a few units of its pre-Corona pandemic goal of half a million electric cars, and production has already surpassed 500,000.
Which new electric cars will be launched in 2021? In the price range between 30,000 and 50,000 euros, the choice is growing. In addition to the compacts, an armada of heavyweight E-SUVs is rolling towards us. Christoph M. Schwarzer looks for us at the electric offerings of the new year!
Solaris has completed delivery of the 90 electric buses ordered by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) in June 2019. All 90 Solaris Urbino 12 buses are in regular service, bringing the total number of electric Solaris buses in operation in Berlin to 123.
BMW is aiming to build "a quarter of a million more electric cars than originally planned" between 2021 and 2023, and the carmaker wants to more than double the share of electrified vehicles in its sales - from around eight percent this year to around 20 percent in 2023.
The VW ID.4 is scheduled to go on sale in Germany and several European countries in the first week of January. Meanwhile, the VW e-Golf is history: The last example of the electric car rolled off the production line at the Transparent Factory in Dresden on December 23.
Dutch bus manufacturer VDL Bus & Coach has received orders for a total of 16 electric buses from three more German cities: Plön in Schleswig-Holstein, Völklingen in Saarland and Neuss in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Irish Transport Authority (NTA) is launching a tender to procure up to 800 all-electric double-decker buses for use in Ireland's largest cities, with the fleet to be procured over a five-year period starting in the second half of 2022.
Around 10,000 pre-orders have apparently already been placed for the all-electric GMC Hummer EV Edition 1, which was unveiled at the end of October, and General Motors is already considering increasing production numbers as a result.
Micro Mobility Systems is sharing new insights into the development process of its Microlino 2.0 e-lightweight vehicle. The first prototype chassis, which incorporates the new chassis, motor and battery, has been undergoing testing for the past few days, and despite the Corona pandemic, the production launch is still set for 2021.
Once again, there are rumors of an electric car from Apple: according to the report, the tech giant is aiming to start production of an autonomous e-car for the mass market by 2024. At the heart of the strategy is said to be a new battery design that will "radically" reduce battery costs and increase range.
The South Tyrolean snow groomer manufacturer Prinoth is declaring war on fossil fuels: with the Husky eMotion, Prinoth is launching a purely battery-electric snow groomer model with an output of 200 kW and a 190 kWh battery that allows it to work for up to three hours.
In Düsseldorf, Rheinbahn is starting to use the first of the ten electric buses ordered last year from the Spanish manufacturer Irizar via its German contract partner Ferrostaal.
Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool has launched sales of its 2019 battery-electric coach for the North American market, with the first example of the Van Hool CX45E now shipped to the US ahead of ten more CX45Es in the first half of 2021.
Hyundai is apparently considering ending sales of its Kona Electric in the South Korean market after two recent recalls of the electric model, but sales of the Kona Electric in Europe are expected to continue.
Chinese manufacturer Xpeng has started delivering its electric cars to customers in Norway. 100 units of the Xpeng G3 E-SUV are currently being handed over to their new owners in 28 Norwegian cities. Prices of the electric car start at 358,000 kroner in Norway, the equivalent of around 33,700 euros.
Poland's first electric car plant will be built in the city of Jaworzno in the south of the country. The groundbreaking ceremony for the factory is scheduled to take place next year, with production starting in 2024. In July, ElectroMobility Poland (EMP) had presented two prototypes of the electric cars to be produced.
BYD has delivered the first 120 of a total of 470 electric buses to Colombia, which will operate on nine bus routes in the capital Bogotá, with the remaining 350 BYD e-buses to be deployed on 30 more routes starting in the first quarter of 2021.
Volvo Trucks and Designwerk are now extending their cooperation on truck electrification to the German market. The scope of the agreement includes chassis supply, sales cooperation and access to the existing aftersales infrastructure.
Just a few months after its market launch, the Mercedes-Benz EQV is already subject to a recall campaign. 302 EQVs produced between February 21 and October 27, 2020 will have to have their suspension struts replaced if they are too weak. 175 of them are on the roads in Germany. auto-motor-und-sport.de
Volvo Cars is tripling production capacity for electric cars at its plant in Ghent, Belgium, with e-cars set to account for around 60 percent of total production capacity there by 2022. So far, Ghent has produced an all-electric version and PHEV versions of the Volvo XC40, among others.
Coventry and Oxford could become the first UK cities to have all-electric bus fleets. The UK government now says it received 19 applications from across England for matching funding, from which the two cities were selected as finalists.
John Deere has unveiled the concept of an all-electric excavator. The vehicle is still at an early stage of development, but one thing is clear: the manufacturer wants to promote electric mobility not only in agriculture, but also on construction sites in the future.
The Federal Association of Fleet Management strongly advises against ignoring the topic of electromobility. Thanks to its close ties to its members, it is close to the reservations, but also to the showcase examples of the industry. With us, Managing Director Axel Schäfer sets out the recommendations and positions of the trade association.
British SAIC brand MG Motor is apparently planning more electric models, with a small electric car and a sports coupe set to launch in Europe later this year, according to a British media report.
Nio is launching a used car service called "Nio Certified" and has set up a nationwide business network to offer the buying and selling of vehicles and services such as inspections and appraisals. Within five years, Nio plans to invest 3 billion yuan (380 million euros) in the service.
Tesla is apparently experiencing high demand for its Model Y in China. After series production of the Model Y was launched in Shanghai a few days ago and the first deliveries were still promised for January, the Tesla website for China now lists the second quarter of 2021 as the delivery date for new orders.
The General Directorate of the Spanish Police Guardia Civil is procuring a total of 50 electric cars. The first five of these electric cars recently entered service in the Balearic Islands, where they will be used to patrol ports and airports.
Enel X has signed a strategic agreement with Chinese electric car maker WM Motor to launch collaborations in several eMobility fields. The target markets that the duo will jointly target are Europe, China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America.
The Finnish capital Helsinki plans to convert existing heavy-duty vehicles to electric drives as part of the Stara eRetrofit project. The conversion of the first truck, an old Scania P320, has already begun. Test drives are planned in the coming months.
China's largest electric car makers have released their December 2020 sales figures, taking stock of the year as a whole. Towards the end of 2020, BYD and WM Motor both made gains, as did Nio and Xpeng Motors, with the latter duo posting new sales records for December.
The relaunch of the Smart brand in the form of the Chinese joint venture with Geely is becoming more concrete: the first model is to be an electric SUV, which will also be offered in Europe.
Electric car startup Rivian is reportedly close to closing a multi-billion dollar funding round, with a media report saying the new investments will give Rivian a valuation of $25 billion (around €20 billion).
More details have now emerged about the North American auto alliance announced by General Motors and Honda, which will also involve vehicle platforms (including for e-cars). According to an insider report from the U.S., specific timelines and factories for Honda's electric models are mentioned.
Regiobus Hannover is aiming to purchase 15 electric buses and has now been promised funding of up to 9 million euros by the Federal Environment Ministry. In addition to the purchase of the vehicles, the sum also covers the procurement of charging infrastructure.
California-based electric car startup Mullen Technologies says it has landed a potential major order, with Florida-based Unlimited Electrical Contractors (UEC) issuing a non-binding letter of intent to purchase up to 10,000 units of the MX-05 e-SUV.
US manufacturer Workhorse has announced a major order for its electric delivery vehicles, with Pride Group Enterprises, which operates in Canada and the US, ordering 6,320 of Workhorse's C-Series electric delivery vehicles, specifically the C-650 and C-1000 models, with deliveries scheduled to take place between July 2021 and 2026.
The Japanese conglomerate Aspark has started production of a small series of 50 Owl sports cars. The vehicle is supposed to go from 0 to 100 km/h in less than two seconds. The model, which is available at three million euros each, is probably not sold out yet.
Tesla is apparently on the verge of a large-scale launch of the Model 3 in Israel: the company has received a license from Israel's Ministry of Transportation to import its electric cars without volume restrictions. Until now, Tesla was only allowed to import up to twenty vehicles in Israel, mainly for testing purposes.
Struggling e-car startup Byton is negotiating a collaboration with Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn, according to a media report, for a $200 million investment, with plans reportedly to start mass production of the Byton M-Byte in the first quarter of 2022.
The Munich Transport Company (MVG) has been using its first electric articulated bus for a few days now. The Mercedes eCitaro G with solid-state batteries runs on line 100 between the main station, Odeonsplatz and Ostbahnhof during the week and will soon be joined by a second electric articulated bus of the same type.
According to a media report, the study for the first Audi model of the electric showcase project Artemis is to be presented this fall as part of the IAA. There is also more info on the start of series production planned for the end of 2024 and possible offshoots in the VW Group.
Transjakarta, the bus operator in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, plans to purchase 10,000 electric buses by 2030, with the first 100 e-buses to be purchased this year.
After Turin transport operator GTT cancelled a contract with Chinese manufacturer Yutong to supply 100 electric buses, BYD has now been awarded the contract. The first 50 of these e-buses have already been firmly ordered from BYD and are scheduled for delivery to Turin in April 2021.
Fiat Chrysler plans to invest 755 million zloty - the equivalent of about 166 million euros - in its plant in Tychy, southern Poland, to produce hybrid and electric cars of the Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands there from next year.
BMW and Daimler's Free Now mobility platform aims to achieve climate neutrality in all key European markets by 2030 and is providing more than €100 million in resources over the next five years to support the shift towards e-mobility.
Renault has released its 2020 e-car sales statistics, which show that the French automaker managed to sell 115,888 electric vehicles in Europe, roughly double the number sold in 2019. Once again, the company's most successful e-model by far was the Renault Zoe.
Hyundai has delivered an official preview of the highly anticipated Ioniq 5, unveiling the first design elements and technologies of the electric CUV. Following the digital world premiere in February, pre-bookings will be available for the 800-volt electric vehicle before it launches in Germany in summer 2021.
Tesla's imminent launch in India, announced by an Indian minister in late December, is taking shape, with the electric car maker setting up a subsidiary there under the name "Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited".
Under the BrightDrop brand, US automaker General Motors is looking to build an "integrated ecosystem" of electric delivery trucks, software and services for first-to-last mile logistics, with the first vehicle set to launch soon - with FedEx as the launch customer.
A BMVI-funded research project called Shuttle Model Region Upper Franconia (SMO) aims to test the operation of six driverless e-shuttles on public roads. The sextet has recently been on the road in this context in the Upper Franconian communities of Kronach, Hof and Rehau.
Luxembourg-based startup UFODrive, which rents out electric cars via app in several European cities, has launched a crowdfunding campaign, with a funding platform now raising money for the company's expansion plans.
Norgesbuss has ordered 102 electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach for use in Oslo. This is VDL's largest order in Europe to date. Specifically, it has been agreed that 83 Citea SLFA-180 Electric and 19 SLF-120 Electric will be delivered to the Norwegian capital by January of next year.
The Lower Saxony cabinet has decided that the state's own fleet of vehicles will be converted to electric vehicles, for which the state government is providing 20 million euros to procure the vehicles and set up the charging points.
Following Mercedes-Benz Cars, Porsche, Audi, VW and the BMW Group have now also published their sales figures for 2020. Although overall sales declined for all manufacturers, sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids increased significantly - in some cases reaching a double-digit share of total sales.
Partners Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD's UK offshoot have announced plans to assemble the chassis of their electric solo and double-decker buses for the UK market directly at ADL's UK plants from the second half of 2021.
McLaren Racing has secured an option to participate in Formula E once the 3rd generation race cars debut for the 9th season of the electric racing series. The option will allow McLaren to enter the championship as one of a maximum of 12 teams from the 2022/23 season.
Tesla is now using the heralded one-piece rear frame in Model Y production in Fremont. The part from the so-called "Giga Press" was discovered on a delivered vehicle in the U.S. Meanwhile, Tesla is apparently planning its next growth steps in China.
Ford has kept its promise to start deliveries of the Mustang Mach-E in the U.S. by the end of 2020 - albeit just barely. According to U.S. data, three examples were apparently delivered to customers by the end of December. Things are looking better for production.
In a joint white paper, Nissan, E.On Drive and London's Imperial College have analysed the CO2 savings potential and economic benefits of vehicle-to-grid charging technology - and backed them up with concrete figures.
Amazon plans to procure up to 2,500 all-electric Lion 6 and Lion 8 trucks from Canadian manufacturer Lion Electric by 2025, news of a framework agreement with Amazon signed back in July 2020 hidden in a lengthy stock market announcement.
Mercedes-Benz Cars more than tripled its sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids in 2020, selling more than 160,000 plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Cars worldwide (+228.8%), including around 87,000 units in the fourth quarter.
Chinese electric car maker Xpeng has announced another e-sedan, which will be the third model in its portfolio alongside the G3 compact SUV and the P7 sporty sedan. The new model is set to be unveiled later this year, with large-scale production also set to begin before the end of 2021.
Because production capacities for the model are exhausted, Opel has now even cancelled contracts with customers, according to a media report. Officially, according to Opel, some variants of the Mokka-e are still sold out, while others are still available for order.
Due to pre-damage of the battery cells, there is a risk of a short circuit or fire. So far, no incidents are known, but it was decided to take this action as a precaution, they say. Also, it is a very small number of vehicles: According to the KBA, only 122 copies of the e-Up are affected by the recall worldwide, 81 of which are [...]
Nio has unveiled its new flagship model, the ET7 electric sedan with advanced autonomous driving features, following the three previous e-SUVs, the ES8, ES6 and EC6. The sedan is available for pre-order now as a debut special edition as well as regular with 70 or 100 kWh battery options. Nio is also making pricing public.
Tesla could launch a significantly cheaper model as early as next year, according to new information from China that cites an environmental report from the California-based electric carmaker for its Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai.
The French electric bus manufacturer Bluebus, a member of the Bolloré Group, has announced two orders from the public transport operator RATP for a total of 109 e-buses for the Ile-de-France region, i.e. the Paris conurbation. A special feature here is that the buses have solid batteries on board.
Apple could pick South Korean automaker Hyundai as a partner to develop its rumored self-driving electric car, a statement from the South Koreans suggests, but Hyundai has since become more wishy-washy.
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Chinese tech company Baidu was looking into getting into electric car production, but what's new now is the information that the production of the e-cars will apparently take place in Geely's existing plants.
VW has opened the configurator for the ID.4 in Germany. The E-SUV starts with a 77 kWh battery and a 150 kW electric motor in the rear at gross list prices starting at 44,450 euros. Deliveries of the all-electric SUV model are scheduled to begin in the first quarter.
From January to September 2020, police in Germany recorded a total of 1,570 accidents involving e-treadrollers in which people were injured or killed, with a total of seven people killed and 1,365 injured, 269 of them seriously, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
According to a media report, Mercedes-Benz is planning a tight schedule for the market launch of the electric models EQA and EQS. While the e-compact car is to be delivered as early as March, August is reportedly scheduled for the first handover to customers for the electric flagship.
The electric car joint venture between Audi and FAW in China, which was officially announced in October 2020, is becoming more concrete: the future company will be 60 percent owned by Audi AG and Volkswagen Group China and 40 percent by FAW, and will be headquartered in Changchun in northeastern China.
Nearly 40,000 units of the electric microcar trio Mitsubishi EV (formerly i-MiEV), Citroën C-Zero and Peugeot iOn are being called into workshops worldwide. The reason is that the electric vacuum pump for the brake boosting system may fail. In Germany, around 4,400 vehicles are affected. kfz-betrieb.vogel.de
Tesla has officially started deliveries of the Model Y built in China. Meanwhile, preparations for the production of the European Model Y in Grünheide continue - the plant could be larger than initially thought. But there are also growing indications that the Model S and Model X will soon be refreshed.
General Motors has announced plans to transform its Ingersoll plant in the Canadian province of Ontario into a major production facility for electric delivery vehicles, for which GM plans to invest around $800 million.
The Romanian city of Brașov has ordered 25 more Trollino 18 articulated trolleybuses from Solaris for delivery within twelve months. The Polish manufacturer had already signed a first order for 26 vehicles of the same type in summer 2020.
The Volkswagen Group has added further manufacturers to its European CO2 pool, including companies whose electric cars are intended to reduce the CO2 fleet value of the pool.
Electric car maker Lucid Motors is currently in talks to go public through a merger with an investment firm, according to a media report, and if a deal is struck, it could be worth around $15 billion.
Zhiji Auto, a newly formed joint venture between SAIC Motor and Alibaba, has unveiled prototypes of its first two electric models. The sedan and SUV produce 400 kW and will be available with either 93 or 115 kWh battery capacity, with cells coming from CATL.
The PSA Group recorded around 120,000 new registrations for electrified models in 2020, one of the reasons it met European CO2 targets, but the French company's total sales slumped 27.8 percent to 2.51 million cars in the crisis year compared to 2019.
Ride-hailing company Uber is massively expanding its Uber Green service with electric and hybrid cars in North America. After launching in 15 cities last September, Uber has announced plans to make the service available in 1,400 more cities across North America.
Mechanical and plant engineering company Dürr has acquired a majority stake of 75 percent in Teamtechnik Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH, whose product range primarily includes test systems for electric and hybrid drives. Teamtechnik is contributing a major order to this merger at the same time.
Citroën has unveiled the new ë-Berlingo panel van, which is due to go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2021 and completes Citroën's trio of electric commercial vehicles after the ë-Jumpy and the ë-Jumper. Visually, it is hardly any different from the combustion engine version.
With the e-2008, Peugeot is attacking the class of electric compact SUVs. The drive is already known from other models of the PSA Group. The first impression: Here comes an alternative to the Volkswagen ID.3. Reporter Christoph M. Schwarzer has subjected the Peugeot Stromer to a test.
Renault boss Luca de Meo has unveiled his new "Renaulution" strategy. The Italian wants to give the French carmaker a new business principle in three phases: away from volume and towards value. Ten new electric models are to be launched by 2025. In the spotlight: the Renault 5 Prototype.
Bern's municipal transport operator Bernmobil has issued a public tender for the procurement of 14 articulated electric buses, which are to be used on routes 19 and 21 from the beginning of 2023. In December, Bernmobil had already put out to tender the procurement of 21 hybrid buses.
Italian luxury design house ARES has unveiled its conversion of the Tesla Model S into a two-door convertible, which was privately commissioned. ARES does not publicly disclose the price of the conversion, but is happy to undertake other such conversions on request. carscoops.com, aresdesign.com
Audi is giving its A4 and A6 models an end date as internal combustion engines, according to a media report. The same is said to apply to the A8. Even in plug-in hybrids, Audi apparently no longer wants to invest heavily. These decisions are likely to be the cornerstones of the exit plan from internal combustion engines made under Audi CEO Markus Duesmann.
Overall, the Volkswagen Group narrowly missed the EU's CO2 fleet targets for 2020. Specifically, the CO2 pool formed with other manufacturers fell short by around 0.5 g/km last year. By contrast, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Audi brands exceeded the CO2 fleet targets, primarily thanks to the ramp-up of the ID.3 and rising e-tron sales.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered around 2,700 electric vehicles in 2020, a 167 percent increase over 2019 but representing less than one percent of total sales, which in turn slumped by a quarter in the crisis year compared to 2019.
The VW ID.3 is now also available in Germany with the smallest of the three battery variants. Following the versions with 77 kWh and 58 kWh net capacity, the ID.3 can now also be configured with the 45 kWh battery - at gross list prices starting at €31,495.
Nissan has unveiled the e-NV200 Winter Camper Concept, a concept vehicle optimised for off-road conditions based on the familiar e-transporter. The off-road-ready one-off is designed to inspire a "sustainable sense of adventure".
Public transport operator VAG Nuremberg has ordered 39 electric buses from MAN Truck & Bus, including 28 Lion's City 18 E and eleven Lion's City 12 E, which are to be delivered this year. For MAN, this is the largest electric bus order to date and also the first order ever for articulated electric buses.
