Author: Harding Greenwood

Chinese battery manufacturer Svolt Energy said on Monday that its joint venture factory in Thailand has produced its 10,000th electric vehicle (EV) battery pack, marking a significant milestone for the company’s overseas expansion strategy. The plant, located in Chonburi, is operated in partnership with Banpu Next, a Thai energy solutions provider. According to a statement from Svolt, the milestone was achieved on June 30, just six months after the facility began operations. Equipped with two advanced CTP and LCTP/HEV production lines, the factory integrates digital manufacturing systems and has achieved a reported yield rate of 99.9 percent. “The production of…

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Li Auto reported a rare year-on-year decline in June deliveries, as the company navigates mounting competition, sales system upgrades, and a shifting landscape in China’s automotive market. Li Auto delivered 36,279 vehicles in June, marking a 24.06% drop from a year earlier and an 11.20% decline from May. It was the first time in at least five years that the company recorded a year-on-year decrease in June deliveries. See also: Li Auto Cuts Q2 Delivery Outlook Amid Sales System Overhaul Despite the dip, second-quarter deliveries totaled 111,074 vehicles, up 2.30% year-on-year and 19.61% from the previous…

Tesla has introduced a new feature that allows customers in the United States and Canada to defer payments for vehicle maintenance and repairs, expanding its “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) capabilities beyond retail purchases to service appointments. The update, included in version 4.46 of the Tesla app, integrates financing options from Affirm and Klarna. The BNPL feature becomes available automatically within the app when users access the service estimate section during a maintenance booking. Customers are shown an option labeled “Pay over time – see if you qualify,” which leads to a calculator displaying installment plans and associated costs. Once…

Renault said on Tuesday it would record a one-off loss of around €9.5 billion ($11 billion) in the first half of 2024 related to its longstanding stake in Nissan Motor, marking a significant shift in how the French carmaker accounts for its investment in the Japanese company. The writedown, which reflects the difference between the book value and Nissan’s current share price, comes amid Renault’s gradual move to reduce its involvement in Nissan and transition the alliance into a more project-specific collaboration. The 20-year-old partnership has been under restructuring in recent years, with Renault now directly holding 17.05% of Nissan…

Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has ordered an additional 270 articulated electric buses from Solaris, further expanding its transition to zero-emission public transport. The order follows the delivery of an initial batch of 50 Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses under a framework agreement signed in December 2023. The agreement allows for the procurement of up to 700 articulated electric buses over an eight-year period, depending on demand and operational priorities. The new order significantly scales up BVG’s commitment to sustainable mobility in the German capital. Christian Goll, Managing Director of Solaris Deutschland GmbH, said, “Fleet electrification and infrastructure modernization are key challenges…

AEye Inc, a provider of high-performance lidar solutions, has joined the WinTOR research initiative at the University of Toronto, a collaborative project focused on enhancing autonomous vehicle capabilities in challenging weather conditions. The initiative is supported by General Motors, along with industry partners such as LG Electronics, Applanix, Navtech, and the Ontario Research Fund. The WinTOR project—short for Winter Technology for Operational Reliability—seeks to address one of the most persistent barriers in autonomous mobility: maintaining vehicle perception and safety during heavy rain, snow, and other low-visibility scenarios. AEye will contribute its Apollo lidar sensor, a long-range and high-resolution system designed…

Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley expressed a preference for LiDAR-based autonomous driving systems over Tesla’s camera-only approach, highlighting safety considerations and the importance of maintaining consumer trust in emerging technologies. Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival during an interview with author Walter Isaacson, Farley compared the self-driving strategies of Waymo and Tesla, suggesting that systems using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology may offer greater reliability in real-world conditions. “To us, Waymo,” Farley said, when asked which approach he preferred, according to a report by Fortune. Farley acknowledged the progress made by both companies in developing autonomous vehicles but emphasized…

Rock Tech Lithium and Ronbay Technology have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding to establish an integrated battery materials supply chain in Europe, with lithium hydroxide from Rock Tech’s planned Guben Converter in Germany to be supplied to Ronbay’s cathode active material (CAM) plant in Konin, Poland. The agreement signals deeper collaboration between the Canadian-German lithium producer and the Chinese multinational CAM manufacturer, as Europe ramps up efforts to localise battery supply chains for electric vehicles. The lithium hydroxide, a critical input for cathode materials, will be processed at Rock Tech’s facility in Guben, located on the German-Polish border, which…

Ireland will begin rolling out green ‘flash’ registration plates for electric vehicles from July 1, in an effort to normalise zero-emission driving and increase public awareness of the transition to cleaner transport. The new plates will feature a vertical green stripe along the left-hand side and will be available for all new and existing vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and future hydrogen fuel cell models. The initiative is part of the government’s broader Climate Action Plan, which targets a 50% reduction in transport emissions by 2030. “This is a small but effective step and a…

BMW will recall more than 70,000 electric vehicles in the United States due to a software issue that may cause a sudden loss of propulsion, posing a safety risk, according to a notice published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall impacts several model series: the i4 and iX from model years 2022 to 2024, the i7 from 2023 and 2024, the i5 from 2024, and the 2025 i4 eDrive35 and eDrive40. NHTSA said the issue stems from a fault in the electric drive motor software, which “may shut down the high-voltage system, causing a loss of…

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has introduced its TruckCharge consultancy service in the UK, offering free expert guidance to heavy goods vehicle (HGV) operators transitioning to electric trucks. The programme, announced on Wednesday, is designed to assist with strategic planning, infrastructure development, and digital solutions integration for electric fleets. The free consultancy provides tailored support in areas such as route and cost analysis, funding options, depot infrastructure planning, and the use of digital charging management tools. Customers can also take advantage of seamless payment options via the Mercedes ServiceCard. “As every depot and business is different, we’ve introduced the TruckCharge free consultancy service…

Eleven of Europe’s leading automotive and technology companies have entered into a joint open-source initiative to accelerate the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), including components for autonomous driving. The agreement, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding at the 29th International Automotive Electronics Congress, marks a rare pre-competitive collaboration among automakers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and key suppliers including Bosch, ZF, and Continental. The group aims to develop a certifiable, open, and transparent software stack for future vehicle platforms. Initiated by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and managed through the Eclipse Foundation under the S-CORE project, the…