Author: James Bryant

Lordstown Motors, an Ohio-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has faced another setback in its journey to bring its Endurance electric pickup truck to market. The company has announced that it will pause production due to a voluntary recall, causing a delay in the delivery of its vehicles to customers. The news is a significant blow to Lordstown, which has been working tirelessly to launch its electric truck after going public on the NASDAQ exchange in 2020. Initially seen as a promising young EV start-up with potential in the electric pickup segment, the company has faced several costly mishaps, including an…

Mercedes-Benz has recently made a massive investment in Luminar, a leading manufacturer of lidar technology and software. The “multibillion-dollar” deal between the two companies is set to revolutionize the future of automated driving in the German automaker’s next-generation vehicles, which are expected to roll out by the middle of the decade. The announcement was made at the Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America facility in Sunnyvale, California. This deal marks an expansion of the existing partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Luminar. Luminar plans to build a factory in Asia to support the deal, which will supply almost entirely dedicated lidar sensors…

Tesla is expanding its presence in California by setting up a new engineering headquarters in Palo Alto. CEO Elon Musk and California Governor Gavin Newsom made the announcement on Tuesday, more than a year after Tesla moved its corporate headquarters to Austin, Texas. The new headquarters will be located at 1501 Page Mill Road, and it is expected to house a significant number of employees who will focus on engineering projects. However, the exact number of employees who will be based there and when the move will happen are yet to be confirmed. See also: The Dutch Data Protection Authority’s…

German logistics provider Richter Group has partnered with Nikola and E.ON to decarbonize its vehicle fleet by purchasing 20 hydrogen-electric trucks and the hydrogen needed to power them. The joint venture will also provide refueling infrastructure, with the first station set to be located at Richter Group’s base in Wesel. The Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks will be built by the joint venture between Nikola and Iveco in Ulm, Germany. The European 6×2 variant is expected to have a range of up to 800km, making it ideal for various applications including drayage, intermodal, metro-regional truckload, less than truckload, and certain…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker XPeng has started production of its flagship SUV, the G9, among other models. XPeng plant is located in the Guangzhou Development Zone and has an annual capacity of 120,000 vehicles. XPeng’s contractor for the plant, Guangzhou Kaide Holdings Limited Company, revealed the news on WeChat. The plant features stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly workshops, as well as new model trial and vehicle production capabilities. See also: XPeng officially launches G9 electric SUV with range of up to 436 miles The Guangzhou plant took nine and a half months to complete the first prototype vehicle…

Porsche is reportedly working on an all-electric successor to the Cayenne SUV, according to an unconfirmed report by Autocar. The new EV is expected to arrive in 2026 and will be built on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture as the forthcoming Macan EV. This means the new Cayenne will be eligible for advanced torque vectoring technology and four-wheel steering, and could potentially deliver a driving experience unlike any other vehicle in its class. See also: Everything You should know about Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Specifications The PPE platform also allows for 800-volt charging technology, which should enable charging speeds…

Hongqi E202 is an electric SUV from Hongqi New Energy and it’s the first car from the promised lineup of 15 EVs from this new brand. It is one of the first electric cars on the market to feature the Qilin battery from CATL and it comes with swappable battery technology. Today we are treated to the first official photos of the upcoming SUV, the car is scheduled for an official public unveiling in the second half of this year and deliveries are planned for 2024. Good news here is that the car is coming to European markets, including Germany,…

Lithium carbonate prices have been on a steady decline since the end of last year, and the trend is expected to continue, according to Ouyang Minggao, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Speaking at an electric vehicle industry conference, Ouyang predicted that lithium carbonate prices in China will fall to between 350,000 yuan ($50,890) and 400,000 yuan per ton in the second half of 2023. This forecast suggests that prices could drop by as much as 20 percent further in China this year. The current average prices for battery-grade and industrial-grade lithium carbonate in China are RMB 440,000…

California-based electric vehicle (EV) startup, Harbinger Motors, has filed a motion to dismiss a complaint against it by EV manufacturer Canoo Technologies. Canoo had accused Harbinger of stealing its trade secrets, including its skateboard electric vehicle architecture, when it announced its creation in September 2023. Harbinger has denied the accusation, with a spokesperson saying that Canoo’s complaint was “rife with false and misleading statements and accusations”. The startup has now filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, citing Canoo’s failure to adequately plead any wrongful conduct by Harbinger as set out in the complaint. The company has also emphasized its…

Volkswagen Group is set to embark on a significant overhaul of its electrification plans over the next five years, with a focus on software strategies. This move follows a recent board meeting, which saw the global automotive group acknowledge the need to revamp its operations in order to better compete in the EV market. VW’s new CEO, Oliver Blume, has been working with executives to make sense of the automaker’s plans and ensure the transition to electric cars is carried out correctly. While Volkswagen has faced software issues in the past, its ID line of EVs has been growing in…

Auto manufacturing giant, Magna International (MGA), has announced that it will expand its partnership with General Motors (GM) to supply battery enclosures for the new 2024 Chevy Silverado EV. The production of this vehicle is scheduled to begin later this year. Magna, which was founded over 65 years ago, has a significant presence in the automotive industry, with 345 manufacturing facilities and 90 product development, engineering, and sales centers in 29 countries. As a major auto supplier, Magna produces a wide range of products for electric vehicles, including electric powertrains, driver assist functions, connectivity tech, and electric vehicles like the…

Apple unveiled its CarPlay software last year, offering enhanced features and deeper integration with vehicles. The company has now revealed that the first 14 car brands set to receive the new software by the end of this year include Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, Volvo. CarPlay’s multi-display support is a standout feature that extends beyond the primary infotainment screen. Apple has stated that the screen layout and shape will be designed specifically for each vehicle to enhance the user experience. See also: Everything You should know about Apple CarPlay & Android…