Author: Miguel Garcia

Vietnamese property firm First Real Estate has signed an agreement to lease a fleet of 1,000 electric vehicles from VinFast through Green Future Trading and Service JSC, a mobility and car rental business recently launched by Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong. The deal, formalized on Friday, will initially see 300 electric vehicles delivered this year, with the remaining units to follow in 2025. The EV fleet will be deployed for tourism purposes and operated by First Real’s subsidiaries, Viet An Group Joint Stock Company and Green Motion Joint Stock Company. See also: VinFast Lowers Prices on EV Models, Phases Out…

UK-based charge point operator Char.gy will install more than 6,000 on-street electric vehicle chargers in Brighton & Hove over the next two years, in what is being described as the largest project of its kind in the country. The £130 million initiative is being delivered in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council and is supported by the UK government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. The rollout is expected to significantly expand charging access in a city where 40% of residents lack off-street parking. See also: char.gy Secures Contract to Enhance EV Charging Infrastructure for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils…

Tesla has removed Forward Collision Warnings (FCW) from the formula used to calculate its Safety Score, a key component of its insurance pricing model, following ongoing legal scrutiny. The update, rolled out quietly in the latest version of the Safety Score system, comes as the company faces a potential class action lawsuit alleging that the FCW metric led to unjustifiably high insurance premiums. The Safety Score, introduced in 2021, is used by Tesla Insurance to assess driver behavior and determine monthly premium rates. It aggregates real-time driving data across several metrics, including Hard Braking, Aggressive Turning, Unsafe Following, and others.…

Hybrid truck startup ReVolt Motors has secured its first commercial customer for its Peterbilt 579-based extended-range electric semi truck, with New York-headquartered Page Trucking ordering five units and placing an option for 15 more. The trucks promise up to 40% better fuel economy and over twice the torque of conventional diesel trucks, according to the company. The hybrid trucks use a unique dual-power system that combines battery-electric drive with a diesel-powered generator, offering up to 1,200 miles of range. ReVolt removes the transmission and traditional drivetrain from the Peterbilt chassis and replaces it with a battery pack, e-axles, and a…

Traktionssysteme Austria (TSA) will supply 1,500 high-performance electric motors to Polish bus manufacturer Solaris over the next three years under a framework agreement signed in June 2024, the Austrian motor specialist announced on Thursday. The contract covers TSA’s permanent magnet synchronous motors of type HD.T3, which offer a peak output of 420 kW, maximum torque of 4,000 Nm, and efficiency exceeding 97 percent. Designed for compact integration, the motors are suitable for various bus configurations and can be used in both battery-electric and fuel cell-powered models. See also: Solaris Secures Sarajevo Trolleybus Contract Amid European Expansion Solaris will install the…

German charging technology firm ADS-TEC Energy has secured a tender to supply more than a dozen battery-buffered fast-charging systems to Q8 and Tango petrol stations in Belgium and the Netherlands, the company said. The rollout will include both ChargePost and ChargeBox systems, which are designed to deliver up to 320 kW of charging power without requiring major upgrades to local grid infrastructure. The battery-buffered design allows the systems to store electricity slowly from the grid and discharge it rapidly when a vehicle is connected, making them particularly suitable for locations with limited grid capacity. See also: Huawei Unveils 1.5 MW…

The European Commission has formally submitted an amendment to CO2 emission standards for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, granting automakers additional flexibility to meet emissions reduction targets. Under the proposal, car manufacturers will have until 2027 to comply with the 2025 emission targets through a three-year averaging system. The proposal, titled “Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council,” was officially published following a draft report released earlier this month. The amendment allows automakers to balance CO2 emissions across the 2025–2027 period rather than meeting annual targets. “During the period 2025 to 2027, manufacturers should ensure that the…

Panasonic Energy and Japanese raw materials firm Sumitomo Metal Mining have launched a recycling initiative to recover nickel from lithium-ion battery production waste for reuse in new batteries, the companies said. The project, which marks Panasonic Energy’s first closed-loop recycling effort in automotive battery production, will extract nickel from battery scraps generated at its factory in Osaka, Japan. The recovered material will then be reprocessed into cathode material for new batteries produced at the same facility. See also: Panasonic Elevates Energy Unit’s Earnings Forecast Amid Strategic Reforms “Building a sustainable recycling scheme for end-of-life lithium-ion batteries is crucial for the…

BMW has opened an additional body shop to support its Regensburg factory, increasing production capacity as demand for electrified vehicles continues to grow. The new facility, located in Neutraubling, spans approximately 40,000 square meters and currently produces around 120 car bodies per day. The expansion allows BMW to manufacture the BMW X1 series in both Regensburg and Neutraubling, rather than relying solely on the existing body shop. The new production hall was developed in under a year, with BMW converting an existing site previously used for logistics. The company obtained a change-of-use approval in April 2024, allowing the dismantling of…

German automotive supplier Webasto has entered into a partnership with Aachen-based battery recycling startup Cylib to recycle used batteries and production waste from Webasto’s battery manufacturing operations, the companies said. The initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen Europe’s raw material ecosystem and promote sustainable battery production. Cylib, which secured €55 million in investor funding last year, recently began constructing its first industrial battery recycling facility at Chempark Dormagen, Germany. The site, backed by tens of millions of euros from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is designed to recover critical materials such as lithium, graphite, cobalt, nickel, and…

The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq is set to arrive at U.S. dealerships this spring, and some dealers are already offering early discounts on the three-row electric crossover. While most retailers are sticking to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), select dealers in Nevada and New York have listed models with a $2,000 reduction. Cadillac of Las Vegas has multiple Vistiq crossovers priced $2,000 below sticker, while Mount Kisco Cadillac in New York has an $80,215 Vistiq Luxury model listed for $78,215. The discount aligns with a $2,000 “Competitive Cash Allowance” available at launch, though the starting price remains at $77,395 before…

Volkswagen Group announced on Tuesday that it will collaborate with Valeo  and Mobileye  to enhance its assisted and autonomous driving capabilities, expanding its supplier network for future high-volume models. The German automaker said the partnerships will support the development of Level 2+ automated driving systems, designed to improve driver comfort and safety. “By integrating cutting-edge sensor and software technology, we aim to bring advanced driver assistance features to a wider range of customers,” Volkswagen said in a statement. See also: Volkswagen Urges German Government to Back EV Transition in 12-Point Plan Under the agreement, Valeo will supply electronic control units,…