Author: Alexander Reed

Lithium futures in China rose sharply on Monday after Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) suspended output at a lithium mine in Jiangxi province. The most active lithium carbonate contract on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange jumped 8%, hitting its daily price limit, following weekend reports of the production halt. CATL confirmed it stopped operations at the Jianxiawo project in Yichun on August 9 after its mining permit expired. The company said it is expediting the renewal process and expects to resume production once regulatory approval is granted. The battery maker, one of the world’s largest suppliers for electric vehicles, said…

Amprius Technologies has delivered its next-generation high-performance SiCore battery cells to several customers in the drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector, including Airbus subsidiary AALTO, which is currently testing the cells in its Zephyr high-altitude reconnaissance platform. The deliveries mark the first customer shipments of Amprius’ advanced cells from its pilot production line in Fremont, California. The company unveiled the latest version of the SiCore battery earlier this year, featuring an energy density of 450 Wh/kg—one of the highest reported in the industry. Based on a proprietary silicon anode system, the technology is designed to deliver up to 80%…

Japanese construction equipment maker Komatsu has partnered with Silicon Valley-based autonomy company Pronto to roll out a new AI-powered haulage solution aimed at automating quarry operations in North America. The new system, called Komatsu Smart Quarry Autonomous, integrates Pronto’s autonomous driving technology into Komatsu’s quarry-sized trucks, enabling them to operate without human drivers. The platform, which can be retrofitted into existing equipment or built into new trucks, is designed to improve safety, reduce operational risk, and increase efficiency through continuous, 24/7 autonomous haulage. “This collaboration with Pronto accelerates our vision of smart, automated quarry operations,” said Jason Anetsberger, Komatsu’s Senior…

Bankrupt Swedish battery maker Northvolt had increased production of high-quality battery cells at its Skellefteå facility before halting operations, a development that helped secure a sale agreement. The company, once viewed as Europe’s key challenger to Chinese battery dominance, filed for bankruptcy in March and stopped production in June after failing to find a buyer in time. U.S. battery startup Lyten announced plans to purchase most of Northvolt’s assets, aiming to revive operations and position itself in the European market. The transaction is expected to close in Sweden by late October, with additional time required for assets abroad. Lyten, backed…

Guident Corp., a technology company focused on autonomous vehicle safety, has received new patent allowances in the United States and South Korea for its AI-based remote monitoring and control system. The approvals expand the company’s growing global intellectual property portfolio, underscoring its strategic commitment to enhancing safety and operational control in the autonomous mobility sector. The newly allowed patents—U.S. Application No. 17/909,432 and South Korea Application No. 10-2022-7034516—are titled “Artificial Intelligence Method and Apparatus for Remote Monitoring and Control of Autonomous Vehicles.” The technology underpins Guident’s Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC), a platform that leverages distributed sensor fusion and…

The Falkirk Wheel, the world’s only rotating boat lift, has welcomed its first all-electric passenger vessel following the conversion of the Antonine, a 23-year-old boat used to ferry tourists along Scotland’s historic canal system. The retrofit is part of Scottish Canals’ broader effort to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainable tourism. The Antonine, which previously operated with a diesel engine, now runs on a 50kW direct-drive electric motor, following a full conversion carried out by NoPuttPutt, a small electric boat specialist based in Bristol. The boat also features electric thrusters and a battery system capable of powering twenty 90-minute trips,…

Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have been named in a new class-action lawsuit filed by shareholders who claim the company misrepresented the safety and readiness of its autonomous driving technology, particularly its newly launched Robotaxi fleet. The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 4 in federal court in Austin, Texas, alleges Tesla failed to disclose key risks tied to its self-driving vehicles. It focuses on the June 22 public debut of Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin, where the fleet reportedly showed erratic driving behavior, according to court filings. The plaintiffs argue these incidents contradicted Tesla’s assurances of a “scalable and safe deployment”…

Nissan has set the starting price of its new electric Micra at £22,995 in the UK, with customer orders opening on 1 September. The compact EV, which shares its AmpR Small platform with the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric, matches its sibling’s entry-level pricing in the British market. The base ‘Engage’ trim comes with a 40 kWh battery and a 90 kW motor. The 52 kWh battery option is available only from the mid-range ‘Advanced’ trim, priced at £26,995, or the top-spec ‘Evolve’ version at £29,865. Nissan said it expects the Micra, built in France by Renault, to qualify for the…

Ford Motor reported a 5% year-on-year increase in US vehicle sales in July to 198,313 units, outpacing industry growth estimates, but electric vehicle sales were largely unchanged from a year earlier. The automaker sold 8,229 EVs last month, down 0.2% from July 2024. Mustang Mach-E sales rose 0.5% to 5,308 units, marking the model’s best July performance. F-150 Lightning sales edged up 0.3% to 2,831 units, while E-Transit van deliveries fell 89% to 90 units. Through the first seven months of 2025, Ford’s EV sales are down 9.9% to 47,217 units. Chief Executive Jim Farley said during the company’s second-quarter…

Great Wall Motor (GWM) said on Sunday it sold 104,372 vehicles in July, up 14.34% from a year earlier, although down 5.71% from June. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) reached 34,593 units in July, rising 43.27% year-on-year but easing 4.98% from the previous month, the company said. Overseas deliveries stood at 41,088 units, up 7.60% from a year ago and 2.55% higher than in June. By brand, Haval accounted for the largest share with 56,221 units, or 53.87% of monthly sales. Tank delivered 20,020 vehicles, making up 19.18%, while Wey sold 10,045 units and Ora 4,300 units, representing 9.62%…

