Author: Todd Gilbert

Ford Motor is exploring opportunities to sell excess batteries from its new U.S. facility as the automaker adapts its electric vehicle strategy amid cooling demand and upcoming policy shifts. BlueOval SK, Ford’s joint venture with South Korea’s SK On, began battery production this week at its Glendale, Kentucky, plant, which will supply the F-150 Lightning pickup. But executives say the plant could take on broader roles. “Both of our parents are looking for opportunities for new business,” BlueOval SK chief executive Michael Adams told Bloomberg, adding that the priority of finding outside buyers was “fairly high.” Potential customers could include…

BYD said on Monday that its Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid SUV has surpassed 10,000 sales in the UK less than a year after its debut, making it the country’s best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle. The model has become BYD UK’s top seller, helping the Chinese automaker reach a cumulative 30,000 sales since launching in the British market in 2023. The milestone comes as the company accelerates efforts to grow its share in Europe through electric and hybrid offerings. “The Seal U DM-i’s fantastic sales statistics show how the British public are responding in ever greater numbers to our brand proposition,…

AUDI, the premium automotive brand of Volkswagen, and Chinese automaker SAIC have launched pre-sales of their first jointly developed electric vehicle, the E5 Sportback, in China. The model follows the introduction of the AUDI brand in November 2024, with official launch planned for September 2025. The E5 Sportback is a midsize sedan built on the Advanced Digitized Platform EV architecture co-developed by Audi and SAIC. It measures 4,881 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width, and 1,479 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,950 mm, comparable to Nio’s ET5 Touring. The vehicle is offered in single-motor and dual-motor configurations,…

UK-based Everrati Automotive Limited has launched the Porsche 911 (993) Founders Edition, a limited-run electric vehicle that reinterprets the classic air-cooled 911 with contemporary electric performance. The vehicle was unveiled during Monterey Car Week, highlighting Everrati’s focus on combining heritage design with sustainable technology. The Founders Edition is capped at nine initial builds, with owners contributing to design choices, including bespoke paint colors. Each car maintains the 993’s iconic silhouette and analogue cabin while incorporating hypercar-grade electric motors and inverters to deliver high-performance yet quiet driving suitable for grand touring. Interiors feature handcrafted, bespoke materials reflecting British craftsmanship. The model…

Dongfeng Motor’s premium electric off-road brand M-Hero has officially launched the M817 hybrid SUV, incorporating Huawei’s latest automotive technologies as it expands its lineup in China. The M817 was unveiled on Thursday with two versions, Pro and Max, starting at 319,900 yuan ($44,540) and 349,900 yuan respectively. The prices mark a 10,000-yuan reduction from earlier pre-sale levels. The model is a five-seat off-road SUV measuring 5,100 mm in length, nearly 2,000 mm in width, and up to 1,919 mm in height, with a 3,005 mm wheelbase. It features a hybrid powertrain with a 1.5-liter engine and dual electric motors, delivering…

Wiggins Lift Co., a U.S. manufacturer of heavy equipment, has introduced its Yard eBull, an electric forklift designed for ports and industrial yards seeking to cut emissions while maintaining high lifting capacity. The Yard eBull can be configured to lift between 36,000 and 120,000 pounds and is equipped with enough battery capacity to operate for two to three shifts before recharging. When needed, the machine uses a standard automotive CCS port compatible with DC fast-charging systems, including hardware from ChargePoint. See also: SSA Marine Converts Entire Forklift Fleet at Port of LA Terminal to Electric in Zero-Emissions Milestone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ6XBFc8EO8 “While…

Germany’s Mobility House has introduced the Alpitronic Hypercharger HYC49, a fast-charging station with a maximum output of 49.9 kW, positioned to comply with the European Union’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) without requiring a payment terminal. The HYC49 is technically based on the HYC50 model but is factory-configured to deliver 100 watts less power. By keeping output under the 50 kW threshold, the charger avoids the AFIR mandate—effective from April 13, 2024—that requires all newly installed public chargers of 50 kW or higher to include widely accepted electronic payment terminals. “This is done on the software side via the load…

Volvo Cars has announced further changes to its senior leadership team following Hakan Samuelsson’s return as chief executive earlier this year, including appointing managers to oversee individual product lines. In March, Volvo’s board dismissed CEO Jim Rowan and reinstated Samuelsson, who previously led the Swedish automaker for many years, to serve for two years until a younger, long-term successor is found. The company said Erik Severinson, formerly Chief Product & Strategy Officer, has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer with immediate effect. He will be succeeded in his previous role by Michael Fleiss, who returns to Volvo after leaving in…

Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has partnered with Plugsurfing to provide customers access to more than one million public charging points across 24 European countries, replacing a previous partnership with Bosch whose service was discontinued earlier this year. VinFast customers in key markets including Germany, France, and the Netherlands will benefit from a network of over 550,000 charging points. As part of the agreement, the company is providing new charging cards free of charge, with all account balances and charging history transferred to maintain continuity. Access will also be integrated into the VinFast app. Plugsurfing COO Sofia Diakhate said the…

An unusual crash involving a Ford Mustang Mach-E occurred yesterday in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the incident captured on video by another driver. The footage shows the electric crossover traveling at speed along a highway while scraping against the side wall before colliding with another vehicle at an entrance ramp. The video, recorded by a commuter in San Carlos, depicts a green Mach-E with hazard lights on, maintaining contact with the wall. The driver appears to have both hands raised and off the wheel. As the vehicle reached an on-ramp, it crossed into the path of a red…

Importers of electric vehicles in Norway have established a dedicated company to collect and recycle high-energy batteries, as the country prepares for a surge in discarded battery volumes over the next decade. The newly created Autoretur Battery Recycling (ABR), set up by the Norwegian Association of Vehicle Importers (Bilimportørenes Landsforening, BIL) through Autoretur AS, has received approval from the Norwegian Environment Agency to operate as an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) organisation. ABR will begin operations on Nov. 1, 2025, managing the collection and processing of up to 50,000 used high-energy batteries annually by 2030, with volumes projected to exceed 100,000…

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kaellenius has expressed criticism of the European Union’s plan to ban the sale of new CO2-emitting vehicles from 2035, describing the target as potentially damaging to the automotive industry and calling for a more technology-neutral approach. His remarks come amid growing debate as the EU’s policy is scheduled for review later this year. “We need a reality check. Otherwise we are heading at full speed against a wall,” Kaellenius told the Handelsblatt business daily on Monday. He warned that Europe’s car market could “collapse” if the ban proceeds as planned, and suggested that consumers might rush to…