Tesla has lowered the prices for all variants of the Model 3 in Germany by up to 3,500 euros. The list price for the basic Standard Range Plus version drops to 39,990 euros, that for the Long Range variant to 49,900 euros. The Model 3 Performance now stands at 54,990 euros in the configurator.
Mercedes has unveiled its compact E-SUV, the EQA. The 140 kW EQ Stromer now on display is to be followed by further variants. The EQA 250 is to be available to order from February at prices starting at €47,540.50.
The VW brand's new electric flagship, which was announced in December and will be produced at the company's main plant in Wolfsburg, will be called the Trinity and will start rolling off the production line in 2026, VW brand boss Ralf Brandstätter has now revealed.
Mercedes-Benz has to recall 1,910 units of its eSprinter and eVito electric commercial vehicles worldwide, 1,353 of which are in Germany. According to the KBA, inadequate sealing of the high-voltage battery housing can lead to moisture ingress in the event of corrosion, which would make it impossible to restart the vehicle.
The Porsche Taycan with rear-wheel drive is already available in China, and will be in dealerships here in Germany from March. Prices in Germany start at 83,520 euros. With rear-wheel drive and the optional larger battery, the basic Taycan is the version of the model series with the longest range.
Stadtwerke München (SWM) has commissioned PSI Transcom to supply the depot management system PSIebus for electric buses. The software will be used to manage and control the electric bus dispatching at the Moosach and Ost depots.
Volkswagen Financial Services is now offering private customers the VW ID.3 on a monthly subscription basis. With a minimum contract term of six or three months, the usage fee is €449 or €539 per month.
Renault is launching a limited offer for private customers in Germany, who will receive a free Schneider Electric EVlink Wallbox G4 Smart home charger in addition to a €10,000 electric bonus when financing or leasing the Renault Zoe until the end of February.
Designwerk has delivered three electric concrete truck mixers to Holcim Switzerland under the Futuricum commercial vehicle brand. In the Futuricum Concrete 40E, both the drive motor and the mixing drums are fully electrically operated.
Ford plans to launch its Mustang Mach-E in China later this year and produce it there as well. Local production of the electric SUV will be handled by the Changan joint venture. Ford is not yet giving any details on the planned production volume for the Mustang Mach-E in China.
DAF Trucks has now unveiled the production version of its second all-electric truck model called the LF Electric, following the revamped CF Electric a few months ago, with production set to start at Leyland Trucks in the UK in May 2021.
Tesla has also presented the revised versions of the Model S and X when announcing the business figures for 2020. From the outside, the update is hardly noticeable, under the sheet metal and in the interior, the changes are disproportionately larger. In Germany, deliveries are expected to start in September.
Tesla once again raked in a presentable $270 million in earnings in the past quarter, posting the first annual profit in its history for 2020. Tesla also announced it will launch ground-up overhauled variants of the Model X and Model S this quarter.
Volvo's Canadian subsidiary Nova Bus has received an order from TransLink for 15 new electric buses to complement two Nova Bus e-buses that have already been in service since 2019 for the transit company, which operates in the Greater Vancouver area.
Nissan has announced plans to electrify every new model in Japan, China, the U.S. and Europe starting in the early 2030s, and the automaker also plans to accelerate the introduction of electric and hybrid cars in China under its main brand and its Chinese brand Venucia.
Mini has given its 3-door, 5-door and convertible a facelift, which in the case of the 3-door also benefits the purely electric Mini Cooper SE. The drive technology remains unaffected by the refresh. The new edition of the electric Mini Cooper SE starts in Germany at list prices from 32,500 euros.
Niu has demonstrated that you can also fly with its electric scooters - at least stuntman JT Holmes did in a pretty spectacular video, riding a Niu scooter out of the back of a plane and landing safely back on the ground thanks to a parachute.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered Tesla to recall more than 150,000 vehicles a few days ago due to a flaw in the infotainment unit (Media Control Unit) that poses a safety risk.
Gradually, other important suppliers for Volkswagen's MEB are becoming known. In the ID.3 and ID.4 as well as in the other MEB models, a brake control system by ZF is installed. This system also controls the recovery of braking energy.
The Federal Ministry of Transport (BMVI) is funding three research projects with a total of 24.4 million euros, which will develop both battery-electric commercial vehicles and fuel cell drives.
Jaguar Land Rover is working on weight-saving composite materials such as carbon and glass fibre as part of the Tucana research project. Their use in electric cars is expected to deliver increased range as well as more power and driving dynamics. The first prototypes are due to hit the roads in 2022.
Vienna International Airport is now testing the first all-electric towing vehicle in ground handling. The Bison E620 from Goldhofer can be used to tow and push aircraft weighing up to 260 tonnes - i.e. large aircraft such as the Boeing 777, 767 and 737, the Airbus A350 and A320 as well as Embraer jets.
Hyundai has announced prices for the refreshed Kona Electric and Kona Hybrid in Germany. The new Kona Electric is available with a 100 kW engine and 39.2 kWh battery at list prices starting at €35,650, the 150 kW variant with a 64 kWh battery from €41,850 - both before incentives. The Kona Hybrid starts at €26,900.
After establishing its own e-mobility division three years ago, Schaeffler will begin series production of e-motors for hybrid modules, hybrid transmissions, and purely electric axle drives in 2021, with the supplier eyeing the truck sector in addition to the passenger car sector.
California-based electric car startup Faraday Future is planning to build a plant in China with an initial annual production capacity of more than 100,000 vehicles, according to insiders, and is also negotiating with Geely for contract manufacturing.
Peugeot has unveiled the new e-Partner, completing the usual trio of commercial vehicles from the PSA brands. The electric high-roof van will be launched in two lengths and should be available to order from autumn 2021.
French company EasyMile and Sono Motors have partnered to integrate Sono Motors' solar technology into the EZ10 autonomous shuttle, which EasyMile says has already exported its self-driving electric model to more than 30 countries.
The Romanian city of Târgu Jiu will add eleven Solaris trolleybuses to its fleet. The Trollino 12s will transport passengers in the city of 80,000 inhabitants at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains from the beginning of 2022. The order is worth almost €4.5 million.
MAN has presented the results of test drives of its eTGM distribution truck in Munich. According to the manufacturer, the test drives as part of the ZEUS ("Zero Emission off-peak Urban Deliveries") project were able to demonstrate that electric trucks can be used well in inner cities at sensitive times.
Extreme E has announced the participation of the third Formula 1 world champion: After Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button now also joins the electric off-road racing series starting this year. The difference to Hamilton and Rosberg: Button will also participate as a driver.
Energy supplier Wien Energie has purchased 48 Kia e-Niro electric cars for its sales staff, bringing the total number of e-cars on the road for Wien Energie to around 70, making up the majority of its fleet of around 100 cars.
Evergrande New Energy Vehicle, the e-car offshoot of China's Evergrande Group, has raised the equivalent of around $3.35 billion in additional capital by selling more shares to six China-based investors.
Vietnamese startup VinFast has previewed its first three electric models. Called the VF31, VF32 and VF33, they are SUV models that fall in the C, D and E segments, respectively. The manufacturer is already giving initial specs, but no prices yet - although it plans to start taking orders in Europe as early as this year.
Renault is apparently indeed planning a production version of its recently unveiled all-electric Renault 5 Prototype, which, according to a media report, will be based on the new CMF-B EV platform for electric compact cars and built at the Douai plant from 2023.
The first People Mover from e.GO Moove received approval for public road use at the end of December 2020, meaning that e.GO Moove GmbH's status as a vehicle manufacturer was finally confirmed by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
Chemical company Johnson Matthey has partnered with Formula E team Envision Virgin Racing to market its cathode materials, and the collaboration will also see the development of a two-seater Formula E race car.
Quantron has entered into a sales partnership with Fraikin Deutschland GmbH, a member of the French Fraikin Group, to further advance e-mobility in the commercial vehicle sector in the area of long-term rental.
Nissan has launched a special edition of its Leaf electric model to mark its 10th anniversary. The Nissan Leaf10 is distinguished by its looks and a few tech gimmicks, but the powertrain and battery remain unchanged.
Škoda Electric has received an order from Prague Public Transport for fourteen new electric buses, the first delivery of e-buses to be carried out by Škoda in cooperation with its Turkish sister company Temsa.
ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft in Wiesbaden has put 21 new battery buses and 56 stationary charging points into operation at the bus yard in Gartenfeldstraße. 21 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses with solid-state batteries are being used, supplementing the previous ten battery buses.
Smart is bringing the EQ Fortwo Coupé to dealers in April as a special "Edition Bluedawn" model. The most striking feature of the special edition is the paintwork: the car is painted in a matt blue, which Daimler calls "Velvet Blue".
Audi and FAW have announced the management team for their joint venture, which will produce electric cars based on the PPE platform in Changchun in northeastern China from 2024. CEO of the new cooperation company from May 1, 2021 will be Helmut Stettner, who has been plant manager at Audi's Neckarsulm site for five years.
Lordstown Motors plans to start production of its all-electric Endurance pickup truck this September, and with that in mind, it has signed a multi-year contract with LG Energy Solution to supply battery cells.
The electric car joint venture between Daimler and BYD in China is apparently facing an uncertain future. In view of persistently low unit numbers, there is talk of a "disaster" in Daimler group circles, according to a media report. It also seems possible that the project will come to an end.
BYD books its first electric bus order from Romania, with the city of Buzău ordering nine 12-meter electric buses to be operated by Transbus Buzău. The majority of the vehicles will be manufactured at BYD's production facility in Komárom in neighboring Hungary.
In the aftermath of the 2020 financial results, Elon Musk has somewhat fleshed out the timelines for future models, saying the Semi e-truck and Cybertruck e-pickup could start up now - but the bottleneck is battery cells.
The Transparent Factory in Dresden has started series production of the ID.3, making it the second production site for the electric model after Zwickau. However, the number of units produced by the Dresden MEB factory is manageable.
Seat is bringing back the Mii electric. The small electric car can now be ordered again in Germany, but only in the special edition "Edition Power Charge". The model costs 24,650 euros or 15,080 euros after promotion.
BMW is moving up the start of production of the all-electric i4 from the end of the year to August or September, according to a media report, which means the first cars could be delivered in Germany by the end of the year. Meanwhile, in China, BMW has slashed the price of its iX3 electric SUV.
Faraday Future has found a partner for its long-announced IPO. After merging with investment firm Property Solutions Acquisition, the new Faraday Future Inc. will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "FFIE." The company has also entered into a master agreement with Geely.
General Motors has announced its intention to largely abandon the internal combustion engine by 2035, with the aim of "eliminating tailpipe emissions" from new "light-duty vehicles" - according to the US definition, these are passenger cars and light commercial vehicles up to around 3.8 tonnes.
Honda has given a preview of the Honda E-Drag at the digital Tokyo Auto Salon. This is a version of the Honda e small electric car that has been converted into a drag racer. The virtual trade fair visitors can still vote on the paint scheme, and an example will then actually be built from March onwards. auto-motor-und-sport.de
After Vienna Airport, Munich Airport is now also using an all-electric aircraft tractor from the manufacturer Goldhofer. The Munich model is also said to be able to move wide-bodied aircraft.
While many companies have long since taken action, driving schools are having a hard time with the topic of electromobility. One industry representative that is not afraid to invest is the Zöllner driving school, headquartered in Lemgo, where driving students can take their driving test in one of ten VW ID.3s.
After the pre-sale of the special edition VW ID.4 1ST, VW is now starting the pre-sale of other models of the ID.4 until mid-February - among others with the smaller battery. Deliveries to customers are scheduled to start in Europe and China in March, in the USA from the middle of the year.
The "Yoke" steering wheel unveiled by Tesla as part of the refresh of its Model S and Model X, which many thought was a marketing stunt with no chance of coming to fruition, is apparently actually ready for registration in Europe.
Apple is planning to invest around three billion euros in the production of electric vehicles as part of a collaboration with South Korean carmaker Kia, according to a media report. Rumours that Apple could cooperate with the Hyundai Group were already circulating in January.
US fleet management company Merchants Fleet has announced plans to procure 12,600 EV600 electric delivery vans from new General Motors brand BrightDrop, which will be added to its customers' fleets from early 2023.
Tesla is now accepting orders for the Model 3, Model S, and Model X in Israel, where Model 3 deliveries are scheduled to begin in late March and Model S and X deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Following the introduction of the subscription models for the EQC and EQV, Mercedes-Benz is extending its range of subscriptions for the first time to include e-transporters with commercial vehicle registration: the eVito panel van and the eSprinter are now also available "on subscription".
More e-cars were newly registered in Europe in 2020 than ever before, according to market monitoring of new passenger car registrations in Europe published by the ICCT. In addition, researchers estimate that CO2 emissions from the new car fleet have fallen by around 15 grams per kilometre.
The Daimler Group has announced plans to split up, with Daimler Truck AG to be floated on the stock market as an independent company and the passenger car division, soon to be renamed Mercedes-Benz, to focus on electric drives and vehicle software.
Ford is ending plans for electric car joint ventures with Chinese automaker Zotye, saying Chinese industrial and government policies on electric vehicles have fundamentally changed since the deals were signed in 2017 and 2018, leading to Ford's decision.
The Center of Automotive Management (CAM) has analyzed the innovative strength of 32 automakers based on 291 innovations in the field of electromobility. The top innovator in the technology field of battery-electric vehicles remains Tesla by a clear margin.
Audi anticipates the layout of the Tesla Plaid drive with the three-motor e-tron S. Is that Vorsprung durch Technik? Christoph M. Schwarzer put the e-SUV through its paces for two weeks in the wet and cold winter, encountering familiar virtues of the e-tron but also gathering a bunch of new impressions.
In Baden-Württemberg, electric cars will soon be even easier to test-drive, with the state traffic watchdog launching a campaign under the slogan "We explain, you drive!", in the course of which 36 electric cars will be available for extensive familiarisation, comparison and expert discussion.
Mercedes-Benz is opening the order books for its EQA compact electric vehicle, which was unveiled about two weeks ago. The first models will arrive at dealerships in the spring. List prices in Germany start at €47,540.50 for the EQA 250 with 140 kW.
US vehicle supplier Meritor plans to begin production of its new 14Xe e-drive for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in mid-2021 and has already reported three customers - specifically, Volta Trucks of Sweden, Lion Electric of Canada and Autocar Trucks of the US.
Amazon has begun initial testing of Rivian's e-delivery truck, developed specifically for the eCommerce giant, in parts of Los Angeles. The vehicle is currently being tested on some delivery routes, with plans to deploy the e-truck in 15 more cities by the end of the year.
General Motors has hired actor and comedian Will Ferrell as a testimonial for its Super Bowl commercial, in which the company promotes its electric offensive based on the Ultium platform. Norway as the market leader for electric cars? They don't want to put up with that in the USA! Click here for the wonderfully self-deprecating 90-second commercial. twitter.com
BMW has adjusted its product plans for the upcoming electric cars, according to a media report. According to the report, some e-sedans are planned, but only one more e-derivative of the well-known SUV models.
Ford plans to nearly double investment in the electrification of its vehicles to at least $22 billion by 2025, the U.S. automaker announced now as part of its financial results announcement.
In principle, only purely electric vehicles will be procured for the Swiss federal administration from this year onwards, according to a directive now published by Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, who is responsible for procurement.
Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) has completed the tender process for a further 32 e-buses, with Irizar, MAN and Volvo winning the contracts. Delivery of the new vehicles is scheduled to begin at the end of 2021.
VDL Bus Venlo becomes an industrial partner of Camperfixx, a motorhome builder from Friesland. VDL will build compact electric campers based on the almost identical vehicles Peugeot Expert, Toyota Proace, Opel Vivaro and Citroën Jumpy, with the first example to be completed in February.
The Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer is now available in its extra-long design as a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. There are no changes to the drive system, but there are changes to the cab conversion, which Daimler is offering together with conversion specialist AMF-Bruns.
Indications are piling up that Renault is also looking to revive the Renault 4 as an electric model after the Renault 5. According to media reports, the electric Renault 4 could follow the production version of the all-electric Renault 5 Prototype study, which will be built from 2023.
The Australian company Alauda has now presented the eVTOL, the Airspeeder Mk3, which will compete in the first season of the planned racing series with electrically powered flying cars. The e-flying cars, which are to compete in races at speeds of more than 120 km/h, will initially be controlled remotely by pilots on site.
The bus company ÖBB Postbus has been awarded the contract to operate scheduled services in the southern Weinviertel region with electric buses for at least eight years as part of a tender by Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region (VOR). Operations are scheduled to start in summer 2022 with eleven e-buses.
According to a media report, several VW dealers are considering passing on additional costs for the delivery of electric cars to customers by introducing a service fee. The background: dealers invest up to 300 euros per delivery of e-cars, which is not covered by the commission paid by the manufacturer.
The electric car rental company UFODrive has announced a cooperation with the Munich-based electric car startup Sono Motors. The solar car Sion is to become part of UFODrive's fleet in the future. Both companies have or are in the process of raising fresh capital via crowdfunding.
Kia has once again updated its "Plan S" strategic plan, extending it to 2030, which not only includes new targets for electrified vehicle sales, but also details the number of electric models.
VDL Bus & Coach has received orders from three transport companies in Germany for a total of twelve Citea SLF-120 Electric: nine of the e-buses will go to Kraftverkehrsgesellschaft Braunschweig, two to Verdener Verkehrsgesellschaft and one to Stadtbus Goslar.
Mercedes-AMG is planning performance variants of the EQA, EQB, EQS and EQE electric models, according to a media report. Performance figures are not yet known, and the market launch schedule is also still open.
Preparations are underway at Audi Hungaria for the production of the new generation of electric motors. The new electric drives for the Group's fully electric models, which are based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) developed with Porsche, will be supplied from Győr in Hungary in the future.
UK electric car subscription service Onto is adding another 275 electric cars to its fleet by March, having already ordered 1,100 Renault Zoe and 300 each of PSA's Peugeot e-208 and DS 3 Crossback E-Tense last year.
Audi has unveiled two versions of its new electric Gran Turismo in the form of the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT. Although Audi has drawn on the technology of the Porsche Taycan in its development, it deviates from its technology donor from Zuffenhausen in numerous respects. The first e-tron GTs are due to be delivered from the summer, with prices starting at 99,800 [...]
Following customer complaints - including battery fires, unexpected acceleration of vehicles and software update bugs - China's market regulator has scheduled a meeting with Tesla representatives.
Ford has apparently decided to build its first all-electric small car at the Fiesta plant in Cologne, Germany, and the U.S. automaker is also moving away from planned hybrid cars in favor of electric models, according to a media report citing insiders.
Following the Combo-e Cargo, Opel is now presenting the Combo-e Life, which will be available in the fall. The model is the passenger car version of the battery-electric high-roof station wagon and comes in a short or XL length of 4.40 or 4.75 meters and with five or seven seats.
Berlin-based limousine service Blacklane, in which Daimler is among the shareholders, has acquired a majority stake in Havn, a London-based chauffeur service founded in 2019 by Jaguar Land Rover, which operates a fleet of the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace in the British capital.
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) announces it will bring three new electrified models to the U.S. market this year - two BEVs and a PHEV. By 2025, Toyota aims to have 40 percent of its new car sales in the U.S. come from electrified models.
Opel unveiled its new Mokka last summer and it will be launched in stores at the end of February. A first test drive will show whether the Mokka-e can build on the success of the Corsa-e. This much in advance: there were no surprises in the powertrain, but there were in the design.
A few days ago, Mercedes-Benz opened the order books for its EQA compact electric car. The Swabians are finally getting serious about e-mobility and bringing their e-cars to the masses, one would think. Or would they?
As reported, the all-electric Mini Cooper SE will receive a facelift in March. To coincide with the launch of the new edition, the British BMW brand is also launching an edition model called the Mini Electric Collection, which will be available in Germany from a gross list price of 35,600 euros.