South Korea’s SK Innovation announced it will merge its electric vehicle battery subsidiary SK On with thermal management and lubricants unit SK Enmove, aiming to strengthen its global position in the electrification market and improve financial resilience. The merger, approved by the boards of all three companies on July 30, will take effect on November 1, 2025. The move is part of a broader strategy to build an integrated energy portfolio. “With the expected synergies from the merger, including the integration of both companies’ technological and business capabilities, we anticipate showcasing a higher level of competitiveness in the global market,”…

Kia has completed an intensive endurance and battery performance test of its upcoming EV4 model, with results confirming the vehicle’s robust engineering and battery longevity. The South Korean automaker conducted a 110,000-kilometre accelerated endurance test on European public roads and an additional 10,000 kilometres on Germany’s Nürburgring racetrack. During the Nürburgring leg, the EV4 was pushed to between 90% and 95% of its peak power output. The battery system also underwent repeated rapid charging intervals between laps, simulating the high-stress usage patterns that can accelerate battery degradation. Despite the intensity, engineers reported only minor wear, and the battery’s state of…

Japan’s Denso, a major auto parts supplier to Toyota, reported an 11% drop in first-quarter operating profit on Friday, citing pressures from U.S. tariffs and a stronger yen. The decline was larger than analysts had forecast. Operating profit for the April–June quarter fell to ¥107.2 billion ($720 million), down from ¥120.2 billion a year earlier and well below the ¥130 billion average estimate from seven analysts polled by LSEG. Despite the shortfall, Denso maintained its full-year operating profit forecast of ¥675 billion, which would represent a 23% increase from the previous year. The company also revised its revenue target upward…

Tesla has expanded its autonomous ride-hailing pilot to California’s Bay Area, following more than a month of service in Austin, Texas. The new geofenced service region stretches approximately 80 miles, covering parts of San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Fremont, and extending to San Jose. According to an update in Tesla’s robotaxi app on Wednesday night, “rides are now available in the Bay Area.” A newly released map outlines a significantly larger operating zone than what was initially available in Texas, where Tesla first launched the service in June with limited coverage in the southern section of Austin. https://twitter.com/Tesla_AI/status/1950779736365686890 The company expanded…

Researchers at Cologne University of Applied Sciences have developed a decentralised system to coordinate electric vehicle (EV) charging across multiple households without requiring expensive grid upgrades or complex infrastructure. The system, developed under the GridMaximiser project, aims to prevent local grid overloads by enabling multiple EVs to charge in coordination based on available capacity. While the idea that too many EVs charging simultaneously could lead to power outages has been largely disproven by real-world tests, the challenge of managing distributed charging loads remains. Most current load management solutions are localised—suitable for shared spaces like apartment building car parks, but not…

Tesla’s upcoming budget variant of the Model Y has surfaced in new footage taken near the Giga Shanghai factory, appearing with camouflaged exterior and a simplified design aimed at cutting costs. Internally known as project E41, the lower-cost Model Y trim is expected to debut in the next quarter, stripped of many features found in the recently refreshed Juniper version. The model appears to retain the same size and wheelbase as existing Model Y variants, suggesting Tesla is prioritizing manufacturing efficiency by maintaining its current production line. While initial speculation had suggested a smaller Model Y, CEO Elon Musk clarified…

Blink Charging said on Monday it is expanding its collaboration with Belgian real estate firm Group Bernaerts to increase electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at its commercial properties in Antwerp and Mechelen, Belgium. The partnership, which began in 2022, currently includes 88 Blink chargers, with plans to double that number by the end of the year. Group Bernaerts is expanding both underground and above-ground installations, including semi-public chargers near highways and event venues. Group Bernaerts had previously seen tenants install their own chargers independently, using private meters. The company later sought a more centralized and scalable solution. “Office owners are…

Tesla posted a year-on-year decline in revenue and profit for the second quarter of 2025, though results marked an improvement from the first quarter’s sharper slump. The electric vehicle maker reported $22.5 billion in total revenue for the three-month period ending June 30, down 12% from a year earlier, while net income fell 16% to $1.17 billion. Revenue from vehicle sales – Tesla’s largest segment – totalled $16.66 billion, a 16% drop compared to Q2 2024. Energy generation and storage sales, which include solar roofs and battery storage systems, declined 7% year-on-year to just over $1.5 billion. Only Tesla’s “Services…

Autonomous driving technology company WeRide has introduced a new high-performance computing platform, HPC 3.0, developed in collaboration with Lenovo and NVIDIA. The platform is designed to support Level 4 autonomous vehicles and will be used in WeRide’s latest Robotaxi model, the GXR. The HPC 3.0 system is powered by two NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor chips and integrated with Lenovo’s AD1 L4 domain controller. It provides up to 2,000 TOPS of AI computing capacity and combines key modules such as Ethernet and CAN gateways, inertial navigation, and collision detection. According to WeRide, the new platform lowers the cost of the autonomous…

Stellantis-owned Opel has introduced an extended-range version of its Frontera Electric crossover, featuring a 54-kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and a WLTP range of up to 408 kilometres, the company said on Saturday. The new variant offers roughly 100 km more than the standard model and enters the market with a starting price of €31,190. The Frontera Electric, positioned in the B-segment and sharing its platform with the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross, has been part of Opel’s electric line-up since spring. Despite the shared underpinnings, Opel’s model now outpaces its French counterpart in range, which remains capped at 307 kilometres. The…