Author: Ivan Popov

Hyptec, the premium new energy vehicle brand under China’s GAC Group, has disclosed regulatory images and technical specifications for the S600 SUV-coupe, an updated and more performance-focused derivative of the Hyptec HL launched in 2023. Images released in December by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) show the S600 with redesigned front and rear styling, giving it a sportier appearance with more prominent spoilers, sharper lighting elements and a roof-mounted lidar sensor. The visual changes signal a shift toward a more dynamic positioning within Hyptec’s high-end product portfolio. See also: GAC Group Reports 56,422 NEV Sales in November,…

Autonomous mobility company Beep has received Frost & Sullivan’s 2025 North American Technology Innovation Leadership Recognition, as industry deployments increasingly shift from small pilot projects toward permanent public transit infrastructure. The award highlights Beep’s AutonomOS™ platform, which centralizes fleet management, safety monitoring, and operations for autonomous shuttle services. The system is currently used across a range of environments including airports, university campuses, business districts, and mixed-use urban developments. See also: Beep to Launch Karsan Autonomous e-JEST Vehicles in Atlanta and Altamonte Springs by 2026 “The combination of strong financial backing, repeatable customer acquisition, lean operations, and proven expansion strategies positions…

Electric vehicle registrations in Europe rose sharply in the first ten months of 2025, outpacing the broader car market and lifting battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to a record share of total new-car sales, according to a new study from the Center of Automotive Management (CAM). From January to October, more than 2.02 million new BEVs were registered across Europe, including the European Union, the UK and EFTA states, representing growth of 26.2% from a year earlier, the CAM “Electromobility Report” showed. By contrast, overall passenger car registrations rose by just 1.9% to around 11 million vehicles over the same period. As…

Canadian electric mobility startup Beachman has introduced the ’64 Street Spec, a new urban-focused electric café racer priced from $5,750, as it expands its portfolio beyond the off-road-oriented Scrambler model. The new model adopts styling inspired by 1960s café racers and is built on a modular vehicle architecture that allows it to be configured to meet multiple regulatory classifications. Depending on specification, the ’64 Street Spec can be registered as an e-bike, moped or light motorcycle in different markets. Power is supplied by a removable 2.8 kWh lithium battery as standard, providing a claimed range of about 55 miles. Buyers…

Rivian will introduce native Digital Key support for its second-generation vehicles through a software update scheduled for release later this month, according to a company executive. The feature will allow vehicle access through Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet, expanding the automaker’s use of smartphone-based controls. Wassym, Rivian’s chief software officer, said the functionality will arrive with the company’s 2025.46 over-the-air update. “Digital Key support is officially coming to Gen 2 vehicles with the 2025.46 OTA update later this month,” he said. See also: Rivian R1T Quad-Motor Matches Supercar Acceleration in Independent Performance Test https://twitter.com/WassymBensaid/status/1996654306372862247 The system will use…

British autonomous driving startup Wayve has launched GAIA-3, a new large-scale generative world model aimed at improving how self-driving systems are evaluated through realistic simulation rather than relying solely on live road testing. GAIA-3 features 15 billion parameters, roughly double the size of its predecessor, and has been trained on about 10 times more data spanning multiple continents, vehicle types and weather conditions. Wayve said the system is designed to generate safety-critical “what-if” scenarios, support evaluation across different vehicle platforms and test system robustness under changing visual conditions. See also: Wayve Showcases Global Scalability of AV2.0 Embodied AI with Rapid…

BMW Group and energy software firm Kaluza have launched a direct application programming interface (API) link between BMW and Mini electric vehicles and Kaluza’s optimisation platform, enabling real-time smart charging without the need for additional hardware across the UK. The integration connects with BMW’s Remote Charging Control system and allows charging sessions to automatically respond to grid conditions. Electricity demand can be shifted to periods of lower cost and higher renewable availability, helping to support grid stability and reduce charging costs for drivers without requiring manual scheduling. See also: Stellantis Partners with Kaluza for Direct-to-Vehicle Smart Charging Services BMW said…

China’s GAC has officially entered the Greek market with the launch of its AION V electric SUV, extending its European expansion as the automaker pursues a twin strategy of overseas manufacturing and next-generation battery development. The Greece debut marks GAC’s fourth European market after launches in Finland, Poland and Portugal. Sales and aftersales operations in Greece will be supported through a distribution partnership with Inchcape, giving the Chinese automaker access to established dealer and service infrastructure in Southern Europe. The AION V offers a driving range of up to 510 kilometres under the WLTP test cycle and supports rapid charging…

Uber has launched a commercial robotaxi service in Dallas in partnership with autonomous vehicle startup Avride, allowing riders to be matched with self-driving electric vehicles operating with a human safety driver and within a limited operating area. The service begins about a year after Uber announced a partnership with Avride to expand its network of autonomous technology providers for both ride-hailing and food delivery. The Dallas fleet consists of all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles equipped with Avride’s self-driving system and currently operates across a nine-square-mile section of the city that includes downtown. Uber plans to expand both the service area…

