Author: Casper Benedict

Audi, the premium brand of Volkswagen, has announced a strategic partnership with Chinese joint venture partner SAIC to develop a new platform tailored for intelligent and electric vehicles in China. This move underscores the increasing pressure on traditional automakers to adapt to the evolving landscape of the world’s largest auto market. The collaboration aims to address Audi’s lagging performance in the Chinese EV market, where it has trailed behind competitors like Tesla amid intense pricing competition. The new platform, known as the Advanced Digitized Platform, is expected to reduce Audi’s time-to-market by over 30%, enabling faster development and deployment of…

Argonne National Laboratory is embarking on a new project to build a state-of-the-art research and development facility dedicated to independently testing large-scale hydrogen fuel cell systems. With funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE), this initiative aims to assess the viability of hydrogen fuel cells for heavy-duty and off-road applications. The DOE is leveraging Argonne’s extensive experience in fuel cell research, dating back to 1996, to evaluate new polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems ranging from 150 to 600 kilowatts. These systems will be tested for use in industrial vehicles and stationary power generation applications. The new facility…

First Bus, a British transport company, is bolstering its electric bus fleet in Leeds with the addition of 22 new electric buses from Wrightbus. This expansion builds upon an initial order placed in March, marking a significant step towards sustainable public transport in the region. The investment in these new electric double-deckers will see the electric bus fleet at the First Bus depot in the Bramley district increase to 79 vehicles. With 57 electric buses from Wrightbus already introduced in March, this move will ensure that half of the depot’s buses are electric by the end of 2024. Funding for…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Xpeng is strategically expanding its collaborative efforts within the automotive industry, with plans to co-develop models with German automotive giant Volkswagen. Brian Gu, Xpeng’s vice president, emphasized the company’s commitment to sharing its autonomous driving and EV technologies with other automakers as a long-term trend, aiming to create a new revenue stream. In an interview with the South China Morning Post on May 17, Gu stated, “We see more collaborations as the long-term trend, because it’s hard to imagine traditional car manufacturers developing smart driving technologies quickly by relying on their own capabilities.” Xpeng recently…

General Motors’ innovative Ultium electric vehicle platform has encountered challenges, with the latest issue potentially causing power loss in a small number of vehicles on American roads. Thankfully, the problem is confined to just 10 examples across the United States. The automaker is recalling three Cadillac Lyriqs, three Chevrolet Blazer EVs, two Chevrolet Silverados, one GMC Hummer, and one GMC Sierra EV, all from the 2024 model year, due to a wiring problem in their rear drive units. The issue was first brought to GM’s attention on April 11, when a quality engineer reported an anomaly through its Speak Up…

Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing (VTRL) is making significant strides in supporting the electrification of commercial fleets with the installation of 47 high-powered charging stations at four strategic dealer locations across Southern California. This initiative, aimed at facilitating the transition to electric mobility, is set to be fully operational by the end of this month. The VTRL charging network, comprising 45 120 kW Detroit e-Fill chargers and two DCFC stations from ChargePoint, is designed to cater specifically to the needs of medium and heavy-duty battery electric work trucks. The choice of Detroit e-Fill chargers was influenced by their proven track…

VinFast announced a collaboration with Bosch to provide its customers access to a network of 700,000 charging points in 30 European countries. This partnership builds on their existing relationship in North America, where VinFast and Bosch have worked together on charging infrastructure for two years. Expanding on their U.S. partnership, VinFast and Bosch aim to enhance charging infrastructure in Europe. This move will allow VinFast customers to “travel across the continent with easy access to a large network of compatible charging stations,” according to a company press release. VinFast has been preparing for the European launch of its electric vehicles…

Tesla celebrated a significant milestone on Friday evening, announcing the production of three million cars across its Fremont factory and Gigafactory Nevada. The achievement comes just under two years after the company surpassed the two-million mark at these sites. In a post on X, Tesla’s main account congratulated the teams at Fremont and Giga Nevada for their accomplishment. The post featured photos of the production team at Gigafactory Fremont alongside the three-millionth electric vehicle (EV) built, a deep blue metallic Model S. https://twitter.com/Tesla/status/1791606155719966982 Tesla previously celebrated the production of two million cars at Fremont and Giga Nevada in July 2022,…

In a troubling incident last October, a Cruise robotaxi, an autonomous vehicle developed by General Motors’ subsidiary, Cruise, was involved in a collision with a pedestrian in San Francisco, according to a report by Fortune. The victim was reportedly compensated with an amount ranging between $8 million and $12 million for the injuries sustained during the incident. The collision resulted in the pedestrian being dragged over 20 feet by the self-driving vehicle, causing life-threatening injuries. The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was initially in critical condition but has since been discharged from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Following the incident,…

Mercedes-Benz has announced a recall affecting 283 EQB vehicles in the United States due to a safety defect that could potentially lead to unintended vehicle movement. Owners of the affected vehicles can expect to receive notification from Mercedes-Benz on July 9. The issue, first identified by Mercedes-Benz in June 2022, relates to drivetrain noises and vibrations reported by EQB customers outside the U.S. Further investigation revealed that a weld defect in the front motor’s spur gear could result in the gear breaking, causing it to rotate freely and disengage power to the front wheels. While the defect does not render…

Mitsubishi has revealed its ambitious vision for the future in North America with a comprehensive plan called ‘Momentum 2030.’ This strategy aims to nearly double the size of Mitsubishi’s lineup in the region, accelerate electrification efforts, and expand its dealer network to better serve customers. As part of ‘Momentum 2030,’ Mitsubishi plans to launch one completely new or redesigned vehicle every year from 2026 to 2030. This lineup expansion includes the introduction of two vehicles in entirely new segments for Mitsubishi. One of the exciting new entries hinted at by an unnamed dealer speaking to Autonews is Mitsubishi’s venture into…

The Biden administration’s decision to impose tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) imported from China is set to impact Alphabet’s autonomous-driving technology company, Waymo, which collaborates with Geely-owned Zeekr on robotaxis. The vehicle, dubbed the M-Vision and designed for ride-sharing, is built on Geely’s SEA-M platform, an adapted version of the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) used in several Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, and Smart models. With President Biden’s announcement of a 102.5% tariff on Chinese-made EVs, the Waymo robotaxi, sourced from Zeekr, faces the prospect of these tariffs affecting its importation. A Waymo spokesperson informed Auto News that the company is closely…