Author: Jonathan Collins

The Polish city of Bialystok has placed a second order for electric buses from Chinese manufacturer Yutong, via its Polish distributor Busnex, securing 30 U12 low-floor models and accompanying charging infrastructure to further its public transport electrification efforts. The new contract includes the delivery of 30 fully low-floor U12 electric buses, as well as 25 depot charging stations and three mobile chargers to be deployed across three bus depots. While the specific configuration of the buses has not been disclosed, the city indicated the vehicles must be capable of traveling over 400 kilometres on a single charge. “This is already…

South Korean battery manufacturer SK On has signed a contract with local battery materials firm Ecopro to supply lithium hydroxide for its production facilities in the United States, in a move aimed at securing subsidy eligibility under U.S. clean energy rules and reducing reliance on Chinese imports. The agreement will see Ecopro supply up to 6,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide produced in South Korea during 2024, according to Korean media reports. The material will be processed at SK On’s domestic cathode facilities before being shipped to its U.S.-based battery plants. This volume is estimated to support the production of batteries…

Italian automation specialist Comau has inaugurated a dedicated dry room laboratory at its headquarters in Grugliasco, aimed at enhancing its battery cell production capabilities and accelerating the development of next-generation lithium-based technologies. The new facility, with an investment of nearly one million euros, is equipped with three proto-test stations—two operating at a dew point of -40 °C and one at -50 °C—and includes the company’s Racer 5 Sensitive Environments robot. The laboratory is open not only to Comau’s internal Global Competence Centre, staffed by more than 40 engineers, but also to customers, academic institutions, and industry associations. With the launch…

– Stellantis has decided to discontinue its hydrogen fuel cell technology development programme in Europe, cancelling the planned production of hydrogen-powered Pro One vans in France and Poland, as the automaker reevaluates the viability of the technology in the light commercial vehicle market. The move comes after a strategic review by the company, which identified limited hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, high investment requirements, and insufficient demand incentives as key barriers to commercial success. Production of the fuel cell versions of vans such as the Citroën ë-Jumpy, Peugeot E-Expert, and Opel Vivaro, which was scheduled to begin this summer at Stellantis’ Hordain…

Geely Galaxy, a sub-brand of Geely Auto, has expanded its A7 plug-in hybrid lineup with two new lower-priced variants ahead of the model’s official launch expected in August. The move is seen as a strategic effort to enhance competitiveness in China’s growing hybrid sedan market. The newly added variants feature electric ranges of 70 kilometers and 150 kilometers, with starting prices of RMB 97,800 ($13,620) and RMB 113,800, respectively. These prices mark a reduction of RMB 6,000, or 5.78%, compared to the previous base model, which was priced at RMB 103,800 during the initial pre-sale phase. To achieve the lower…

Integrals Power’s lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery technology has reached a major testing milestone, completing more than 1,000 charge and discharge cycles while maintaining over 80% capacity. The test, conducted over five months by defense and research organization QinetiQ, highlights the performance and resilience of the company’s next-generation battery materials developed in the UK. The LMFP pouch cells were evaluated using a 1C charge and discharge rate, commonly used as a benchmark for battery durability. The results point to the potential of LMFP chemistry to support longer-lasting electric vehicle (EV) battery packs while maintaining stable performance under sustained usage.…

Aeva and Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) are expanding their partnership to support the industrialization of Aeva’s 4D LiDAR technology for future autonomous truck applications. The collaboration aims to integrate advanced sensing systems into series production as the companies advance their respective automation strategies. Under the extended agreement, Aeva will serve as the production LiDAR supplier for Torc Robotics, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG focused on autonomous driving technology. The partnership has reached an initial milestone with the deployment of autonomous-ready Freightliner Cascadia trucks equipped with Aeva’s 4D LiDAR sensors on highways in Texas. DTNA is also contributing additional…

China has revised its luxury car consumption tax policy, lowering the price threshold and expanding its scope to include all vehicle types, including electric vehicles (EVs). The updated policy, effective July 20, reduces the threshold from RMB 1.3 million to RMB 900,000 (excluding VAT), the Ministry of Finance announced. Under the new rules, cars with a tax-inclusive price exceeding RMB 1.017 million will now be subject to the luxury car consumption tax, compared to the previous threshold of RMB 1.469 million. The policy affects vehicles of all powertrains—gasoline, pure electric, and fuel cell—but exempts used cars. Notably, this marks the…

Li Auto has launched pre-sales for its first all-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV), the Li i8, entering the premium electric vehicle market with pricing that exceeds that of its key competitor, the Onvo L90 from Nio’s (NYSE: NIO) sub-brand. Pre-orders for the six-seat Li i8 opened on Wednesday, with an estimated price range of RMB 350,000 ($48,760) to RMB 400,000. The company plans to announce official pricing at a launch event on July 29, with customer deliveries expected to begin in late August. Early buyers who place pre-orders before July 29 will be eligible for priority delivery. The Li i8…

Sønderborg Airport has become the first airport in Denmark to host a domestic flight operated by an all-electric aircraft, marking a milestone in the country’s efforts to decarbonise its transport sector. The flight, which took place on July 11, used a fully electric ALIA CTOL aircraft from U.S.-based manufacturer Beta Technologies to complete the 200-kilometre route from Sønderborg to Copenhagen. The electric aircraft, capable of flying up to 622 kilometres on a full charge, was deployed to demonstrate the viability of sustainable regional air travel. The initiative is closely tied to Sønderborg’s broader climate strategy, known as ProjectZero, which aims…

Uber has signed a multi-year strategic partnership with Chinese technology giant Baidu to integrate Apollo Go autonomous vehicles into its ride-hailing platform. The companies announced that thousands of Baidu’s robotaxis will be deployed through Uber in markets across Asia and the Middle East starting later this year, marking another step in Uber’s broader push into autonomous mobility. The agreement does not apply to the United States or mainland China, and initially, users won’t be able to directly request a Baidu vehicle. Instead, eligible riders may be offered the option to have their trip completed by one of Baidu’s fully autonomous…

Blink Charging announced plans to acquire 100% of the equity of Zemetric, a Silicon Valley-based electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure company specializing in fleet and high-utilization destination charging. The deal is expected to close on or before July 11, 2025, pending customary closing conditions. Zemetric, founded in 2022 by industry professionals, offers charging solutions designed for interoperability and scalability. The company provides hardware, software, and service offerings for commercial applications, and has focused on supporting electrification for fleet operators and multi-unit residential environments. Blink Charging stated that the acquisition is intended to enhance its product portfolio with Zemetric’s Level 2 charging…