Author: Joshua Morris

Electric vehicles accounted for nearly one in five new cars sold in South Korea in August, marking the strongest monthly performance on record as demand for new models lifted sales, industry data showed. According to Carisyou, 23,000 battery-powered vehicles were registered in August, representing 18.4 percent of total sales of 126,787 units. It was the highest share recorded since the firm began collecting data in 2020. Cumulative registrations reached 141,986 units for the year, up 48.4 percent from the same period in 2024. Analysts expect South Korea’s annual EV sales to surpass 200,000 units for the first time in 2025.…

Moon Power, a subsidiary of Porsche Holding, said it will begin small-series production of its RE:LIFE modular energy storage system, which reuses batteries from Volkswagen’s Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) vehicles. The second-life storage units will be deployed at pilot sites for further testing after successful prototype trials. The company has partnered with energy storage specialist Pramac Deutschland and fleet electrification provider B-ON for the initiative, which was launched in 2023. Moon Power said the outdoor-ready storage units are modular and air-conditioned, with flexibility for expansion, and are managed by its OptiMOON energy management software. In a LinkedIn post, Moon…

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), the world’s largest battery maker, said it has developed the first sodium-ion battery for electric vehicles to be certified under China’s new national EV safety standard, GB 38031-2025. The company’s second-generation sodium-ion battery, branded as Naxtra, has achieved an energy density of 175 Wh/kg, allowing EVs to travel more than 300 miles (482 km) per charge, approaching the performance of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells used in mass-market electric cars such as Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y. CATL said the technology offers advantages in cost, safety, and cold-weather performance. Thanks to the absence…

Berkshire Hathaway, led by Warren Buffett, has sold its remaining stake in Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD, ending a 17-year investment that generated enormous returns, according to a report by CNBC. Berkshire Hathaway Energy, the subsidiary that held BYD shares, listed the investment’s value as zero as of March 31 in its first-quarter earnings report. A Berkshire spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that all shares had been sold. During Berkshire’s ownership, BYD’s stock price rose about 3,890 percent. Berkshire first invested in BYD in 2008, acquiring 225 million shares at HK$8 each for about $230 million, a move initiated by Buffett’s…

Li Auto  and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) have signed a five-year comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement to deepen collaboration in battery technology and expand their global reach, the companies said on Wednesday. The deal, signed in the presence of Li Auto CEO Li Xiang and CATL CEO Robin Zeng, will focus on areas including battery safety, supercharging technology and joint efforts to expand domestic and international business operations, CATL said in a statement. The battery maker will continue supplying Li Auto with a full range of systems, including ternary lithium, M3P, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and sodium-ion batteries. CATL…

Daimler Truck said on Thursday its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 hydrogen prototypes have completed initial customer trials in Germany, covering more than 225,000 kilometers and demonstrating fuel consumption as low as 5.6 kg per 100 km, comparable to diesel in range and practicality. Five prototypes were tested with partners including Amazon, Air Products, Holcim, INEOS Inovyn and Wiedmann & Winz, using about 15 tons of liquid hydrogen across 285 refueling sessions. The trucks, equipped with a 300 kW fuel cell from cellcentric and a 70 kWh buffer battery, achieved ranges of 1,000 km or more per refueling, with stop times of 10…

Fleet management firm SG Fleet has teamed up with UK charging provider Ohme to include smart home chargers in its electric vehicle (EV) salary sacrifice packages, aiming to cut costs for drivers and encourage wider EV adoption. Under the partnership, the cost of an Ohme charger is bundled into monthly rental fees, removing upfront expenses for employees switching to EVs. SG Fleet said its UK salary sacrifice fleet has recorded a 400% increase in EVs since 2021, underscoring growing demand. Ohme’s chargers allow drivers to tap into off-peak electricity tariffs, potentially reducing annual charging costs to as little as £119,…

UK-based electric vehicle charging network Be.EV said it has launched operations in London with four new ultra-rapid charging hubs, adding 30 fast-charging bays to its network. The first installation was completed at the Crown Hotel, which also marks the company’s 300th ultra-rapid charge point. Additional hubs will be located near Croydon, Dartford and Watford. Be.EV said it is investing more than £2.5 million in the new charging sites. The company, founded in Manchester in 2019, operates more than 750 charging bays nationwide and aims to expand that number to 1,600 by the end of 2025. Its growth is supported by…

German-Canadian company Rock Tech Lithium said it has reduced the projected operating costs for its planned Guben Converter in Brandenburg, Germany, by 23 per cent, lowering expected expenditure to €93.1 million annually. The company now estimates the cost of producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate will fall from around €5,033 to €3,878 per tonne, based on an annual output of 24,000 tonnes. The facility is scheduled to come online in 2027 and will be capable of producing enough lithium hydroxide to supply roughly 500,000 electric vehicles a year. “This significant cost reduction is a major step forward,” said Mirco Wojnarowicz, CEO…

Hyundai Motor America said it is recalling more than 31,000 Ioniq 6 electric vehicles in the United States due to a defect that may cause charging port door panels to detach while driving, posing a potential crash risk. The recall affects certain 2023–2025 Ioniq 6 models built in South Korea between Dec. 14, 2022, and Dec. 26, 2024, according to documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The issue stems from insufficient engagement between the charging flap and the outer panel’s retaining hooks. The panels, supplied by LS Automotive Technologies of South Korea, may come loose while…

Geely will make its first foray into the UK market with the launch of its EX5 all-electric SUV, with customer deliveries set to begin in late October. Pre-orders for the model, priced from £31,990, are now open. The mid-size SUV comes with a 60.2kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a WLTP range of up to 267 miles, depending on trim level. The EX5 measures 4.61 metres in length, 1.90 metres wide, and 1.67 metres high. It is powered by a front-mounted 215bhp (160kW) electric motor that enables a 0–62mph acceleration in 6.9 seconds. The SUV supports charging at up…

Solaris Bus & Coach and MZA Warsaw have signed a contract for the delivery of 79 electric buses, including 50 articulated Urbino 18 models and 29 Urbino 12 buses. The agreement also includes an option for an additional 79 vehicles. The buses will feature a modular drive system that eliminates the engine tower, increasing passenger space and providing room for rooftop battery placement. Solaris High Energy batteries will power the fleet, with capacities exceeding 500 kWh for the 12-meter buses and more than 700 kWh for the articulated models. Charging will be via plug-in connectors, and the buses will include…