Author: Joshua Morris

China’s robotaxi market is poised for significant expansion, projected to grow nearly 900 times to reach $44.5 billion by 2035, supported by robust supply chains and decreasing hardware costs, according to a report released by research firm TrendForce. The report forecasts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 96% from 2025 to 2035 for China’s robotaxi sector, outpacing the estimated $36.5 billion size of the U.S. market during the same period. The market in China is expected to grow from a relatively modest $52 million in 2025, the report added. See also: Travis Kalanick Reportedly Eyes U.S. Arm of Pony.ai…

Transport Scotland has introduced a £2 million Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) Market Readiness Fund to help decarbonise the country’s road freight sector. The fund, running through 2025–26, aims to support small fleet operators and industry partnerships in reducing emissions from heavy-duty transport. The initiative builds on the Scottish Government’s HGV Decarbonisation Pathway, published in 2024, which outlined the infrastructure and investment needs for a transition to zero-emission heavy goods vehicles. Although HGVs account for only 1.2% of road vehicles in Scotland, they contribute nearly 12.8% of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to 2023 data. The Market Readiness Fund is divided…

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is transitioning its Swedish operations to direct management, ending its importer agreement with Hedin Mobility Group and assuming full responsibility for distribution and sales activities in the country. Hedin Automotive Sweden will continue as an authorised dealer during and after a brief transition period. Both parties announced the restructuring on Monday, stating that the change reflects a shift to the “next phase of development in the Swedish market.” Effective immediately, BYD Sweden AB will oversee vehicle and spare parts distribution, replacing the role previously held by Hedin subsidiary Hedin Electric Mobility AB. A transition period…

General Motors announced plans to produce lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cells at its joint-venture facility with South Korea’s LG Energy Solution in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The move marks a strategic shift toward more cost-effective battery technology as U.S. automakers recalibrate their electric vehicle (EV) targets in response to softening consumer demand. GM said it will begin converting battery cell lines at the $2.3 billion Ultium Cells LLC plant later this year, with commercial LFP cell production expected by late 2027. The plant currently manufactures nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) battery cells, which will continue to be produced at GM’s separate facility in Ohio. LFP…

Mercedes-Benz and Japanese battery technology company PowerX have opened their first jointly developed fast-charging station in Japan, located in the city of Chiba. The launch marks the beginning of a broader rollout, with 100 high-power charging (HPC) units planned across 25 locations in Japan by the end of 2026. The new charging hub features PowerX’s Hypercharger system, which includes two CHAdeMO charging stations offering up to 120 kW of power, with a 150 kW boost mode available for short periods. Unlike earlier Mercedes charging locations, this site debuts custom-built Mercedes-Benz-branded charging stations with a large touchscreen interface. The facility is…

The City of Cape Town has awarded a contract to Volvo Bus Southern Africa to supply 30 fully electric buses for the MyCiTi bus rapid transit system, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2027. The order follows a public tender process and forms part of the city’s broader transport strategy. According to Volvo, only the BZRLE electric bus chassis will be imported, while the bus bodies will be produced locally. The company stated that the project will support skills development and manufacturing capacity within South Africa. “This project is more than just a bus delivery – this will be the…

Lidl will convert its entire company car fleet in Belgium and Luxembourg to electric vehicles by 2030, the supermarket chain announced on Thursday. The move is part of its broader Net Zero 2050 strategy and is expected to reduce emissions by more than 22,000 tonnes. The transition to fully electric company cars will begin this autumn. The retailer said it had already conducted trials with a pilot group of employees since April to assess vehicle performance, comfort, range, and charging feasibility. Based on positive feedback, Lidl confirmed the full-scale adoption would go ahead as planned. Lidl has been investing in…

Tesla saw its Canadian vehicle registrations fall 67% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, according to data from Automotive News, with just 9,000 units sold compared to more than 26,000 during the same period in 2024. The decline comes amid reduced incentives and rising geopolitical uncertainty. The drop in sales follows the removal of federal and provincial EV rebates, particularly in British Columbia and Quebec—provinces previously leading in electric vehicle adoption. These cuts have significantly affected consumer affordability and demand for EVs across the country. In response to the slowdown, Tesla reduced the price of its Model Y by…

French energy group Engie’s charging infrastructure subsidiary Vianeo is preparing to enter the German market with a strategic focus on building fast-charging hubs for heavy-duty electric vehicles. The company aims to begin construction in 2025, with operational sites expected in late 2026. Vianeo, which currently operates about 9,000 charging points across Europe—including 800 on French motorways and around 5,000 in Belgium—plans to scale up to 25,000 charging points by 2030. Of these, 1,500 are intended specifically for commercial vehicles operating along key trans-European corridors. Although Vianeo has not disclosed a precise number of sites for Germany, it indicated that the…

Rivian has officially introduced the production versions of its highly anticipated quad-motor variants for the R1T electric pickup and R1S electric SUV. The new top-tier configurations mark a significant leap in performance for the electric vehicle manufacturer, featuring a four-motor drivetrain that delivers an impressive 764 kW of combined power and 1,198 Nm of torque. Designed for enthusiasts seeking extreme performance in an electric utility platform, the new models are engineered to rival the acceleration of high-end supercars while retaining off-road and utility functionality. https://twitter.com/Rivian/status/1942601997141569673 The quad-motor system, which places an individual electric motor at each wheel, allows for exceptional…

