Author: Michael Khan

Volta Trucks has announced a successful start to the year, with confirmation of customer production orders for the first 300 manufacturing slots of its full-electric Volta Zero. This has resulted in an associated revenue of over €85 million. The series production of the Volta Zero is set to begin at the company’s contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria, in the early second quarter of 2023. The facility is prepared to meet the high customer demand for the purpose-built, full-electric medium-duty urban delivery truck. “Volta Trucks has made important progress in the first few weeks of 2023,” said Essa Al-Saleh, Chief…

It was previously believed that Tesla would move production of its Semi Class 8 electric truck to its Giga Texas plant after low-volume manufacturing began in late 2022 at a private site near its Gigafactory Nevada facility. However, according to Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, Tesla has announced plans to open a new $3.5 billion plant in Northern Nevada for the production of the Semi. This official announcement was made on January 24th during Lombardo’s State of the State address to Nevada’s Assembly and Senate. Governor Lombardo highlighted that Nevada is actively inviting the expansion of new businesses and industries, as…

Recharge Industries, a US-Australian company, has chosen Accenture as its engineering services provider to construct a large lithium-ion battery cell factory in Australia. The factory, located in Geelong, Victoria, will have an annual capacity of 30 GWh and will produce batteries for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage. Construction is set to begin in H2 2023, and the company aims to produce 2 GWh of battery cells by H2 2024 and 6 GWh annually by 2026. Recharge Industries has already secured equipment for the first 2 GWh production line and financing with binding purchase agreements, and the equipment is expected…

Nikola has announced the development of a mobile hydrogen fueler, designed for direct fueling of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The company plans to release its own Tre FCEV later in the year, and the mobile fueler has already undergone commissioning and testing, with more to be completed in the first quarter of this year. This program will offer customers a range of flexible fueling options, including Nikola’s own mobile fuelers and third-party options. “Nikola has spent the greater part of two years developing a flexible mobile fueling solution which cools and compresses hydrogen to rapidly fill 700 bar FCEV…

Aptera, a manufacturer of electric vehicles, has unveiled the Launch Edition of its three-wheeled electric vehicle. The launch, which represents the first series of over 40,000 pre-orders the company has accumulated, features in-house developed 700-watt solar technology. The vehicle’s photovoltaic cells, which are located all over the car, will yield up to 40 miles of daily range. This means that it may be possible to never charge the vehicle from the grid, a significant advancement in transportation electrification. The car’s driving range is 1000 miles, though the company may release a version that can travel 1,000 miles on a single…

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares recently addressed the obstacles facing widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption at a CES roundtable, specifically referencing the challenges of limited range and charging station availability. However, the CEO clarified that Stellantis has no plans to invest in building a charging network in the United States. Tavares stated, “Infrastructure is not part of Stellantis’ core business. It requires a significant investment in resources. We have no plans to build a fast-charging network in the US, but do plan to sell chargers as part of our strategy.” This approach differs from the strategy employed in Europe, where the…

Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) has placed an order for 14 zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ heavy-duty transit buses from New Flyer. The buses, purchased off the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services contract, will be supported by 20 ABB HVC-C 150kW plug-in chargers and 40 dispensers provided by NFI Infrastructure Solutions™. The project coordination and commissioning will also be handled by NFI. This new order builds on COTA’s previous purchase of eight battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE NG buses announced in May 2022. The new buses will help COTA to enhance the passenger experience and transition to a 100% zero-emission bus…

Tata Motors, a subsidiary of Tata Group that also owns Jaguar and Land Rover, recently unveiled Sierra EV, a production-ready electric SUV concept, at the India Auto Expo 2023 in New Delhi. The company has plans to launch 10 electric vehicles in various segments and styles in India by 2027, including the Nexon EV, Tigor EV, and Tiago EV, which will begin deliveries this month. The new Sierra EV SUV concept is a preview of another EV model set to launch in 2025. The Tata Sierra EV is a significantly improved version of the concept vehicle that was unveiled at…

Kia has made history by winning two Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) awards in the same year. The Kia Carens received the ICOTY 2023 award and the Kia EV6 received the Green Car Award 2023. The Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) awards, organized by the Automotive Journalists Association of India (AJAI), are considered the premier awards in the Indian automotive industry, often referred to as the Oscars of the industry. The awards are based on an expert and unbiased evaluation of the best new car, with the winner being chosen by a panel of highly experienced jury members.…

Tata Motors, an Indian automaker, showcased a diverse range of vehicles including electric vehicles (EVs), internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and trucks at Auto Expo 2023. The company, which currently leads the domestic EV market in India, plans to launch 10 EVs by 2026. The Auto Expo 2023 lineup featured 5 EVs, 7 ICE cars and 14 trucks. This follows Tata’s recent fundraising of $1 billion for its EV business in 2021. Tata Motors unveiled its latest electric SUV, the next-generation Sierra, at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida, India. The Sierra is aimed at competing with medium-sized SUVs like…

The Tata Group is exploring the possibility of building two battery cell factories, one in India and another in Europe, to supply Tata subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover. P.B. Balaji, CFO of Tata Motors’ auto division, stated that the company plans to announce the details soon and emphasized the importance of localizing cell manufacturing in order to increase the use of local components in electric cars and develop a local supply chain. Tata Motors announced that it has sold 50,000 electric vehicles in India to date and plans to launch 10 new electric models by 2026. The company projects that electric…

The quantity of electric bus routes in Moscow is on the rise, with 1050 electric buses currently operating on 79 routes. These buses transport over 430,000 passengers daily. Recently, Russian manufacturer KAMAZ began production of upgraded electric buses at their SVARZ eco-plant. The new models feature more prominent route numbers, faster opening doors, and are equipped with heaters and durable floor coverings. Additionally, the power reserve has been increased to a range of 90 km. “Moscow continues to adapt infrastructure and urban transport in accordance with the Green Agenda. Moscow’s eco-friendly transport fleet is considered to be the largest in…