Ford’s view on EV future doesn’t change, the approach does

July 25, 2024

Ford’s energy transition has been challenging. Until now, America’s number two carmaker has lost money. Nevertheless, CEO Jim Farley says it will adapt its strategy and not change its vision on EVs. In Q2 2024, Ford lost $1.14 billion on its electric activities, which were compensated by good sales of all kinds of ICE vehicles […]

Sollei Concept proves Cadillac wants to go high-luxury again

July 24, 2024

Cadillac has revealed the Sollei Concept, an exquisite two-door convertible that is, in fact, a Celestiq, Cadillac’s new high-luxury limousine, minus a roof and two doors. Once heralded as one of the premier luxury marques worldwide, Cadillac’s status faltered as its cars increasingly shared parts with other, more common General Motors vehicles. That is set […]

US President Biden allocates $1.7 B for EV car manufacturing

July 12, 2024

The US Department of Energy announced $1.7 billion in grant awards today to help automakers keep eleven troubled manufacturing plants open and start building EVs there. The 11 selected plants are located in eight different states and have been designated as “shuttered or at-risk” facilities. These plants were either recently shut down by car manufacturers […]

Hyzon to pull out of Australia and focus solely on North America

July 03, 2024

The US-based hydrogen truck manufacturer Hyzon is narrowing its focus further on North America. After shutting down its European production facility in the Netherlands, the company plans to leave the Australian market, one of the most significant contributors to its revenue, to focus on the North American waste truck business instead. The road ahead continues […]

AlixPartners: ‘One in three cars sold worldwide in 2030 will be Chinese’

July 01, 2024

In 2030, one in three cars sold worldwide will be Chinese, compared to one in five today. Chinese brands are well underway to catch 33% of the global car market by then, according to a study by financial advisory and international consulting firm AlixPartners. “The 21st edition of the AlixPartners Global Automotive Outlook finds Chinese […]

America will have to wait for Volvo EX30 ‘made in Belgium’

June 28, 2024

It’s official now: due to the 100% import taxes the Biden Administration imposes on EVs built in China, America will have to wait for the Volvo EX30 ‘made in Belgium’ to arrive. And that will be no sooner than 2025. People who had already paid a $500 deposit to make a reservation got a message […]

VW throws US electric pickup maker Rivian $5 billion lifeline

June 27, 2024

Europe’s biggest carmaker, Volkswagen, pumps one billion dollars into American electric van and pickup specialist Rivian and promises another $4 billion in the coming years. For loss-making Rivian, losing up to $39,000 per car it produced, it’s a lifeline. For VW, it is a way to integrate Rivian’s software and next-generation electrical/electronic architecture for further […]

Aptera starts to market its solar panel technology

June 25, 2024

Aptera Motors, the Californian start-up for solar electric vehicles (SEV), wants to expand into new mobility industries by licensing its innovative solar technology. Retrofitting cars with solar panels can significantly boost their range. Aptera Motors is looking into various sectors to offer its propriety technology, not only automotive. Aptera is in the phase of scaling […]

New York governor torpedoes Manhattan congestion charge

June 07, 2024

The Manhattan congestion charge, planned for activation in late June this year, has been axed. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced the “indefinite suspension” of the controversial charge, which was modeled after similar low-emission zones in London, Stockholm, and Singapore. “I’ve made a tough decision: implementing the traffic tax puts too much at risk […]

Factorial solid-state cells to be tested by Mercedes

June 07, 2024

Solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy has delivered B-samples of its cells to Mercedes-Benz. The German company is now integrating these into modules and battery packs before extensively testing them. The American company has also publicized an energy density value for the first time: 391 Wh/kg. According to Factorial Energy, the B samples are solid-state battery […]

Cadillac unveils Optiq, mid-size electric SUV bound for Europe

May 31, 2024

Almost a year after the Chinese government first showed pictures of the upcoming Cadillac Optiq, the American manufacturer unveiled the mid-size electric SUV. The Optiq slots in below the Lyriq in Cadillac’s electric line-up and is also coming to Europe, likely in 2025. The Cadillac Optiq is a mid-size SUV with a length of 4.83 […]

Jeep Wagoneer S is brand’s first fully committed ‘American’ EV

May 31, 2024

Jeep’s first fully electric vehicle that stands on its own is the Wagoneer S. While it is not the first electrified vehicle by the manufacturer, it is the first that is not built based on a combustion model. Pictures of the car had already leaked out in January; now, the manufacturer has official ones, also […]

China threatens 25% tariffs on imports from EU and US automakers

May 27, 2024

According to the media outlet Automotive News Europe, China plans to retaliate against the tariff hike from the Biden Administration, and a similar plan from the EU is expected within the coming weeks. China is considering elevating these duties from 15% to 25% Elevated tariffs from Chinese customs could impact US and EU automakers, exacerbating […]

Daimler Truck North America recycles up to 95% of battery materials

May 27, 2024

Daimler Truck North America (Freightliner, Detroit Diesel) has detailed its end-of-life strategy for used electric truck batteries. The strategy uses a waterfall process in three stages: remanufacture, repurpose, and recycle. The company aims to achieve carbon neutrality for its entire operations by 2039. When debating the environmental benefit of electric drivetrains compared to traditional combustion […]

Honda shows Class 8 fuel cell truck concept in Vegas

May 22, 2024

Honda has unveiled its Class 8 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Concept at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Las Vegas. The concept truck is based on a Peterbilt chassis and offers up to 400 miles (644 km) of range, but Honda has no plans to produce the truck by itself. Along with Toyota and […]

