Author: Thomas Schmidt

Volkswagen Group is set to miss its traditional November deadline for finalising its five-year production planning, with the current strategic round now unlikely to be concluded in 2025 as key model, platform and investment decisions remain unresolved, German trade publication Automobilwoche reported, citing company sources. The automaker typically uses the annual November planning round to determine which models will be built at which factories over the next five years. However, insiders said decisions are still pending at both management and supervisory board level, while existing proposals are said to be “incompatible with the available investment budget.” The delay marks the…

Germany has formally enshrined the extension of toll exemptions for zero-emission trucks into federal law, allowing battery-electric commercial vehicles to remain exempt from road tolls until June 30, 2031. The amendment, approved by the Bundestag in mid-November, has now been officially promulgated, clearing the way for the regulation to take effect in the coming year. Under the revised law, electric trucks weighing 4.25 tonnes or more will remain toll-free well beyond the previous expiry date of Dec. 31, 2025, fully utilising the exemption framework permitted under the EU’s Eurovignette Directive. Commercial vehicles below 4.25 tonnes will benefit from a permanent…

Spanish transport company Transportes Ocón has begun deploying 15 fully electric Fuso eCanter light-duty trucks as part of a broader renewal of its delivery fleet, with the vehicles assigned to operations for Correos, Spain’s national postal service. The new vehicles include the 7.49-ton 7C18e and the 8.55-ton 9C18e variants. All units are equipped with box bodies and tail lifts and can be charged using either direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC). The trucks are fitted with either M or L battery packs, enabling ranges of up to 140 km or 200 km per charge. See also: Mitsubishi Fuso Partners…

Germany’s coalition government has agreed on a unified national position for the European Union’s review of its 2035 zero-emission requirement for new cars, backing a broader range of technologies that would include highly efficient combustion engine models alongside electric vehicles, party sources said after a coalition committee meeting. The agreement paves the way for Germany to formally communicate its stance to the European Commission ahead of an expected regulatory proposal in December. According to the position conveyed to German news agency DPA, the government wants “highly efficient combustion engine models” to remain eligible for registration beyond 2035 as part of…

Lidl’s Austrian division is expanding its electric commercial vehicle fleet with a growing deployment of Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 trucks, as the grocery retailer steps up efforts to decarbonise its logistics operations. The company has so far taken delivery of 14 battery-electric trucks, with a further 42 scheduled to arrive by mid-2027. Lidl Austria has been using electric trucks in daily operations since 2024 and said it plans to continue electrifying its delivery fleet. With the current rollout plan, the retailer is targeting around 20 eActros 600 trucks in active delivery service by mid-2027, based on confirmed delivery schedules. See also:…

Vilnius Airport will begin transporting passengers between terminal buildings and aircraft exclusively with electric buses from the second half of 2026, following a fleet renewal agreement with specialist airport bus manufacturer Cobus. Lithuanian Airports, the state-owned operator of Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports, has signed a €7.2 million ($7.9 million) net contract for 12 battery-electric apron buses, which will replace all existing diesel-powered vehicles at Vilnius Airport. See also: Stagecoach Launches Electric Bus Fleet on Edinburgh Airport Route The order covers Cobus’ e.Cobus 2700 model, a low-floor electric bus designed specifically for airport operations. The vehicles are built on a…

Munich-based electric scooter manufacturer Govecs has filed for insolvency, raising uncertainty over the future of its flagship E-Schwalbe model, according to filings at the Munich District Court. The court has opened preliminary insolvency proceedings under reference number 1542 IN 4079/25 and appointed restructuring lawyer Michael Jaffé as preliminary insolvency administrator. Jaffé, best known for his role in the Wirecard insolvency case, will assume control over Govecs’ financial management to safeguard remaining assets and assess whether the business can continue operating, be partially sold, or face full liquidation. As part of the process, Govecs’ management, led by Chief Executive Thomas Grübel,…

Tesla has offered to license its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology to established automakers, but most have shown little interest and negotiations have largely failed to gain traction, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Monday. Writing on social media platform X, Musk said discussions with other manufacturers have been slowed by lengthy development cycles and conditions Tesla considers unrealistic. See also: Tesla Plans “FSD 14 Lite” for Legacy Model Y Owners with Hardware 3.0 by 2026 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1993035990462795922 Musk’s latest comments contrast with earlier statements this year, when he said Tesla was in active negotiations with at least one major automaker…

Volkswagen Group China Technology Company (VCTC) has inaugurated a new testing hall at its Hefei research and development center, completing a major expansion and establishing the site as the automaker’s first fully integrated development hub outside Germany. The announcement was made on November 25. The Hefei R&D campus spans roughly 100,000 square meters and includes more than 100 specialized laboratories. Its capabilities stretch across software and hardware development, battery and powertrain evaluation, and full-vehicle platform validation. With the expansion, Volkswagen said it now has—for the first time outside its home market—an end-to-end R&D ecosystem capable of taking technologies from concept…

IM Motors, the electric vehicle unit of SAIC Motor, has introduced its LS6 SUV to New Zealand under the local name IM6, expanding its footprint in the Oceania premium EV market. Deliveries are set to begin in December as the brand builds on its earlier entry into Australia. The right-hand-drive IM6 is available in Premium, Platinum and Performance AWD variants, priced at NZ$66,900 ($37,490), NZ$77,990 and NZ$89,990 respectively. The Premium version features a 217-kW rear motor capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h in 6.4 seconds, while the Platinum variant raises output to 300 kW with a 5.4-second 0–100 km/h time.…

