Author: Todd Gilbert

Finnish DC fast charger company Kempower and UK EV infrastructure firm EO Charging have deployed more than 300 electric bus charging points across the United Kingdom, part of a three-year collaboration that began in 2022. The partnership has so far delivered 342 charging points, with an additional 150 already underway. The infrastructure serves 11 bus depots nationwide, predominantly in London and Scotland, supporting operators including Metroline, Go Ahead, and Stagecoach. In Scotland, the companies implemented Kempower’s first commercial pantograph project in the Northern Hemisphere. The overhead pantograph system enables charging speeds of up to 500kW, allowing buses to recharge in…

Norwegian electric vehicle (EV) charging company Wattif has rapidly expanded from a single-market startup in 2021 to managing more than 45,000 charge points across six European countries, the company said on Tuesday. Partnering with EV charging management platform AMPECO, Wattif reported a 370% revenue increase while consolidating eight legacy systems into a unified platform to support pan-European operations. Wattif’s expansion covers Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Ireland, and the UK, including recent strategic acquisitions such as BilLader AS, EFUEL, Charge365, Laddel, and Mer Norway’s housing cooperative portfolio. Andreas Strand, CEO of Wattif, highlighted the role of AMPECO’s system in the growth:…

Chinese autonomous driving technology firm WeRide and Southeast Asian super app Grab will jointly roll out a robotaxi service in Singapore, marking a significant step in WeRide’s international expansion. The service, branded Ai.R (Autonomously Intelligent Ride), has been selected by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) as the first autonomous shuttle project serving residential areas. It will operate along two designated routes in the northeastern district of Punggol, with an initial fleet of 11 robotaxis. WeRide said the Ai.R fleet will include its five-passenger Robotaxi GXR and eight-passenger Robobus, both of which have achieved Singapore’s Milestone 1 (M1) certification. “This makes…

Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit, and transit technology provider Via announced a partnership to integrate fully autonomous ride-hailing services into public transportation, beginning this fall in Chandler, Arizona. The collaboration will allow government agencies that use Via’s software to incorporate Waymo vehicles into existing networks. In Chandler, the integration will be deployed within the city’s Chandler Flex microtransit service, which has provided nearly 120,000 rides to date. Via’s scheduling algorithms will match riders with autonomous vehicles, creating dynamic and efficient routes. Waymo said its vehicles, which operate in five U.S. cities and deliver hundreds of thousands of paid trips weekly,…

Tesla has updated its referral program in the United States, offering $1,000 off its three most expensive models — the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck — when customers place an order using a referral code. The new incentive replaces the previous $250 discount and applies only to Tesla’s premium lineup. Buyers of the Model 3 and Model Y will instead receive three months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) subscription. Tesla had previously offered $2,000 across its entire lineup under a referral program last year. The latest change comes after the automaker recently raised starting prices by $10,000 on the Model…

Zeekr will begin pre-sales of its updated Zeekr 001 shooting brake on September 23, earlier than initially planned, according to domestic media reports citing an internal company notice. The official launch remains scheduled for mid-October, with deliveries to start shortly after. The updated 001 will be equipped with Nvidia’s Thor-U smart driving chip and a 900-volt high-voltage system, alongside minor interior and exterior refinements. The model is Zeekr’s first and has served as its key sales driver since launch, accounting for 20.40 percent of the brand’s deliveries between January and August, when 25,575 units were handed over. Zeekr last updated…

Autel Energy said its MaxiCharger technology is supporting South Africa’s largest public EV bus charging project at the Arrowgate Depot in Cape Town, where the company is working with STS Tech Group to expand charging infrastructure for a 120-bus fleet by 2025. The site currently operates 30 MaxiCharger DC Fast units with power ratings between 150 and 240 kW and will grow to 50 by the end of the year, enabling the transition of the full fleet. Sixty-eight BYD B12 buses, each with a 240-km range and capacity for 65 passengers, are already in service. Autel said the project will…

BYD’s luxury sub-brand Yangwang has unveiled the U9 Xtreme, an ultra-high-performance electric supercar that has claimed the title of the world’s fastest production vehicle. Launched on Saturday, the U9 Xtreme recorded an officially certified top speed of 496.22 km/h (308.3 mph) at Germany’s ATP proving ground, surpassing the 472.41 km/h set by a Yangwang U9 test car in August. The company said it will produce only 30 units of the model, with reservations now open. The U9 Xtreme also became the first pure-electric production vehicle to break the 7-minute barrier at Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, clocking a lap time of 6…

Nio introduced the ET9 Horizon Edition, a special variant of its ET9 executive flagship sedan, as the Chinese electric vehicle maker seeks to strengthen its presence in the country’s ultra-luxury car segment. The ET9 Horizon Edition was unveiled at the company’s Nio Day 2025 event in Hangzhou, with deliveries scheduled to begin by the end of September. The model starts at RMB 818,000 ($114,960) including the battery pack, marking a RMB 50,000, or 6.51 percent, increase over the base model’s starting price of RMB 768,000. A mid-tier Signature Edition is also available from RMB 788,000. Under Nio’s Battery as a…

Dow Jones said it has acquired Eco-Movement, a Netherlands-based platform that provides global electric vehicle (EV) charging data, in a move aimed at strengthening its energy business unit OPIS. Eco-Movement, headquartered in Utrecht, tracks nearly 2 million charging connectors across more than 80 countries, offering real-time information on infrastructure availability and pricing. The platform will be integrated into OPIS, which focuses on data and analytics in fuels, carbon markets, clean energy, and hydrogen. Dow Jones reported an 11% rise in revenue from its energy business to $278 million in its latest fiscal year, contributing to overall company revenues of $2.33…

A third of UK drivers are ready to switch to electric vehicles, with government grants emerging as a key factor in boosting adoption, according to a new study commissioned by Renault. The survey found that 54% of respondents in London would consider buying a battery-powered car following the launch of the Electric Car Grant (ECG) earlier this summer. Younger adults aged 17 to 34 were significantly more likely to consider replacing petrol cars within two years, while only 27% of respondents aged 55 and older said they might do so. On the dealer side, 48% of respondents said the ECG…

Israel may become one of the first countries outside the United States to host a Tesla robotaxi pilot, a senior government official said this week, signaling the company’s potential expansion of its autonomous ride-hailing ambitions. Speaking at an energy and infrastructure conference in Ramat Gan, Moshe Ben Zaken, Director General of the Ministry of Transportation, said Tesla is preparing to carry out a trial of autonomous taxis in Israel. He described it as a “first-of-its-kind” pilot, according to local media outlet The Marker. Tesla has not confirmed any robotaxi programs outside the United States and has not officially announced plans…