BVG is unhappy with some Solaris electric buses, which are struggling in the current cold weather. According to BVG spokeswoman Petra Nelken, the bus in question is the manufacturer's twelve-meter bus.
Electric car startup Rivian, which is backed by Amazon and Ford among others, is looking for European locations for a new plant, according to informed sources, with Germany, the UK and Hungary among those under discussion.
The Zurich city police have been using the first three purely electric cars in the traffic police patrol service for a few days now. The trio of electric cars are Audi e-tron models - specifically, two cars in police livery and one civilian vehicle.
Nissan has confirmed plans for its next generation of vans in Europe. The new series will also be launched with a purely electric drive. The model name or even technical data, however, the Japanese do not yet call.
Rumors have been around for a while, but now an Indian regional government has confirmed that Tesla will be building a plant on the subcontinent. "US-based Tesla will open an electric car manufacturing facility in Karnataka," the government of the southern Indian state said in a brief statement. However, there is apparently no firm timetable yet for the start of local manufacturing.
Chevrolet has unveiled the redesigned Bolt EV and, for the first time, the slightly larger Bolt EUV variant, both of which will be available in the U.S. starting this summer. The model has been made cheaper, but relies on familiar technology for its powertrain.
The Mini EV offered in China by the General Motors partner Wuling is very popular there due to its low price. Now the Mini Stromer is also to come to Europe - as the FreZe Nikrob EV from the Latvian company Dartz Motorz at a starting price of 9,999 euros. insideevs.de
BYD significantly increased sales of its electric vehicles in China in January, and the Chinese manufacturer is also preparing to enter the Australian and New Zealand markets - with electric cars.
Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it will become an all-electric car brand from 2025. This announcement is part of JLR's "Reimagine" strategy, which has now been unveiled. Land Rover is also set to greatly expand the number of e-models.
According to a new study by the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, an expansion of conventional charging points by ten percent leads to a 5.4 percent increase in the purchase of e-cars. But there are probably major regional differences.
In future, Škoda will also be offering the Sportline model variant with sporty looks and dynamic handling for the purely electric Enyaq SUV model - namely for three drive options of the Enyaq iV. The Czech Volkswagen subsidiary has not yet named prices.
Having already delayed the U.S. launch of its EQC by at least a year to 2021, Mercedes-Benz has now apparently decided not to bring the EQC to the United States at all for the time being.
The e-offensive at PSA continues: Peugeot is now also giving the Rifter an electric drive. The high-roof family van with up to seven seats will be launched on the market in autumn 2021 as the e-Rifter - with familiar PSA drive technology.
After the environmental organization accused the group at the end of last year of showing too little commitment to boosting sales of its e-cars, based on test talks at 50 VW dealerships, it is now precisely those e-car sales that Greenpeace is targeting.
It has been an open secret for some time that VW would soon be launching a coupe offshoot of the ID.4, the ID.5, following the ID.3 and VW ID.4. Now VW brand boss Ralf Brandstätter has confirmed that the coupe SUV, which will also be built in Zwickau, will be launched in H2 2021.
Israeli eMobility startup Ree Automotive, which announced its IPO on the U.S. stock market a few days ago, is investing $92 million (about €76 million) in a new "Engineering Center of Excellence" in England, specifically in the central English county of Warwickshire.
In order to sell the production version of the all-electric Renault 5 Prototype, scheduled for 2023, at a profit, Renault is considering using LFP batteries, with a price range of between €20,000 and €30,0000.
Delivery problems with the Mokka-e are a thing of the past, according to Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller, who indicated in an interview that any customer who orders a Mokka-e now should still receive their vehicle in 2021.
After VW last raised prices in Germany in May 2020, the next price round is likely to take place at the beginning of March. According to a media report, electric cars will be exempt from this, while the price increase for combustion engines will be "CO2-oriented".
Public transport operator Keolis has received 55 e-buses from Chinese manufacturer Yutong. The vehicles will be used for two projects in Denmark. Keolis has also received another order from France.
Mercedes-Benz is sending two new variants of the EQC to dealers in May: a base model configured uniformly throughout Europe at list prices from €66,068 and a new sports version that will round off the model range upwards in future at prices from €73,208.
Tesla has lowered base prices in the U.S. for the entry-level Model 3 and Model Y - by $1,000 to $36,990 for the Model 3 Standard Range+ and by $2,000 to $39,900 for the Model Y Standard Range. The performance models, however, have become more expensive.
Due to problems with the engine control unit, Mazda is recalling the MX-30 in Europe. 11,774 examples of the E-SUV, 3,825 of which are in Germany, need an update of the control unit because the brake lights can light up when reversing even though the brake pedal is not depressed. Pretty much all of these vehicles are affected by a second problem, which is also related to the update [...]
Chinese carmaker Geely is apparently looking to spin off product planning, marketing and sales of electric vehicles into an independent company, with yet-to-be-established subsidiary Lingling Technologies primarily focused on development, marketing and sales.
US-based Aptera Motors has closed a $4 million (around €3.3 million) Series A funding round and reported more than 7,000 reservations received for its three-wheeled solar electric car, which has been available for pre-order since December 2020.
At the BMW plant in Dingolfing, production of electrified vehicles is to be more than doubled this year from the current level of just under 20,000 to over 40,000 vehicles, with the all-electric BMW iX being one of the vehicles to contribute to this.
VW has apparently tightened its group-wide electric targets. According to a media report, the share of electric vehicles in 2030 will be significantly higher than previously planned. To achieve this, development tasks will be redistributed among the group's brands - which will probably also affect Audi's Artemis project.
Smartphone maker Xiaomi is also reportedly looking to get into electric car production, according to a Chinese media report based on insider information but so far giving no concrete details. The plans are still at an early stage, it said.
As part of a strategy presentation, the Seat brand Cupra has now shown the production version of the electric model based on the Volkswagen Group MEB platform, which was first presented in 2019 as el-Born. The car is scheduled to go into production in Zwickau in the second half of 2021.
Belgian manufacturer Van Hool will deliver six electric 18-meter buses to the transport authority of the Italian city of Pescara from mid-2022. Three more could follow. The buses also feature technology from a German supplier.
Spanish startup Lupa has announced plans to build one of several planned production facilities in Uruguay. The factory is scheduled to go into operation in 2024, where it plans to build the featured e-small car and an e-delivery van, among other things.
Volvo owner Geely and Volvo Cars have announced they will forgo their contemplated merger and instead significantly deepen their existing collaboration as two separate companies, including expanded sharing of modular architectures for e-cars.
Aachen-based e-car startup e.GO Mobile, which now operates under the name Next.e.GO Mobile after being acquired by a Dutch investment group, has closed a Series B financing round of more than €30 million to start production at its Aachen plant.
Volkswagen plans to introduce a third shift at its MEB plant in Zwickau starting in mid-April, which will allow it to build around 1,400 vehicles per day starting in the summer - it currently builds around 800 e-cars. Volkswagen Saxony is also getting a new boss.
Bosch Motorsport and the Formula E team Dragon Penske Autosport have agreed on a long-term technology and development partnership. As part of the partnership, Bosch is developing a vehicle management system with hardware and software modules that is specially tailored to the requirements of the Formula E car.
Tesla apparently wanted to shut down production for the Model 3 in Fremont for two weeks due to an industry-wide chip shortage, but the production shutdown only lasted a few days. But there's also new info on the Model Y from Grünheide.
Chinese tech company Xiaomi has denied media reports that it is planning its own electric car, but instead there are now rumors of corresponding plans by Huawei.
According to the current Green NCAP procedure, 49 models with different drive types and body styles were tested. In the overall result, the first three places went to all-electric models - the Hyundai Kona Elektro, Renault Zoe and VW ID.3.
Nikola Motor presents its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2020 and takes stock of the whole of 2020. On the bottom line, the US startup posted a loss of $383 million last year. Nikola also plans to send only 100 vehicles into customer testing this year instead of 600.
Hyundai has reported high interest in the 800-volt electric vehicle less than a week after the world premiere of the Ioniq 5, saying it has already received 236,000 expressions of interest from potential customers in Europe for the model, and that the special "Project 45" edition, limited to 3,000 units, was sold out within hours.
The VW ID.4 is now available in Germany in a new base engine version. The configurator shows the ID.4 with the new 109 kW engine in combination with the 52 kWh battery at prices starting at 36,950 Euros - before promotion. That's 1,500 Euros less than the version with 125 kW engine and 52 kWh battery introduced at the beginning of February.
BYD has unveiled the 2021 model year of its Tang EV for the Norwegian market. The e-SUV comes in the new model year as a seven-seater with the "Blade Battery" and a capacity of 86.4 kWh.
Volvo Cars to become pure electric car maker from 2030 Back in 2018, Volvo set a target of half of its sales coming from pure e-cars by 2025. To that end, there's another change: e-cars will only be sold by Volvo through direct sales over the internet.
The Taycan, which has been transformed into an Artcar by American artist Richard Phillips, is going under the hammer - the colourful vehicle is to be sold in an online auction in April, with all proceeds going to the Swiss non-profit association Suisseculture Sociale.
The Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio has presented its financial figures for the fourth quarter of 2020 and the full year 2020. In the final quarter, Nio was able to significantly increase sales and deliveries. However, Nio no longer mentions the European launch, which was actually planned for 2021, in the outlook of its annual report.
Chinese e-car maker Xpeng delivered 2,223 vehicles in February, and is expected to grow 577 percent this year. The Chinese also plan to offer LFP batteries as an option for their G3 and P7 models in the future.
Volvo has unveiled the C40 Recharge, the second electric car in its current portfolio, shortly after announcing its intention to become an all-electric brand by 2030. Rather than being a true Golf-sized compact car like Volvo's previous "C" models, the C40 is the SUV offshoot of the familiar XC40 Recharge - and will only be offered with e-drive.
After Jaguar Land Rover recently unveiled its "Reimagine" strategic plan, new details have now emerged about Land Rover's electrification plans. According to a media report, there will be a new platform strategy - and also a year from which not only Jaguar, but also Land Rover will sell only electric cars.
British electric vehicle developer Arrival has shown off the latest version of its delivery vehicle, which is due to go into test use with customers from this summer, revealing technical data - including the battery.
UBS analysts dissected a VW ID.3 and analyzed that the MEB platform is "fully competitive" with Tesla in terms of cost, with VW achieving "world-class energy density, efficiency and scalability," but Tesla comes out on top when it comes to the battery and its cost.
The Opel Mokka and electric Mokka-e are now available in dealerships, and the manufacturer says test drives are now available at dealerships.
Porsche has unveiled its electric station wagon, the Taycan Cross Turismo. The Cross Turismo always comes with the big battery and all-wheel drive, but it's meant to be more than the station wagon offshoot of the e-sedan with its storage space and independent chassis. Deliveries are expected to start this summer.
The Volkswagen brand has presented its new strategy " ACCELERATE" and wants to accelerate its electric plans in this context. VW also mentions concrete model plans - only with the E-small car the Wolfsburgers do not go into detail yet.
Škoda is now taking orders in Germany for the entry-level 50 variant of the Enyaq iV. The Enyaq iV 50 with a 109 kW engine and 55 kWh battery capacity (gross) can be ordered now from €33,800 - before subsidies. However, it is not just the price that is falling, but also the freedom to choose the equipment.
Aston Martin will start making all-electric models at its current UK plants in 2025, with hybrids to be sold before then. So it seems Aston Martin, where it initially looked like an internal combustion focus after the entry of Lawrence Stroll's consortium and the demise of the Rapide E, is moving back towards eMobility after all.
Chinese e-car maker Xpeng has released its 2020 financials, with key financials improving and sales also more than doubling - but only to 27,041 electric cars.
The 21 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro with solid-state battery, which were only delivered to ESWE Verkehr in Wiesbaden at the beginning of February, have been out of service for a good two weeks. Their batteries have to undergo a check due to an insulation fault.
Kia's first electric model based on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) is called the EV6, Kia has now officially announced and shown first teasers of the e-crossover, which shares the technical basis but not the design with Hyundai's Ioniq 5.
As part of the current relaxation for retailers, Swedish electric car brand Polestar has now opened more Polestar Spaces in Stuttgart, Hamburg and Munich, bringing the number of showrooms in this country to five.
Audi has released extensive details about the interior of the production version of the Q4 e-tron. The compact e-SUV, which will be built in Zwickau, follows the large e-tron and e-tron Sportback SUV models as well as the sporty e-tron GT.
Some 97,000 electric cars and plug-in hybrids were sold in China in February, up 675 percent from the same month last year but down 37.9 percent from January 2021, according to figures from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), but some manufacturers were also up in February.
26.6 percent of all Volvo cars sold worldwide in February were Recharge models, i.e. BEV or PHEV. In Europe, the Recharge share was as high as 44 percent. Recharge is also the name of the all-season tires with which Volvo will equip its pure e-cars in Northern and Central Europe as standard in the future.
Solaris strengthens its position in the Romanian public transport market, having won a major order for 123 electric buses out of a total of 131 put out to tender by the Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration.
California-based startup Canoo has unveiled an electric pickup truck that will be available for pre-order starting in the second quarter of 2021 and will begin shipping in 2023. It will be available with either one or two electric motors and will offer more than 200 miles (320 km) of range.
Dacia will open the first pre-orders for its Spring electric model on March 20. Now the Renault brand has given more details on the production model as well as initial pricing, with the private customer model set to start at list prices starting at €16,990 in France.
Audi's lighthouse Artemis project announced last year is already well behind schedule, according to a media report, and that's expected to have an impact on the planned highly automated driving e-sedan, which is now reportedly slated to launch in 2025 instead of 2024.
British electric car subscription service Onto has expanded its fleet yet again, this time with the addition of 300 Audi e-tron. Onto already has a four-digit number of electric cars from various manufacturers - but so far none from the VW Group.
Peugeot says it plans to have a 100 percent electrified lineup by 2023, which would exceed the group's previous plan. The French have not announced a phase-out of internal combustion engines, however. Other issues remain open as well.
BMW's Mini brand is to sell only pure electric cars from 2030, according to a media report, with the last combustion-engine Mini model due to be launched in 2025.
Kia has now shown the first images of the exterior and interior design of the EV6. Announced a few days ago, the model is known to become the first Kia based on the Electric-Global Modular (E-GMP). Technical details are not yet mentioned, but the world premiere is still promised for March.
Dutch startup Lightyear, which emerged from TU Eindhoven's solar team, has closed the company's largest funding round to date at $48 million. The capital will help Lightyear make the first customer deliveries of its long-range solar car, Lightyear One, by the end of this year.
Opel is electrifying its iconic Manta model. The automaker has provided a first glimpse of the Opel Manta GSe ElektroMOD, an all-electric reinterpretation of the 1970 Opel Manta. Unfortunately, Opel has not yet provided details on the technology. It also remains unclear whether the electric Manta will remain a one-off or actually go into production.
BMW has revealed the prices and technical specifications of the two versions of its iX e-SUV. The iX xDrive40 and iX xDrive50 variants will be offered for market launch at the end of 2021 - In Germany at prices starting at 77,300 euros.
Short-seller Hindenburg Research has now taken aim at the next up-and-coming electric car maker after Nikola Motor and Kandi: this time it's startup Lordstown Motors, which is being hit with serious allegations.
BMW has tightened its electric plans and plans to transform the Mini brand into a pure e-car manufacturer. However, the Munich-based company has left it open when exactly the last new Mini with a combustion engine will be sold. In addition, the unveiled production version of the i4 was shown for the first time.
British SAIC brand MG Motor is increasingly expanding into continental Europe, and following the recent launch of the all-electric ZS EV SUV and the soon-to-follow MG EHS plug-in hybrid, the carmaker has announced its next electric duo: the Marvel R Electric SUV and MG 5 Electric compact estate.
VW will start customer deliveries of the ID.4 this month. The first ID.4s will be handed over to customers in many European markets before the end of March. In Germany, deliveries will start on March 26.
Ford has decided to build two new electric models in Mexico instead of the US state of Ohio starting in 2023. There is no official announcement from Ford on this, but the information comes from the US auto union UAW, which is venting its anger about this.
UK e-vehicle developer Arrival has announced its second microfactory in the US, which will be located in Charlotte, North Carolina and is expected to begin production in the third quarter of 2022.
The Rouen Normandie metropolitan region in northwestern France has ordered ten electric buses from Daimler. The ten eCitaro are to be delivered this summer - but the French are relying on different battery technologies for the vehicles.
California-based electric car startup Faraday Future has appointed Xuefeng ("Chris") Chen as CEO for its China business, with the FF 91 electric SUV scheduled to launch in the first half of 2022, according to a new announcement.
Dacia has now priced its Spring electric model in Germany to coincide with the start of pre-orders on March 20. The base list price in this country is a comparatively lavish €20,490 for the entry-level "Comfort" version, with a German launch announced for autumn 2021.
According to a media report, after Bosch, the South Korean Hanwha Group also wants to reduce its stake in the US startup Nikola, which specializes in fuel cell and battery trucks, but the development cooperation is to be continued.
Shortly before the world premiere on April 15, 2021, Daimler has started battery production for its flagship e-vehicle Mercedes EQS. As part of the Untertürkheim site, the Hedelfingen plant section is responsible for producing battery systems for the EQS, followed by systems for the upcoming EQE model.
Audi has started production of the Audi Q4 e-tron at Volkswagen's Zwickau plant. The uncloaked production model is scheduled to be unveiled in mid-April, with deliveries in European markets starting in summer 2021.
Foxconn, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer working for Apple, has teamed up with Japanese electric motor maker Nidec through its automotive offshoot Foxtron, with the duo aiming to develop electric powertrains for Foxconn's e-car platform MIH, due to be unveiled in autumn 2020.
Polish bus manufacturer Solaris has received its first electric bus order from the Czech Republic. Transport operator Dopravní Podnik in Ostrava (DPO) is ordering 24 Urbino 12 electric buses including charging infrastructure from the Polish manufacturer. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed in 2022.
Jeep has unveiled its first all-electric concept car, the Wrangler Magneto, but those hoping for a new development will be disappointed: Jeep has simply converted a Wrangler Rubicon and replaced the internal combustion engine with an electric motor - which, bizarrely, is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
Renault Trucks plans to offer an all-electric range for each market segment (distribution, construction and long-haul) from 2023 onwards. To this end, the company has now created various departments specialising in electric mobility. Renault has also revealed initial technical specifications for the Kangoo Rapid panel van.
Vitesco Technologies has received an important order for its 800-volt components. For the first time, Continental's powertrain division is supplying 800-volt inverters with silicon carbide technology in significant quantities to Hyundai.
Japanese carmaker Nissan has extended its commitment to the electric racing series Formula E up to and including the 2025/2026 season, making it the third manufacturer after DS Automobiles and Mahindra to field one of the new "Gen3" cars.
Škoda will launch a coupe variant of its Enyaq iV electric model later this year, the Czech Volkswagen brand has now announced, as well as calling for one of VW's six battery cell factories to be built in the Czech Republic.
The Polestar 2 is now being launched in Austria, where pre-orders for the electric model are now being taken at a guide price of €55,900 before the order books are officially opened in October.
Opel plans to electrify its entire commercial vehicle portfolio by the end of 2021, starting with the Vivaro-e. The Zafira-e Life complements the electric passenger car range. But how well does the MPV do on a longer trip? Here's our driving report.
Evergrande New Energy Vehicle, the e-car offshoot of China's Evergrande Group, plans to build 1,600 dealerships across China, and the company is known to be aiming to produce up to one million electric cars per annum from a standing start by 2025.
Porsche will remain loyal to Formula E in the years to come. When the FIA Formula E World Championship enters a new era from the 2022/23 season with further developed "Gen3" racing cars, the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer will be there.
Volkswagen has started the delivery of the VW ID.4 in Germany today with the handover of the vehicles to the first two customers. According to the group, 23,500 orders have been received for the model throughout Europe. 150,000 units of the ID.4 are to be sold worldwide this year.