Germany has approved its new Charging Infrastructure Master Plan 2030, a strategic framework outlining 41 measures designed to accelerate the nationwide build-out of electric vehicle charging systems. Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder introduced the document at the government’s charging infrastructure conference, saying the programme aims to make “charging as natural as refuelling.” The plan was cleared by the Federal Cabinet this week and presented publicly at the LISKON conference in Berlin. The plan focuses on strengthening investment conditions, simplifying approval procedures and improving integration of charging networks into the national power grid. Measures include promoting price transparency, increasing competition among…

Umicore said it will partner with South Korea’s HS Hyosung Advanced Materials to commercialise its silicon-carbon anode technology, transferring all employees from its anode materials division into a new joint venture. The Belgian materials group said its anode technology centre in Olen, Belgium, is ready to advance to industrial-scale production after more than a decade of research. HS Hyosung Advanced Materials will support and co-finance the next stage of development and hold an 80% stake in the venture, to be named The Extra Mile. Umicore will retain a 20% minority share. The project remains subject to regulatory approval. The partners…

German public transport operator KVG Lippe has installed its first electric bus charging depot using equipment from Finnish manufacturer Kempower, the companies said on Wednesday. The site includes 12 DC charging points delivering a combined output of 1,350 kW, with additional locations set to follow. The installation, located at the Motzek travel service premises in Lage, east of Bielefeld, uses Kempower’s modular system of separate power units and slim charging satellites designed to minimise space requirements — often a key factor when electrifying existing bus depots. See also: Kempower Installs Norway’s First Megawatt-Capable Charging Facility for ASKO Trucks KVG Lippe…

Germany has adopted a legal amendment that removes multiple charging of electricity used in bidirectional systems, a shift industry experts say could reshape the economics of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. On Thursday evening, the Bundestag approved the “Draft Act Amending Energy Industry Law to Strengthen Consumer Protection in the Energy Sector and Amending Further Energy Regulations,” a wide-ranging update to electricity and gas market rules spanning more than 250 pages. See also: Germany Yet to Finalise Electric Vehicle Subsidy Plan for Low- and Middle-Income Households An amendment included in the final resolution of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy—found on…

Mercedes-Benz has introduced a significant price reduction for its flagship Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV, with new incentives cutting the cost by $50,000 — the largest factory discount currently offered on any Mercedes-Benz model. According to CarsDirect, the automaker nearly doubled the savings from last month’s $30,000 offer, bringing the luxury electric SUV’s effective price down from $181,050 to around $131,000. See also: Mercedes-Benz Opens Orders for New CLA Hybrid Range in Europe, Starting at €46,243 The 2025 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 combines high-end materials and technology aimed at the brand’s most exclusive clientele. The model features reclining and massaging rear seats,…

Rivian Automotive said on Friday it has approved a new 10-year compensation plan for Chief Executive RJ Scaringe worth as much as $4.6 billion, in a move mirroring Tesla’s landmark pay package for CEO Elon Musk. The deal aims to retain Scaringe and incentivize long-term profitability as the U.S. electric vehicle maker pushes toward sustained growth. The plan replaces a previous 2021 package that Rivian said was unlikely to be met, setting lower share price milestones and updated operational targets. Scaringe’s new award includes options to buy up to 36.5 million shares of Rivian’s Class A stock at $15.22 per…

British electric vehicle infrastructure provider EO Charging said it has raised £25 million in a shareholder-led recapitalisation and expanded its debt facility with HSBC, as the company completes its planned exit from the US market to concentrate on commercial fleet charging in the UK and Europe. The financing follows a strategic restructuring that included the sale of EO’s domestic charger hardware and manufacturing business to Cogent Technologies, part of the Heathpatch Group. See also: Kempower and EO Charging Install Over 300 Electric Bus Charging Points Across UK EO said it will now focus on “software, services and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) for…

Waymo, the autonomous driving division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is set to expand its robotaxi service to three additional U.S. cities — Detroit, Las Vegas and San Diego — in 2026, as part of a broader push to scale its operations. With these additions, the company is poised to operate in a dozen U.S. markets, plus London, which will be its first international city. The expansion follows Waymo’s recent announcement of its entry into London and comes as competition in the autonomous ride-hailing sector intensifies. The company currently offers around 250,000 autonomous trips per week across five U.S. cities…

Vulcan Energy has received approval to build its commercial Lithium Extraction Plant (LEP) in Landau, Germany, marking a major step toward establishing a sustainable European lithium supply chain for electric vehicles. The German-Australian company said the city of Landau granted permission to build the facility in the D12 industrial zone, complementing existing permits for its geothermal power plant and substation. According to Vulcan, it now holds “all necessary permits to construct the combined geothermal and lithium extraction plant (G-LEP) in Landau.” The facility’s first phase will produce several thousand tonnes of lithium chloride, which will be transported to Frankfurt-Höchst for…

BMW has become one of the first European automakers to gain approval under the new Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS) regulation, allowing it to offer its motorway assistant for the iX3 electric SUV in up to 60 countries without separate national approvals. The DCAS regulation, introduced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), establishes an international legal framework for Level 2 driver assistance systems — technologies that continuously assist in steering and speed control but require drivers to remain alert and ready to intervene. See also: BMW iX3 Passes 100,000-Kilometer Long-Term Test with Strong Results Once approved by…