Author: Joshua Morris

Hyundai’s electric air taxi subsidiary, Supernal, has paused work on its aircraft program following a series of executive departures and staff reductions, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The startup, which conducted its first test flight earlier this year, had been preparing for its first untethered test flight and aimed to launch a commercial service by 2028. CEO Jaiwon Shin and CTO David McBride have left the company, according to the sources, who spoke anonymously about private company matters. Supernal confirmed Shin’s departure and said the “newly appointed leadership will assess and determine the optimal timeline moving forward,”…

Ford Motor’s Mustang Mach-E electric crossover outsold its gasoline-powered namesake in August, as demand surged ahead of the looming expiration of a U.S. federal electric vehicle tax credit. The automaker sold 7,226 Mach-Es last month, more than double the 3,235 traditional Mustangs delivered, according to sales figures released by Ford. While overall Mach-E volumes remain modest compared with Tesla’s Model Y, August marked a 35.3% year-on-year gain for the model. By comparison, sales of the gasoline Mustang rose just 2.2% from the same month in 2024. Year-to-date, Mach-E sales are up 6.7% at 34,319 units, edging past the 31,015 Mustangs…

Audi is accelerating development of a new compact electric sports car that will serve as the successor to the discontinued TT, with plans to bring the vehicle to market by 2027 after one of the fastest development cycles in the brand’s history. The yet-unnamed model, previewed by the Concept C, is being developed in just 30 months as the German automaker looks to match the pace of Chinese rivals. “China speed at Ingolstadt comes with that car – around 30 months development time, which is really a revolution for us, to develop a car at that speed,” Audi chief executive…

Augment, a U.S. startup developing artificial intelligence tools for freight and logistics, said on Thursday it raised $85 million in a Series A funding round led by Redpoint, with participation from 8VC, Autotech Ventures, and other investors. The round comes just five months after Augment emerged from stealth with a $25 million seed round. The company was founded last year by Harish Abbott, co-founder of e-commerce shipping startup Deliverr, which sold to Shopify for $2.1 billion in 2022. Abbott said the company’s AI assistant, called Augie, is designed to automate manual and repetitive work carried out by shippers, carriers, and…

Geely Galaxy, the hybrid-focused sub-brand of Geely Auto (0175.HK), launched its latest model, the Starshine 6, in eastern China on Friday, aiming to capture a share of the affordable family car market dominated by rivals such as BYD’s Qin Plus. The sedan was introduced at an event in Qufu, Shandong province, where Geely positioned it as an accessible first car for young buyers and a practical option for family households. With the new model, Geely Galaxy continues to expand its line-up amid growing demand for hybrids in China’s competitive auto sector. The Starshine 6 measures 4,806 mm in length, 1,886…

The Scottish government has awarded £6.3 million to eight local authorities to expand public charging infrastructure in the south of the country, marking the final round of allocations from its £30 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. The South of Scotland EV Infrastructure Fund project will be led by the City of Edinburgh Council and involve Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian. The funding will be used to install up to 1,770 charge points through public-private partnerships, supported by SEStran, a regional transport body. Scotland currently has about 7,100 public charge points, according to Transport…

Tesla has filed a new compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk that could make him the world’s first trillionaire if the company meets a series of long-term performance targets, according to a regulatory filing on Friday. The package, to be voted on by shareholders at Tesla’s annual meeting on Nov. 6, is structured across 12 tranches of stock awards. To unlock them, Tesla must simultaneously hit aggressive financial and operational milestones, including delivering 20 million vehicles per year, reaching a market capitalization of $8.5 trillion, deploying one million robotaxis, and producing one million Optimus humanoid robots. Tesla delivered fewer than…

Blink Charging said on Thursday it will integrate cryptocurrency payments across its Blink Network by the end of 2025, positioning itself at the intersection of clean transportation and digital finance. The company said EV drivers will be able to pay for charging sessions through the Blink Charging App using digital assets, reflecting what it described as growing demand for payment flexibility. “EV drivers propel innovation and embrace the future before it becomes the norm and we’re excited to be able to serve the community with the latest technology in payments,” said Harmeet Singh, Blink’s chief technology officer. “We believe EVs…

Fleet operator Ayvens is teaming up with Plugsurfing to manage charging for 600,000 electric vehicles across 42 countries, starting with a white-label app in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and the UK. Plans are in place to expand the service further across Europe. The app provides drivers with real-time availability and transparent pricing, with authentication via RFID or in-app options. For fleet operators, a portal enables card and driver management, monitoring of charging sessions across public, home, and workplace locations, spend control, policy compliance, and reporting at both country and operator levels. “Our collaboration with Plugsurfing allows us to…

Dacia is expanding the powertrain options for its Duster and Bigster models with the introduction of the Hybrid-G 150 4×4, a bi-fuel LPG hybrid system that the company said is a world first combining hybrid technology, LPG fuel, and all-wheel drive. The new system will be available on both models by the end of the year. The Hybrid-G 150 4×4 pairs a 103 kW (140 hp) 1.2-litre 48V mild-hybrid engine on the front axle with a 23 kW peak (31 hp) electric motor on the rear axle. The combined output reaches 113 kW (154 hp) and 230 Nm of torque…

Volkswagen said it has begun limited series production of the ID.3 GTX FIRE+ICE, a special edition electric model built at its plants in Zwickau and Dresden, Saxony. The car, created in collaboration with sports fashion brand BOGNER FIRE+ICE, is a modern tribute to the Golf II Fire and Ice of the 1990s. Only 1,990 units of the vehicle will be produced, a reference to the year the original Golf II Fire and Ice was launched. “We are confident that this special edition will follow on seamlessly from the surprise success of the 1990s,” said Danny Auerswald, spokesman of the board…

Charging infrastructure operator Allego said it will enter the mobility services business through a partnership with Dutch AI-based charging provider Deftpower to build a new mobility service provider (MSP) platform. The company did not disclose a timeline or detailed plans but said the platform will combine Allego’s charging expertise with Deftpower’s software capabilities. “Our new MSP platform is being developed in partnership with Deftpower, combining Allego’s expertise in charging solutions with Deftpower’s scalable, flexible platform capabilities. The platform will bring innovations that make charging easier, more transparent, and more rewarding for EV drivers,” Allego said in a LinkedIn post. Jean…