Author: Floyd Hawkins

BMW has inaugurated its new vehicle plant in Debrecen, Hungary, marking a €2 billion investment aimed at supporting the German carmaker’s shift toward electric vehicles. The factory will begin producing the new iX3 electric SUV in October, the first model based on BMW’s “New Class” platform. The Debrecen site is BMW’s first vehicle plant powered entirely by renewable energy in normal operations and is designed around the company’s iFACTORY production principles. Construction began in mid-2022, and the plant will also assemble BMW’s sixth-generation high-voltage batteries directly on site to reduce transport needs. See also: BMW Confirms Next-Generation X5 to Include…

EvoCharge, a provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, has permanently ceased operations, citing challenging conditions in the EV charger market. The company announced plans to assist customers with the transition of their charging stations and network management. The firm has set up dedicated resources on its official website and a support email to guide customers through the closure. Information will continue to be updated online until Oct. 31, 2025, and questions can be directed to [email protected]. In a statement, EvoCharge said the decision was “due to challenging EV charger market conditions” and emphasized its commitment to helping customers manage…

Alaskan cargo carrier Ryan Air has ordered Beta Technologies’ Alia electric aircraft and plans to install up to 10 charging stations as it looks to electrify deliveries to remote communities, the companies said on Thursday. Ryan Air, which serves more than 70 rural communities in Alaska, said it will deploy the Alia CTOL (conventional take-off and landing) to transport food, medicine and other essential goods to regions that cannot be reached by road. The Alia aircraft is designed to carry 1,250 pounds of cargo and operate under instrument flight rules in icing conditions. It has a wingspan of 50 feet,…

Li Auto has introduced the Li i6, its second battery electric SUV after the Li i8, in a bid to bolster its presence in the pure-electric segment and offset a recent decline in deliveries. The five-seat Li i6 is priced from RMB 249,800 ($35,020), undercutting the larger six-seat Li i8 by RMB 90,000, or about 26 percent. Display and test drive units have arrived at Li Auto stores, with deliveries scheduled to begin immediately. The launch comes less than two months after the rollout of the Li i8, which underwent a price adjustment in August following weaker-than-expected sales. To boost…

Volvo Buses has introduced a new coach chassis based on its BZR electric bus platform, extending the company’s electric offering into long-distance travel with a battery capacity of up to 720 kWh and a range of up to 700 kilometres. The first units are reserved for customers in Nordic countries and the Benelux region, Volvo said. The new chassis builds on the BZR Electric architecture first launched in 2024 with the Volvo 8900 Electric intercity bus, which initially supported up to 540 kWh. By expanding capacity to eight 90-kWh battery packs, the updated coach chassis marks a new high point…

Kia’s all-electric van, the PV5, has been seen testing on U.S. roads, hinting at a potential launch in the American market. The vehicle was first spotted charging at a station in Indiana earlier this year, followed by sightings in Arizona, raising speculation that Kia is preparing a U.S.-spec version. The PV5 Passenger, already available in parts of Europe and South Korea, appears largely unchanged, though the U.S. variant may include side marker lights to comply with local regulations. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KindelAuto (@kindelauto) Kia has not officially confirmed a U.S. release, but…

BYD will need to manufacture auto batteries in Europe to support its growing regional car production, the company’s special adviser for Europe said on Wednesday. The world’s largest seller of electric and hybrid cars is building a factory in Hungary, due to start production by the end of this year, and another in Turkey scheduled for 2026. Together, the sites are expected to provide capacity for around 500,000 vehicles annually. “It does not make sense to invest in car assembly (in Europe) but bring batteries from China,” BYD’s European adviser Alfredo Altavilla said during an automotive conference in Milan. He…

Chinese automakers sold more cars in Europe than Renault and Audi in August, boosted by strong plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales, according to data from JATO Dynamics. Models from BYD, Jaecoo, and MG were among the top ten PHEV sellers, underscoring the growing presence of Chinese brands in the region. Chinese carmakers recorded a combined market share of 5.5% in August, with over 43,500 vehicles sold, up 121% from the same month last year. This exceeded Audi’s 41,300 units and Renault’s 37,800 units. PHEV sales across 28 European countries rose 59% to nearly 84,000 vehicles, with Chinese PHEVs jumping fourteen-fold to…

Sila, a battery materials startup, has begun operations at its new facility in Moses Lake, Washington, marking the launch of the first large-scale silicon anode plant in the United States. The milestone could enable automakers to deliver longer-range and faster-charging electric vehicles (EVs). The factory, under construction for nearly two years, will initially produce enough material for 20,000 to 50,000 EVs, with future expansion planned to support as many as 2.5 million vehicles. “When you invent something new, it’s a lot easier to then produce it where you invent it,” co-founder and CEO Gene Berdichevsky told TechCrunch. Silicon anodes have…

U.S.-based ReElement Technologies and South Korea’s Posco said they plan to build a joint facility in the United States that would process rare earth raw materials and produce permanent magnets under one roof, a move the partners describe as a new level of vertical integration. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the project, which they said would be the first complex in the United States to integrate the full value chain “from securing rare-earth raw materials and conducting separation and refining, to manufacturing permanent magnets and recycling manufacturing scrap and end-of-life magnets—all within one facility.” ReElement…

Nigeria’s state-backed ride-hailing service LagRide has expanded its fleet with 100 new electric vehicles and is targeting at least 70% of the Lagos EV-hailing market, as part of a broader plan to deploy more than 3,000 EVs over the next three years. The company did not specify the models acquired but said the vehicles can travel over 333 kilometres per charge and can recharge to “operating readiness” in 30 minutes at a fast charging station. A GAC GS3 electric SUV was shown in the press release with LagRide branding. “With charging stations now deployed across Lagos, LagRide is optimising routing…

The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University has received road approval for its first modular truck drive system combining a fuel cell and electric motor, marking a milestone in Germany’s push to decarbonise heavy goods transport. The prototype is part of the “SeLV” research project, which has been supported by €16.9 million in funding from the Federal Ministry of Transport since 2021. The project aims to develop configurable powertrains for trucks that can be tailored to different applications. The system is designed not only for new vehicles but also as a retrofit option for…