Author: James Bryant

A senior member of the French government said the EU should consider regulations such as the US which only subsidizes the purchase of electric vehicles for vehicles made in the European Union. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the EU needed to make such regulations to protect its auto companies and the people it employs. “[It might be] time to reserve electric vehicle bonuses either for cars produced on European territory or for vehicles that strictly and rigorously meet new environmental standards,” Le Maire told reporters. “We need to play with the same rules if we want to defend…

Connected Curb announced it has received an investment of £110 million from insurance company Aviva which will be used to install 190,000 publicly accessible AC chargers across the UK by 2030. Connected Curb, the UK charging infrastructure company will not only provide public charging but also provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the insurance company’s pan-European property portfolio. By the end of 2022, the London-based company aims to have installed 4,000 chargers. “This investment combines the proven long-term reliability of Connected Kerb’s infrastructure with the financial resources and expertise of Aviva Investors to deploy charging, at scale, to all corners…

NIO through its subsidiary Blue Northstar Limited plans to invest in Greenwing Resources which is an Australian lithium mining company based in Australia, according to a press release issued by Greenwing on September 26. This investment allows Greenwing to accelerate its exploration program at the San Jorge Lithium Project in the Argentine province of Catamarca and makes NIO a potential joint venture and offtake partner. Nio had to pay $12 million for a 12.16% stake in Greenwing Resources. As part of the deal, Nio acquired the right to one candidate on the Greenwing board and a call option to acquire…

Vianode, which is owned by Norsk Hydro, Elkem and Altor, will invest $193.51 million for a large-scale plant for sustainable electric vehicle battery materials in Norway. “The decision is an important step towards establishing a complete battery value chain in Norway for the European market,” the company said in their statement. The plant will be targeted to produce graphite anodes for around 20,000 electric vehicles per year by 2024. Vianode is also planning a second phase plant with a graphite anode capacity target of two million EVs per year by 2030. “The graphite materials from Vianode are produced with up…

Euro NCAP conducted a crash test for the Tesla Model Y with the latest safety feature update. The results are very positive, the electric car won high points in each sector. Front and side crash test and all airbags worked perfectly. Then the position of the airbag also supports well in vital areas, so that the injury is not too severe. Seat belt tensioner, able to work well to hold the body bounced forward. The center airbag also provides impact protection between the driver and passenger. Then the seat is able to support the neck to avoid injury. The NCAP…

Samsung SDI, a battery manufacturer based in South Korea, plans to expand its battery pack manufacturing capacity in Michigan, USA. The battery manufacturer spent $62.7 million on the site and has been manufacturing battery packs there since 2018. However, due to the increasing demand in particular for Stellantis plug-in hybrids (Jeep PHEV and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid), Samsung SDI is expected to add another battery pack production line. Meanwhile, Samsung SDI’s biggest project in the US is a battery gigafactory worth more than US$2.5 billion which will be built in Kokomo, USA and this is a joint venture project with Stellantis.…

Czech car manufacturer Skoda has now shifted its focus to introducing its most popular sedan variant, the Octavia, to an electric sedan that will be available after 2025. The electric Skoda Octavia will be based on the electric sedan platform from its parent company, Volkswagen. The electric Skoda Octavia is also expected to get a more advanced battery pack compared to the Skoda Vision 7S concept vehicle, which with 89 kWh offers a range of 600 km and a charging power of 200 kW. It is thought that the Skoda Octavia electric vehicle may get dual electric motors mounted at…

Volkswagen together with Belgian mining company Umicore announced that they will work together to produce battery materials. In a statement quoted by AFP, VW said its battery subsidiary PowerCo and Umicore would be equal partners in the project, investing a total of 3 billion euros. “With the joint venture, Volkswagen aims to produce battery material for 2.2 million fully electric cars per year by the end of the decade,” VW said Monday (26/9/2022). Overall, Volkswagen is spending tens of billions on an ambitious switch to electric vehicles, while opening up clutch battery factories across Europe. VW itself looks to accelerate…

The facelifted Audi e-tron is getting closer to entering the production line. Where, this German car manufacturer presents a new prototype at the e-Cannonball in Hamburg, Germany. Featuring a specially designed camouflage sticker and eye-catching orange accents, this prototype features a new and more distinctive mesh grille. The headlights are updated, so they have new lighting innovations, even though they look familiar. The new front bumper combines elements from the standard model and a sportier S variant. The most visible change is the more prominent air curtain. The front has a bumper with a new diffuser. The facelifted version also…

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to deepen cooperation in the field of essential minerals used for electric vehicles. “Yoon and I discussed ways to collaborate in a variety of areas, including essential minerals, batteries for electric vehicles, and emerging technologies, including AI (artificial intelligence),” says Trudeau. Canada has long been known to have many minerals important for the production of electric vehicle batteries such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The Canadian government itself is in the process of helping producers increase production. “Canada, as a global leader in the production of minerals, and…

Mercedes-Benz and Rivian have agreed to focus on building electric vans in Europe. Rivian plans to build a new electric vehicle production facility that will utilize existing Mercedes sites in Central or Eastern Europe. The factory will produce vehicles for Mercedes and Rivian. “We are delighted to partner with Mercedes‑Benz on this project,” said R.J. Scaringe, CEO of Rivian “Mercedes‑Benz is one of the most recognized and respected automotive companies in the world, and we believe that together we will produce a truly extraordinary electric van that will benefit not only our customers, but the planet.” he. With the collaboration…

Having been introduced to the public recently at the IAA 2022 transportation exhibition in Hanover, Germany, the Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul heavy-duty electric truck instantly won the ‘2023 Truck Innovation Award’. Reporting from Daimler’s official website on Monday (26/9/2022), this prestigious industry award was presented by the ‘International Truck of the Year’ (IToY) jury consisting of 25 experienced commercial vehicle journalists from important international media from Europe and other countries. Thanks to a variety of innovative technologies such as the new Lithium-iron Phosphate Fell (LFP) battery, e-axle to the speed of sustainable truck development, the ‘2023 Truck Innovation Award’ was presented…