The VW ID.4 X has made its official market debut in China. The electric car, produced by VW with its partner SAIC, is now available in China in six variants at prices ranging from 199,900 to 272,900 yuan (the equivalent of around 25,900 to 35,300 euros) after subsidies.
Mercedes-Benz has now released the first details and photos of the interior of its EQS electric luxury sedan. The world premiere of the model will take place on April 15 - but Mercedes is already giving a preview of how the hyperscreen will be integrated into the cockpit.
California startup Humble Motors is unveiling the concept of an electric SUV that features 7.5 square feet of solar panels. The Humble One is expected to go into production in 2024 and begin shipping in 2025. The company is already taking reservations.
MAN has announced that series production of the Lion's City 18 E electric articulated bus is to start in Poland in April, but some vehicles - still assembled in pre-production - will be in service earlier: from April a Lion's City 18 E will go into regular service in Cologne.
The Polish city of Opole has ordered five electric buses including charging infrastructure from Solaris. The five Urbino 12 electric buses are to be delivered to the city's transport operator Miejski Zakład Komunikacyjny (MZK) in Opole in the first half of 2022.
Ford has announced a special Ford Auto-Versicherung insurance offer for the Mustang Mach-E in Germany: buyers of this e-car will receive comprehensive insurance cover with an extra 25 percent discount on their individual motor vehicle liability and comprehensive insurance premiums.
The British subsidiary of the French industrial group Saint-Gobain wants to convert its 3,000-plus company cars completely to electric and hybrid vehicles by the end of 2023, and Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland has already flotted the first 100 VW ID.3s.
Kia has unveiled the production version of the EV6 while also announcing the top-of-the-line EV6 GT model, which comes with 430 kW of power. Despite some similarities, power isn't the only difference between it and its tech brother, the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
BYD has reported its 2020 financials, with revenue up 22.6 percent year-on-year to the equivalent of around 20.3 billion euros, while profit climbed 162.3 percent to around 550 million euros.
Volkswagen partner SAIC is also reportedly looking to produce and sell the VW ID.3 in China. According to a Chinese media report, the model is set to hit the Chinese market later this year. In addition, there are now more details on the VW ID.6, which is set to launch in China in April.
The new safety car for Formula E will once again come from the BMW Group, but this time it will be purely electric. Following the BMW i8 with plug-in hybrid drive, this role will in future be taken on by the Mini Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW - a special version of the new Mini Cooper SE.
Tesla and Toyota are reportedly negotiating to jointly develop a platform for a small electric SUV. According to a South Korean media report, talks on this began last year and are now said to be nearing the final stages.
Lexus has unveiled the LF-Z Electrified Concept, a BEV study that aims to provide a glimpse of what the brand has in store for electric powertrains and design by 2025, using a new e-platform.
Chinese tech company Xiaomi has now officially announced its entry into the electric car business. Xiaomi had denied that a decision had been made on this just a month ago, but there aren't many details yet.
Mercedes-Benz Vans has announced that it will build the next generation of the eSprinter in a total of three plants - two of them in Germany - starting in 2023. The vehicle will then also be based on a new platform, as we know.
Mercedes-AMG has officially given details of its electrification strategy with performance hybrids and battery-electric derivatives based on the new Mercedes Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA) for luxury and luxury cars, with AMG's first electrified road models set to debut later this year.
The Opel Zafira-e Life is now also available as a wheelchair-accessible electric van. In the version now available from conversion specialist AMF-Bruns, the battery-electric version of the Opel van becomes a fully disabled-accessible vehicle with a large rear cut-out for wheelchair users.
IT services provider Atos has announced that it will fully electrify its nearly 5,500 company cars by the end of 2024, with Atos choosing Renault and Stellantis as its main suppliers of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Tesla set a new delivery record in Q1 2021, handing over 184,800 e-cars to customers from January to March, including 182,780 Model 3 and Model Y units and 2,020 Model S and Model X units.
Nico Rosberg's team won the first race in the history of the Extreme E electric off-road racing series with the driver pairing of Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor, but the event was marred by two serious accidents.
Hyundai Motor Germany is extending the vehicle warranty of a total of eight years without mileage limit already granted for the Kona electric and Ioniq electric models to the new 800-volt Ioniq 5 electric vehicle presented at the end of February.
Having already revived the Hummer as an electric pickup, General Motors is now following up with an SUV variant. The GMC Hummer EV SUV is scheduled to go into production in early 2023 and will be available at base prices ranging from $79,995 to $110,595 depending on the variant - the more expensive versions first.
Even before the official world premiere on April 15, Mercedes-Benz has published the most important technical data on its electric flagship EQS. The model with the longest range clearly surpasses the previous specification.
With around 2,400 vehicles, telecommunications group Swisscom maintains one of the largest company fleets in Switzerland - and is now integrating the first 100 purely electric cars into its fleet, choosing the Škoda Enyaq e-SUV.
Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), a Canadian manufacturer of so-called powersports vehicles, propulsion systems and boats, announced plans to offer electric models in all of its product lines by the end of 2026.
The local transport company Anchersen from Copenhagen has ordered 25 electric buses from MAN Truck & Bus. Delivery of the 25 MAN Lion's City 12 E is scheduled for the end of the year. They will not only be the first Lion's City E for the public transport operator, but the first MAN buses ever.
General Motors has officially announced an all-battery electric Chevrolet Silverado. The Chevrolet-branded electric pickup truck will be produced at the "Factory Zero" electric vehicle plant in Detroit-Hamtramck - but GM is not yet giving a specific timeline for production.
In cooperation with like2drive, the coffee roaster now offers the Tesla Model 3 and the Fiat 500e on a subscription basis - at prices of 777 euros per month for the Tesla Model 3 in the Standard Range Plus version and 289 euros per month for the Fiat 500e Icon. heise.de, teslamag.de, presseportal.de
The Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 is now also available on a subscription basis - as the third electric passenger car model after the EQC and EQV. According to Daimler, the offer is becoming increasingly popular, with one in three customers opting for the EQ subscription.
In Norway, 8,624 new electric passenger cars were registered in March, with e-cars accounting for 56 percent of all new passenger car registrations for the month. In addition, there were 4,379 new plug-in hybrids. Norway's most successful model across all powertrain types in March was the Tesla Model 3, with 2,169 new registrations.
Daimler subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Cars sold around 59,000 electrified cars worldwide in the first quarter of 2021, including more than 16,000 fully electric passenger cars. This corresponded to a share of around ten percent of total sales; in Europe, the share of e-cars and plug-in hybrids in sales even exceeded 25 percent.
China's first e-car manufacturers have released their sales figures for March and for the completed first quarter of the year, with BYD, Nio and Xpeng's statistics showing - unsurprisingly - a strong increase in sales compared to the start of 2020, which was overshadowed by the start of the pandemic.
Around 4,850 electrified Opel vehicles (passenger cars and light commercial vehicles) were newly registered in Germany in Q1 2021, meaning that around one in ten Opels sold in Germany was a battery-electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid.
Dutch transport company Hermes has ordered 32 electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach, which will be in operation in Eindhoven from January 2022, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
BYD announces it will equip all future all-electric models with its "Blade Battery". The first new electric models to have the Blade batteries on board for the Chinese market are the Qin PLUS EV, Song PLUS EV, and the 2021 versions of the Tang EV and e2.
The Italian financial and customs police have ordered 30 Peugeot e-208s. A first electric car painted in the official colours of the "Guardia di Finanza" is on free loan and has already been handed over. The other electric cars will be leased on a long-term basis.
Ekoenergetyka is working on a new series of charging stations for e-commercial vehicles, offering outputs of between 750 kW and 1.5 MW. 22 of these new "Ultrachargers" from the Polish charging infrastructure specialist are to be introduced initially at test locations in Germany and Poland by the end of 2023.
According to a media report, the first examples of the Ford Mustang Mach-E in the USA apparently have a software problem that prevents them from driving off even when the battery is full. The sticking point is probably how the 12-volt system is charged.
Fiat will cut production of the all-electric Fiat 500 at its Mirafiori plant in Turin from 300 to 210 units a day starting next week as the manufacturer struggles to keep up with battery supplies.
The two ePrix on the second weekend of Formula E racing have produced two new winners this season. Saturday's race was won by former champion Jean-Eric Vergne in the DS Techeetah, while on Sunday Mercedes driver Stoffel Vandoorne crossed the finish line in first place.
Tesla is now officially offering a variant of the Model 3 with a range of just 94 miles (151 kilometers) in Canada. By offering a Model 3 version that limits battery capacity via software, Tesla is responding to government subsidy requirements, as it has in other countries before.
Polestar is expanding the range for its all-electric hatchback Polestar 2. As of now, three powertrains are available. In addition to the already available dual-motor drive with 300 kW output and a 78 kWh battery, there are now also two variants with front-wheel drive.
Hyundai Motor officially unveils its new Staria van range, which will be launched in Germany in the second half of 2021. The Hyundai Staria will initially launch with internal combustion engines, with "more environmentally friendly powertrains" to follow in the coming years.
Hyundai Motor has entered into a strategic partnership with Uber in Europe, through which Hyundai will offer Uber drivers discounted access to its Ioniq Electric and Kona Electric models, as well as future all-electric vehicle models.
The VW ID.4 has received its range ratings from the EPA in the U.S. According to the report, the current base version ID.4 Pro with rear-wheel drive and 82-kWh battery pack is rated at 260 miles (418 kilometers), which is 10 miles (16 kilometers) more than the ID.4 Pro S and 1st Edition variants.
Yamaha Motor has developed an electric motor with a maximum output of 350 kW. According to the Japanese, this drive module can be used in "hyper EVs" and other high-performance applications.
The rumor that Huawei plans to have electric cars built under its own brand has now been officially confirmed. As Huawei CEO Eric Xu told analysts, Huawei plans to invest $1 billion in researching technologies for automated electric cars.
Ford has launched pre-orders in China for its Mustang Mach-E. The electric model is now available in China at prices ranging from 265,000 to 379,900 yuan (currently the equivalent of about 33,900 to 48,500 euros).
Although Ducati confirmed it was developing an electric motorcycle back in early 2019 and was pretty far along at the time, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer is apparently in no particular hurry with its electric bike now.
Audi has unveiled its first two MEB models, the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron. The e-SUV and e-SUV coupe are intended to be "the entry into the electric world at Audi," according to Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, with prices starting at €41,900.
Chinese electric car maker Xpeng has delivered a first look at its third production model after the G3 compact SUV and the P7 large sedan. The third Xpeng model is called the P5 and is effectively a little brother to the P7 - but in some ways it is superior to the P7.
Audi is creating a new entry-level model for those who are flirting with an electric all-rounder: The Q4 e-tron is the battery-electric alternative to the conventional Audi Q5. It is also the third compact SUV based on the MEB after the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq. Just one day after the model's unveiling, you can read the driving report here.
Mercedes has unveiled the EQS, its first model based on the EVA electric platform developed in-house. At market launch, there will be two variants of the luxury electric car built in Sindelfingen. Daimler has not yet announced prices.
The Viennese e-car sharing start-up Eloop (formerly Caroo Mobility) is benefiting from a seven-figure investment. In return, a subsidiary of the Graz-based C&P Immobilien AG and the Luxembourg fund of the European Super Angels Club are investing in the sharing provider.
Geely's recently launched premium electric brand Zeekr has unveiled its first model. The Zeekr 001 is based on Geely's SEA e-platform and is scheduled for delivery in China from October 2021 and in other countries from 2022.
Hyundai and Kia have unveiled their strategic plan for the Chinese market, according to which a total of 21 electrified models from both brands are planned by 2030, with the first two E-GMP electric vehicles, the Ioniq 5 and EV6, set to hit the Chinese market in 2022.
Mercedes presented its second compact electric SUV, the EQB, at the Auto China in Shanghai. Despite similar technology, it wants to be more than just an angular version of the EQA. Mercedes even attributes the seven-seater with the "qualities of a compact station wagon".
Audi unveiled the A6 e-tron concept at Auto China in Shanghai. Although it adopts the familiar model designation of the combustion engine, the A6 e-tron is based on the PPE, which is an all-electric platform. The chances of series production are very high - Audi is already giving a concrete year.
Toyota has previewed the Japanese brand's first battery-electric vehicle at Auto China with the Toyota bZ4X Concept. The concept car, developed by Toyota in partnership with Subaru, is expected to go into production in mid-2022.
VW has now presented the ID.6 for the Chinese market at Auto Shanghai, the third model in the ID. family. The all-electric family SUV based on MEB with space for up to seven passengers is available - like the ID.4 - in two versions.
Hyundai's luxury Genesis brand is showing its first all-battery electric model at the Shanghai Auto Show. The Genesis Electrified G80 is the electric variant of the popular G80 luxury sedan and will be offered exclusively with all-wheel drive.
Honda is planning ten all-electric models for the Chinese market within the next five years, the Japanese manufacturer has now announced. A preview of the first BEV model, which is scheduled to go on sale in China in spring 2022, is now being shown by Honda with the "Honda SUV e:prototype".
Geely Auto has unveiled a new SUV model based on the CMA platform at the Shanghai Auto Show, with the Xingyue L also set to get an electrified variant later on, as well as a new BEV version of the Geometry A and a plug-in hybrid from Lynk & Co.
BYD has presented a new electric car platform at the Shanghai Auto Show, which will also be offered to other carmakers. BYD's "e-platform 3.0" relies on the manufacturer's Blade batteries and is supposed to enable enormous driving performance and ranges - there is talk of more than 1,000 kilometers.
In a new study, the ICCT has forecast the development of costs for electric cars in China up to the year 2035. Depending on the segment, cost parity with internal combustion cars will be achieved between 2025 and 2030 - without subsidies.
At the Shanghai Motor Show, an electric car in the style of the VW Beetle has now been presented. However, it does not come from VW, but from Ora, a brand of the Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motors. The model name Punk Cat comes from an internet survey, details about the e-drive are not known. insideevs.de
The legendary Messerschmitt cabin scooter from the 1950s is celebrating a comeback - also as an electric scooter. The new edition of the cabin scooter bears the model designation KR-E5000 as an electric variant and is already in production at the Messerschmitt plants, which are now based in Malaga, Spain.
The breakthrough of electromobility in this decade will cause the electricity business with electric cars to grow rapidly, according to an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Currently, the energy consumption of e-cars on German roads amounts to one terawatt hour, according to the study.
Cadillac has unveiled the production version of the Lyriq e-SUV while announcing its transition to an e-car brand by the end of this decade. From now on, all newly introduced models will be powered only by pure electricity.
With the Spring, Dacia is launching one of the most affordable electric cars on the German market - after promotion, the model is available from 10,920 euros. Can the small car in SUV look still convince? Time for a first test drive!
The FIA, the world governing body for the automobile industry, has unveiled plans for the introduction of an all-electric GT category that would offer significantly more freedom for technical development than previous electric racing series. However, it is still only a concept, and no date has been given for a launch.
The first electrified model with Huawei technology is now on sale in China, but the Seres SF5 is not entirely new - but the drive technology, the name and the sales model are.
Honda's new global CEO Toshihiro Mibe announced a tougher electric course for the automaker during a press conference, but Mibe was referring primarily to North America and China in his statements and targets.
At the annual general meeting, Renault boss Luca de Meo set new targets for the electrification of the brand in Europe. By 2025, the share of electrified passenger cars should be 65 percent, and by 2030 a share of at least 90 percent is planned.
The Hyundai Pony marked the beginning of the Korean automotive industry more than 45 years ago and provided inspiration for the e-concept car 45, which has now become the all-electric production model Ioniq 5. Now Hyundai is exhibiting a modern reconstruction of the Pony with electric drive - unfortunately only as a one-off. insideevs.de, hyundai.news
Hyundai has opened the configurator for the Ioniq 5 in Germany, which means that the prices for the other drive variants are now also known. For example, the rear-wheel drive version with a large battery is slightly cheaper than the all-wheel drive variant with the 58 kWh battery.
Mercedes driver Nyck de Vries and BMW driver Jake Dennis have won the two Formula E races in Valencia. Saturday's race with the Mercedes victory in particular caused discussion: only nine of the 24 cars were classified in the end as many drivers ran out of energy.
DHL Express has purchased 100 of the first e-Ducato vans for its European fleet as part of a partnership with Fiat Professional. As part of Deutsche Post DHL Group's recently unveiled sustainability roadmap, DHL Express plans to expand its delivery fleet to 14,000 e-vans by 2030.
Ola Electric, the eMobility offshoot of Indian ride-hailing giant Ola, has announced the launch of an exclusive network of more than 100,000 charging points for its upcoming electric two-wheelers, to be deployed in over 400 cities in India within five years.
In the first quarter of 2021, Tesla generated a surplus of $438 million, which is the same level of surplus after one quarter as it was after three quarters last year. According to Tesla, this was made possible primarily by lowered costs. In the meantime, Tesla expects a later start of production for the Gigafactory in Grünheide.
Ford is now taking orders in the U.S. for the GT variant of its Mustang Mach-E electric model. Mustang Mach-E GT and Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition versions are now available for order in the U.S. at list prices starting at $59,900 and $64,900, respectively, and are scheduled for delivery in the fall of 2021.
Toyota has begun launching the Proace Electric and Proace Verso Electric in Europe, with list prices in Germany starting at €41,948 for the Proace Electric and €58,530 for the Proace Verso Electric, with the smaller Proace City Electric to follow in October this year.
Opel reminds us that 50 years ago there was a prototype of the Opel GT with an all-electric drive. However, it never went into production. The "Elektro GT" drove a total of six electric car world records on 17 and 18 May 1971 on the Formula 1 circuit in Hockenheim. It was equipped with two DC motors from Bosch and four nickel-cadmium batteries from Varta [...]
Škoda has started deliveries of its Enyaq iV electric model. The first example went to a family in Norway. After the start of deliveries in the Scandinavian markets, Western and Central Europe are to follow from May and June 2021 - and with it Germany.
Public transport operator EMT Madrid has procured 50 more electric buses, with contracts awarded to manufacturers Irizar and BYD to supply 30 Irizar ieBUS and 20 BYD K9UB respectively. Further orders are already being planned.
Volkswagen has presented the first all-wheel drive model of the ID. family. However, the technical data of the ID.4 GTX are not new - the price of 50,415 euros before promotion, however, is. In the summer, the sporty GTX model should be on the market.
Chinese electric car maker Nio has launched construction of a massive industrial park called Neo Park in Hefei, which will be home to an industrial cluster for smart electric vehicles that will not only build Nios but also house hundreds of other companies.
Geely's British brand Lotus also sees its future in battery-electric cars, which is why the Emira, due to be unveiled this summer, will be the last Lotus sports car with an internal combustion engine. From 2028, Lotus plans to sell only electric cars.
The Mokka-e is the latest model based on Stallantis' e-CMP platform. Its looks are the main reason for the strong demand. Christoph M. Schwarzer now provides detailed driving impressions. After the order bottleneck at the beginning of the year, Opel headquarters now says that anyone who orders the Mokka-e now will get it this year.
Hyundai and We Drive Solar, together with other partners, are planning to test electric car sharing in combination with bidirectional charging on a large scale in Utrecht, the Netherlands, starting this summer. The new Ioniq 5 will also be used.
BYD posted revenue of about 41 billion yuan (about 5.1 billion euros) in the first quarter of 2021, slightly more than double (+108 percent) the year-ago quarter, and profit rose even more - but mainly because of one-time items.
Smartphone tuner Caviar has now gone after the Tesla Model S Plaid+, offering the Stromer with a range of gold-plated applications.
Williams Advanced Engineering and Italdesign have teamed up to develop a modular platform for building a wide variety of premium electric cars, which can be used to create customized vehicles and will be offered to both new entrants and established OEMs.
