Author: Harding Greenwood

Geely Automobile said on Tuesday it will take its premium electric vehicle (EV) unit Zeekr private in a deal valuing the company at $6.83 billion, as the Chinese automaker restructures its operations to improve efficiency and strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive EV market. Geely will acquire the remaining shares of Zeekr that it does not already own at $2.687 per share, or $26.87 per American depositary share (ADS), representing an 18.9% premium over Zeekr’s closing price on May 6, according to separate statements released by both companies. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of…

South Korean robotics firm Daedong Robotics has unveiled an autonomous agricultural transport robot powered by repurposed Tesla car batteries, marking a step forward in electric vehicle (EV) battery reuse and sustainable field automation. The compact robot, known as the RT100, is designed to assist farmers in harvesting operations by following them through the field, loading picked produce, and transporting it to designated locations. It uses modular battery packs repurposed from decommissioned Tesla vehicles, in a collaboration with battery upcycling company Poen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNnQEEpCoIc Poen sources used Tesla battery packs and tests individual LG cylindrical cells for remaining capacity. Those meeting performance…

The Aachen Centre for Integrative Lightweight Construction (AZL) is launching a nine-month research project to develop a new fire testing method for battery casings, aiming to improve safety in electric vehicle and aerospace applications. The project, officially titled “Thermal Runaway Testing for Battery Casings – Benchmarking Systems for High-Gradient Heating and Hot Particle Blasting,” seeks to replicate the challenging thermal conditions that can occur during battery failure events. The test setup will expose materials to both high-gradient flame and controlled particle blasting to simulate real-world stress scenarios such as those caused by thermal runaway in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and…

Lucid Motors’ new flagship electric SUV, the Gravity Dream Edition, demonstrated its performance capabilities in a recent drag race video, competing against several of the most powerful gas and electric SUVs on the market. The video, published by Hagerty, included rival vehicles from Rivian, Porsche, Audi, and Range Rover, as well as a high-performance plug-in hybrid from Porsche. In the final round of the drag race, the Lucid Gravity Dream Edition finished neck-and-neck with the 2026 Rivian R1S Quad Motor and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. All three completed the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds. Although the Gravity showed a slower…

British air taxi developer Vertical Aerospace has filed for a $60 million stock offering to support research and development of its VX4 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, as the company moves forward with piloted testing and expands plans for a hybrid-electric variant. The offering includes a 30-day option for underwriters to purchase an additional $9 million in shares, the company said. Proceeds are expected to be used for continued R&D, including further flight testing of the VX4 prototype and development of future vehicle configurations. Vertical’s VX4 is a four-passenger eVTOL designed for short-range urban air mobility. The company…

FedEx has begun integrating electric trucks into its delivery fleet in Taiwan through a collaboration with FUSO, becoming the first international logistics company in the market to operate fully electric vehicles for ground delivery. The initiative supports FedEx’s long-term sustainability goals, including its target of achieving carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040. As part of the partnership, FedEx has introduced 12 FUSO eCanter electric trucks, with six already deployed in major urban areas. The move follows earlier efforts to incorporate electric tricycles into last-mile logistics and represents a step toward scaling low-emission solutions in dense city environments. “These trucks are designed…

Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging (HPC) has entered into a national partnership with Federal Realty Investment Trust, naming it the preferred electric vehicle (EV) charging provider for the real estate firm’s portfolio of shopping centers across the United States. The agreement marks a significant expansion of Mercedes-Benz’s premium charging network, with plans to install up to 500 charging stalls at various retail sites using 400 kW-capable chargers. Under the agreement, Mercedes-Benz HPC will deploy its ultra-fast HYC400 chargers—developed by Alpitronic and capable of delivering up to 400 kW—with both CCS-1 and NACS connectors. Each location will feature as many as ten charging…

Volkswagen has suspended exports of its ID.Buzz electric van to the United States, officially citing a recall as the reason, though industry sources suggest the decision is primarily driven by steep import tariffs recently imposed by the US government. The move threatens to derail the automaker’s strategy to position the ID.Buzz as a flagship electric model in North America. The suspension comes after a recall related to the width of the rear bench seat in US-spec ID.Buzz models, prompting Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to pause shipments. While the company acknowledged the recall, it also noted that exports to other global markets…

Volkswagen Group delivered 465,500 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) worldwide in the first half of 2025, marking a 47% increase year-on-year, with strong momentum in Europe and the United States countering a significant downturn in China. The German auto giant’s BEV share rose to 10.57% of total global sales, up from 7% in the same period last year, outpacing broader group growth and underscoring the company’s intensified focus on electrification. Europe remained the company’s primary driver of electric growth, with BEV deliveries reaching 347,900 in the first half—an 89% jump from the same period in 2024. The second quarter alone accounted…

A U.S. federal court on Friday upheld the Department of Defense’s decision to blacklist Chinese lidar manufacturer Hesai Group, ruling that the company’s technology poses national security risks due to its potential military applications. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia determined that there was substantial evidence supporting the Defense Department’s assessment that Hesai contributes to China’s defense industrial base. The court cited lidar’s dual-use nature — applicable to both civilian and military systems — and Hesai’s cooperation with Chinese agencies as key factors behind the decision. Hesai, which produces lidar sensors for autonomous vehicles and driver-assistance systems,…