Hino and Hexagon Purus launch Tern electric truck brand for US

May 22, 2024

Japanese truck manufacturer Hino Trucks (Toyota) and Norwegian zero-emission powertrain and storage specialist Hexagon Purus have joined forces to create Tern, a new zero-emission truck brand aimed at the US market. Their first RC8 model was unveiled at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Las Vegas. The Tern RC8 is a short-haul battery-electric truck that […]

Tavares: ‘Raising import taxes on Chinese EVs is walking into a trap’

May 17, 2024

Carlos Tavares, the big boss of car giant Stellantis, with a total of 14 French, Italian, and American car brands under his wings, is crushing opposed to Joe Biden’s move to increase import taxes for Chinese cars in the US  with 100% and the EU’s plans to do something similar. “When you put a bubble […]

Biden doubles the price of imported Chinese EVs

May 15, 2024

“We will never let China control the market for this type of vehicle.” With those words, the President of the US, Joe Biden, announced that he would raise current import rates for Chinese EVs from 25% to 100%. Fearing an engulfment of cheaper Chinese electric cars, this doubles their retail price. Citing the impossibility of […]

Amazon adds fifty Volvo VNR Electric semis to its Californian fleet

May 10, 2024

Amazon says it is investing in electric vehicles worldwide and is now rolling out nearly 50 heavy-duty electric trucks from Volvo in Southern California. They will share the Californian roads with 13,500 custom-built Rivian electric vans, a fleet that should be expanded to 100,000 vans by 2030. The fully electric trucks will haul cargo containers […]

Siemens to supply first high-speed rail trains for US

May 03, 2024

German technology conglomerate Siemens may build the railcars for the first high-speed rail line in the US between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Brightline, which is leading the project, has announced this. A fleet of ten railcars is involved. Siemens will also build a plant in the US to manufacture the ‘American Pioneer 220’ (AP […]

Musk sacks his entire Tesla Supercharger team

May 02, 2024

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has almost entirely fired the team – some 500 people – responsible for the Supercharger network, including Rebecca Tinucci, senior director of EV charging, who talked the whole car industry in America into adopting Tesla’s NACS standard. Musk earlier said that cutting 10% of the 140,000 jobs would be necessary to […]

Honda to build four EV and battery factories in Canada

April 26, 2024

Honda has announced building four electric vehicle and battery plants in Canada, which is increasingly becoming an eldorado for the global electric vehicle industry. The move from the Japanese automaker marks the largest automotive investment in Canadian history, representing a historic €10.2 billion investment. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe announced during a press conference in Alliston, […]

Revenue from Fords EV division implodes

April 26, 2024

Ford Motor Company reported in its first-quarter results a whopping 84% plunge in revenue from its all-electric Model e division. While the commercial department is demonstrating positive growth, and the Detroit giant exceeded overall expectations, it is grappling with substantial challenges in its electric vehicle (EV) sector. Overall, the news isn’t bad. Recording $42.8 billion […]

IEA: 2024 set to be record-year for global EV sales

April 24, 2024

In its Global EV Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a “robust” 20% growth in electric vehicle (EV) sales for the entirety of 2024. This optimistic projection positions the year to shatter previous records, with an estimated 17 million EVs expected to be sold. The findings are surprising as they collide with earlier signs of […]

Deal on US subsidies for European EVs stranded (again)

April 12, 2024

Officials failed to reach on agreement on EV subsidies for cars exported from the EU to the US. The recent negotiations were considered a last chance before presidential elections might turn the tables. However, negotiations will continue. The EU and the US have held talks for some time to reach a bilateral agreement over EV […]

New Jersey takes lead in ‘punishing’ EVs with $250 road tax

April 05, 2024

New Jersey, the US’s ‘Garden State’, is imposing the highest road tax on electric vehicles nationwide, requiring a $250 fee yearly, increasing by $10 each year to top off at $290 in 2028. The money is used for the state’s Transportation Trust Fund to maintain roads, railways, and bridges. While EVs worldwide are mostly exempted […]

Nissan and Mitsubishi to jointly work on pickups and hybrids for America

April 02, 2024

Alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi have been collaborating since 2016 in their home market of Japan. Still, a plan has been formed to extend this pooling of resources to North America. A Mexico-built 1-ton pickup truck and a plug-in hybrid vehicle for Nissan are first on the agenda to strengthen both brands in the US. […]

China files WTO complaint over ‘discriminatory’ US subsidy scheme

April 01, 2024

China has escalated its confrontation with the United States over electric vehicle (EV) subsidies by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Beijing deems the practices under the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) “discriminatory”. It feels targeted in particular and believes they are a form of unfair competition in the changing automotive market. […]

Biden pushes carmakers on lenient path to 50% CO2 reduction

March 21, 2024

President Joe Biden is pushing the American car industry toward reducing CO2 emissions by 50% in 2032 compared to 2026, as first announced last year in April. However, under pressure from carmakers and unions, he has allowed a more ‘lenient’ path to achieving that in the 2027-2030 period, with no longer stringent quotas for the […]

Ford E-Transit gets up to 32% more range

March 07, 2024

Ford has updated the full-size E-Transit in the US, boosting the range by 26 to 32 percent thanks to a new 89 kWh battery. The electric van also gets 49 percent faster charging while the price only increases slightly for the American market. A European launch has not yet been announced. The 2022 E-Transit was […]