Author: Jackson Han

Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn has extended its emission-free delivery service to cover all shops within Amsterdam’s city centre ring road. The company has increased its fleet of electric trucks and enhanced its charging infrastructure at the Home Shop Center (HSC) Amsterdam depot to support this expansion. The move builds on over a year of electric deliveries within the city. With this extension, Albert Heijn now delivers to a larger area, eight times the size of its original ‘zero-emission zone’ (ZE). The company currently delivers 10,000 customer orders per week to 82 shops within the city centre ring road using…

China’s push to diversify electric vehicle (EV) battery chemistries has reached a new milestone with sodium-ion technology, which could address limitations of lithium-ion batteries, particularly under extreme weather conditions. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL), the world’s largest battery maker, has announced breakthroughs in sodium-ion batteries, including the ability to perform reliably at temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius. Sodium-ion batteries operate similarly to lithium-ion cells, with ions shuttling between electrodes during charge and discharge cycles. However, sodium-ion technology offers potential advantages, including reduced thermal runaway risks, lower raw material costs, and enhanced resilience to temperature fluctuations. CATL’s second-generation…

Gotion High-tech, the Chinese battery giant backed by Volkswagen, has secured a significant investment for its battery production project in Morocco. On November 13, Gotion signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CDG Group, Morocco’s largest public financial investment institution, which plans to invest 300 million euros ($280 million) into the first phase of Gotion’s Moroccan project. The initial phase of the project will focus on the production of power batteries, energy storage batteries, and the manufacturing of cathode and anode materials. This phase is expected to create over 2,000 local jobs, Gotion announced. The collaboration with CDG will support…

Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle (EV) subsidiary of Geely Holding Group, has confirmed its acquisition of a controlling 51% stake in Lynk & Co, marking a significant shift in the ownership structure of the electric vehicle brand. The deal, valued at approximately $2.5 billion, will see Zeekr purchase a 20% stake in Lynk & Co from Geely Holding for RMB 3.6 billion ($500 million) and a 30% stake from Volvo Cars for RMB 5.4 billion. Lynk & Co, founded in 2017 as a joint venture between Geely Auto and Volvo Cars, has undergone significant changes in its ownership as part…

Xiaomi EV, the automotive arm of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi Corp, celebrated a milestone as the 100,000th unit of its inaugural electric vehicle, the SU7, rolled off the production line. The achievement comes only 230 days after the launch of the SU7, signaling rapid production progress for the company’s new venture into the electric vehicle (EV) market. Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun announced the milestone on social media platform Weibo, remarking, “As a newcomer to the auto industry, this speed is already remarkable.” Lei shared that he visited the Xiaomi EV plant early in the day and spent some…

Tesla announced on Wednesday a recall of 2,431 of its recently launched Cybertruck electric pickups in the United States, citing a potential loss of drive power as the reason for the recall. This issue marks the sixth Cybertruck recall in 2023, and follows a similar move last month when Tesla recalled over 27,000 Cybertrucks due to delayed rear-view camera images that posed risks to driver visibility. According to Tesla’s filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Cybertrucks manufactured between Nov. 6, 2023, and July 30, 2024, could experience a fault in the drive inverter. This fault may prevent…

Leapmotor, the Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker backed by Stellantis NV, has set an ambitious sales target of 500,000 vehicles for 2025. During its third-quarter earnings call, the company outlined plans to achieve monthly sales of 40,000 vehicles on average. To meet this goal, Leapmotor is significantly ramping up production capacity and expanding its sales channels, according to CEO and founder Zhu Jiangming. Leapmotor had 698 stores in China by the end of October and expects to exceed its full-year sales target of 250,000 units for 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, Leapmotor delivered a record 86,165 vehicles,…

Tesla recently marked the five-year anniversary of its Gigafactory in Berlin, showcasing the facility’s achievements since CEO Elon Musk announced the project on November 12, 2019. Despite initial challenges, including regulatory delays and the pandemic, Giga Berlin commenced production of the Model Y in early 2022 and has since made significant strides. According to Tesla Manufacturing’s recent video on social media platform X, Gigafactory Berlin has produced over 400,000 Model Y units to date, along with more than 500,000 drive units. These vehicles are shipped to 37 countries, helping Tesla expand its footprint across multiple markets. The facility currently employs…

Retail sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China reached a record high in October, totaling 1.196 million units, marking the third consecutive month of over one million units sold. This represents a 56.7 percent year-on-year increase and a 6.4 percent rise from September, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). However, the NEV penetration rate in retail sales saw a slight decline, driven by faster growth in gasoline vehicle sales. Despite the record sales, the penetration rate for NEVs at retail stood at 52.9 percent, slightly down from 53.3 percent in September. This is the second consecutive month…

XPeng Aeroht, a subsidiary of China’s XPeng Motors, has entered the “manned test flight” phase for its Land Aircraft Carrier, a road vehicle with detachable flying capabilities. Founder Zhao Deli, an experienced pilot, is personally conducting tests to refine the vehicle’s performance. The Land Aircraft Carrier is scheduled for its first public demonstration at the China International Airshow on Nov. 12, showcasing the automated detachment and reattachment processes. The Land Aircraft Carrier features a six-wheel, three-axle ground vehicle, or “mothership,” that carries an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air module stored in the rear trunk, with a semi-transparent glass…

The Polish city of Szczecin is further advancing its electric bus fleet with a new order for 14 additional electric buses from Solaris. This latest order will bring the city’s total fleet of electric buses to 30, as it continues to electrify its public transportation network. The new order includes four Urbino 12 Electric buses, each 12 meters in length, and ten articulated Urbino 18 Electric buses. These buses will join the 16 Solaris electric buses already in operation in the city. Both the Urbino 12 and 18 models will be equipped with a central electric motor and Solaris High…

Vertical Aerospace, a manufacturer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, has been offered a $75 million financing deal from its primary creditor, Mudrick Capital Management. The firm, which previously invested $200 million in Vertical in 2021 through convertible senior secured notes, has proposed an equity offering to support the company through 2026, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As of June 30, 2024, Vertical Aerospace reported cash and cash equivalents totaling $84 million. The company’s response to the financing offer remains uncertain, as it may involve relinquishing control. “The company is exploring all…