Daimler Truck announced a sweeping strategic shift under a new roadmap titled Stronger 2030, which includes the delay of its hydrogen truck launch to the early 2030s, potential outsourcing of electric truck production, and a plan to cut around 5,000 jobs in Germany by 2030. The moves come in response to what the company described as “unpredictable dynamics” in its core markets, including volatile energy prices, shifting subsidies, and varying rates of decarbonisation. CEO Karin Rådström presented the strategy during Daimler Truck’s Capital Markets Day at its Cleveland, U.S. plant, stating the plan is aimed at boosting resilience and achieving…

Hyundai has officially debuted the Ioniq 6 N, its second high-performance electric vehicle, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, following in the footsteps of the Ioniq 5 N. The new model delivers significantly enhanced performance capabilities and vehicle dynamics, building on the brand’s ambitions in the EV performance segment. The Ioniq 6 N features a dual-motor powertrain delivering 478 kW (641 hp) and 770 Nm of torque when N Grin Boost mode is activated. The vehicle accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 257 km/h, placing it among the…

Panasonic Holdings will delay plans to bring its upcoming electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Kansas to full capacity by March 2027, due to a slowdown in sales at its primary customer, Tesla (TSLA.O), Japan’s Nikkei business daily reported on Friday. The $4 billion facility, located in the U.S. state of Kansas, was initially slated to reach a production target of 30 gigawatt-hours by early 2027. According to the report, a new timeline for achieving full capacity has not yet been determined. The Kansas site will be Panasonic’s second large-scale battery plant in the United States, following its Nevada Gigafactory…

Energy Exploration Technologies Inc (EnergyX), a lithium technology startup backed by General Motors, has acquired 35,000 acres of brine-rich land in southern Arkansas, strengthening its position in the Smackover formation, one of the most lithium-rich regions in the United States. The deal, valued at A$40 million ($26.1 million), was struck with Australia-based Pantera Lithium and consists of A$6 million in cash and approximately 2.3 million shares of EnergyX stock priced at A$14.50 each. The acquisition brings EnergyX’s total holdings in the formation to roughly 47,500 acres. The move marks another significant investment in domestic lithium supply despite persistently low market…

ZF Friedrichshafen, Germany’s second-largest automotive supplier, may implement additional cost-cutting measures if global vehicle production continues to decline, the company’s finance chief said in an interview published Thursday. “We are below our projections,” Chief Financial Officer Michael Frick told WirtschaftsWoche magazine, noting that signs point to even lower global car production in the second half of the year. “Of course, ZF will then have to take additional cost-cutting measures,” he added. The company, which supplies gearboxes and hybrid drivetrains to major automakers, has been facing pressure from falling sales and profitability due to a combination of weak demand and mounting…

Donut Lab, a Finnish electric mobility startup, has raised €25 million in new funding, signed over ten commercial contracts with global vehicle manufacturers, and expanded its research and development footprint with a new facility in the United Kingdom, the company said on Monday. The Helsinki-based firm, which develops modular electric motor and powertrain technologies for use across land, sea, and air, will also return to CES in January 2026 with an expanded showcase of its electric mobility applications. The company said demand for its platform has surged following its previous appearance at CES, with “thirty-fold” growth in commercial interest leading…

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has issued new regulations requiring high-power charging (HPC) networks—often referred to as “supercharger” stations—built by electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to be accessible to all brands, marking a significant policy shift in the country’s rapidly expanding EV infrastructure landscape. The directive, issued by the General Office of the NDRC, targets proprietary charging networks operated by leading automakers such as Tesla, Li Auto, BYD, and members of the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA). These networks, which have until now largely served brand-exclusive users, must now be opened to all battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) without preferential treatment…

Nissan Motor plans to begin exporting electric vehicles from its Chinese plants to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other global markets starting in 2026, as part of an ambitious turnaround strategy aimed at restoring profitability. The company’s first export model will be the N7 electric sedan, developed in partnership with Dongfeng and unveiled at Auto Shanghai in April. The shift toward using Chinese production capacity for international markets follows Nissan’s announcement of a ¥500 billion (€3 billion) cost-reduction initiative under a sweeping reorganisation strategy named ‘Re:Nissan.’ The plan includes cutting 20,000 jobs and closing seven of its 17 global…

Mercedes-Benz Group reported a year-on-year decline of 18% in global battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales for the second quarter of 2025, delivering 41,900 units across its passenger car and van divisions. This compares with 51,000 BEVs sold during the same period last year and 45,500 units in the first quarter of 2025. Passenger BEV sales dropped by 24% to 35,000 units, while electric van deliveries rose 32% year-on-year to 6,900 vehicles. Overall, the group sold 547,100 cars and vans in Q2, representing a 9% decline from the previous year. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) deliveries, however, recorded notable growth, with Mercedes-Benz…

Daimler Truck has delivered the first Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric trucks to customers in Belgium, marking a milestone for the commercial use of its long-haul battery-electric vehicle in the country. Logistics firms VM-Milktrans and its sister company Sovedo Logistics have received two of the six trucks ordered, with plans to integrate them into their milk collection logistics fleet across Belgium. The deployment of the electric trucks is part of a broader agreement that also includes financing, leasing, battery solutions, and charging infrastructure. The initial two eActros 600s are now operating alongside newly installed in-house charging stations at the companies’ premises.…