Nissan plans to delay production of two electric crossover models in the United States by up to a year, becoming the second Japanese automaker after Honda to adjust its U.S. electrification strategy following the Trump administration’s early halt to federal EV tax incentives, Nikkei reported. According to Nikkei, the delay affects two mid-size electric SUVs—one under the Nissan brand and the other under its luxury marque Infiniti—originally scheduled for production at the company’s Canton, Mississippi plant in 2028. The revised timeline now pushes their launch to late 2028 or early 2029. While the report did not cite specific sources, Nissan’s…

Slovenian drive technology specialist Elaphe has unveiled its new high-performance wheel motor platform, Sonic X, which delivers up to 300 kW of power per wheel while adding just 25 kilograms of unsprung weight. The company claims the platform marks a significant advancement in in-wheel propulsion systems by offering a 40% weight reduction compared to dual-motor electric axles. Unlike Elaphe’s previous Sonic 1 platform, introduced at CES 2025 and designed exclusively for battery-electric vehicles, the new Sonic X is system-agnostic. It supports both 400V and 800V electric systems and can even be integrated into vehicles with internal combustion engines as a…

Transperth, the public transport authority serving Perth, Western Australia, has deployed the first of 90 new battery-electric buses as part of its ongoing effort to transition its fleet toward zero-emission vehicles. The initial 11 buses have entered service in suburban routes, with the full rollout expected to be completed in the first half of 2026. The deployment builds on the city’s existing electric bus program, which began with 18 vehicles operating on the Central Area Transit (CAT) routes within the Perth CBD. The newly added buses are based at Transperth’s Malaga depot, which is undergoing a $12 million AUD infrastructure…

Chinese manufacturing company LEAD Intelligent Equipment has launched a high-speed dry coating system for battery electrodes, targeting industrial-scale production with improved energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. The system is designed to support anode production at speeds of up to 80 metres per minute and cathode production at 60 metres per minute, with coating widths of up to 1,000 mm. The new dry coating solution introduces a solvent-free, energy-efficient process that LEAD describes as a breakthrough in sustainable battery manufacturing. “Battery coating is a critical process in intelligent battery production and plays a critical role in overall battery performance,” the…

Suffolk County, located in the U.S. state of New York, has placed an order for up to 132 heavy-duty buses from New Flyer, a subsidiary of NFI Group, to be delivered over the next five years. The order includes 40 CHARGE NG battery-electric buses and 92 Xcelsior hybrid-electric buses, aimed at expanding the county’s transition to cleaner transportation options. The new buses will be deployed across Suffolk County Transit’s fixed-route services and on-demand zones. The latest procurement adds to the 73 New Flyer Xcelsior hybrid-electric 35-foot buses already in operation within the county’s public transit system. “By once again choosing…

Nissan is offering 0% APR financing for 72 months on its 2025 LEAF electric vehicle (EV) in the United States, with the promotion available through August 7. Buyers who qualify under Nissan’s credit and residency terms can also benefit from a zero-deposit option, making the LEAF one of the more affordable EV purchases currently on the market. The financing offer applies to both the LEAF S and SV Plus trims. Under the terms of the deal, customers can pay as little as $13.89 per $1,000 financed. While the 2025 LEAF no longer qualifies for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit,…

Electric vehicles (EVs) have continued their rapid rise in Denmark, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all new passenger car registrations in the first half of 2025. According to data from Mobility Denmark, 57,171 of the 89,547 new cars registered between January and June were electric, representing a 63.8 per cent market share—up from 45 per cent in the same period last year. The overall market for new passenger cars grew by 3.8 per cent year-on-year, but the growth in electric car sales was significantly higher, with EV registrations rising by nearly 47 per cent. The adoption trend was even more…

Phoenix Motor Inc, a California-based electric vehicle manufacturer, has signed an agreement to take over more than 1.6 million square feet of existing EV production facilities in China’s Henan Province. The facilities will be used to manufacture the company’s EdisonFuture-branded EVs for Latin American and other global markets, under a ten-year rent-free agreement. The production site will support the assembly of Phoenix’s EF2 and EF3 electric SUVs, as well as the MEV1, MEV2, and MEV3 compact city EVs. It will also serve as a hub for producing EV components for the company’s operations in the United States, including its facilities…

The Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (FEP) has introduced a novel roll-to-roll production process that enables the manufacture of polymer-based current collectors for lithium-ion batteries. This technology substitutes conventional metal foils with polymer films coated in thin layers of copper or aluminium, offering a potential reduction in battery weight without compromising performance. The innovation, developed by researchers in Dresden, uses electron beam evaporation to deposit metal layers just one micrometre thick onto both sides of a 12-micrometre polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. The result is a current collector that closely matches the conductivity and thickness of traditional copper…

Lancia, the Italian automaker now under the Stellantis umbrella, has announced plans to bring back one of its most storied badges—HF Integrale—on new high-performance variants of its upcoming models. The move marks a bold step in the brand’s revival strategy as it pivots toward electrification. “HF will become the defining feature of all the high-performance versions within the new Lancia lineup,” the company said in a press release tied to the launch of the Ypsilon Rally6 race car. “Today on the Ypsilon model and soon to appear in 2026 on the upcoming Gamma and Delta with the ‘HF Integrale’ label.”…