Author: Todd Gilbert

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has filed its new Qin Max pure electric sedan for regulatory approval in China, adding another model to its high-volume Qin lineup aimed at the mass-market segment. The Qin Max appears in the latest vehicle catalogue released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which lists models undergoing public consultation before final approval for sale. The feedback period for the newly listed vehicles runs from December 6 to December 12, marking the last major regulatory step before market entry. According to the MIIT filing, the Qin Max will be offered exclusively in single-motor…

China’s CATL expects to begin serial production at its battery manufacturing plant in Debrecen, Hungary, in March or April next year, subject to the receipt of final regulatory permits, the company’s European operations chief said. Matt Shen, CATL’s managing director for Europe, told Hungarian media that module assembly at the Debrecen site began in 2024 and that the factory has so far produced about 30,000 battery modules for electric vehicles. However, the battery cells used in those modules are still being supplied from other CATL plants, as local cell manufacturing has yet to come online. Shen said in-house cell production…

Chinese automaker Li Auto said it has delivered its 1.5 millionth vehicle, marking a new milestone for the extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) specialist, even as it grapples with weakening sales momentum this year. The company announced the achievement through its social media channels, about 14 months after surpassing one million cumulative deliveries in October 2024. Based on disclosed figures, Li Auto delivered just over 4,000 vehicles so far this month, after ending November with total cumulative deliveries of 1,495,969 units. See also: Li Auto to Deploy In-House M100 Smart Driving Chip in Production Vehicles From 2026 Founded in 2015, Li…

Jameel Motors UK has opened a £1.3 million flagship dealership and national headquarters for Chinese electric commercial vehicle brand Farizon in west London, as it steps up its expansion in the British zero-emission van market. The new Farizon Park Royal facility is located on the A406 North Circular near the Hangar Lane Gyratory and becomes the sixth Farizon retail site in the UK. It is also the first dealership to be directly operated by Jameel Motors rather than a franchised partner, underscoring the group’s long-term commitment to developing the brand in Europe. See also: Farizon Launches Two All-Electric SV Van…

Vauxhall has unveiled a one-off electric van concept featuring a built-in tea-making station, combining its Vivaro Electric model with a kettle, refrigerator, sink and sugar dispenser to reflect the daily habits of British tradespeople. The concept, named the “Electrici-TEA,” is based on the Vauxhall Vivaro Electric and is intended as a showcase rather than a production vehicle. The company said the model was created to underline the importance of tea breaks in working life, while most customers would still need to install their own equipment for hot drinks. See also: Vauxhall Unveils 800hp Electric Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo Concept…

Rivian has launched a new limited-time purple exterior paint option called “Borealis” for selected versions of its R1S SUV and R1T pickup, nearly a year after the colour was first spotted in public testing. The U.S. electric vehicle maker described the shade as “a dynamic, deep velvety purple that shifts with the light and captures the essence of the aurora borealis.” Rivian said the colour was inspired by images shared by owners whose vehicles appeared to glow under a rare purple-tinted sky during a 2024 solar event. See also: Rivian to Recall 34,824 Electric Delivery Vans in U.S. Over Seat…

European bus manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach has launched a new “zero-emission vehicle retrofit” service aimed at extending the operational life of earlier-generation electric buses by replacing key drivetrain components, starting with batteries, as operators seek to keep pace with rapid advances in electric vehicle technology. The service addresses a growing challenge facing fleet operators whose electric buses, delivered up to a decade ago, now lag behind current standards in range, efficiency and durability. Solaris said the retrofit programme allows older vehicles to benefit from modern energy storage systems, helping transport authorities maximise returns on existing investments while avoiding premature…

Dongfeng Nissan, Nissan Motor’s joint venture in China, has officially launched the N6 hybrid sedan, strengthening its electrified portfolio after beginning pre-sales of the model last month and following the introduction of the N7 pure electric sedan earlier this year. The N6 was unveiled with a limited-time starting price of RMB 91,900 ($13,000), down from its pre-sales price of RMB 109,900. The promotional pricing reflects a reduction of RMB 17,100, or 16.38%, as the automaker seeks to compete aggressively in China’s crowded plug-in hybrid segment. See also: Dongfeng Nissan’s N7 Electric Sedan Gains Traction in China with Over 17,000 Orders…

Chery Automobile’s premium brand Exeed has officially launched the ET5 mid-size sport utility vehicle in China, positioning the extended-range electric model at younger family buyers with a reduced effective starting price following brand subsidies. The Exeed ET5 is offered in two variants, with official list prices of 144,900 yuan and 159,900 yuan. A 10,000-yuan trade-in subsidy lowers the effective entry price to 134,900 yuan ($19,070) for the base version, representing a reduction of 25,000 yuan from the pre-sales price announced earlier this month. The model was unveiled earlier this year at the 2025 Chengdu auto show and entered pre-sales on…

BYD has recalled nearly 89,000 units of its Qin Plus DM-i plug-in hybrid sedan in China due to potential power output limitations linked to battery consistency issues, according to a notice published on Tuesday by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). The recall covers a total of 88,981 vehicles and takes effect immediately. It includes two production batches: 52,890 vehicles built between Sept. 26, 2021, and Sept. 23, 2023, and 36,091 units manufactured between Jan. 7, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022. See also: BYD Recalls Over 115,000 Tang and Yuan Pro Electric Vehicles in China Due to Safety Risks…