After a platform for electric cars, Benteler now wants to get involved in passenger transportation: The automotive supplier is now offering a special platform concept for so-called people movers. On request, the supplier not only wants to provide the platform, but also deliver finished shuttles to customers.
Chinese e-car maker Aiways has released the first images of the production version of its second electric model after the U5. The Aiways U6 crossover coupe is set to launch in China and Europe later this year.
According to a South Korean media report, Hyundai is already planning its second electric model based on the E-GMP after the Ioniq 5 for next year, after which there will be a one-year break: the third model of the "Electric Global Modular Platform" will then follow in early 2024.
The Pure ETCR electric touring car series will officially become an FIA World Cup from its second season and will then be called the FIA eTouring Car World Cup. The 2021 season, which starts in June, will still be held under the old name.
The Audi e-tron GT is now available for order in Europe. The electric Gran Turismo is only available with all-wheel drive in two performance levels. The Audi e-tron GT quattro costs from 99,800 euros in Germany, while the RS e-tron GT is priced from 138,200 euros.
British electric vehicle developer Arrival is partnering with ride-hailing company Uber to build an electric car specifically for ride-hailing services, which is expected to go into production in the third quarter of 2023. However, the electric car is unlikely to be exclusive to Uber.
Mercedes will supply up to 74 eVito Tourers for the on-demand platform of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV). The Stuttgart-based company was awarded the contract following a Europe-wide tender, but other vehicles will also be used.
The Kia EV6 is now available for configuration and ordering at local dealerships in Europe. During the reservation period, which is now closed, Kia received 7,300 reservations for the electric model in Europe, indicating - as with the e-Niro - long delivery times.
In Norway, 7,229 new electric passenger cars were registered in April, with e-cars accounting for 54.9 percent of all new passenger car registrations for the month. In addition, there were 3,316 new plug-in hybrids. Norway's most successful model across all powertrain types in April was the VW ID.4, with 1,824 new registrations.
Mercedes-Benz is now offering two further versions of its EQA compact electric vehicle: the front-wheel drive EQA 250 with 140 kW, which has been available to order since February, can now be joined by two all-wheel drive variants.
Hyundai's luxury Genesis brand has announced details of its European debut this year. The official sales launch for Germany, Switzerland and the UK is scheduled for the summer - initially with combustion models, but with three pure electric models to follow from the end of 2021.
Six months ago, Bentley announced plans to offer only BEVs and PHEVs from 2026, and to focus exclusively on BEVs from 2030, and now there are more details about the British company's first BEV model.
VW has provided an update on the conversion of its Emden plant to produce MEB electric cars, which began in July 2020. Following the ID.4, VW has now confirmed the other models for Emden - including an electric station wagon. Meanwhile, a new XL press has gone into operation in Zwickau.
Citroën has unveiled a cargo variant of its Ami electric light vehicle for urban delivery services and other urban uses. The new model variant, called My Ami Cargo, has had the passenger seat replaced with a modular cargo box that offers 260 litres of storage space.
The design is vintage, the electric drive contemporary: With the New 500, Fiat says goodbye to the dogma that small cars must have a combustion engine. Our author Christoph M. Schwarzer sees the new Cinquecento far ahead in the comparison of electric cars among themselves.
Nio plans to deliver the first ES8s in Norway in September 2021, and the Chinese automaker has now announced that Norway will also be the first overseas market to offer the company's full charging infrastructure - including battery swap stations.
Tesla has reportedly already completely sold out its second-quarter production capacity, according to a U.S. media report that Elon Musk has now told employees - about two months before the end of the quarter.
Solar electric car startup Sono Motors has reached an agreement with MAN Truck & Bus to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of integrating its solar technology on MAN's eTGE electric van.
Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller is thinking out loud about a possible return of the Manta as an electric car, saying feedback on the Manta GSe ElektroMOD study presented as a rendering in March was so "overwhelming" that Opel's market research will certainly run through a potential production version.
Opel recently delivered the first ten Corsa-e Rally cars to customer teams for the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup, and now every owner of the production model can give their electric car a rally look.
Current Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa secured his first win of the season at the seventh race of the electric series in Monaco. The Portuguese won ahead of Virgin driver Robin Frijns and Mitch Evans in the Jaguar.
Camouflaged prototypes of the all-electric Macan have now left the factory premises for the first time after initial test drives on the proving ground of the Porsche Development Center in Weissach. Porsche has now announced that the market launch for the E-Macan, which will be the first Porsche to be built on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) developed together with Audi, will take place in 2023.
British SAIC brand MG Motor has announced plans to mass-produce the MG Cyberster electric roadster, which MG unveiled as a concept car at the Shanghai Auto Show in April.
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Concept EQT, a near-production preview of the upcoming T-Class and the EQT electric model. The smaller van below the EQV is being developed in collaboration with Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, but clearly towers over its platform brother Renault Kangoo. No details on the EQT's powertrain were given at the presentation of the design study.
Polestar has entered into a strategic partnership with blockchain provider Circulor. One element of the partnership is tracking CO2 equivalents through the supply chain, which will help meet Polestar's goal of building a carbon-neutral car by 2030.
Elaris GmbH, based in Rhineland-Palatinate, wants to offer electric cars under the Elaris brand. However, the first two models are not in-house developments: Elaris obtains the basis for them from the Chinese manufacturer Dorcen.
British car brand Bristol Cars plans to launch an electric four-seater in 2025 with a new investor. By its 80th anniversary in 2026, investor Jason Wharton wants Bristol Cars to be a "leading UK electric vehicle company".
Subaru's first electric model will be called Solterra and will be launched next year. The Solterra is an all-electric SUV in the C-segment built on the platform developed jointly with Toyota.
In the US state of Hawaii, a new law requires the entire state fleet to be converted to electric vehicles, by 2030 for passenger cars and 2035 for light trucks.
Gordon Murray Group has announced plans to develop its own electric car platform for small cars and vans, as part of a now-announced £300 million investment plan over the next five years.
Electric car sales from Chinese manufacturers BYD, Nio and Xpeng all saw significant gains in April, with the two startups in particular seeing a significant increase in sales. Somewhat confusing figures for April, on the other hand, come from Tesla.
At its Annual General Meeting, the BMW Group announced its intention to avoid a total of more than 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030, not only by making the drive mix cleaner, but also by improving factors such as the production and recycling of vehicles.
Production of the EQS electric sedan has now started in Factory 56 at the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant, which already builds the new S-Class, its long-wheelbase version and the Maybach variant of the S-Class.
In the course of its plan to become climate-neutral worldwide by 2050, Toyota continues to focus on technology openness. According to the group, the electrified model range will be expanded to 70 models by 2025, including 15 pure electric vehicles - 55 of the electrified models will also be offered in Europe.
Hyundai Motor Group has announced plans to produce electric cars for its Hyundai and Kia brands in the U.S. starting next year, part of a total investment of $7.4 billion by 2025 in the group's business in the United States.
Chinese electric car maker Xpeng has reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2021, with sales and revenue up significantly year-on-year, but the e-car startup remains in the red.
California-based eMobility startup Canoo has priced its first model. Called the Lifestyle Vehicle, the model will cost between $34,750 and $49,950, depending on the variant. The model name isn't the only change from the concept car.
UK electric car subscription service Onto has signed an agreement with Fisker to supply up to 700 examples of the Fisker Ocean in 2023, which would bring Onto's fleet to around 3,000 electric cars.
Nexport, BYD's Australian importer and distributor, has won the largest single electric vehicle order in Australia to date, for the supply of 3,000 e-vehicles from early 2022 to Splend, a provider of vehicle subscriptions for Uber drivers, among others.
After the first teaser in March, Opel has now shown its electric study Manta GSe ElektroMOD in full. In the course of this, the Rüsselsheim-based company also reveals the first technical data, which deviates from the known 100 kW drive of the new cars - among other things with rear-wheel drive and manual transmission.
Tesla plans to equip the Model Y, which will roll off the assembly line at the Gigafactory under construction in Texas, with the new 4680-series battery cells from the start, according to Elon Musk. There are also reports that up to 20,000 vehicles may not be delivered because of a missing part.
Ford has unveiled the long-awaited all-electric variant of its F-150 pickup truck in the U.S. Called the F-150 Lightning, the model is scheduled to go on sale in spring 2022 with two battery options for 230 or 300 miles of range.
Next.e.GO Mobile wants to enter the Mexican market and is cooperating with Questum, a subsidiary of the Mexican industrial consortium Grupo Quimmco, to set up a production facility in the form of a microfactory in the Latin American country.
BYD reports a milestone in the production of electric cars and plug-in hybrids: The Chinese manufacturer has now reached the mark of one million plug-in cars produced. And: The market launch of the Tang model is imminent in Norway in the third quarter.
CATL will supply batteries for the production version of the announced Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul starting in 2024. Daimler's commercial vehicle division has also entered into its own collaborations for battery and fuel cell truck infrastructure ahead of the planned split of the group.
Hyundai will soon begin deliveries of the Ioniq 5, which was unveiled in February, in Norway. Several hundred examples of the 800-volt electric car have already been shipped there. Specifically, it's the special "Project 45" model.
Tesla will begin deliveries of the new edition of the Model S on June 3, specifically the Plaid variant, for which Tesla is planning its own event at its factory in Fremont, California, on the aforementioned day.
Chinese electric car maker Nio has extended its manufacturing cooperation with state-owned Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC) until May 2024, under which JAC will continue to produce Nio's ES8, ES6, EC6, ET7 electric models and possibly other future Nio models at its Hefei factory.
Hyundai has officially confirmed for the first time that the next e-models based on the E-GMP platform will be called Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 7 as recently leaked and will be launched in 2022 and 2024 respectively. The Ioniq 6 is a mid-size sedan as suspected, while the Ioniq 7 is a large SUV.
Seat has now unveiled the production version of the Cupra Born. The electric car based on the Group's MEB platform will go into production at Volkswagen's Zwickau plant from September this year, although the technical specifications differ slightly from the familiar MEB models.
Volkswagen has adjusted the model lineup for the ID.3 in Germany, simplifying the offering but increasing the base price by €465. Most interesting change: DC charging power for the two smaller battery packs is increasing.
Audi is launching the e-tron and e-tron Sportback in the S line black edition. The special editions of the two all-electric SUVs have now gone on pre-sale in Germany and other European markets.
Lordstown Motors plans to start production of its all-electric Endurance pickup truck in September, but now Lordstown CEO Steve Burns has announced that the company needs additional capital, and without it, it can only produce half the number of units it originally targeted.
Hyundai Motor Group, with its Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, is looking to reduce the number of internal combustion models in its lineup to free up resources for investment in electric cars, according to a media report. Around half of the models are apparently being questioned.
Rivian, the electric car startup backed by Amazon and Ford, among others, has slightly delayed the delivery start date for the Launch Edition of its R1T e-pickup - from June to July 2021, with deliveries announced to be completed in spring 2022.
Artemis GmbH, which previously operated independently, is handing over development of the autonomous driving e-car to Audi and software development to VW's software forge Cariad. Audi has now officially confirmed this. Alexander Hitzinger will hand over management of Artemis GmbH to Oliver Hoffmann as part of this realignment.
Nico Rosberg's team also won the second race of the electric off-road racing series Extreme E. After the team managed to win the opening race in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, at the beginning of April, Rosberg X Racing also retained the upper hand at the Ocean X-Prix.
Elaris, the new electric car brand from Rhineland-Palatinate, has unveiled its third model. The Beo SUV is a vehicle from the Chinese manufacturer Skywell. The Beo is scheduled to be available from the end of July and will cost 41,330 euros including premiums.
Rolls-Royce is working on its first electric car. CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has confirmed this and also named the future RR electric car: Silent Shadow. Unfortunately, there is no information about the technology and the market launch yet.
Porsche is apparently considering another electric model after the Taycan and future E-Macan, and according to a British media report, it will be a mid-size hatchback sedan to rival the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4.
BMW has given more details on the launch of the iX, with the E-SUV set to begin deliveries worldwide in November. There are also some more details on the technology - and a new top model in the range.
BMW will initially offer its i4 electric sedan in two variants. Both the rear-wheel-drive, long-range model and the sporty all-wheel-drive, M-logo model will use the same battery. As with the iX e-SUV, the market launch is scheduled for November.
Rimac Automobili has now unveiled the production version of its all-electric hypercar, the C_Two, first unveiled in 2018. The two-million-euro high-power slinger is now called Nevera and features four e-motors, which together produce 1.4 MW of power and 2,360 Nm of torque.
Volvo has opened the order books for the C40 Recharge in the first European countries. The second electric model in the Swedes' current line-up is available to order now in the Netherlands and Norway and from June 3 in Sweden and the UK, with more markets to follow in the coming weeks.
Electric cars based on combustion engines, so-called conversion vehicles, are often criticised - the requirements of an electric drive and a combustion engine in terms of body concept and room layout are too different. Anyone who suspects that the BMW iX3 would be such an unfortunate conversion vehicle is wrong, according to Christoph M. Schwarzer. The part has turned out well.
Nissan is postponing the launch of its new Ariya electric model by a few months due to the ongoing chip shortage, with plans to serve the Japanese domestic market first - export to Europe in 2021 seems unlikely.
Spanish manufacturer Irizar, known for its electric buses, has received the first order for ten of its electric truck called Irizar ie truck, presented in 2019. The ten Irizar ie trucks, in two-axle and three-axle versions, will be built for FCC Medio Ambiente and will be used for the collection of residual materials.
While Smart only offers electric cars, other manufacturers such as Volvo, Jaguar and even Mini have at least announced a switch to e-cars, and now Fiat is also set to become an all-electric car brand by 2030.
Rumors that Honda plans to launch a second all-electric model in 2022 have been given new fuel by a report from Japan, according to which prototypes have been seen rolling in and out of Honda's Tokyo headquarters.
Elon Musk has pulled the plug on the planned Plaid+ variant of the Model S, which he said was unnecessary because the Model S Plaid (i.e. without the + in the name) was just "too good", Musk wrote on Twitter.
Porsche is now offering its Taycan electric model via the flexible "Porsche Drive Abo" mobility service, which allows young used cars to be rented from Porsche Financial Services for a minimum term of six months.
Renault is sending the first pre-production vehicles of the all-electric Mégane out on the road, 30 of which will be on public roads this summer for test drives with Renault engineers.
BYD has released its May 2021 sales figures, with the share of electrified vehicles rising to 71 percent - largely due to strong growth in hybrids. It also shipped its first 100 electric Tang EVs to Norway.
Car-sharing provider Share Now has provided insights into statistics on the use of e-vehicles in its European car-sharing fleet, with the company now operating 2,900 BMW, Mini, Smart and Fiat electric cars at four all-electric and four part-electric sites.
Ford has temporarily suspended deliveries of its Mustang Mach-E electric SUV in the U.K. The automaker says it has discovered a "nominal safety risk" with the e-Call system.
Tesla saw a significant increase in deliveries of its China-produced electric cars in May, following a surprise decline in April. Tesla delivered a total of 33,463 Model 3s and Model Ys from its Gigafactory in Shanghai in May, according to figures from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Electric car startup Lordstown Motors has officially warned of going-concern risks for the company in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. CEO Steve Burns had already made public a need for more capital a few weeks ago, and the planned start of production in the fall appears to be in jeopardy.
Renault Group is creating an independent umbrella company called Renault ElectriCity for electric car production at its Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz plants in northern France. Renault ElectriCity is to be measured against a target of 400,000 vehicles per year from 2025.
Chinese electric car manufacturer Aiways is tackling its next export market in Europe, with plans to sell the Aiways U5 e-SUV in Italy later this year through a partnership with Italian vehicle importer Koelliker Group.
The R+R care service from the Eifel region is in the process of electrifying half of its fleet - even though its business area covers a radius of around 100 kilometres. The company produces the electricity itself using solar energy. The company no longer wants to purchase combustion engines.
Electric car manufacturer Next.e.GO Mobile began selling its special edition e.GO Life Next in Germany this week, and founder Günther Schuh has also completely retired from the company, effective June 1.
Tesla handed over the first 25 examples of the Plaid version of the redesigned Model S at an event in Fremont and revealed more details about the vehicle, though it also raised the price.
Hyundai will soon rebuild its plant in Asan, South Korea, for future production of the all-electric Ioniq 6, according to a local media report. The plant already produces the Sonata and Granduer internal combustion sedans.
Micro Mobility Systems provides another update on the development of its Microlino e-light vehicle: the near-production third prototype now features, among other things, a folding roof. The Swiss company has also founded a company together with partner CECOMP that will be responsible for production in Turin.
Following in the footsteps of Hyundai, Kia Europe is now entering into a strategic partnership with ride-hailing company Uber, under which the car brand will offer electric models such as the e-Niro and e-Soul to Uber drivers in Europe at discounted rates.
Audi is planning to build a new electric SUV called the Q8 e-tron at its Brussels plant starting in 2026, according to a media report. This is said to be the successor to the Audi e-tron, which is expected to get another facelift in 2023 and be phased out in 2026 in light of this.
Stellantis Group-owned car brand Dodge is working on its fastest model yet - an electric car - according to a media report, and it's said to be one of at least six BEVs as well as several plug-in hybrids that will be launched under brands owned by the former FCA Group.
The electric ridepooling service CleverShuttle, in which Deutsche Bahn holds a majority stake, will operate the on-demand service EMIL in Taunusstein in southern Hesse from August. Three purely electric Mercedes eVito Tourers will be used in the town of 30,000 inhabitants in the future.
Due to the high demand for electric cars, Volkswagen's brand board has decided to take an unusual step, according to a report in Der Spiegel.
Several years of testing of the eActros prototypes are drawing to a close. On 30 June Mercedes-Benz Trucks will unveil its battery-electric truck for heavy-duty distribution transport. Series production is scheduled to start in the second half of the year at the plant in Wörth am Rhein.
Zity, the e-car sharing company jointly operated by Renault and Ferrovial in Madrid and Paris, is beginning to integrate the Dacia Spring into its fleets. The first 150 examples of the Dacia Stromer for Zity will be launched in Paris this month, with another 100 to follow in September.
General Motors plans to increase its investment in electric and automated-driving vehicles again by 2025, from the last planned $27 billion to $35 billion, according to a media report. Meanwhile, GM offshoot Cruise has unveiled the first nearly 100 pre-production models of its Cruise Origin.
The Peugeot e-Rifter is available to order in Germany with immediate effect. The basic list price for the purely electric high-roof family van in this country is €37,590, from which up to €9,570 innovation premium will be deducted when buying or leasing.
South Korean carmaker SsangYong Motors has started series production of its first electric model, the Korando e-Motion, with export taking priority: the first vehicles are due to be delivered to Europe in August this year.
The Opel Combo-e Life is now available for order in Germany. The high-roof station wagon is available at list prices starting at 38,100 euros. If you deduct the subsidy of 9,570 euros, the purchase price is reduced to 28,530 euros. The model is scheduled to roll into dealerships in the fall.
Swedish electric car brand Polestar announced that its first SUV model called Polestar 3 will be produced locally for customers in the U.S., at Volvo Cars' manufacturing center in Ridgeville. Production of the Polestar 3 is expected to begin globally in 2022.
US automaker General Motors is now officially confirming that it will increase its investment in electric and automated driving vehicles from $27 billion to $35 billion by 2025 as previously leaked. And GM is also providing details on what the extra funds will be used for.
Mobilize, Renault's new mobility brand announced in January, presents its projects for the next few years, including Duo, Bento and Hippo, three fully electric shared mobility vehicles for transporting people and goods.
Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric
Following Ford's recent announcement of an increase in its investment in electric mobility to over $30 billion by 2025, Ford's Lincoln brand is now providing details on its electric strategy, with Lincoln aiming to electrify its entire model lineup by the end of the decade.
More than 500 electric scooters have been spotted at the bottom of the Rhine by divers in Cologne, WDR reports, with GPS data showing them to be in the area of the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne's city centre.