Solar electric vehicle startup Aptera Motors has released its first detailed update since listing on the Nasdaq, unveiling progress on its validation vehicle assembly line, on-site battery module production and early efficiency testing as it moves closer to low-volume manufacturing. The update follows Aptera’s recent debut on Nasdaq under the ticker SEV, alongside a share sale that gave the company access to up to $75 million in financing, providing a lifeline after a prolonged period of financial strain. The company said the funding allowed it to accelerate hiring across engineering, operations and manufacturing in preparation for production. See also: Aptera…

Stellantis Chief Executive Antonio Filosa on Monday welcomed Germany’s call to soften European Union car emissions rules, saying Berlin’s proposals align with industry demands to revive growth in a sector struggling with weak demand, slow electric vehicle (EV) adoption and intensifying competition from China. The European Commission is due to unveil a broad automotive support package on Dec. 10, which is expected to include a review of carbon-emission targets and the bloc’s planned 2035 phaseout of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Governments and manufacturers across Europe have been urging Brussels to adopt a more flexible approach that could allow…

South Korean battery materials manufacturer EcoPro BM has begun operations at its cathode material plant in Debrecen, Hungary, a facility designed to supply enough materials for the high-voltage batteries of about 600,000 electric vehicles per year. At the opening ceremony, EcoPro BM said the plant will initially operate with an annual capacity of 54,000 tonnes of cathode materials. The company plans to expand output to 108,000 tonnes in a later phase, which would be sufficient for batteries used in roughly 1.35 million electric vehicles annually. The site will also produce 8,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year and generate 16,000…

Canada is scaling up its electric mobility push with more than C$10 million ($7.4 million) in federal funding to expand charging infrastructure nationwide and support research into lower-cost, next-generation electric vehicle (EV) motors. More than C$9 million of the funding will be channelled through the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) to Green Economy Canada and New Brunswick Power, supporting the deployment of over 1,200 new charging points across the country. The rollout will include Level 2 chargers and DC fast chargers at workplaces, public destinations, on-street locations and multi-unit residential buildings, with the largest share of installations planned for…

Toyota has unveiled its long-awaited battery-electric Hilux built on a reworked ninth-generation platform, with Australia confirmed among the first markets to receive the model when it launches in the first half of 2026. The automaker has yet to disclose official pricing, saying only that the electric pickup will be positioned as “attainable,” with initial sales focused on fleet customers rather than private buyers. Large mining operations are expected to be the primary customers for the Hilux BEV, reflecting the advantages of electric drivetrains in underground and enclosed environments. The full list of global markets for the electric pickup has not…

Geely-owned electric vehicle maker Zeekr began selling cars in Germany on Monday with three battery-electric models priced from 37,990 euros ($44,065), marking its formal entry into Europe’s largest automotive market as the company reports sharply improving financial performance. The German lineup includes the compact Zeekr X, the mid-size SUV Zeekr 7X and the flagship Zeekr 001 shooting brake. Base prices range from 37,990 euros for the Zeekr X to 54,990 euros for the Zeekr 7X and 59,990 euros for the Zeekr 001, company sources said. All three models qualify for Germany’s 0.25% company car tax benefit and feature German-language infotainment…

Researchers from Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) and several Japanese universities have identified how so-called space charge effects create resistance inside solid-state batteries, a finding that could help improve the performance of next-generation energy storage technologies, the institutes said. The team investigated how space charge layers form at internal battery interfaces and how they impede the flow of ions during charging and discharging. Using advanced microscopic techniques, the researchers said they were able to determine, for the first time, the spatial extent of the space charge zone and quantify its contribution to overall battery resistance. Their findings…

Nissan Motor will begin a field test of an autonomous mobility service in Kobe City’s Nada Gogo area from Jan. 19, 2026, as part of a joint initiative with the local government to address regional transportation challenges and develop new mobility solutions, the automaker said on Thursday. The Nada Gogo district is a major tourist destination known for its traditional sake breweries and historical sites. Nissan said the pilot will use its autonomous driving technology to offer visitors a new way to tour the area, improving convenience for tourists while exploring opportunities to contribute to regional economic revitalisation. The company…

German energy supplier E.ON, together with infrastructure firms Voltix and GreenWay, plans to deploy around 330 megawatt-level charging points for electric trucks across Europe by autumn 2028 as part of the HDV-E infrastructure project, the consortium said. The network will span 55 locations across nine countries — Germany, Austria, Denmark, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and Hungary — positioned along major freight corridors. Each site is expected to host at least four Megawatt Charging System (MCS) points, each capable of delivering charging power of 1 MW or more. See also: E.ON Tests Reservation System for Electric Truck Charging to…

Tesla has completed the rollout of what it describes as its largest Supercharger installation to date, bringing the total number of high-speed charging points at a major Interstate 5 site in California to 164 after activating an additional 80 units this month. The charging park, located roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, was first announced last year by Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging for North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Tesla initially outlined plans for up to 168 charging points at the location. The first 84 Superchargers entered service in July, following…

European automakers are urging Brussels to ease pressure on the sector as the European Commission prepares to unveil a broad automotive support package next month, raising the prospect that the European Union’s planned 2035 phaseout of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles could be softened. The package, due on Dec. 10, is expected to include measures aimed at shoring up Europe’s car industry, which is struggling with high energy prices, trade frictions with the United States, and intensifying competition from Chinese manufacturers. Carmakers say the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is progressing more slowly than anticipated when targets were set…