Polestar has opened its largest retail facility to date in Kista, a technology district in Stockholm, consolidating vehicle display, sales, servicing and delivery operations into a single flagship location as the electric car maker expands its global physical presence. The new site spans more than 1,000 square metres and serves as a showcase for Polestar’s full model range, including the Polestar 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The facility is intended to act as a template for the brand’s retail strategy as it grows a network that now exceeds 190 sales locations worldwide. See also: Polestar to Adopt Google’s Gemini…

Vermeer, a provider of vision-based navigation technology, has formed a strategic partnership with Sentry Operations to develop an integrated solution for unmanned systems operating in GPS-degraded or GPS-denied environments. The companies said the collaboration combines Vermeer’s AI-powered perception stack with Sentry’s precision-effects and terminal-guidance technology. The partnership targets a growing operational need for U.S. and allied forces as electronic-warfare threats increase. Vermeer CEO Brian Streem said the navigation technology has already been validated in combat scenarios in Ukraine. “Sentry’s technology adds essential accuracy and survivability,” Streem said, adding that the combined system is designed to deliver the autonomy required for…

Solus Advanced Materials said on Nov. 26 it had signed a medium- to long-term supply contract to provide about 20,000 tonnes of battery-grade copper foil to a top-10 Chinese battery manufacturer that is building a production facility in Europe. The customer is expected to begin initial production at the end of next year, with mass production scheduled for 2027. Under the agreement, Solus Advanced Materials plans to supply roughly 20,000 tonnes of battery foil over a period of at least five years starting next year, although the actual volume could vary depending on market conditions. The batteries produced using the…

UK motorway service area operator Extra MSA Group and charge point operator Gridserve will deploy seven new electric vehicle Super Hubs across key motorway locations, adding 96 high-power charging (HPC) bays by late 2026. The first site is scheduled to open at Beaconsfield Services in December, followed by installations at Baldock, Cambridge, Cobham, Cullompton, Leeds Skelton Lake and Peterborough, the companies said. Each location will be equipped with chargers capable of delivering up to 400 kilowatts, allowing compatible electric vehicles to add more than 100 miles of driving range in under ten minutes, according to Gridserve. The new sites will…

Kia may be forced to raise prices on future vehicles, including its planned electric pickup truck, if prolonged tariff pressures continue to weigh on costs, a company executive said, according to Car and Driver. The comments underscore the financial uncertainty facing Hyundai Motor Group as it balances its value-oriented positioning with rising parts and import duties. “Others have raised prices,” Wager said. “I’m not going to name names, and we’ve seen their sales drop. The takeaway is we can’t do it forever. We’ve made it eight months since April so far. If tariffs don’t get resolved or they’re that high,…

LG Chem said on November 25 that it has developed a technique to uniformly control the particle size of solid electrolytes, a core component of all-solid-state batteries, with the findings published in Advanced Energy Materials. The company described the achievement as a step that strengthens the prospects for commercializing all-solid-state battery technology. The development stems from joint research between LG Chem’s Next Generation Materials Research Institute and a team led by Professor Song Tae-sup at Hanyang University. All-solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolytes used in traditional lithium-ion systems with solid-state materials, offering safety advantages and higher energy density. However, inconsistent…

Rivian Automotive Inc. has acknowledged a software calibration issue affecting the range estimation on its Dual Standard lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) vehicles, the company confirmed in a customer email sent on Monday. The problem can cause range readings to become less accurate, particularly when the state of charge drops below 20%. The company said a fix for the issue will be included in the upcoming over-the-air (OTA) update 2025.38.30. In the meantime, Rivian recommended that owners charge their vehicles to 100% more frequently over the next few weeks to allow the range estimator to recalibrate. See also: Rivian CEO Confirms Dual-Motor R2…

WattHub has opened a new public high-power charging hub for heavy commercial vehicles at Maasvlakte in the Port of Rotterdam, the Dutch company said on Thursday. The site uses charging hardware from Kempower and operating technology from Virta, which manages the hub around the clock through a reservation system with flexible tariffs. The 5,000-square-metre facility is designed for trucks and off-highway vehicles operating in and around Europe’s largest port. In its initial phase, the hub includes 30 Kempower charging points rated at 400 kW and five additional points at 250 kW. Gerben van den Berg, CEO of WattHub, said the…

CharIN, the organisation promoting global standardisation of charging interfaces, said it is making progress on technical frameworks for the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), with mining and maritime applications advancing most quickly. The group said its work is intended to support higher-efficiency charging solutions and help reduce emissions in sectors with high energy demand. Electrification is accelerating in mining, particularly for large dump trucks that can account for 30% to 80% of a site’s total energy use. CharIN is working with the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) to establish harmonised standards for heavy-duty charging. One outcome is the development…

Google has begun rolling out its Gemini AI assistant to Android Auto, replacing Google Assistant on vehicles equipped with the smartphone projection system, the company announced on Thursday. The rollout applies to users who have upgraded to Gemini on their Android devices. Android Auto is an app that projects features like navigation, music, and messaging from an Android phone to a vehicle’s display. By integrating Gemini, Google says users can now engage in more natural, back-and-forth conversations while driving, allowing for more complex tasks. “By bringing Gemini to Android Auto, people can ask questions, manage messages, access emails, and get…