Californian eMobility startup Canoo has unveiled plans for the production of its vehicles, initially relying on VDL as its manufacturing partner from next year. The Canoo debut model is to be built at Dutch manufacturing plant VDL NedCar from 2022 accordingly.
The Skoda Enyaq iV can be ordered in Germany with immediate effect with all-wheel drive starting at a list price of 47,000 euros. The Sportline variant of the Enyaq iV 80x can also be ordered with immediate effect at a list price of 50,650 euros.
Volkswagen plans to "massively realign" its electric car plans for the U.S. in response to the new U.S. President Joe Biden's eMobility-friendly course, Thomas Ulbrich, VW brand board member for development, announced to media representatives in Munich now.
MG Motor, a brand owned by China's SAIC Group, has announced the launch of its Marvel R Electric all-electric SUV in Europe. The model, which was unveiled in March, is already available for pre-order, with the SUVs coming to European MG Brand Stores this autumn.
Audi now officially confirms its previously leaked accelerated electric course. Production of the last new combustion engine model will start in 2025. However, Audi is keeping a backdoor open for the Chinese market.
Sales of the VW ID.4 in China have so far apparently fallen far short of what the German automaker had hoped for, according to a media report, with only 1,213 of the two ID.4 e-models sold together in May.
Munich-based startup Sono Motors is significantly upgrading its Sion solar electric car. Instead of the previously planned 35 kWh battery capacity, the Sion will get a 54 kWh battery with LFP technology. The solar electric car's price of €25,500 (including German VAT) is to remain unchanged.
When Peugeot recently announced the start of ordering for its e-Rifter, we didn't initially notice a detail in the included photos, but a Twitter user has now drawn attention to it: the placement of the charging port directly behind the sliding door on the driver's side is - to put it mildly - not quite an optimal solution from the user's point of view. twitter.com
Siemens is launching a new, digital company car fleet model for senior executives from January 2022. To this end, the company is cooperating with Sixt. The aim of the technology group is to expand access to environmentally friendly drive types and thus provide an additional incentive to use electric vehicles.
A number of new car brands are pushing into Europe. One representative is Aiways from Shanghai. The manufacturer has chosen an interesting sales and service concept for its U5. Is the SUV suitable for the fleet? Here is the driving report by author Dirk Kunde.
Local Motors has awarded wheel hub motor specialist Protean Electric a major contract as part of their existing collaboration. The new three-year contract will see Protean Electric supply thousands of in-wheel motors for use in Local Motors' Olli 2.0 autonomous electric shuttles.
The car-sharing provider Share Now is introducing another all-electric model to its Hamburg fleet in the form of the Fiat 500. 100 examples of the e-car are available in the Hanseatic city with immediate effect.
SAIC's commercial vehicle brand Maxus is now also launching the eDeliver 9 on the German market, following the previous introduction of the EV80 and eDeliver 3 in this country. The new e-transporter is available in various body and battery variants and is priced from €51,490 net.
In New York City, a company called Revel has failed with its plan to launch an electric ride-hailing service using 50 Tesla Model Ys.
The VW brand is planning to phase out internal combustion engines in Europe by 2035 at the latest - and is thus taking a more moderate course than its sister company Audi, which recently announced its intention to stop selling cars with internal combustion engines by 2033 at the latest.
Audi's e-tron and e-tron Sportback electric models are set to receive a facelift in the second half of 2022, including some technical upgrades, including a new generation of batteries that will increase the range in both models to more than 600 kilometers, according to a media report.
Jaguar is set to become an all-electric car brand in 2025, with the media now reporting further details. Of the current models, only the all-electric I-Pace is expected to survive the year 2025, with an all-new and luxurious Jaguar family likely to take the place of the current portfolio.
BMW apparently plans to end sales of its first all-electric production model, the i3, in the U.S. very soon. Production for the U.S. market is expected to end as early as July, but the i3 will apparently continue to be sold in other countries, but reportedly only until 2022.
Honda's first all-electric model based on General Motors' Ultium platform for North America will be called Prologue and will launch in early 2024, the same year an all-electric model from Honda's Acura brand - also based on Ultium - is scheduled to launch.
Volvo Trucks is now revealing the technical details of its three new all-electric truck models FH, FM and FMX, which are already available for purchase. Production of the new e-trucks will start in the second half of 2022, initially with tractor units, followed by chassis in early 2023.
Swedish automaker Volvo Cars will convert its Ridgeville plant in the US state of South Carolina into an all-electric car production facility, where it plans to build "new-generation all-electric cars - ahead of Europe and ahead of China".
Geely subsidiary LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) announced a campervan based on its VN5 van model, and CEO Joerg Hofmann revealed in an interview that his company is planning to launch an all-electric taxi - but without giving a timeline.
With the ACM City One, ACM Adaptive City Mobility GmbH is now providing a preview of the production version of the modular electric vehicle and the associated ecosystem, which was created with the support of the German government. In addition, ACM has recently started cooperating with Porsche subsidiary MHP and ex-automotive manager Karl-Thomas Neumann.
BYD announced that the first model based on its new 800-volt architecture called "e-platform 3.0" will be an electric compact car unveiled in April under the working title EA1. As a production model, the electric car will be named Dolphin.
The German company E-Legend presents the EL1, an all-electric sports car with a retro look that takes visual cues from the Audi Sport Quattro. The first prototype of the EL1 is scheduled for completion in 2022, after which a small series is planned.
The municipal utility Regensburg Mobilität is putting six Mercedes-Benz eCitaro into operation. The electric vehicles are two-door solo buses with solid-state batteries. The sextet will be used on Regensburg's new P+R line from tomorrow.
Renault is accelerating its electric strategy and has unveiled a comprehensive strategy package for this under the name "Renault Eways Electropop", with not only new sales targets but also more details on the French company's platform and technology strategy.
Volvo Cars has given details of its ambitious battery strategy, as well as other safety and software technologies that will make their way into the next generation of Volvo's electrified passenger cars, during a virtual event called "Tech Moment".
According to a media report, Audi also plans to sell its electric cars in the agency model from 2023, which VW has already been relying on since launching its electric offensive last year. At Audi, the changeover is to take place "in a staggered manner in key European markets from 2023".
That the Ioniq 5 is a very competitive electric car on paper has been clear since its unveiling in February. In a first drive, the E-GMP model can convince with its drive - but also shows weaknesses in other areas.
Volvo Penta has begun production of electric drives for the production version of Rosenbauer's RT fire engine, including electric motors and an Active Cooling Unit (ACU) based on a 600-volt system.
As Volvo unveiled its battery and tech strategy, it also previewed the design language of the next generation of all-electric Volvo cars with the Concept Recharge. According to Volvo, the designers defined the new proportions detached from the idea of combustion engines.
Nissan has shown the first teaser images of its new all-electric crossover model based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance's CMF EV platform, the model that will be built at its Sunderland plant in the UK.
Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor has unveiled its strategic plan through 2025 and its new traction battery. Great Wall plans annual global sales of 4 million vehicles by 2025, of which 80 percent - or 3.2 million vehicles - will be so-called New Energy Vehicles.
The city of Paris is threatening electric pedal scooter operators with the revocation of their licenses, saying that if problems with speeding and improperly parked scooters continue, "we will consider the complete abolition of pedal scooters," according to Deputy Mayor David Belliard. Recently, a 32-year-old Italian woman living in Paris was struck by an e-treadroller on a pedestrian walkway on the edge of the Seine [...]
Moscow will stop buying new diesel buses this year and from now on will only purchase e-buses, according to Mosgortrans, the operator of the bus and tram network in the Russian capital. 1,000 electric buses are to be in use by the end of the year.
Porsche is planning a global recall for its Taycan electric model, as U.S. customers have complained in isolated instances of what appears to be a software-induced shutdown of the powertrain while driving, triggering an NHTSA investigation.
Tesla set a new production and delivery record in the second quarter of 2021, delivering 201,250 Teslas to customers between April and June and building 206,421 vehicles - again including the first Model S refresh.
According to a media report, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann expects electric cars to be just as profitable as gasoline-powered cars in two to three years, which is why he is already setting much stricter profitability targets.
Next.e.GO Mobile has resumed production of the Life e-small car in Aachen, Germany, after the manufacturer began selling the special edition e.GO Life Next in Germany in June. 500 cars are expected to be completed by the end of the year - some with a new charger.
Skoda, Kreisel Electric and Baumschlager Rally & Racing are jointly developing the all-electric Skoda RE-X1 Kreisel rally car, with its debut in the Austrian Rally Championship scheduled for July this year.
As suspected, the Croatian electric carmaker Rimac will take over a majority stake in VW's noble Bugatti brand. The Wolfsburg-based group is thus parting with a brand, but will continue to hold shares in the new Bugatti-Rimac company via Porsche.
The Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port (including the Opel Astra) is to become an electric site: Stellantis has announced that it will turn the plant into a production site for battery-electric commercial vehicles and passenger car models for the Vauxhall, Opel, Peugeot and Citroën brands.
Zurich Transport Authority (VBZ) has announced the purchase of 15 more electric buses. The new solo buses, manufactured by MAN, are expected to be in use on the city's standard bus routes 66, 77, 78 and 99 from autumn 2022, joining four articulated electric buses already expected in early 2022.
BYD's sales of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles surpassed the 40,000 mark for the first time in June, with PHEV sales in particular seeing a jump, which is likely related to the launch of corresponding vehicles.
Xpeng Motors registered sales of 6,565 electric cars in June, up 617 percent from June 2020. What's more, the Chinese electric carmaker is now officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, following its stock market debut in the US last year.
The Audi e-tron GT is the brand's top electric product. It shares the J1 platform with the Porsche Taycan, has an output of 350 kW and costs just under 100,000 euros. Author Christoph M. Schwarzer took a close look at the luxury part and reports on effortless gliding, extremely precise steering, but also on room for improvement - for example in [...]
ElectricBrands from Itzehoe presents the prototype of the XBUS (formerly eBussy), which is expected to roll off the production line as a series model from 2022. The company is the successor company of emobs GmbH. The XBUS is intended to score points in the L7e light electric vehicle class with its modular superstructures and interchangeable batteries. The company has targeted commercial and private [...]
Coca-Cola European Partners Deutschland GmbH has received the first Kona electric cars from Hyundai, and the South Korean carmaker is now to deliver up to 200 more electric vehicles to Coca-Cola every year.
Supplier Bosch has unveiled an in-house developed CVT transmission with a continuously variable ratio for use in electric cars. Compared to the usual single-speed transmissions, Bosch aims to not only improve efficiency and performance, but also expand the range of applications for electric cars - for example, in trailer operation.
Amsterdam's public transport operator GVB has ordered 44 Citea SLFA-180 Electric articulated electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach, which are scheduled to arrive in the city in early 2022 to join the 31 VDL electric buses already in use there.
Vitesco Technologies has presented the new generation of its electric axle drive. The manufacturer promises that the EMR4 will be 25 percent lighter with the same performance - and will be able to cover a wider performance range at lower costs. The EMR4 is being built in China, among other places.
Stellantis has unveiled its new electric strategy, with the multi-brand group aiming for 70 percent of its sales in Europe and 40 percent in the U.S. to come from "low emission vehicles" by 2030. One step along the way, Opel will become an electric brand in Europe by 2028.
The Tesla Model Y can now be ordered in Germany with expected delivery dates starting in September. Since the Tesla factory in Grünheide is not expected to be up and running at this point, this means that the first Model Ys will be imported to Germany from China, contrary to previous belief.
A sporadic software bug is the reason for a recall of the BMW iX3, according to a report by "Auto Service Praxis". In the event of a serious accident, overvoltage could cause damage to control units and components of the 12 V electrical system.
Ford opens the order books in Europe on Monday for the Mustang Mach-E GT, the most powerful version of the all-electric range, with gross list prices in Germany starting at €72,900.
US startup Rivian, backed by Amazon and Ford among others, plans to sell its electric vehicles in Europe from early 2022, the company confirmed in an email to a potential European customer.
Portuguese bus manufacturer CaetanoBus has agreed to co-brand with Toyota, with the Japanese mobility group's logo adorning both the e.City Gold battery-electric city bus and CaetanoBus' H2.City Gold fuel cell bus in the future.
After Paris, Lyon and Barcelona, Florence will now also be using an electric Renault truck to dispose of household waste. The Italian company Gorent has recently been using a 26-tonne Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. for waste disposal in the Tuscan capital.
BMW driver Maximilian Günther and Jaguar driver Sam Bird won rounds 10 and 11 of the Formula E season, while Porsche and Audi also scored points and the Mercedes EQ factory team came away empty-handed in New York.
Electric car maker Xpeng has given its first G3 model, launched in China at the end of 2018, a design update. The launch of the revamped version took place in China these days, and the first deliveries are expected to be completed in September.
The consulting and IT services company Capgemini has announced that it will only accept orders for electric or hybrid cars for its own fleet of company vehicles with immediate effect. The 12,000 diesel and petrol vehicles currently in use are to be gradually replaced in this way - with the aim of having an all-electric fleet by 2030.
Tesla has received approval from the government of China to produce and sell the Model Y Standard Range in the country, and the documents reveal some interesting details about the E-SUV's battery.
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has ordered 500 Nissan Leafs through its offshoot NHS Fleet Solutions. The electric cars will be made available to healthcare staff and other public sector workers under a leasing scheme via deferred compensation.
In its first competition in the field of electromobility, the Siemens Stiftung has awarded prizes of between €10,000 and €50,000 to five African social enterprises. The money will be used to help the winners establish their products and services on the market.
BMW has opened the online configurator for its new i4 and iX electric models, with prices for the electric sedan starting at €58,300 (before incentives) and the larger iX e-SUV at €77,300. BMW also offers pre-configured models for both ranges.
Daimler Truck has made an important location decision for its e-trucks. In the future, further battery-electric and fuel cell trucks are to be built in series at the Wörth plant. Accordingly, Daimler Truck will continue to invest "substantially" in the location in the coming years.
Leasing company LeasePlan plans to contract British electric vehicle developer Arrival to build 3,000 e-transporters. The corresponding sales contract is expected to be concluded before the end of the third quarter of 2021. Series production of the Arrival transporter is scheduled to start in Q3/2022.
Mazda is actively promoting its MX-30 electric model as the perfect second car, but does the powertrain and body concept work? How does the car perform for commuters or as a family second car? We put it to the test.
Mazda is apparently backing away from plans to soon follow up its first all-electric production model, the MX-30, with another variant using a Wankel engine as a range extender. While the manufacturer confirms that the range extender won't be coming anytime soon, it is officially sticking with the project.
Honda is open to new alliances in the field of electric mobility, which Honda Motor Corporation's new CEO Toshihiro Mibe hopes will cut costs and make electrification profitable.
British rebuilder Everrati and Superformance, a Californian manufacturer of 1960s-inspired nostalgia sports cars, have formed a strategic partnership that will see the creation of an electrified version of the legendary GT40 as a joint first.
Order books are now open in Germany for the Dacia Spring in the entry-level "Comfort" version. The base price is 20,490 euros. After deducting the electric bonus, the model is available from 10,920 euros. Dacia has announced the market launch for autumn.
UK energy provider and charging network operator Octopus Energy is taking delivery of 23 e-Expert all-electric vans from Peugeot. The vehicles will be used in the company's service fleet to install charging stations in London.
Nikola, the US developer of battery and fuel cell trucks, has significantly expanded its sales and service operations in the US, adding 51 new locations in Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida, Delaware, Virginia and Maryland through cooperation with five new independent dealers.
Hyundai is working on a performance variant of its 800-volt Ioniq 5 electric car, according to a media report. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is expected to get similar power to the 430 kW top model EV6 GT from group sister Kia and could be on the market from 2022.
Chinese electric car maker Xpeng has priced its third production model, the P5, to be launched in China in the third quarter of 2021 and delivered in the fourth quarter of 2021. The e-sedan will start at prices starting at 180,000 yuan after subsidies (the equivalent of around €23,500).
Mercedes-Benz may show a preview of the EQG, the electric version of the G-Class, at the IAA Mobility in Munich in September, but the model will not be a new development, but a conversion of the G-Class to pure electric drive.
The BYD-ADL manufacturing alliance has signed a framework agreement with the National Transport Authority of Ireland (NTA) for the supply of up to 200 units of the Enviro200EV, with the NTA having already placed firm orders for the first 45 of the e-buses as part of the deal.
Ford has added a new variant to its Mustang Mach-E lineup in China that qualifies for the government subsidy there. The new Mustang Mach-E in Edition SE with rear-wheel drive and a large battery is available from 282,000 yuan (the equivalent of about 36,900 euros) after subsidy.
Elon Musk has now confirmed on Twitter that Tesla will open up its Supercharger network to electric cars from other brands later this year. Meanwhile, there's an update on Tesla's plan to start production of the Semi e-truck later this year.
Renault Trucks is launching another electric truck variant: the manufacturer is starting to market the D Wide Z.E. Low Entry Cab, developed for waste transport. The electric refuse truck is equipped with a special lowered cab and can be ordered throughout Europe with immediate effect.
In Norway, some examples of the Ford Mustang Mach-E have stopped without warning - but this time not because of the 12-volt battery. Six cases are known so far. The affected owners were driving on a steep road and experienced a sudden stop of their electric car after a long period of downhill recuperation.
Aston Martin plans to launch its current front-engined sports cars, including the Vantage and DB11, as next-generation all-electric cars starting in 2025, but will rely on hybrid powertrains before 2025.
VW began deliveries of the ID.6 Crozz in China on July 18. Produced by the FAW Volkswagen joint venture, the variant of the all-electric SUV model will be offered in five versions with prices starting at 239,800 yuan, the equivalent of about 31,500 euros.
In the Netherlands, the province of North Holland has awarded the country's first zero-emission bus concession. Operator Transdev will replace all buses with internal combustion engines with electric ones in the Gooi en Vechtstreek region during 2022 as part of the concession, which runs until the end of 2030.
Chinese electric car maker Aiways has released details of the interior of the production version of its U6 e-SUV coupe. While the model basically shares a platform with the already available U5, it goes its own way in the interior.
In the version with the large 77.4 kWh battery and rear-wheel drive, the Kia EV6 offers a WLTP combined cycle range of up to 528 kilometres, according to the homologation process that has now been completed.
Daimler has unveiled its updated plans for the upcoming shift to electric mobility at an investor day, with the goal of Mercedes-Benz preparing to go fully electric before the end of the decade with new platforms and battery factories - with one caveat.
Fisker has released details on its plans for offices in the U.S. and Europe, with the first so-called "Brand Experience Center" set to open in Los Angeles in the first half of 2022, followed by a center in Munich. In addition, Fisker is naming a price orientation for Ocean in Germany for the first time.
Rivian Automotive is planning to build a second assembly plant in the U.S. This could be more than just a vehicle plant. A location has not yet been found, but several U.S. states have apparently applied to the company.
The electric bus partnership between Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD, previously active in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, is expanding to Australia, thanks to an agreement with Australian company Nexport.
Hyundai plans to double its fuel cell vehicle lineup from the current three to six within two years, according to a South Korean media report. Currently, Hyundai offers the Nexo car model, the Elec City Fuel Cell bus and the Xcient truck with fuel cells.
Tesla has apparently temporarily halted the deliveries of the new Model S that began in June, according to several customers of the model. Fixed dates for the delivery of the Model S have been cancelled at short notice. The reason for this can only be speculated.
Jaguar Land Rover officially announces the long-term continuation of its Formula E commitment. When the technologically refreshed Generation 3 cars make their debut at the start of the 2022/23 season, Jaguar Racing will once again be represented by two electric racers.
UK-based Dynamo Motor Company has unveiled its growth plans, with plans to hire 275 new employees and increase its conversion capacity to 10,000 vehicles annually by 2026.
After Rounds 12 and 13 of the season in London, Mercedes-EQ driver Nyck de Vries has taken the lead in the Formula E World Championship, with two second places enough for the Dutchman, with Jake Dennis in the BMW and Alex Lynn in the Mahindra winning the races.
