Author: Joshua Morris

The charging alliance formed earlier this year by Atlante, Electra, Fastned and Ionity will operate under a new name, ChargeLeague, as the group outlines its priorities for 2026 and prepares to expand subscription access across its combined high-power charging (HPC) network. The announcement was made at the WATT 2025 industry summit in Munich, where around 70 representatives from across the electric mobility sector gathered to discuss interoperability, service quality and infrastructure reliability. The group said the rebranding reflects a shift from early conceptual work toward delivery of coordinated products and services for EV drivers. ChargeLeague members presented an initial 2026…

German grocery retailer Rewe has begun a six-month pilot program testing autonomous grocery deliveries in the city of Bochum, in the industrial Ruhr Valley, using a modified VW ID. Buzz. The project is conducted in partnership with Swiss technology start-up Loxo, which develops autonomous systems for commercial vehicles, and Bochum Economic Development. During the trial, the ID. Buzz will navigate urban routes autonomously while a safety driver remains on board to monitor operations. The vehicle is integrated into Rewe’s existing delivery infrastructure, with routes planned manually and controlled through the retailer’s e-commerce systems. Customers receiving deliveries will see little difference…

Firefly, the premium compact EV brand under China’s Nio, will launch in the UK and Thailand in 2026 as the company accelerates expansion in right-hand-drive markets not affected by Europe’s elevated tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Firefly president Daniel Jin outlined the plan in an interview with Reuters, saying the brand is in discussions with distributors in both countries. “We will significantly ramp up our efforts in countries without tariff barriers in the short term,” he said, identifying Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia as priority markets. He did not disclose sales projections and cautioned that growth could be…

Tesla has obtained a ride-hailing permit from Arizona regulators, allowing the company to begin operating a robotaxi service in the state. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) said Tesla applied for a Transportation Network Company (TNC) permit on November 13 and was approved on November 17 after meeting the state’s operational requirements. The authorization represents the final regulatory step needed for Tesla to charge for autonomous rides in Arizona. While the state allows companies to self-certify testing of autonomous vehicles with or without a safety driver, operating a commercial ride-hailing service requires a TNC permit. Arizona has become a center…

Pony.ai has introduced a new generation of autonomous trucks that the company says will sharply reduce production and operating costs, expanding its presence in China’s commercial self-driving sector. The Chinese autonomous driving startup on Monday launched its fourth-generation autonomous truck product line, developed jointly with Sany Truck and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor. The system uses fully automotive-grade components and lowers the bill of materials per vehicle by roughly 70 percent from the previous generation. “The system extensively incorporates components from the latest-generation robotaxi solution,” Pony.ai said, noting that the design supports a service life of up to 20,000 hours and up…

Xiaomi said on Tuesday its innovative business division, which includes electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, reported its first quarterly profit as continued strength in EV demand lifted overall revenue. The segment posted net income of RMB 700 million ($98.4 million) in the third quarter, according to unaudited financial results released by the company. Revenue from innovative businesses reached a record RMB 29 billion, with EVs contributing RMB 28.3 billion, or nearly 98 percent. The EV unit’s revenue grew 197.89 percent from a year earlier and rose 37.38 percent from the previous quarter. Xiaomi delivered 108,796 vehicles in the third quarter,…

Baidu said on Nov. 11 that its autonomous ride-hailing service Apollo Go is extending its collaboration with UAE-based operator AutoGo, with plans to scale a fully autonomous fleet to several hundred vehicles in Abu Dhabi. The companies also received one of the region’s first commercial driverless operation permits from the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), allowing Apollo Go to begin offering paid autonomous robotaxi services to the public. The announcement was made during Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, held from Nov. 10–15, where Apollo Go and AutoGo jointly presented their autonomous vehicles. The partners said the fleet has already undergone several months…

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has ordered six electric buses from Poland’s Solaris, marking one of the company’s most significant steps yet into the U.S. market. The order, consisting of three standard-length buses and three articulated units, brings Solaris’ total U.S. electric bus deliveries to ten. The procurement stems from a framework agreement Solaris signed with King County Metro in Seattle in late 2024. That initial deal covered four electric buses with options for up to 12 more vehicles available to multiple transit agencies. SFMTA has now exercised six of those options, Solaris said. See also: Aarhus Orders 50…

Leasing specialist Arval has partnered with navigation firm Chargetrip to deploy an EV route planner for more than 300,000 electric fleet vehicles across Europe, the company said. The new Arval Route Planner, powered by Chargetrip’s routing engine, is already available in Belgium, France and Austria, with Romania to follow “shortly”. Additional markets including Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will be added by the end of 2025, with further expansion planned in 2026. See also: ChargePoint Unveils New Software Platform to Manage EV Charging at Scale Arval said the system aims to improve the long-distance charging experience for fleet…

French software company Exwayz has raised €1 million to accelerate development of its GPS-independent positioning technology for autonomous vehicles, robots and industrial systems operating in complex or signal-restricted environments. The funding round was led by CentraleSupélec Venture and includes a grant from France’s i-Lab Innovation Competition under the France 2030 program. The company develops LiDAR-based SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) software that provides real-time, centimeter-level localization without relying on satellite signals. Co-founder and CEO Hassan Bouchiba said the company aims to make high-precision 3D localization “accessible to manufacturers of autonomous systems across industry, mobility, logistics, and safety applications.” The technology…

