Author: Ivan Popov

OMV Petrom has inaugurated Romania’s largest electric vehicle charging hub at Miercurea Sibiului along the A1 motorway, significantly expanding the country’s EV infrastructure on one of its most vital transport corridors. The new facility features 34 high-speed charging points, with 17 stations installed on each side of the motorway. Of these, 16 chargers are designed for electric cars with a capacity of up to 300 kW, while the remaining 18 cater to electric trucks, offering up to 400 kW of charging power. The project was developed through a concession agreement between OMV Petrom Marketing and the National Road Infrastructure Administration…

Apple said on Thursday it has officially launched CarPlay Ultra, the next-generation version of its in-vehicle infotainment software, nearly three years after it was first unveiled. The rollout begins with new Aston Martin vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, with broader availability to follow. CarPlay Ultra represents a significant upgrade from the previous version of CarPlay. While it still requires an iPhone to operate, the system now fully integrates with both the vehicle’s main infotainment screen and the digital instrument cluster in front of the driver. It will display real-time vehicle data such as speed, fuel economy, trip details, and…

Luminar Technologies said on Wednesday its founder and CEO Austin Russell has resigned from his leadership roles following an internal ethics inquiry, and will be replaced by former Nuance CEO Paul Ricci. The autonomous vehicle sensor company made the announcement the same day it reported first-quarter earnings. In a separate press release, the board said Russell had stepped down as president, CEO, and chairperson of the board “effective immediately.” The move follows a review by the board’s audit committee into a code of business conduct and ethics matter, though the board said the issue “does not impact any of the…

U.S. auto safety regulators have asked Tesla to provide details about its upcoming robotaxi service planned for Austin, Texas, as part of an ongoing investigation into the performance of the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology under limited visibility conditions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in a letter released on Monday, said it is seeking information to “assess the ability of Tesla’s system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions,” such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain, or snow. The agency began investigating Tesla’s FSD software in October after receiving reports of multiple crashes, including a fatal…

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales in the UK continued to grow in April 2025, according to new data from research group New AutoMotive. The group’s latest Electric Car Count report shows that BEVs captured a 20.4% share of the country’s new car market, marking a 7 percentage point increase compared to the same month last year. More than 26,500 electric vehicles were registered in April, with year-on-year BEV registrations rising by 31%, the data showed. The increase in EV uptake comes as registrations of petrol and diesel cars declined by nearly 25% during the same period. Hybrid vehicles also gained…

A consortium including Hamburger Hochbahn, Volkswagen subsidiary Moia, and Holon will begin testing around 20 autonomous electric shuttles in Hamburg as part of the ALIKE project, which is backed by €26 million in federal funding. The trials aim to establish the groundwork for scalable, commercial ridepooling services using autonomous vehicles in urban areas. The initial rollout will cover an operational zone stretching from Stadtpark to the Elbe River and from Schlump to Wandsbek, with the first vehicles expected to begin test operation later this year. Two vehicle models will be deployed: the Holon Urban, formerly known as the Holon Mover,…

Hyundai Motor Group and South Korea’s Posco have formalized a new partnership to advance the supply of low-carbon steel and essential battery materials, including lithium and active anode materials, in a move designed to strengthen supply chains and secure resources for the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two companies focuses on enhancing their collaboration in the U.S. market, particularly through the development of an electric arc furnace (EAF) steel plant in Louisiana. The agreement is expected to eliminate tariff barriers on U.S. steel supplies, with Posco aiming to bolster its position as a leading…

Chinese automaker Geely has begun exporting its best-selling electric pickup, the Radar R6, to international markets as it seeks to establish its presence in the global new energy vehicle (NEV) truck segment. Marketed overseas under the “Riddara” brand, the R6 has already reached over 50 countries, including regions in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Originally launched in 2022 as part of Geely’s outdoor-focused electric vehicle brand Radar, the R6 quickly rose to become the top-selling electric pickup in China. Based on Geely’s SEA platform, which also underpins the Volvo EM90 minivan, the Radar R6 is available with…

Rivian Automotive is moving ahead with development of its upcoming R2 electric SUV, with CEO RJ Scaringe sharing new images of the vehicle’s validation builds as the company targets scaled production next year. The R2, Rivian’s second mass-market model after the R1T pickup and R1S SUV, is positioned as a smaller and more affordable battery electric vehicle (BEV). According to the company’s first-quarter 2025 shareholder letter, validation builds are already underway at its Normal, Illinois facility. See also: Rivian Unlocks $1 Billion in Volkswagen Partnership as It Eyes Expansion with New Models https://twitter.com/RJScaringe/status/1919866174587994346 “Validation builds for R2 are progressing on…

UK-based Connected Energy and French battery manufacturer Forsee Power have signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop scalable energy storage solutions using second-life electric bus batteries. The project builds on their partnership established in 2021 and will integrate Connected Energy’s reuse technology with Forsee Power’s ZEN 35 and ZEN 42 battery systems. The new agreement aims to deliver modular, grid-scale storage systems by repurposing battery packs previously used in approximately 1,500 electric buses across Europe. The companies announced that the first 2.5 megawatt-hour (MWh) system will be operational in the UK by the fourth quarter of 2025. Additional projects exceeding…

Tesla’s vehicle registrations in Germany fell sharply in April, declining by 45.9% year-on-year to 885 units, according to data released on Tuesday by the country’s road traffic authority KBA. The drop marks a continued downward trend for the U.S. electric carmaker in one of Europe’s key automotive markets. Between January and April 2025, Tesla sold 5,820 cars in Germany, down 60.4% from the same period a year earlier. The decline comes as the overall German market for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) showed growth during the month, highlighting a shift in buyer preference away from Tesla and toward other EV brands.…

Spanish energy company Acciona Energia said it has acquired Cable Energía, the operator of the Shell Recharge electric vehicle charging network in Spain and Portugal outside Shell service stations. The move marks a significant step in Acciona’s strategy to scale up its presence in the electric mobility sector. Cable Energía was founded in 2018 by engineers Jesús Nieto and Ignacio López, who will remain in leadership positions under the new ownership. The company currently manages 396 operational charging points across high-traffic areas such as restaurants, shopping centers, supermarkets, hotels, and major highways on the Iberian Peninsula. An additional 321 charging…