UK supermarket chain Asda has announced plans to convert its fleet of over 600 vehicles entirely to electric cars by June 2025, several years ahead of the UK government's target of only allowing new zero-emission cars from 2030.
The Polestar electric car brand will enter nine new markets later this year, doubling its presence to 18 markets worldwide, and is also expected to double the number of brick-and-mortar locations worldwide to around 100 by the end of the year.
Tesla is grabbing attention in its financials with a jump in profits: for the first time, the electric carmaker surpasses the $1 billion surplus mark in the second quarter of 2021, a gain that is more than double the previous record set in the first quarter of this year.
The Californian electric car manufacturer Lucid Motors is now listed on the stock exchange. The company has merged with the listed investment company Churchill Capital IV (CCIV) for this purpose. The share price rose significantly on the first day of trading.
Daimler is providing an update on the Mercedes-Benz eEconic: the e-truck for waste management is currently undergoing intensive testing, will enter practical trials with customers after completion of the tests, and will finally be built as a series vehicle at the Wörth plant from the second half of 2022.
It had been looming, but now it's confirmed: Renault development boss Gilles le Borgne has announced that Renault will launch a more powerful Alpine offshoot of the electric R5. A specific power output has also been mentioned.
Volkswagen could launch the production version of the ID. Buzz in three different variants, according to a media report, with regional differences.
After two half-hearted and consequently unsuccessful attempts with the Focus electric, Ford has launched the Mustang Mach-E, its first electric model with which the Americans are really serious. Our practical test shows where the strengths and weaknesses of the E-SUV lie.
By law, the market for GHG quota trading will also be opened to operators of electric fleets from 2022 onwards. This means that three- to four-digit euro revenues per year and e-vehicle await. The company GreenTrax is active in quota trading and explains everything worth knowing for fleet operators in the following guest article.
The competition between Tesla and Porsche for the fastest lap time on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife is apparently entering its next round. After the Tesla team left in November 2019 without an official new record, a Tesla Model S Plaid has now been spotted at the Nürburgring once again. insideevs.de
PKM, the public transport authority of the Polish city of Jaworzno, has ordered six more Solaris Urbino 18 electric articulated buses for delivery within a year.
Austrian company Biogena has taken delivery of 82 all-electric Mini Cooper SEs for its employees, the largest electric Mini fleet in Austria.
Tesla is planning to revamp its distribution strategy, according to a report. The electric car maker is reportedly looking to move away from showrooms in prestigious locations and instead focus on more affordable locations and delivery centers.
Following the sales debut of the Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron in April, two further variants have now been added to the portfolio: the Q4 Sportback 40 e-tron, the model with the longest range in the series, and the Q4 45 e-tron quattro as an all-wheel-drive variant are now available to order.
Paris public transport operator RATP is continuing its procurement of electric buses with two new major orders. Irizar has received an order for 113 E-buses, while Bolloré subsidiary Bluebus has received an order for 158 E-buses. The vehicles are to be delivered in 2022 and 2023.
US electric car startup Rivian is planning six more models by 2025 after its R1T pickup and R1S SUV, and now, fittingly, the company has trademarked six new model names.
The Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) registered exactly 51,351 applications for the environmental bonus in July, an increase of 150 percent compared to the same month last year.
After interim difficulties, Zetta, Russia's first electric vehicle, is now set to go into series production at the end of the year. The compact three-door electric vehicle is to be produced at the Togliatti plant in the Samara region, with a fuel cell car to follow by 2024.
Norway registered 6,731 new electric passenger cars in July, with e-cars accounting for 64.0 percent of new passenger car registrations last month. Norway's most successful model across all powertrain types in July was the Ford Mustang Mach-E, with 898 new registrations.
US automotive supplier Dana is partnering with Switch Mobility (formerly Optare), the UK subsidiary of Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leylan. Specifically, Dana will become a preferred supplier of e-drive parts for Switch Mobility's bus and commercial vehicle range.
BMW will unveil the new BMW i4 M50 Safety Car for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup at the Austrian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on August 15, having previously used a BMW i8 as the Safety Car for the MotoE.
Turkish electric carmaker Togg has firmed up the date for the start of mass production of the country's first electric car. The first model - an SUV with a range of up to 500 kilometers - is expected to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to company CEO Gürcan Karakas. Previously, only the year 2022 had been [...]
Stellantis gave new details on its electrification strategy when it presented its first-half financials, saying DS Automobiles will launch only pure BEVs from 2024, while Alfa Romeo is set to become a pure electric car brand from 2027.
With the Honda e, the Japanese have brought a chic high-tech small car onto the market. Last year, the e-car in retro design was convincing during a first drive - considering the specifications of its vehicle concept. But what can the Honda e do in everyday life?
Car companies General Motors, Ford and Stellantis have announced in a joint statement that they plan to achieve between 40 and 50 percent of their sales in the U.S. with BEVs, PHEVs and FCEVs by 2030, a sales target apparently wrested from the automakers by U.S. President Joe Biden.
According to a media report, Volkswagen could launch its first MEB small cars on the market in 2024 - in contrast to previous assumptions, however, it will not be a Seat or VW but a small car from Skoda that will make the start.
Nikola Motor has cut its delivery target for this year to 25 to 50 vehicles from an estimated 50 to 100, with CEO Mark Russell saying on a conference call with analysts that the company was facing "numerous" delays related to sourcing parts.
Volkswagen will publicly display the ID.5 GTX for the first time at the IAA. The first SUV coupé based on the modular e-drive system (MEB) will be on show in Munich as a disguised near-production study. The VW ID.5 GTX is due to go on sale next year.
Aiways has sold around 500 units of the Aiways U5 e-SUV to Munich-based car subscription provider Finn.Auto, with an initial delivery of 150 vehicles to Finn.Auto over the next three months.
The first Tesla Model Ys have arrived in Europe, a German manager of the e-car maker has now made public on his LinkedIn channel. The official start of deliveries is still set for September, but it looks like the first handovers could still take place in August, as reported. This is also supported by a media appointment.
FedEx has ordered 120 electric trucks from Xos, which will be used in California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Texas and delivered in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 2022.
Mercedes-Benz is now accepting binding orders for the EQS. The EQS 450+ variant with 245 kW costs at least 106,374.10 euros, while the all-wheel-drive EQS 580 4MATIC model is listed at 135,529.10 euros.
Audi has unveiled the "Skysphere Concept", a study of an electric roadster. The e-cabrio, which will be on show at the IAA Mobility, is intended to be more of a preview of future Audi design rather than for a concrete model. The new design also comes with a special technical solution: a variable wheelbase.
Shortly after the market launch of the iX3, BMW announced a facelift for the electric SUV. However, the model update only affects the appearance and the interior, there are no changes to the drive. The revised model will be on the market in Europe in the fall.
Cornwall, UK-based Watt Electric Vehicle Company (WEVC) has unveiled plans to build up to 5,000 electric-powered commercial vehicles per year from 2023, using its PACES modular EV platform, which the company sees as the basis for future electric vans, trucks and buses.
Due to a lack of sufficient semiconductor chips, some Ford customers will receive their Mustang Mach-E several weeks later than planned. The automaker informed customers in an email that deliveries of certain vehicles will be delayed by at least six weeks.
A total of 271,000 new energy vehicles were sold in China in July, up 164.4 percent from July 2020. BYD led the way among manufacturers, but the best-selling model for the eleventh consecutive month was the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV.
Proterra has reached an agreement with LG Energy Solution for a long-term supply of cylindrical cells, which will be manufactured at an LG Energy Solution factory in the U.S. and supplied to Proterra plants in North America for the production of commercial vehicle battery systems.
Chinese manufacturer Nio is planning a new brand for more affordable electric cars. While Nio wants to be active in the premium segment like Audi or Lexus, the new brand will compete more against Volkswagen and Toyota.
Chinese electric car maker Aiways is considering an initial public offering in the U.S. later this year that could raise $300 million for the company, but many details are not yet known.
BYD has handed over the first units of its all-electric SUV model Tang to customers in Norway. BYD plans to deliver 1,500 units of the electric vehicle in Norway by the end of this year.
Japan's Yamaha Group is currently developing a sound module called Alive AD for electric cars, which should enable significantly more soundscapes than a current AVAS. In addition to the division that develops electric drive components, the musical instruments unit is also involved - the Yamaha logo is famously made up of three crossed tuning forks.
Oldenburg-based specialist Intax has unveiled a taxi and rental car package for the Tesla Model 3. The company has already converted and delivered the first examples.
Contract manufacturer Foxconn plans to build electric car factories in the U.S. and Thailand in 2022 - with production set to start in 2023. Later, factories could also be built in Europe.
Financially troubled electric car startup Lordstown Motors has a new idea to bring in fresh capital: the company could share its manufacturing facility with other automakers.
Renault has announced an all-electric camping van concept car for the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, which starts at the end of August. The "Hippie Caviar Hotel" also offers a preview of the first all-battery Renault Trafic, which will make its market debut in 2022.
In its first season as an official FIA World Championship, Mercedes-EQ driver Nyck de Vries won the title. The Stuttgart manufacturer also became world champion in the team classification at the finale in Berlin, but the future of the Mercedes works team is probably uncertain.
The Lower Saxony police have ordered a total of 215 VW ID.3s as emergency vehicles, and will also add a further 175 Passat PHEV models to their existing fleet of 160 VW Passat GTEs.
The supplier Brose has announced that it will be presenting a holistic thermal management system at the IAA Mobility in Munich, which is designed to actively control heat distribution in the car and significantly increase the efficiency of e-vehicles.
The VW ID.3 can no longer be configured with the smallest 45 kWh battery. The ID.3 Pure had already disappeared from the configurator a few days ago. Now the reason is also clear: There is a lack of semiconductors.
BYD has started pre-sales in China of its Dolphin compact electric vehicle, which is based on the new e-platform 3.0 with Blade batteries, so the technical specifications and prices are now known.
The city of Bonn has announced that it will be procuring a further 25 vehicles with electric drives in the coming months. This step was actually only planned for the years 2024 to 2026. The fact that the procurement is already possible now is also due to the emissions scandal.
Japanese automaker Subaru wants to become more competitive in the all-electric vehicle segment, so it plans to build a $272 million e-mobility research and development center near Tokyo.
Chinese electric car maker Xpeng has announced plans to expand its existing plant in Zhaoqing, doubling annual production capacity there to 200,000 vehicles.
Mercedes has officially confirmed its exit from Formula E after next season, saying the decision was made as part of a strategic realignment of resource allocation for electric vehicle development.
Chinese joint venture GAC Honda plans to increase its production capacity for electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 120,000 vehicles a year with the construction of a new plant, scheduled to begin in October this year and be completed in 2024.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is relaunching an investigation into Tesla's "Autopilot" driving assistance system, citing 11 incidents between January 2018 and July 2021 in which Tesla models struck emergency vehicles parked on the side of the road, resulting in 17 injuries and one death. heise.de, teslamag.de
Starcar has become the first car rental company in Germany to add the Aiways U5 to its fleet. Specifically, at least 130 of the electric cars will be delivered to Starcar in August and distributed to their locations nationwide.
Audi is recalling 1,728 examples of the e-tron GT from the production period of November 20, 2020 to April 20, 2021 to workshops worldwide, 548 of them in Germany. The reason: due to faulty software, a drive failure could occur.
Hyundai's luxury Genesis brand has released the first photos of the GV60's exterior and interior design. The Genesis GV60 is the brand's second electric model after the Electrified G80 and the first based on the group's E-GMP platform.
British SAIC brand MG Motor continues to expand its distribution network in Germany, with the all-electric ZS EV SUV and EHS plug-in hybrid now available at 53 locations across the country.
Volvo Trucks North America has delivered the first of five all-electric VNR Electric heavy-duty trucks to New York City-based beer and beverage distributor Manhattan Beer Distributors, which will use the e-trucks to serve customers throughout New York City, Long Island and surrounding areas.
Chinese automaker GAC plans to launch the graphene-battery-powered Aion V in September, and in a demonstration, the car reportedly managed to charge from zero to 80 percent in eight minutes.
Magna is introducing a new type of panel for the front of electric vehicles. The component is designed to "reshape the face and functionality of the front end of electric vehicles" and seamlessly integrate advanced driver assistance systems such as radar, cameras and lighting.
Fox E-Mobility introduces an integrated mini kit for the Mia 2.0 electric car. Called a "skateboard", the concept allows for several derivatives of the Mia product family such as shorter or longer models for three or four passengers or small vans with 1,500 liters of space.
A few months before the official launch of the Ford E-Transit in spring 2022, European fleet customers have now received some pre-production vehicles for real-world field trials. In Germany, two E-Transits are being tested in Cologne.
Kia is said to have a large SUV with seven seats and a crossover in the pipeline after the EV6 as its second and third electric models based on the E-GMP platform. While the former is expected to be called EV7 or EV8 and target the US market, the crossover is likely to enter the European market as EV4.
Tesla has handed over the first Model Ys to customers in Europe, with social media posts showing that the first handovers have taken place in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. There are also new rumours about the battery technology of the Model Y built in Grünheide.
Ford is reported to have doubled production targets for the electric version of its F-150 pickup truck ahead of its spring 2022 launch, saying the second-largest U.S. automaker is now aiming for annual production of more than 80,000 vehicles in 2024.
Hyundai has decided to delay the production launch of the Ioniq 6 by two to three months to May or June 2022, according to a media report from South Korea. The reason given is that the design will be revised once again and the Ioniq 6 will get a larger battery.
Porsche has made some changes to the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo for the new model year. Vehicles built from September onwards will get more range in everyday driving thanks to technical optimizations.
At the Caravan Salon 2021 in Düsseldorf, the battery manufacturer Liontron, which is based in NRW, will be showing a motorhome that is capable of autonomously supplying a Smart EQ Fortwo Cabrio carried on a trailer with charging power while driving or when stationary.
The UK introduced special license plates for electric vehicles in December 2020 to make it easier for local authorities to enact special regulations, but inquiries by New Scientist have now revealed that in the nine months since the plates were introduced, none of England's 343 local authorities have enacted such special regulations.
Sven (Shared Vehicle Electric Native), the small electric car developed by the Aachen-based eMobility startup Share2Drive for car sharing, is likely to be launched two years later than planned. Originally, the 2.5-meter short and 1.75-meter narrow 2+1-seater was to be released in the current quarter.
Opel has unveiled its own offshoot of the Citroën Ami electric two-seater light vehicle. The Opel Rocks-e will be available to order online or through direct sales at select Opel dealers in Germany starting this fall, with other markets to follow in 2022.
Founded in 2014, the Israeli startup City Transformer is presenting its resizable Urban EV to the general public for the first time at the IAA Mobility in Munich and is already giving the most important data in advance. The start of series production is planned for 2023.
Aachen-based e-car manufacturer Next.e.GO Mobile has closed a Series C financing round worth the equivalent of a good 48 million euros, bringing the company's total raised from investors to 78 million euros within just a few months.
Polish bus manufacturer Solaris has won two smaller orders for electric buses from Spain, with a total of six battery-electric buses to be delivered to Martorell and the Basque Country by the end of 2022.
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a locally developed electric bus chassis in Brazil called the eO500U, which features a low-floor design and can accommodate bodies up to 13.2 metres long. The chassis is expected to offer a range of 250 km and will be available from 2022.
Chinese electric car maker Xpeng has reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2021, with deliveries climbing to 17,398 vehicles from April to June, a 439 percent year-on-year increase. Xpeng also announced plans to release at least two new models every year starting in 2023.
Renault mobility brand Mobilize presents an electric sedan for ride-hailing and taxi services. The world premiere of the electric car will take place on September 8 at the IAA Mobility in Munich, after which a test fleet of 40 vehicles will begin operation.
Geely's premium electric car brand Zeekr has raised a total of 500 million US dollars from external investors - the equivalent of around 424 million euros. Chinese battery cell manufacturer CATL is one of the five strategic investors.
Electric car maker Rivian says it has filed its documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering (IPO). According to the filing, Rivian wants to do the IPO on its own and not merge with an exchange shell, as many other eMobility companies have done.
U.S. autonomous electric vehicle startup Nuro has announced it will build a production facility in southern Nevada. Nuro cites the future plant's capacity as "tens of thousands of delivery vehicles." For production, Nuro is enlisting support from BYD North America.
Stellantis brand DS Automobiles has given the first details of its next two BEV models - including one based on the group's new STLA Medium platform, while the other e-model is basically already known.
Geely brand Lotus has released its electric strategy, with plans for four new electric models between 2022 and 2026 that will be produced at a new plant in China set to open later this year, starting with an e-SUV.
Volkswagen has been offering cars on subscription in Germany since September 1. Customers can subscribe to the all-electric ID.3 and ID.4 models on a monthly basis. The ID.3 is available from €499, the ID.4 from €649. The Wolfsburg-based company estimates that it will be able to generate around 20 percent of its sales from subscriptions and other short-term mobility offers by 2030.
Opel will also offer the new Astra as an all-electric model from 2023, the manufacturer has now announced at the official presentation of the sixth generation of the model. Before launching as a BEV, plug-in hybrids are available for the new Astra in two performance levels.
Hyundai's Genesis brand has unveiled new plans to electrify its entire vehicle lineup, with all new models to be purely electric from 2025, and the last internal combustion engine to be sold by 2030 at the latest.
Tesla has given a new delivery start date for the Roadster 2. On Twitter, CEO Elon Musk stated that the electric sports car should be on the market in 2023 - but Musk also immediately followed up with a caveat.
Norway registered 11,811 new electric cars in August, with e-cars accounting for 71.9 percent of new car registrations last month. Norway's most successful model across all powertrain types in August was the Tesla Model Y, with 1,308 new registrations.
Seat's Cupra brand has opened the order books for its first MEB Stromer, Born. In Germany, the compact car starts at €37,220, giving it a price of €27,650 after deducting the environmental bonus.
A few weeks after the "Skysphere Concept" e-convertible, Audi has presented another concept study. The "Grandshere Concept" is a 5.35-meter luxury sedan with electric drive and semi-autonomous driving functions. The Ingolstadt-based company even calls it a "private jet for the road.
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has completed the trade registration of its new automotive subsidiary, providing the company with RMB 10 billion in share capital, manifesting the group's entry into the e-car business announced in the spring.
Nissan is opening the order books for its all-electric Ariya crossover model in Norway on September 9, with all other countries in Europe to follow "in the coming months," with deliveries scheduled to start in the summer of 2022.
Mercedes presented the AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ at the IAA Mobility. The AMG version of the electric luxury sedan is in the performance class of a Porsche Taycan Turbo S - but in addition to its dynamics, it also wants to score points with its luxurious ambience.
Mercedes has unveiled the EQE ahead of the IAA Mobility. The electric counterpart to the E-Class not only shares the platform with the larger EQS, but also the basic design features, with the EQE targeting the lucrative company car market.
At the IAA Mobility, Mercedes presented a near-production study of an electric G-Class. The Concept EQG is said to even surpass the legendary combustion engine model in some areas when it comes to off-road capability. For luxury-savvy customers, however, Mercedes is presenting a different study in Munich.
Renault has unveiled the all-electric Mégane at the IAA. The compact car, fully named Mégane E-TECH Electric, will go on sale in two powertrain variants and with two battery options. As the first electric car on Renault's CMF EV platform, it marks the start of a new generation of vehicles for the French.
With just a few months to go before it goes on sale, Skoda has revealed more details about the Enyaq iV Coupe, although the SUV coupe of the popular MEB Stromer will only be launched in three of its SUV brother's five powertrain variants.
With the Concept #1 at the IAA Mobility in Munich, Smart gives a concrete preview of the first series model of the new all-electric vehicle generation. Instead of a small electric two-seater, there will be an SUV model from Smart in the future.
