Author: Ivan Popov

Autonomous technology company Avride said on Thursday it is expanding testing of its vehicles in Dallas as it prepares to launch a robotaxi service on Uber’s ride-hailing platform. The initiative is part of a broader effort by technology firms to integrate autonomous vehicles into ride-hailing and delivery services, following partnerships with both mobility and logistics companies. Avride first announced a partnership with Uber in October last year, which initially focused on autonomous delivery services. Its delivery robots were deployed on the Uber Eats platform in Austin in November, and the service has since been extended to Dallas and Jersey City.…

Silicon Valley-based lithium-sulfur battery developer Lyten has named former executives of bankrupt Swedish battery maker Northvolt to lead its newly acquired Swedish operations, the company said on Thursday. Matthias Arleth, Northvolt’s last chief operating officer, has been appointed CEO of Lyten Sweden. In addition, Sami Haikala will return as head of Northvolt Labs R&D in Sweden, and Markus Danglemaier will resume his previous role leading the Northvolt Ett factory, according to Lyten. “These executives played a pivotal role in stabilising operations and delivering to customers over the last year,” the company said in a statement. “Filling these initial executive roles…

Volvo Cars said on Tuesday its global sales fell 9% in August to 48,029 vehicles, with demand for electrified models also declining as the company begins production of its new ES90 electric sedan in Europe. Sales of electrified cars, which include fully electric and plug-in hybrid models, made up 43% of total sales for the month but dropped 17% from a year earlier. Fully electric cars represented 20% of sales, while plug-in hybrids accounted for 23%. The XC60 was the company’s top-selling model in August, with 17,366 units sold, up from 14,723 last year. It was followed by the XC40/EX40…

German truck rental company Hylane has appointed Maximilian Draxler to its management board, the company said on Monday. Draxler, who previously headed finance, will join Managing Directors Sara Schiffer and Bernd Zens from Sept. 1. The Cologne-based provider of alternatively powered commercial vehicles said the 33-year-old had been with the firm since its founding. “He played a key role in building up the company and, since 2022, has been responsible as Head of Finance for designing the usage-based rental model, procuring zero-emission vehicles for the steadily growing fleet, and developing efficient controlling and financial processes,” Hylane said in a statement.…

Tesla has asked a U.S. federal judge to set aside or reduce a jury verdict that found the automaker partly liable for a 2019 fatal crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver-assistance system. The company argued that the $243 million penalty it faces is excessive and that the driver was responsible for the collision. The case stems from a crash in Key Largo, when George McGee, driving a Tesla Model S with Autopilot engaged, struck 22-year-old Naibel Benavides and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. Benavides was killed instantly, while Angulo sustained severe injuries. McGee admitted he had dropped his phone and…

ZM Trucks, a subsidiary of ZO Motors and a developer of zero-emission commercial vehicles, opened its U.S. headquarters and assembly plant in Fontana, California, on Thursday, marking a significant step in its North American expansion. The launch included the U.S. debut of its ZM8 commercial truck and T75 terminal tractor, highlighting its commitment to sustainable transport despite policy and regulatory headwinds. The new facility spans 9.67 acres and houses a 210,000-square-foot production floor located 49 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The plant will manufacture zero-emission vehicles, including commercial trucks and terminal tractors, designed for logistics, ports, and urban fleets.…

Zoox, the autonomous mobility company owned by Amazon, detailed safety features of its purpose-built robotaxi, saying it incorporates redundant systems to ensure reliability across critical functions such as steering, braking, power, sensors, and connectivity. The vehicle is designed to operate under a fail-operational model, meaning it can continue functioning safely even if components fail, unlike traditional fail-safe systems that may shut down or restrict performance. The robotaxi uses a dual-battery configuration to avoid single points of failure in its powertrain. If a battery or power converter stops working, the system allows the vehicle to safely pull over, activate hazard lights,…

Canadian battery maker Electrovaya said on Thursday it has signed a supply agreement with Janus Electric, an Australian firm that converts diesel trucks into fully electric vehicles, to provide its Infinity lithium-ion battery systems. The deal comes as Janus Electric, which recently went public on the Australian stock exchange, scales up its technology to electrify heavy-duty trucks using swappable battery systems. “We are excited to partner with Janus Electric, a recognized innovator in sustainable transportation,” said Electrovaya CEO Dr Raj DasGupta. He added that heavy trucks are “particularly difficult to electrify and require outstanding battery technology,” which Electrovaya aims to…

Polish bus maker Solaris said it has signed a contract with Nobina Sverige AB to supply 180 electric buses to Malmö, marking one of its largest orders in Sweden. Deliveries are scheduled between 2026 and 2027. The agreement covers Solaris Urbino electric buses in four different lengths — 12, 15, 18 and 24 meters — to serve both urban and suburban routes. The order includes 78 articulated Urbino 18 buses with 600 kWh batteries, 36 Urbino 24 bi-articulated buses with 700 kWh batteries, 65 Urbino 15 LE low-entry buses with 500 kWh batteries, and one Urbino 12 bus with a…

BYD  has officially entered the Argentine market, introducing three vehicles as its first batch of models, the company said on Tuesday. The lineup includes the all-electric Dolphin Mini and Yuan Pro, along with the plug-in hybrid Song Pro DM-i. The Dolphin Mini is marketed as the Seagull in China, while the Yuan Pro is known domestically as the Yuan Up. The Song Pro DM-i retains its Chinese name, though in some overseas markets such as Costa Rica the Yuan Up has been sold as the S1 Pro. Pre-orders for the three models have already opened in Argentina. BYD said Argentina…

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume is preparing to step down from his role at the sports car maker to focus fully on his responsibilities as head of Volkswagen Group, German business daily Wirtschaftswoche reported on Wednesday, citing “several high-ranking insiders from the corporation, works council and financial circles.” Blume, who has led Porsche for a decade, took over as chief executive of Volkswagen in September 2022 from Herbert Diess. He has repeatedly said that holding both posts was “not designed to last forever.” According to Wirtschaftswoche, he has now decided to relinquish his Porsche mandate to concentrate on steering Volkswagen. The…

German thermal management specialist technotrans will unveil its new battery thermal management system (BTMS) zeta.trax at this year’s Busworld exhibition in Brussels, the company said on Wednesday. The system, designed for both on-road and off-road vehicles, is cybersecurity-ready and meets regulatory requirements for new type approvals of electric buses. The zeta.trax system supports direct high-voltage connections of up to 850 volts DC and can optionally be supplied with a low global warming potential (low-GWP) refrigerant. The company said the solution reduces integration costs and complexity for manufacturers, while offering a scalable cooling capacity starting at 6 kW. “With our new…