Author: Michael Khan

Uber Freight has announced its first zero-emission electric truck pilot, teaming up with California-based WattEV, an electric trucking and charging infrastructure company. The partnership aims to advance zero-emission freight transportation, deploying electric trucks on select routes starting in Southern California, with plans to grow nationwide using WattEV’s electric heavy-duty transportation platform. The pilot program will help the company expand its network as it develops routes from the Port of Long Beach to the Inland Empire and Central Valley, with plans to expand to North Carolina and Arizona. Uber Freight’s extensive logistics network, combined with WattEV’s electric innovations, allows shippers to…

German automakers, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen (VW), are calling on the government to accelerate the scaling up of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the country. In an interview with German newspaper Bild am Sonntag on Sunday, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius emphasised the importance of building up the charging station infrastructure in order to hasten the transition to EVs. He noted that this was not just a question for the private sector but also for politics. “To speed up the change (to electric vehicles), we need to be sure that the charging station infrastructure is being built up,” Mercedes-Benz Chief Executive…

Switch Mobility, an Indian electric vehicle manufacturer, has recently delivered the first batch of electric double-decker buses to Brihan Mumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) in Mumbai. This marks the first step in fulfilling BEST’s order of 200 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility. The Switch EiV 22 is the first air-conditioned electric double-decker bus entirely designed, developed, and manufactured in India. The company claims that the bus is equipped with the latest technology, a modern design, maximum safety, and best-in-class comfort features. The EiV 22 is primarily intended for intra-urban travel and can travel up to 250 km on…

EHang, the autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology platform company in China, has accomplished another breakthrough with its EH216 passenger-grade AAV, completing its first passenger-carrying autonomous flight in Japan. The flight was carried out with no pilot on board and two passengers on the coast of Tanoura Beach in Oita city, under the authorization of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan. It is also the first-ever passenger-carrying flight for an autonomous eVTOL aircraft in Japan, marking a significant milestone for EHang. EHang is committed to providing customers in various industries with AAV products and commercial solutions such…

Warrington, a town situated between Liverpool and Manchester in England, has announced plans to replace its entire fleet of 105 buses with electric vehicles. The transition will be made possible through a partnership between the Warrington Borough Council and operator Own Buses, which successfully secured the largest funding award from the UK Government’s 2011 ZEBRA scheme. The Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) funding was awarded to the council, with Warrington reportedly receiving £21.5 million (€25.4 mn), making it one of the first places in the UK to have an all-electric bus fleet. The council is expected to use electricity…

Ola Electric, a company backed by SoftBank Group, has announced plans to invest $920 million in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The investment will be used to manufacture electric cars and batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), in response to the growing demand for EVs in India. Ola Electric Technologies and Ola Cell Technologies, subsidiaries of Ola, will invest 76.14 billion rupees ($920 million) in Tamil Nadu. The company aims to annually produce 140,000 cars and hire 3,111 workers through this investment, building on its existing production of e-two wheelers in the state. In November, the company’s cumulative production…

Hydrogen fuel cells are gaining popularity among fleet operators as a practical alternative to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for long-haul trucks and vans. While BEVs are suitable for short distances, proponents of hydrogen fuel cells argue that batteries are too heavy, take too long to charge, and could overload power grids. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can refuel in minutes and have a much longer range than BEVs. According to Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum, “the fact is we need both BEVs and hydrogen.” Daimler Truck plans to invest up to 15 billion euros on fuel cells over the next decade.…

Iveco Bus, part of the CNH Industrial Group, has been awarded a tender to supply 120 electric buses to Autoguidovie, the largest privately owned local public transport company in Italy. The purchase has been supported by Next Generation EU funds and national grants. Autoguidovie will deploy the E-Way buses in different regions, with deliveries starting in the second half of 2023. This latest contract builds on Iveco Bus’s success in the 2022 electric bus market in Europe, with figures from Chatrou CME Solutions showing that 347 battery-electric buses from Iveco were registered last year. The E-Way buses in operation as…

The Indian Geological Survey has uncovered a massive deposit of lithium in the Reasi district of the north-western state of Jammu and Kashmir. The deposit is estimated to hold around 5.9 million tonnes of lithium, as announced by India’s Ministry of Mines. This discovery is expected to change India’s dependence on imports of the raw material from Australia and Argentina, as the country strives to become CO₂-neutral by 2070. The government of India has already launched initiatives to build a battery and cell industry in the country, with a call for funding to establish battery cell factories in October 2021.…

Renault and Nissan have announced a major investment of 600 million dollars in India to produce six new models, including the first two electric vehicles (EVs) the companies will manufacture in the country. The EVs will be part of the A-segment and will be exported as well, with the partners promising to build on their previous experience and expertise in the electrification of the mass market, which began with the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe more than a decade ago. The Chennai plant where the six new models will be produced will be based on common alliance platforms, with three…

Mahindra and Mahindra made a big splash in India with the debut of their new Born Electric SUVs on the eve of the Formula E race in Hyderabad. The company took the opportunity to showcase a brand new electric SUV called the BE Rall-E, which was not shown at last year’s event. This new electric SUV is based on the BE.05 electric SUV that was first revealed in the previous year. The BE Rall-E boasts a bold yellow paint job and black piano-finished outside rearview mirrors. Its rugged design features a front and rear bumper that gives it an off-road…

Volvo Trucks North America is ramping up its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by expanding the use of its zero-emission Volvo VNR Electric trucks. In partnership with four carrier companies, a total of 15 battery-powered Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric trucks will transport parts and components to the New River Valley Assembly Operations (NRV) in Virginia and the Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) plant in Pennsylvania. According to Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America, “We believe in leading by example, and this project is an important part of our strategy to create a world-class, sustainable transport system.” The…