At the IAA Mobility 2021, Hyundai Motor Company announced its voluntary commitment to become climate-neutral by 2045, with no internal combustion vehicles to be sold in Europe from 2035 and in the remaining key global markets from 2040.
Volkswagen presented the ID. Life show car at the IAA Mobility. The production version - then probably as ID.1 - will look different from the study based on the Golf I. But there are already real technical data.
The faulty LG battery cells that led to recalls for General Motors and Hyundai electric cars came from at least two of the battery maker's Asian plants, specifically in South Korea and China, according to the latest findings. reuters.com
Porsche presented its vision of purely electric customer motorsport at the IAA Mobility with the Mission R study. The concept car is intended to be more than just a design study - a rolling chassis is already being tested.
Cupra is aiming to become an all-electric brand by 2030 - Seat will then continue to offer internal combustion engines and hybrids. Meanwhile, Cupra has started production of its first all-electric Born model at its Zwickau plant in Germany.
A battery-powered multiple unit train from Alstom has completed its premiere journey in Saxony. The prototype train started in Chemnitz and travelled via Flöha and Zschopau back to Chemnitz. Trains of this type are scheduled to enter passenger service from December 2021.
The Swedish e-truck startup Volta Trucks will have its first trucks produced by Steyr Automotive, formerly MAN Truck and Bus Austria, in Austria from the end of 2022. The two companies have now signed a production contract to this effect.
Renault will launch the production version of the all-electric Renault 5 Prototype in 2024, the French manufacturer confirmed during the presentation of the concept car at IAA Mobility.
Tuner Revozport has unveiled two aero kits for the Porsche Taycan, allowing Taycan owners to customize the look of their electric Porsche - with a racing-look front splitter, new wheels if desired, and a redesigned rear end with spoiler and diffuser, for example. There's no more power, though: these are aero packages only, and the drivetrain tech won't be [...]
ALD Automotive is now offering leasing services for Tesla in 16 European countries. Companies can take advantage of ALD Automotive's full-service leasing packages for the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X.
As the first major auto show since the Corona pandemic began, the IAA Mobility is once again giving manufacturers the opportunity to display their latest models in one place. With an eye on increasingly electrified corporate fleets, we took a look around Munich and, unsurprisingly, found what we were looking for.
China's e-car makers saw rising sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids in August, with BYD surpassing the 60,000 new electric vehicle (NEV) sales mark for the first time. By comparison, Tesla sold 44,264 of its China-made vehicles last month.
Renault and Brilliance's Chinese joint venture for primarily electric vans, formed in late 2017, may be on the verge of ending, with both partners currently in advanced talks to terminate the joint venture, according to an agency report.
Nio has unveiled its ET7 electric sedan in Germany - and Europe - for the first time, unveiled earlier this year in China. Nio also confirms that the ET7 will be the first model to be launched in Germany in 2022.
Italian startup XEV has unveiled the production version of its 3D-printed e-small car Yoyo at the IAA Mobility. Sales are now starting on its home market in Italy. Prices are significantly higher than originally announced, at a minimum of €13,900 before subsidies.
Volvo Buses has received three orders from operator Nobina for a total of 122 electric buses for use in the Swedish cities of Gothenburg, Malmö and Hässleholm. The Volvo 7900 Electric and 7900 Electric Articulated are scheduled for delivery in 2022 and 2023.
Hermes is using nine new electric vans in Reutlingen and the neighbouring towns of Pfullingen and Lichtenstein - and is phasing out diesel vans to do so. By 2025, the logistics group wants to switch to emission-free deliveries in the inner city areas of Germany's 80 largest cities.
From now on, all ID. models from VW will receive regular software updates via mobile radio. The first update "ID. Software 2.3" provides, among other things, improvements in the image recognition of the camera or the operation of the infotainment system.
Having unveiled an 800 V inverter just six months ago, Vitesco Technologies is now preparing to launch production of 800 volt electric motor technology in China, which is scheduled to start in 2023.
BYD presents the Ocean-X, a new concept car based on its "e-platform 3.0" electric car platform unveiled in April. BYD is not yet revealing whether and when the Ocean-X will result in a production model.
The VW Group apparently wants to increase its influence on one of the joint ventures in the expansion of e-mobility in China and could thus risk conflicts with other partners.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath has revealed some info on the Polestar 3 at the IAA Mobility show, stating that the brand plans to offer the E-SUV with one as well as two engines. In addition, Ingenlath gave new details on the interior.
After US electric car startup Rivian twice delayed the start of deliveries for its R1T e-pickup, the time has apparently come: according to founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, the first customer vehicle has now rolled off the production line.
The production of e-trucks by US manufacturer Nikola at the Iveco plant in Ulm, announced at the beginning of 2020, is becoming concrete. The production facility has now been officially unveiled. Production of the Nikola Tre in Ulm is scheduled to begin this year - the pilot customer in Europe is to be the Port of Hamburg next year with up to 25 trucks.
The Mercedes-Benz EQG will apparently be built by Magna in Graz in the future, just like the previous G-Class, as suggested by a supplier's announcement. Mercedes itself had not yet confirmed the production location of the EQG, but joint production with the G-Class was already considered likely.
Xpeng has now officially launched its third production model P5 in the Chinese market and released in detail the technical specifications and prices. Meanwhile, there are rumors that the P5 could also be launched in Europe.
Starting in 2022, the Dutch city of Utrecht will become a real-life laboratory for electric car sharing in combination with bidirectional charging. Munich-based solar car developer Sono Motors has now announced that it will provide 100 units of its Sion solar e-car for the project in Utrecht.
Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has put its cooperation with struggling Chinese e-car startup Byton, announced earlier this year, on hold, according to insiders, due to Byton's deteriorating financial situation, according to a media report.
With Xiaomi recently completing the trade registration of its new car subsidiary and providing the company with 10 billion yuan in share capital, more details are now emerging about the Chinese smartphone maker's e-car plans.
A new media report provides some info on the all-electric version of BMW's 5 Series. The BMW i5 is expected to be unveiled in 2023 and will also get an M variant, with the Mercedes EQE and Audi A6 e-tron said to be the main opponents.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, together with mobility service provider Moia and software company Argo AI, has unveiled plans for an autonomous ridepooling pilot project based on the all-electric VW ID. Buzz AD aims to develop an autonomous, internationally scalable ridepooling system in Hamburg by 2025.
Ford has begun pre-production of the F-150 Lightning, with the e-pickup set to launch in spring 2022. Due to high demand, Ford has since confirmed it will significantly increase production.
Volvo is now launching a second drive variant for the all-electric XC40 Recharge in Germany. Following the sales launch of the all-wheel drive version in July, the electric model is now also available with front-wheel drive and 170 kW of power - but still differs from the new FWD versions of the Polestar 2.
California startup Lucid Motors has released official range ratings for its Air electric sedan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At up to 520 miles for the range-topping variant, the Lucid Air has the highest EPA rating yet for an electric car.
Dutch solar electric car startup Lightyear has raised further capital from investors, having already closed the company's largest ever funding round of $48 million in March 2021, with investment now rising to a total of $110 million this year thanks to further backers.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan announces that from now on all new buses ordered by Transport for London (TfL) for the UK capital will be locally zero emission.
Renault Trucks is expanding its range of all-electric truck models with a 19-tonne variant of the D Wide Z.E., series production of which has now started at the Blainville-sur-Orne plant in Normandy.
The all-electric Fiat 500 enters the 2022 model year with new equipment details and in seven variants. The slightly revised e-small car is available to order now - and continues to be available as a two-door model with a large tailgate, as a convertible or in the 3+1 body style.
According to CEO Thomas Schäfer, Skoda is "intensively thinking about an E-Octavia", but he says that the volume model, which has so far been offered as a combustion engine and plug-in hybrid, will not be launched as a pure electric vehicle until after 2025.
Honda is giving the first concrete sales targets for its announced battery-electric vehicles in North America. For example, the Prologue - the first all-electric model for North America - is initially expected to reach annual sales of 70,000 units, with the debut electric vehicle scheduled for launch in 2024.
A new version of the Hongguang Mini EV, which has been very successful in China, is planned with a significantly longer range, a longer wheelbase and more power. The electric car will be marketed by a joint venture between SAIC and General Motors under the Wuling brand.
London's largest taxi and for-hire company Addison Lee announces it will only use all-electric cars from 2023.Addison Lee already has 650 e-cars in service, and plans to add 200 VW ID.4s every month from November.
BMW is announcing a series of model upgrades that also affect two electric models in the Munich-based company's portfolio: the BMW iX3 will receive predictive battery thermal management from November 2021, while the BMW i3 will be offered in a limited edition Unique Forever edition.
British electric drive specialist Equipmake and Spanish bus builder Beulas have unveiled a battery-electric double-decker bus that is said to have a range of up to 250 miles - the equivalent of around 400 kilometres - with a battery capacity of up to 543 kWh.
Ford is recalling a total of about 5,000 examples of its Mustang Mach-E electric model in Canada. These are two recalls: one for a windshield that may not be properly attached and another for a panoramic roof glass panel that may not be properly attached.
Porsche wanted to decide by this summer whether the next generation of the 718 series (Cayman and Boxster) would get an all-electric powertrain. According to media reports, the decision has now been made in favor of an all-electric 718 in 2024, but official confirmation is still pending.
Upper Austrian eMobility startup Alveri is planning to launch an all-electric station wagon or shooting brake in 2023. The model, of which only renderings are currently available, is to be based on a third-party platform and will initially be unveiled as a prototype next year.
The Volkswagen ID.3 Pure Performance is currently the entry-level variant in the ID. family. We summarise what this model is capable of in everyday driving for you in this driving report - and also provide the DV charging curve.
Geely's electric car brand Geometry is unveiling its most affordable model yet, the EX3. The five-seat compact electric car is expected to cost 59,700 yuan, around 7,900 euros, according to its "estimated pre-sale price." The EX3 is already available for pre-order in China, and will be launched in other markets later as well.
Turkish bus builder Karsan has presented its new e-ATA family of electric buses, which will be offered in lengths of ten, twelve and 18 metres. Production has already started, and there is also an initial order for a total of 66 units of the new buses from Romania.
Lucid Motors has officially begun production of the first customer vehicles of its Air e-sedan at its plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, with deliveries scheduled to begin in late October. So far, the manufacturer says it has more than 13,000 reservations.
Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis has revealed details of the technology and equipment of the planned GV60 - its first electric model based on the group's E-GMP platform. The 800-volt electric car will be launched in three variants and will boast a number of technological refinements.
The city of Düsseldorf has cancelled its lease order for a Tesla Model S as an official car for Lord Mayor Stephan Keller due to a delivery date that has been postponed several times by Tesla. Instead, the Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf has now opted for the all-electric EQS from Mercedes-Benz that has just been launched on the market.
As an alternative to the eVito Tourer and EQV with 90 kWh usable battery capacity, Mercedes-Benz is now offering the two models in another variant. The eVito Tourer and EQV can now be ordered with a usable battery capacity of 60 kWh.
Stadtwerke Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz will be relying exclusively on electric buses from 2023 onwards. The new e-buses will gradually replace the diesel models currently in use.
ABB has partnered with Epiroc and Boliden, a mining equipment manufacturer and mining company based in Sweden, to develop and demonstrate a trolley truck system on a test track at the Kristineberg mine in northern Sweden.
Swedish e-truck startup Volta Trucks is looking to expand its research and development team in the UK to accelerate the development of the Volta Zero, so the company is launching a hiring drive with the aim of employing more than 280 people by the end of 2021.
WeShare, Volkswagen's all-electric free-floating carsharing service, has renewed its Berlin fleet and is adding the all-electric ID.4 to its vehicle line-up. Initially, around 100 ID.4s will be added successively in the capital.
Renault is working on a new all-electric SUV model to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2022 and launched in 2023, according to a British media report. The new Renault Stromer is expected to use the Alliance CMF-EV platform.
Volvo Trucks announces its largest electric truck order to date, with Northern European shipping and logistics company DFDS ordering 100 Volvo FM Electric trucks for delivery between late 2022 and 2023. The large order was preceded by a customer trial.
Sono Motors and Ari Motors have unveiled a light electric vehicle prototype with solar integration at the Intersolar trade show in Munich, Germany. The solar integration on the prototype's charging box delivers up to 450 watts of peak power, which is expected to extend the vehicle's range by an average of 20 kilometers per day.
Swiss electric car startup Piëch Automotive has begun testing its Piëch GT e-sports car, based on the Mark Zero that was unveiled as a concept car at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.
The Peugeot e-Boxer is now available to order in Germany. Launched in August 2020, the electric panel van, which will be offered in two battery versions, is initially available in three of four length variants.
British SAIC brand MG Motor has given more details on its e-car product offensive in continental Europe, announced in March. The small ZS EV e-SUV will get a detailed facelift before the end of October, with the larger Marvel R also available to order soon, followed by an electric estate in early 2022
Just over a year after the introduction of the ID.3, VW is taking stock of the market acceptance of the electric vehicle. According to the Wolfsburg-based company, more than 144,000 orders have been placed for its first MEB vehicle. According to the carmaker, a good 50 percent of buyers had not previously driven a VW, i.e. they were new to the brand.
Lucid Motors believes it is on track to meet its production targets by 2023 after beginning volume production of its Air e-sedan, and the company plans to raise additional capital for the planned SUV model despite its recent IPO.
Mazda is expanding its model range from 2022 in Europe and worldwide: with the CX-60 and CX-80, the Japanese manufacturer plans to introduce two new crossover models in Europe over the next two years, which will also be available as plug-in hybrids. The MX-30 E-SUV will also receive a new drive variant.
Polestar has launched sales of the Polestar 2 in Austria, where it is available in Long Range Dual Motor and Long Range Single Motor variants. Polestar also recently opened a Polestar Space in Vienna.
The electric vehicle division of the debt-ridden Evergrande Group, Evergrande New Energy Vehicle, is sticking to its plans to produce electric cars - despite the liquidity crisis at the parent company. The Hengchi 5 is expected to be ready for sale in early 2022, and the company is getting help from the local government.
Opel has opened the order books in Germany for the new Movano and its electric version, the Movano-e. The Opel Movano-e is the German brand's first electric model in the large van range, with a starting price of 57,990 euros (net).
Around 357,000 new energy vehicles were sold in China in September. Battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles together accounted for a market share of 17.3 percent. BYD continues to be the strongest brand.
Fisker is planning two more electric models by 2025, following the Ocean e-SUV and the Pear, developed in partnership with Foxconn, but these vehicles will be positioned well above the Ocean, according to company founder Henrik Fisker.
A few days after the Opel Combo-e Cargo, the two sister models Citroën ë-Berlingo panel van and Peugeot e-Partner are now also available to order in Germany. The variants of the two French brands are even slightly cheaper than the Opel.
Stellantis subsidiary Leasys has unveiled its electric mobility strategy. One measure is that the vehicle fleet for short-term rentals is to be completely converted to e-drives by the end of 2027. However, it remains open how large the e-share of the total fleet is to become.
The Volkswagen Group has presented the OnePod concept study in Berlin. The electric, self-driving shuttle is to have a flexible interior that is also to enable robotic taxi applications.
Japanese automaker Honda has unveiled its first electric SUV for the Chinese market, and also showed off three futuristically designed concept cars, all of which are expected to result in production vehicles - which could also be exported - within the next five years.
Four Swiss partners have joined forces to convert and operate two Futuricum electric semitrailer tractors as special-purpose vehicles. The two examples boast an additional length of one metre, an increase in payload of two tonnes and an expansion of battery capacity to 900 kWh.
Ahead of its market launch, a vehicle engineer and a car designer have created an off-road version of the Microlino. The e-small car has not only been given knobby tires and an exoskeleton, but also a new skateboard platform.
Unveiled in September, the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric is now available for configuration in Germany. Customers can also register for a pre-order, with final orders available from February. Sales of the all-electric newcomer will start in March 2022.
Tesla has now officially started deliveries of the new Model X in the U.S., as evidenced by footage of an initial handover of five vehicles shared on social media. In Europe, meanwhile, the refresh of the two premium Model X and Model S models is not expected to arrive until late 2022.
Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has unveiled three in-house developed electric vehicle prototypes, with the Model C SUV, Model E sedan and Model T city bus all running under the Foxtron brand.
The all-electric crossover model based on the Alliance CMF-EV platform announced by Nissan in the summer is to replace the Nissan Leaf from around 2025, and will be built at the Japanese company's plant in Sunderland, England.
The first electric car in BMW's "New Class" announced for the middle of the decade will be an all-electric version of the next-generation 3 Series, according to a British media report, with the acronym "NK1" given as its internal working title.
Ford has begun production of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E in China while opening the order books there. The Mustang Mach-E, manufactured at Changan Ford's Chongqing plant, is expected to be delivered to customers later this year.
Cupra driver Matthias Ekström has secured the drivers' title in the inaugural season of the Pure ETCR electric touring car series after five race weekends. Cupra also emerged victorious in the manufacturers' classification.
Polestar and Volvo have begun rolling out the latest over-the-air update package for the Polestar 2 and electric XC40 in stages across all markets. The new update includes range assist and, in the case of the Polestar 2, improved battery preconditioning.
Geely has given its Volvo Cars subsidiary control of the car plant in Luqiao, China, which produces the Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 Recharge electric models, among others, and as part of the move, the Luqiao manufacturing plant will be renamed Taizhou.
Geely's premium electric brand Zeekr has begun production of its debut model, unveiled in April, in the eastern Chinese region of Ningbo, with the first deliveries of the Zeekr 001 already announced for October 23.
Kia has released pricing for its first E-GMP model, the EV6, which will make its dealer debut in Germany next Saturday. The base model with 125-kW rear-wheel drive and 58-kWh battery will cost at least €44,990, or €35,420 after incentives.
Porsche is recalling 11,827 units of its Taycan electric model in the U.S. due to a problem with the emergency braking software that could cause the automatic hazard warning lights to activate in non-emergency situations, confusing other road users and increasing the risk of accidents.
Volkswagen is considering building a completely new production hall at its main plant in Wolfsburg to build its new Trinity electric flagship in the future, according to a media report, but development of the model is said to be already about a year behind schedule.
Foxconn plans to produce electric vehicles in Europe, India and Latin America, chairman Liu Young-way hinted now in a conversation with reporters at a business forum in Taipei.
Electric vehicle converter Voltia has announced the launch of five new electric XL van models. The new 11-cubic metre vans are based on the Stellantis platform for Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall and Toyota vehicles.
In the Polish city of Rybnik, a total of 16 Solaris electric buses will be in service from spring 2022. The order placed by the local transport company Klosok comprises eleven Urbino 12 electric solo buses and five articulated Urbino 18 electric buses.
Volkswagen has launched sales of the ID.3 in China, offering three variants at prices starting at 159,888 yuan, the equivalent of around 21,500 euros. As reported, the compact electric car is produced locally by SAIC Volkswagen in Anting.
Series production of the all-electric Mercedes EQB has started at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét, Hungary. The EQB, which was unveiled in April, will be manufactured there for the global markets - only the China-specific version will be built by the joint venture BBAC in Beijing.
HDI Versicherung has launched a new motor tariff with a focus on electric and hybrid vehicles. For purely electric vehicles, the insurer now offers a discount of around 25 percent compared with similar vehicles with combustion engines. In addition, damage typical of e-cars is now included free of charge in the "normal" insurance cover.
Chinese electric car startup WM Motor has unveiled its first sedan, called the M7, which is expected to offer an NEDC range of over 700 kilometers and go into mass production in 2022. Among other things, the model is expected to stand out with autonomous driving technology and a correspondingly high computing power.
After the electric car division of the heavily indebted Chinese real estate group Evergrande Group recently declared that it would stick to its plans to produce electric cars, Evergrande boss Hui Ka Yan has now announced his plans for Evergrande New Energy Vehicle. A sale that had been rumored in the meantime seems to be off the table.
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