A three-year research project led by Bosch has developed new mechanisms designed to ensure connected automated driving systems remain safe even when data exchanged between vehicles and infrastructure is incomplete or uncertain. The ConnRAD initiative—short for Connectivity & Resilience for Automated Driving Functions in Germany—brought together automotive suppliers, research institutes, universities and certification bodies to address vulnerabilities in Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication networks. Project partners include the Daimler Center for Automotive Information Technology Innovations, Fraunhofer FOKUS and IEM, Infineon Technologies, several German universities and TÜV SÜD. The effort was funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. A core…

BMW said its next-generation iX3 electric SUV, scheduled for delivery from summer 2026, will be the first model to feature a new driving assistance system jointly developed with Chinese autonomous driving technology firm Momenta. The companies announced the plan in separate statements, saying their R&D teams are working together across testing bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Nanjing. BMW said the project is progressing through “large-scale real-world vehicle testing” that follows its global validation standards. According to both companies, the program covers dense urban traffic, complex scenarios and extreme conditions. See also: 2026 BMW i4 Gains Efficiency and Power with…

Audi is planning a new SUV designed specifically for the US market and aims to build the model locally through a production partnership with Volkswagen Group’s Scout brand, according to a report by Germany’s Automobilwoche citing unnamed company sources. The move would represent a strategic shift for the Ingolstadt-based automaker, which has struggled to advance earlier plans for an electric SUV in the US due to shifting tariff policies and the end of federal EV tax credits. See also: Audi Concept C Unveiled as Bold Vision for Electric Performance Roadster Audi currently lacks its own manufacturing facility in the United…

Polestar said on Friday it will implement a one-for-thirty reverse stock split of its American Depository Shares (ADSs), a step intended to help the Swedish electric vehicle maker avoid a potential Nasdaq delisting. The move, which consolidates every 30 shares into one, does not change the total value of an investor’s holdings but is intended to mechanically boost the per-share price above the exchange’s minimum requirement. See also: Nasdaq Warns Polestar Over Potential Delisting After Share Price Falls Below $1 The company disclosed in October that it had received a notice from Nasdaq for failing to maintain the minimum bid…

Zeekr Group reported a sharp improvement in its third-quarter financial performance, with losses narrowing significantly on the back of higher deliveries and reduced research and development spending. The company posted a net loss of RMB 307 million ($43 million) for the third quarter, down 84.9% from a loss of RMB 2.028 billion a year earlier and a 7.0% reduction from the second quarter. Excluding stock-based compensation, the non-GAAP net loss stood at RMB 265 million, an 86.6% year-on-year decline. Zeekr Group delivered 140,195 vehicles during the quarter, an increase of 12.51% year-on-year and up 7.13% from the second quarter. This…

Germany will continue exempting battery-electric trucks from motorway tolls until 30 June 2031, following a Bundestag decision that extends the current exemption beyond its original end date of December 2025. The move prevents zero-emission trucks from becoming subject to toll payments from January 2026, a scenario that would have resulted from existing legislation aimed at covering infrastructure costs. The extension aligns with an EU-level decision adopted this autumn and provides a longer-term planning horizon for manufacturers and fleet operators. Germany and France currently remain the only European countries offering full toll exemptions for electric trucks, while ten other states apply…

Hyundai Motor is reportedly seeking partnerships with several Chinese technology firms, including Baidu, Momenta, and XPeng, to advance its autonomous driving technology, according to a Thursday report by South Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper. Citing industry sources, the report said discussions between Hyundai and Guangzhou-based XPeng are ongoing. XPeng, which recently confirmed plans to enter the South Korean market, announced on Wednesday that it aims to begin mass production of robotaxis in 2026. See also: Xpeng to Launch Three Robotaxi Models in 2026, Featuring 3,000-TOPS In-House Chips An autonomous driving industry insider told the newspaper that if a partnership is formed,…

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has announced 29 new commercial deployment agreements for autonomous mobility technologies, marking a significant transition from pilot projects to large-scale commercial operations. The deals, unveiled during the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, position the emirate among the first global cities to develop a fully integrated, multi-modal regulatory and infrastructure ecosystem for autonomous transportation. See also: WeRide Receives UAE Approval for Fully Driverless Robotaxi Operations in Abu Dhabi The agreements span multiple sectors — including e-commerce, healthcare logistics, and industrial transport — and involve partnerships with leading organizations such as Talabat, Noon, Aramex, Emirates Post, and…

Nairobi-based electric bus company BasiGo has announced the opening of three new charging depots in the Kenyan capital as it expands its electric mobility infrastructure across the country. The new facilities, located in Taj Mall, Komarock, and Riruta, will offer DC fast charging, maintenance, and technical support for electric bus operators. A fourth hub is expected to open in Juja by the end of the year. Each depot features DC chargers rated up to 160 kW, supporting both CCS2 and GB/T connectors to accommodate BasiGo’s diverse fleet of Western and Chinese-made electric buses. The company said the chargers can serve…

UK agricultural distributor Agrii has added the all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 to its fleet, becoming one of the first operators in the country to deploy the long-range electric heavy goods vehicle. The vehicle, supplied by Midlands Truck & Van, underwent extensive full-load testing on Agrii’s existing delivery routes before entering service. The eActros 600 offers a range exceeding 500 kilometres, enabling Agrii to complete its 460 km nightly delivery circuit on a single charge. The company estimates the vehicle will help cut around 59 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year based on its typical 60,000 km annual mileage. The…