Author: Brandon Mitchell

Dutch truck maker DAF has expanded its electric truck portfolio by introducing battery-electric versions of its top-tier XG and XG+ long-haul models, extending electrification beyond the XF and applying the same modular electric architecture across its premium range. The XG and XG+ Electric use the same drivetrain technology as the XF Electric and differ primarily in cab design and size. Both models are positioned for national and international long-distance transport, offering a range of more than 500 kilometres, DAF said. DAF first unveiled its new generation of long-haul trucks in 2021, introducing the XF, XG and XG+ as a family…

Daimler Truck is restructuring the distribution of its Fuso brand in Europe, appointing the Emil Frey Group as the general distribution partner for Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) in 21 European countries, including Germany, France and Poland. Under the new arrangement, Emil Frey will take over sales, aftersales and service operations for Fuso trucks in the selected markets. The move forms part of the broader integration of the Fuso and Hino brands under a new holding company, Archion, which is scheduled to begin operations on April 1, 2026. See also: Transportes Ocón Deploys 15 Fuso eCanter Electric Trucks…

Volvo Cars is temporarily suspending operations at Novo Energy after failing to secure a new technology partner for the battery cell venture, dealing a setback to the Swedish automaker’s plans to localise battery production in Europe. Novo Energy was originally established as a joint venture between Volvo Cars and battery maker Northvolt to build a large-scale cell factory in Gothenburg, Sweden. Construction of the site began in September 2023, with production initially planned to start this year and capacity targeted at up to 50 gigawatt-hours annually. Following Northvolt’s insolvency, Volvo took full ownership of the venture. See also: Novo Energy…

IVECO said it has agreed to work with long-time partner PlusAI to deploy heavy-duty trucks equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving systems in Southern Europe, marking a planned first for the region. Under the programme, IVECO, a brand of Iveco Group, and U.S.-based autonomous driving software company PlusAI will develop two IVECO S-Way heavy-duty trucks fitted with PlusAI’s SuperDrive virtual driver system. The vehicles are expected to begin multi-year testing in 2026, with a safety operator present in the cab throughout the trial period. See also: PlusAI Reports Progress Toward 2027 Autonomous Truck Launch With Updated Readiness Metrics The autonomous…

Motional, the autonomous vehicle company backed by Hyundai Motor Group, has reset its robotaxi strategy with an AI-first approach to self-driving technology and said it aims to launch a commercial driverless service in Las Vegas by the end of 2026. The move follows a period of retrenchment for the company, which was formed as a $4 billion joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv. Motional had previously missed a target to launch a fully driverless robotaxi service with Lyft, while Aptiv later exited as a financial backer. Hyundai subsequently injected an additional $1 billion to support operations, even as…

Solid-state batteries could move closer to commercial use after researchers at Switzerland’s Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) presented a new production method designed to address key technical barriers that have so far limited large-scale adoption. Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion batteries with a solid, ion-conducting material. The technology is widely viewed as a potential breakthrough for electric vehicles because it promises improved safety by eliminating flammable liquids, while enabling higher energy density through the use of thin lithium-metal anodes. Higher energy density could translate into longer driving ranges or lighter battery packs. See also: Finland’s Donut…

PlusAI said it has made further progress toward its planned 2027 commercial launch of autonomous trucks, releasing updated readiness metrics that indicate improvements in safety validation, autonomous operation and reliance on remote assistance. The Silicon Valley-based autonomous trucking company reported that Safety Case Readiness for its SuperDrive platform reached 90.1%, up from 86.1% in the first half of 2025. The metric reflects progress toward the company’s target of full safety validation required for commercial deployment. See also: PlusAI Wins Inc. 2025 Innovation Award as Autonomous Truck Launch Nears PlusAI also said its Autonomous Miles Percentage rose to 99.2%, indicating the…

QNX and Vector Informatik have launched Alloy Kore, a foundational software platform aimed at simplifying the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), as automakers face rising complexity in integrating safety-critical and cybersecurity-certified systems. The jointly developed platform combines QNX’s safety-certified real-time operating system and virtualization technologies with Vector’s automotive middleware, providing a modular base layer intended to reduce integration effort for vehicle manufacturers. An Early Access version is now available, with a fully certified production release targeted for late 2026, the companies said. See also: Xpeng to Begin Public Road Tests of Robotaxis Using VLA 2.0 Software Mercedes-Benz is among the…

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said it will introduce a larger usable battery and additional upgrades for its electric Transporter and Caravelle vans, aligning the models with recent changes announced by partner Ford Motor for the E-Transit Custom. The German unit said the electric Transporter and Caravelle will now feature a net usable battery capacity of 70 kilowatt-hours, up from 64 kWh previously, lifting the WLTP driving range to as much as 380 kilometres, an increase of about 13%. The vehicles are produced as part of a long-standing cooperation with Ford Motor at a plant in Turkey, where the E-Transit Custom and…

Waymo has renamed its Zeekr-built robotaxi ahead of its entry into commercial service, rebranding the vehicle as Ojai, TechCrunch reported, as the Alphabet-owned company moves toward broader deployment of its autonomous ride-hailing fleet. The vehicle, previously known as the Zeekr RT, was developed in partnership with Zeekr, a Chinese electric vehicle brand owned by Geely Holding Group. Waymo said the new name was chosen because the company determined that “the U.S. public isn’t familiar with the Zeekr brand,” according to spokesperson Chris Bonelli. The name Ojai is drawn from the town of Ojai in California’s Topatopa Mountains above Los Angeles.…

