Author: Sibley Presley

The sales of electric, plug-in, and hybrid vehicles saw a substantial rise in Europe in 2022, despite the lackluster performance of the overall new car market. This has led to alternative fuel vehicles accounting for nearly half of all new car registrations in Europe. According to the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association, the European Union saw 1.1 million new electric vehicles (EVs) purchased in the market in 2022, representing a 28% increase from the previous year. As a result, more than one in eight new cars registered in the EU was a fully electric vehicle. In addition to EVs, hybrid and…

Connect Bus has made a significant investment in the electric bus market by placing an order for 42 Mellor Sigma 7 buses. These vehicles will be used for on-demand services on the Västraffik Flex line and will be operated by Connect Bus as part of their contract with Vastraffik, the agency responsible for public transportation in Sweden’s Vastra Gotaland region. This order comes after the successful implementation of Sigma 7 buses already in service in Gothenburg. The new all-electric buses will complement Connect Bus’s existing fleet of Mellor Orion E minibuses, which were introduced in March 2020. The delivery of…

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado is known for its intense course, with a distance of 12.42 miles, 156 turns, and an elevation gain of 4,725 feet. It has seen many notable vehicles and drivers, such as Randy Probst’s modified Tesla Model S Plaid and Ken Block’s Mustang. The latest addition to this list is Rivian’s R1T, which will make its debut in the hill climb race. The vehicle will be driven by Gardner Nichols, Rivian’s Senior Performance Test Engineer and racing enthusiast. The R1T will participate in the 101st running of the PIkes Peak International Hill Climb and…

Zeekr, the electric vehicle company owned by Geely, saw a decline in its January deliveries, totaling 3,116 units. This represents a decrease of 11.73% compared to the previous year’s 3,530 units and a sharp drop of 72.51% from the 11,337 units delivered in December. The company attributed the decline to its decision to shut down production lines for an upgrade just before the Chinese New Year holiday. The plant was closed for 21 days, from January 21 to February 1, and has now resumed operations. Zeekr aims to prepare for the production of new models and improve its capabilities with…

Fastned, the Dutch EV charging company, has unveiled its latest high-speed charging hub in Washington, UK. The new facility features eight charging bays with a maximum capacity of 300 kW and serves EV drivers commuting between South Tyneside and Sunderland. With this launch, Fastned has increased its number of charging hubs in the UK to 13, and in the North-East region to 7. Fastned’s expansion in the UK continues with their latest 300 kW DC charging stations, following the opening of their largest HPC park in Scotland last May. In June, the company raised their targets, closed a financing round…

XPeng reported vehicle deliveries of 5,218 in January, down 59.62% YoY and 53.79% MoM. The decrease in deliveries is attributed to the seasonal slowdown during the Chinese New Year holiday, which took place from mid-January to the end of the month. XPeng delivered 2,249 units of its G9 SUV, and announced that it will soon launch a new version of its P7 sedan, with the company tweeting on January 25 that “we’re launching our two new EVs in Europe on February 3, 2023. XPeng experienced a decline in deliveries in the latter half of 2022, reaching a low of 5,101…

GM CEO Mary Barra has stated that the company will not lower the prices of their electric vehicles (EVs), even after Tesla recently cut prices of their EVs by 20%. This move goes against Ford’s recent decision to reduce prices on their Mach-E. GM recently released their Q4 financial results, which surpassed expectations with a 28% YoY increase in revenue and a 23% rise in revenue from 2021 to 2022. During a call with analysts, Barra attributed the decision to maintain current prices to the high demand for GM’s EVs. “When we look at our strong product portfolio and the…

The future of Lightyear solar cars remains uncertain as the operating company, Atlas Technologies, has been declared insolvent by a Dutch court. The appointment of an insolvency administrator has been made to determine the future of the Lightyear concept. Atlas Technologies was responsible for producing the Lightyear 0. It is part of a Dutch startup that includes two other companies: Atlas Technologies Holding B.V. (holding IP rights) and Lightyear Layer B.V. (role undisclosed). Of the three companies, Atlas Technologies B.V. appears to be the most critical. Recently, Lightyear announced a halt in production for the Lightyear 0 model, shifting focus…

Suzuki has announced plans to electrify its entire vehicle portfolio, including the popular Suzuki Jimny. During a recent investor presentation, the company discussed its global plans for electric vehicles, which include the release of five new electric cars in Europe by the end of 2024. One of these cars is expected to be the short-wheelbase version of the Jimny. The company also plans to release eight electric motorcycles globally by 2024, with some models ranging from 250cc to 750cc. The presentation also highlighted Suzuki’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint through various initiatives, such as electric mobility scooters, electric marine…

Harley-Davidson, the iconic American motorcycle manufacturer, is in the process of transitioning to become fully electric. This news was confirmed by the company’s CEO and Chairman, Jochen Zeitz, in a recent interview with design publication Dezeen. The company has been slowly but steadily moving towards electrification in recent years, with the launch of the LiveWire in 2019 as their first production electric bike. However, the high price tag of $30,000 for the LiveWire deterred many buyers. But, as technology in various sectors has shown, early pricing for new technologies is often high but tends to fall over time. In 2021,…

The car industry in the United Kingdom is facing a difficult period, as new data shows that vehicle production in the country has dropped to the lowest level since 1956. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 775,014 cars were built in the UK during 2022, which is a 10% decrease from the 859,575 vehicles produced in 2021. The 2022 figure also represents a 40% decrease compared to the total for 2019, the last year before the impacts of COVID-19 and semiconductor shortages were felt. The SMMT attributes the decline to a combination of factors, including the…

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is investing in the production of electric vehicles. The company will invest 65 million Swedish kronor (about 5.8 million euros) in a plant in Arvika, Sweden to enable the production of electric wheel loaders. A new building with an area of about 1,500 square meters is being built for this purpose at the plant, which specializes in the production of medium and large wheel loaders. Construction work is scheduled to begin this year. Additionally, the company plans to invest a further 360 million Swedish kronor (about 32 million euros) in its plant in Braås, which…