Author: James Bryant

Compleo Charging Solutions, the insolvent German company that specialises in manufacturing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, has found a new buyer. The Kostal Group, a family-owned electronic and mechatronic products manufacturer with operations in over 20 countries, has agreed to take over all stationary charging technology activities under the Compleo brand name. However, the acquisition contract, which is still subject to reservations, requires the approval of Compleo’s administrator and the creditors’ committee before it can be finalised. In addition, the companies must wait for the court’s confirmation of an insolvency plan for Compleo and regulatory clearances. Nonetheless, both parties expect…

Redwood Materials, the recycling company founded by former Tesla executive JB Straubel, is expanding its reach in the sustainable energy industry by partnering with Rad Power Bikes, one of the largest electric bike companies in North America. This deal will allow Rad Power Bikes customers to bring in their depleted e-bike batteries to any of the ten Rad Power Bikes retail locations, and Redwood will handle the recycling process. While Redwood has already established itself as a major player in recycling batteries from larger industries like automotive and tech, this new partnership will enable Redwood to penetrate the often-overlooked market…

Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS customers in North America now have the option to enhance their vehicle’s performance with the new Acceleration Increase On-Demand upgrade for select Sedan and SUV models. This upgrade can be obtained as an Over-the-Air update, allowing customers to increase their vehicle’s output by up to 80 hp and improve acceleration from 0 to 60 mph by as much as a full second. It is available to customers in the Mercedes me connect Store, providing the choice of a one-time purchase for the lifetime of the vehicle or flexible monthly and yearly options. See also: Mercedes-Benz EQE…

Tom’s Truck Center, a company based in Southern California, has expanded its selection of electric commercial trucks by including the Class 8 Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle (BEV). Customers can now purchase Nikola’s zero-emissions trucks at Tom’s Truck Center’s two dealerships, located along Interstate 5 in Santa Ana, Calif., and Santa Fe Springs, Calif. Furthermore, the Nikola Tre hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is expected to be available for purchase by the end of this year. The Nikola Tre BEV has an estimated range of up to 330 miles on a single charge, while the Nikola Tre FCEV is projected…

Tesla has made the decision to temporarily suspend orders for the Model S and X vehicles in Australia, marking a significant development more than two years after their initial release in the United States. Without providing any explicit explanation, the car manufacturer has discreetly removed the option to reserve these models for a price of $400 AUD ($264), leaving behind a new alternative to “Get Updates.” This change applies similarly to New Zealand, the neighboring country of Australia. The most recent availability of the Model S and X in Australia was observed in 2020. Since the introduction of the revamped…

In a recent development, Ford CEO Jim Farley has issued a warning to Tesla, expressing concerns about the potential commoditization of Tesla’s electric cars. Farley believes that Tesla’s focus on cutting costs and prices might lead to a loss of “product freshness,” which could ultimately erode the premium pricing that the company currently enjoys. Farley’s apprehensions come on the heels of his accurate prediction last summer, when he foretold an impending price war in the electric vehicle (EV) market. Tesla initiated this price battle in early January, prompting Ford to respond with price cuts to its Mustang Mach-E electric SUV.…

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire brand has opened pre-orders for its second all-electric motorcycle, the S2 Del Mar, in the US and Europe. While US customers can pre-order the electric motorcycle now, customers in Europe can start reserving it from 27 April. However, only 100 units are available for European customers, so they need to act fast. The S2 Del Mar will be available in four European markets – France, Germany, Netherlands, and the UK – but it is unclear if there is a particular allocation for each market or if it is first-come-first-serve. European customers must pay a $100 reservation fee, and…

Polestar, the Swedish electric car manufacturer, has announced its plans to establish a new research and development facility at a factory in Trollhattan, Sweden. The facility, which will be based at a 15,000 square-feet building, was formerly operated by Saab and most recently by National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). Polestar intends to conduct powertrain development for its upcoming models, the Polestar 5 and 6, at the site, as well as testing powertrains, electric motors, and batteries. While the move has sparked speculation about the possibility of a new production line, Polestar has confirmed that it will not be manufacturing vehicles…

Nikola, the electric vehicle manufacturer, has been forced to recall every single Tre BEV truck sold in the United States due to a problem with the park valve module (PVM). The recall comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered that the Bendix Intellipark Tractor Park Valve Module, which is used in the Tre BEV trucks, could become stuck in the unparked position, and may not transition from unparked to parked when the park switch is activated. According to the recall notice issued by Nikola, if the driver fails to fan down the brakes after noticing the Intellipark…

Porsche, the German automaker, has reported an impressive 18% year-over-year increase in global car sales during the first quarter of 2023, reaching a total of 80,767 units. The company has attributed this growth to its strong performance across all sales regions. However, the figures for all-electric vehicles, particularly the Porsche Taycan, remained flat. Despite Porsche’s Taycan being an impressive all-electric sports car, the model saw a 3.4% decrease in sales during Q1 2023 compared to the previous year, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline. The Taycan models (including the Taycan Cross Turismo and Taycan GTS) achieved a total…

Chinese automaker, HiPhi, recently announced its plans for global expansion, unveiling the HiPhi Y as the latest addition to its advanced model line-up. The HiPhi Y will join the dual flagship models, the HiPhi X and Z, with plans for the first HiPhi customer cars on European roads to debut in 2023, with the Middle East following shortly thereafter. To kick off its global expansion, HiPhi has confirmed that Munich, Germany and Oslo, Norway will be the first European cities to host HiPhi Hubs or showrooms. These experience centers are inspired by the HiPhi Hubs already established in China, and…

Kate Park, formerly the Director of Product at Tesla Autopilot, recently announced her departure from the company and her new role as Director of Product at Scale AI. In a tweet, Park stated, “I had a blast building Tesla Autopilot’s data engine and I’m excited to generalize this product for multiple industries from computer vision to large language models.” Park, who spent nearly five years at Tesla, started as an Autopilot Computer Vision Intern in 2018 while still studying computer science at Stanford University. She then contributed to the team in various roles, including being one of the inventors of…