Polish bus manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach has secured an order for 20 new trolleybuses from public transport operator MPK Lublin, strengthening its position in its home market and expanding emission-free public transport in eastern Poland. MPK Lublin has selected the Solaris Trollino 12, a 12-metre trolleybus designed to carry up to 80 passengers, including 29 seated. The vehicles will be equipped with interior and exterior surveillance systems, USB charging ports for passengers and an automated passenger counting system to support detailed analysis of ridership patterns. Deliveries are scheduled for the first months of 2027. See also: Solaris Launches Retrofit…

Texas Instruments on Monday introduced a new portfolio of automotive semiconductors, including a high-performance system-on-a-chip family offering up to 1,200 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of artificial intelligence capability, as the industry pushes toward more automated and software-defined vehicles. The announcements were made during the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show, where chipmakers and automakers are highlighting technologies aimed at enabling advanced driver assistance and, eventually, higher levels of vehicle autonomy. See also: Pony.ai Grows Robotaxi Fleet to 1,159 Units, Surpassing 2025 Target At the center of the launch is TI’s new TDA5 automotive SoC family, which the company said is designed…

Benteler Group said it has agreed to acquire Ioki, the former mobility subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, as it moves to position itself as a full-service provider of autonomous transport solutions in Europe. The privately held automotive and industrial supplier said the deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, is expected to close in the near term. Following completion, Ioki’s software platforms for on-demand and public transport integration will be combined with Benteler’s vehicle, operations and financing capabilities. Benteler plans to integrate Ioki with Holon, its subsidiary that develops the Holon Urban autonomous electric shuttle, and with Benteler Mobility, which manages…

Seyond has introduced a new solid-state LiDAR product line aimed at large-scale automotive deployment, unveiling its Hummingbird series as part of a broader end-to-end sensor portfolio, the company said this week. The Hummingbird series marks Seyond’s first fully solid-state LiDAR offering designed for mass production. The company said the platform has already secured a confirmed original equipment manufacturer (OEM) design win, positioning the sensor for integration into future passenger vehicle programs and signaling a shift from pilot projects toward higher-volume adoption. See also: LiDAR Supplier Seyond Secures Supply Deal With GAC Group, Mass Production Set for 2026 The Hummingbird D1,…

Lucid Group, autonomous driving startup Nuro and ride-hailing platform Uber Technologies on Monday unveiled a production-intent robotaxi, marking a key step toward commercial deployment of their autonomous vehicle partnership. The unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas places the trio among a growing group of companies pursuing large-scale robotaxi operations in the United States, alongside rivals such as Alphabet’s Waymo and Tesla. See also: Lucid Doubles Vehicle Production in 2025 as Deliveries Rise 55% https://twitter.com/LucidMotors/status/2008312908921373139 The companies said autonomous on-road testing began in December, led by Nuro using engineering prototypes supervised by safety operators. The testing programme…

Kodiak AI said on Monday it has reached an agreement with Bosch to scale the manufacturing of its production-ready autonomous driving platform, a move aimed at accelerating commercial deployment of driverless trucks. Under the agreement, Bosch will work with Kodiak to develop a platform combining specialized automotive-grade hardware, firmware and software interfaces. The collaboration is intended to allow Kodiak’s autonomous system, known as the Kodiak Driver, to be installed either directly on vehicle assembly lines or through aftermarket upfitting. See also: Kodiak AI Expands Partnership With ZF, Acquiring 100 Redundant Steering Systems for Driverless Truck Fleet “Advancing the deployment of…

Autonomous sensing company Atomathic has launched a new radar perception system designed to improve reliability in complex driving environments, introducing what it calls a physics-constrained reasoning engine aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in automotive radar performance. The system, branded AISIR for Radar, is intended to enhance the stability and accuracy of radar-based perception in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles, particularly in scenarios involving high dynamic range, cluttered surroundings and vulnerable road users. The company said the technology enables more consistent detection by reducing false targets and intermittent signal loss that have historically limited radar performance. See also:…

South Korea–based autonomous mobility startup whereable.ai said its Linq indoor shuttle has been named a CES 2026 Innovation Awards Honoree, receiving recognition in the Smart Communities and Accessibility & Longevity categories as the company prepares for commercial deployment next year. The autonomous shuttle is designed for use in large indoor environments such as airports, transit hubs and public facilities, and is scheduled to enter the market in early 2026. The company said the award underscores growing interest in scalable, infrastructure-light mobility solutions for complex indoor environments. The Linq shuttle operates using a mapless, end-to-end autonomous driving system based on what…

German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies said it has expanded its collaboration with Lenovo to integrate its AURIX™ microcontrollers into Lenovo’s autonomous driving domain controllers, a move aimed at accelerating the development of software-defined vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems. Under the partnership, Lenovo’s AD1 and AH1 autonomous driving domain controller platforms will use Infineon’s AURIX microcontroller family to support high-speed data processing and functional safety requirements for vehicle automation ranging from Level 2 to Level 4, the companies said. See also: Infineon Power Modules Support Electreon’s In-Road EV Charging Tests Across Multiple Countries The integration is intended to provide a…

Luminar Technologies, a U.S. lidar maker, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it plans to sell its core lidar business after a year marked by layoffs, executive departures and a legal dispute with its largest customer, Volvo. The bankruptcy filing, made on Monday in the Southern District of Texas, follows months of financial strain at the company, which was valued at more than $3 billion when it went public via a reverse merger in 2020. Luminar said it will continue operating during the court-supervised process to limit disruption to customers and suppliers, but expects to cease operating as…