Author: Michael Khan

Towards the end of 2022 Lexus announced the use of new batteries for three UX electric car models sold in Europe. Moreover, the Lexus UX 300e model for three years in the European market has not presented a change in range which is still at 305 km. The Japanese car manufacturer seems to be bringing an update to the three UX models currently being sold in Europe, namely the UX 250h, UX 200, and UX 300e. One of them is the use of a new battery that was announced in October 2022. All three models are given a new battery…

French carmaker Renault is aiming for a valuation of around €10 billion or around US$10 billion for the electric vehicle (EV) business unit that Renault will turn into an independent entity. Reporting from Bloomberg, Renault is preparing an IPO for its electric vehicle unit next year. However, that plan is still subject to change. The split of the business unit is part of an overhaul that Renault Chief Executive Luca de Meo will present to investors next week. The separation of the EV business from Renault’s conventional car business comes as automakers Zoe and Clio seek a difficult transition to…

Turkish EV startup Togg started production of its first electric vehicle, the SUV C, at the company’s facility located in Gemlik, Turkey. Togg is a Turkish joint venture of various companies founded in 2018 with the aim of designing and producing electric cars in the country. Togg targets production of 17,000-18,000 electric vehicles in the coming year with the potential to grow tenfold at full capacity. Togg and Farasis Energy of China created a joint venture of an electric vehicle battery factory next to the Togg Technology Campus and plans to open a fast charger network with 1,000 stations across…

Honda plans to invest 43 billion yen ($290 million) to build a solid-state battery production line in Tochigi, Japan by 2024. Shinji Aoyama, Honda’s global electrification leader, said automakers are expected to incorporate solid-state batteries into production cars by the end of the decade, possibly 2028 or 2029. “In the spring of 2024, we will start a pilot line (for manufacturing). Then if we succeed, we believe we can launch vehicles with solid-state batteries in the latter part of 2029, 2028,” Shinji Aoyama, Honda’s global electrification leader, told Ars Technica. At the same meeting, Honda CEO and global president Toshihiro…

As electrification develops, many new companies have sprung up to work on this segment. One of them is Hengchi, which is a brand made by China’s Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group. They have launched their first product, the Hengchi 5 SUV. It has even started to send the full electric car to consumers. Interestingly Evergrande itself does not have a background as an automotive manufacturer. However, they have prepared a big map to penetrate the global market. Evergrande’s vision also received a fairly lively response from the community. It is evident from the number of pre-orders received two weeks after…

Saudi Arabia launched Ceer, the first electric vehicle brand from the petrodollar country. According to the country’s news agency, SPA, on Thursday, November 3, this electric vehicle is expected to be available on the market in 2025. Ceer is expected to attract more than US$150 million in foreign direct investment and contribute US$8 billion directly to the kingdom’s GDP by 2034. The company is a joint venture between the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Foxconn. Previously, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, had also been the largest shareholder in the Lucid car factory, with an approximately 61% stake in…

Honda said it has no plans to use a manual gearbox in future electric vehicles, following Toyota’s claim that it wants to add this feature to its electric vehicle portfolio. While most EVs use a single-speed reduction box, manufacturers like Toyota are praising the idea of ​​putting a simulated manual gearbox in their electric models so drivers can experience the thrill of driving like a conventional car inside an electric car. In an interview, Honda’s head of electrification, Shinji Aoyama, didn’t seem very interested in the idea of ​​simulating a manual gearbox. “Artificially, we can do it. Mechanically, it’s not…

Nikola’s third-quarter 2022 financial results showed a net loss of $236.2 million and reported revenue of $24.2 million. In the same period a year earlier, the company posted a net loss of less than $267.57 million. Revenue beat estimates of $22.1 million, according to Refinitiv data cited by Reuters. Despite posting losses, the good news is that the company is producing more electric trucks than analysts expected. Nikola in the third quarter produced 75 Tre BEV Class 8 electric trucks at its factory in Coolidge, Arizona. The total production exceeds the Q2 production figure of 50 units. The company has…

CATL announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with VinFast for the development of electric vehicle “skateboard” chassis. CATL will assist in the engineering of the VinFast electric vehicle through the development of a “skateboard chassis”. CATL, a manufacturer of electric vehicle battery cells, intends to explore various forms of cooperation on the CIIC skateboard chassis in addition to the current cooperation on the supply of CTP (cell-to-pack) batteries between the two companies. Meanwhile, CATL, which only focuses on developing EV batteries, is very susceptible to various disturbances. Especially now that the competition between EV battery makers has…

Nikola, the zero-emissions commercial vehicle manufacturer, has announced that it has received an order for 100 Nikola Class 8 Tre battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from Zeem Solutions. Zeem’s purchase order for 100 Nikola Tre BEVs will help meet the demands of current Zeem customers at their California depots and other locations. The Nikola Class 8 Tre battery electric vehicle (BEV) has entered commercial production and is immediately available to supply customers such as Zeem. Zeem itself is known as an EV Fleet-as-a-Service Provider which combines electric vehicles, charging solutions, maintenance, and other services as a fixed operational cost, fleets can…

Panasonic will begin construction of a new battery cell plant in the state of Kansas in November 2022. The production facility in Kansas will be the second in the US after Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, which is co-operated with electric vehicle giant Tesla. In July, Panasonic identified a site in De Soto for the construction of the company’s battery factory. Meanwhile the state of Kansas has approved a state incentive application submitted by Panasonic. The production facility in Kansas will produce cells with the 2170 format beginning in late March 2025, with an initial annual production capacity of 30 GWh.…

The trend of electric cars in the world does not only come from major automotive manufacturers, the world’s modifiers are also “stimulated” to prove their abilities. One of them is the Tommy Pike Custom which converts a 1987 Nissan Sunny into an electric pickup and uses a power source from a Nissan Leaf. The pickup was exhibited at the Special Equipment Market Association (SEMA) 2022 event in Las Vegas, United States. The idea of ​​converting an old pickup like that was actually done and was present at SEMA 2021 by presenting the Ford F-100 Eluminator Concept. The pickup is implanted…