Author: Joshua Morris

Several senior members of Nio smart driving team have recently left the company as the Chinese electric vehicle maker undergoes a restructuring of its intelligent driving division, local media Yiu reported on Thursday. Among the departures is Bai Yuli, head of Nio’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform, who left shortly before China’s National Day holiday, according to a report by Yiou. Bai joined Nio in August 2020, reporting to Ren Shaoqing, the company’s vice president of autonomous driving, and since March 2023 had also led Nio’s cloud engineering department as senior director. His responsibilities included building cloud infrastructure for smart driving…

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday it has opened an investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system after receiving more than 50 reports of traffic-safety violations and a series of crashes. The auto safety regulator said the FSD driver-assistance system — which still requires drivers to remain attentive and ready to intervene — has at times “induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws.” Reported incidents include vehicles running red lights and traveling against traffic flow during lane changes. See also: Tesla Halves FSD Strike Forgiveness Window in…

Ionity has introduced two new annual subscription plans, offering electric vehicle drivers the ability to lock in charging rates for 12 months while paying lower base fees compared to its monthly tariffs. The new plans—Ionity Power 365 and Ionity Motion 365—extend the existing monthly offers but reward customers who commit to a full year. Both annual subscriptions retain the same per-kilowatt-hour charging rates as their monthly equivalents: €0.39/kWh for the Power plan and €0.49/kWh for the Motion plan. The difference lies in the discounted base fees. Customers choosing Power 365 pay €11.99 per month or €143.88 per year, but can…

Dutch carsharing company MyWheels is expanding its bidirectional charging network with 50 new units in Eindhoven, allowing its shared electric vehicles to store and release solar energy to the local grid. The move builds on earlier pilots in Utrecht and aims to make car charging cheaper while helping balance electricity demand. MyWheels, in partnership with We Drive Solar, will install the new charging stations across 14 initial locations in Eindhoven and inform nearby residents about the rollout. The bidirectional system allows excess solar power to be stored in car batteries during the day and fed back into the grid when…

Tesla has begun deploying Full Self-Driving (Supervised) Version 14.1, marking one of the most significant updates to its advanced driver-assist system in nearly a year. The latest release introduces vision-based navigation capable of handling real-time detours and adds an “Arrival Options” feature designed to simulate Robotaxi-style drop-offs. With Version 14.1, Tesla has integrated navigation and routing into its vision-based neural network, enabling vehicles to dynamically adjust to road closures, obstacles, and other changing conditions. See also: Tesla Launches New Model Y and Model 3 Standard Variants Starting at $36,990 in U.S. https://twitter.com/Tesla/status/1975546630570189232 The system’s detection of emergency vehicles has also…

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering significant tariff relief measures for domestic auto production that could reduce much of the costs currently borne by major automakers, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno and industry officials told Reuters on Friday. The proposed plan would extend and expand tariff offsets for U.S.-assembled vehicles, potentially offering a 3.75% import adjustment credit for up to five years, according to people familiar with the matter. The offset, which currently runs through April 2026, could also be broadened to cover U.S. engine production, the sources said. See also: U.S. Automakers Brace for Sharp EV Sales Decline as $7,500…

Blink Charging said it has been awarded a contract by the City of Richmond to build and manage a network of charging stations across the city. The initiative is part of Richmond’s efforts to expand reliable EV infrastructure for residents, visitors, and fleet operators, while supporting its long-term sustainability and climate goals. Blink was selected alongside four other vendors to help provide public charging solutions in the region. See also: Blink Charging Installs DC Fast Chargers at New Chicago EV Hub Under the agreement, Blink will work with city officials to identify and deploy charging infrastructure across key locations. The…

Go Zero has partnered with Rolec to accelerate the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the United Kingdom’s hospitality and destination sectors, backed by a £100 million debt financing facility. The collaboration will focus on installing multi-bay EV hubs at leisure destinations, hotels, resorts, and other venues. The financing will allow businesses to adopt charging solutions without upfront costs through Go Zero’s VendEx model, aiming to address a significant shortfall in destination charging options. See also: Rolec and Connekt Join Forces to Expand EV Charging Infrastructure in the UK Industry data shows that although more than 1.3 million…

Stellantis said it is expanding its collaboration with French startup Mistral AI, moving toward a strategic alliance aimed at embedding artificial intelligence across its global operations to boost efficiency, agility, and customer value. The two companies have worked together for the past 18 months to develop and deploy AI-driven solutions, including next-generation in-car assistants and AI-powered workflows for business and engineering. Under the new phase, they plan to establish two dedicated platforms: an “Innovation Lab” to co-develop customized AI solutions for complex use cases, and a “Transformation Academy” to accelerate adoption and scale deployment across Stellantis’ business functions. See also:…

NextStar Energy, the battery joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution, has completed construction of its battery cell and module factory in Windsor, Ontario, and received its operating licence, paving the way for production to begin later this year. The company said cell production is now “one step closer” following the milestone. Danies Lee, CEO of NextStar Energy, said: “This achievement is the direct result of a shared vision, effective partnership, and incredible hard work of everyone involved.” See also: Lyten Secures Approval to Acquire Northvolt, Deal Set to Close by End of October The Windsor plant, commissioned last…

QuantumScape said on Monday it has signed a partnership with Corning to develop manufacturing capabilities for ceramic separators, a key component in its next-generation lithium-metal cells. The collaboration marks another step in QuantumScape’s effort to industrialize and scale solid-state technology, which is seen as a potential leap forward in energy storage due to higher energy density and improved safety compared with today’s lithium-ion batteries. See also: QuantumScape, Volkswagen’s PowerCo Showcase Ducati Motorcycle With Solid-State Batteries at IAA Mobility “Corning’s world-class capabilities in ceramics manufacturing makes it an ideal addition to the QS technology ecosystem,” said QuantumScape Chief Executive Siva Sivaram.…

– Germany has opened its first public megawatt charging station for electric trucks, a milestone in efforts to decarbonise freight transport along major highway routes. The charger was inaugurated this week at the Lipperland Süd rest stop on the A2 motorway near Bielefeld as part of the “HoLa – High-Power Charging for Long-Distance Truck Transport” project, coordinated by Fraunhofer ISI and consultancy P3 Group. The programme, launched in 2021, is backed by the Federal Ministry of Transport and aims to install five charging hubs along the A2 between Berlin and the Ruhr area. See also: MAN Truck & Bus and…