Scooter Doll

We are just days away from Chinese EV automaker NIO’s annual NIO Day event, which has already promised some big reveals, including the long-teased ET9 and the first model under its new FireFly sub-brand. As an appetizer, NIO has shared the first un-camouflaged images of the ET9 and its official FireFly logo.

Commercial freight EV and autonomous driving developer Einride continues to expand its operations globally. Today, the company announced the launch of the first daily commercial operations of its proprietary autonomous trucks in Europe, delivering goods for a pharmacy e-retailer.

General Motors (GM) and EV charging network ChargePoint announced they are joining efforts to install hundreds of ultra-fast EV charging ports across the US. Additionally, those new chargers will include ChargePoint’s recently released Omni Port technology, enabling both NACS- and CCS-equipped EVs to charge seamlessly.

Young electric water taxi service E-lixr is pivoting its previous business strategy to become the US’s first operator of all-electric vessels. It now seeks to support new and existing marine fleet operators with a unified platform.

Young mobile home solutions developer AC Future has shared the final design of its flagship product – a solar-electric RV called the AI-Transformable Home or “Ai-TH” for short. Designed through a partnership with Hydra Design Labs, the Ai-TH has transcended beyond the concept phase and will be showcased as a physical demonstration unit at CES 2025 in Las Vegas next month.

Chinese EV automaker ZEEKR is returning to Las Vegas this January to showcase its EV technology in the US during the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). ZEEKR intends to showcase three of its most popular all-electric models before unveiling some new core technologies and discussing its plans for the global EV market.

Chinese EV automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) continues demonstrating why it should be a name on your radar. The veteran company announced a significant milestone this month, sharing that its largest EV production facility in China has produced one million BYD vehicles this year for the first time ever. This stat is from one plant, not BYD’s global annual production tally. BYD is coming.

Three months after ZEEKR launched its new 7X SUX in China, the EV automaker has opened up sales in select markets in Europe, its third model in the region. The ZEEKR 7X will start below 53,000 Euros, and early European customers can take advantage of free upgrade packages.

Silicon Valley startup RollAway is offering a novel idea that rethinks the traditional lodging experience. RollAway has unveiled its first generation “Suite on Wheels” – a boutique sleeper rental built from a BrightDrop electric van. The Suites on Wheels are available to reserve and test out now, giving customers the freedom to explore sustainably, park, and lodge in whatever location they’d like.

Electric RV specialist Lightship is officially entering the recreation vehicle segment with a renamed version of its all-electric travel trailer, formerly known as the L1. Today, the company unveiled the Lightship AE.1—the production-ready version of its predecessor. It is now on sale as a limited “Cosmos Edition,” of which only a limited supply will be built and sold.

Costco Wholesale has collaborated with North American EV charging network Electrify America and rolled out a series of DC fast chargers available to all EV drivers at select store locations. The EV chargers are operational at those Costco stores now, beginning in three states.

According to regulatory filings in China, EV automaker XPeng Motors is planning upgrades to at least two current models. The filings detail facelifts to the XPeng G6 and G9 SUVs and hint at the automaker’s strategy of moving on from LiDAR sensors in favor of pure vision cameras, similar to Tesla.

Zero-emissions freight mobility solutions specialist Intramotev continues to expand the use of its technology to new customers in the US. Today, the company shared video footage of its TugVolt battery electric railcar retrofit deployed at a calcium mine in Michigan.

It’s been a four-plus-year journey for Gravity – Lucid Motors’ second flagship SUV. Since it was first unveiled, I’ve followed Gravity’s development closely, itching to get behind the wheel of a full-fledged production version to test drive – and that day has finally come, my friends. Last week, I took a trip to Lucid’s design studio, where I had my most intimate encounter with the Gravity SUV to date, including a brief but informative test drive around the Bay Area. There, I also learned that the official range of the Lucid Gravity is an impressive 450 miles. Check out images and a video of my experience below.

European OEM Stellantis has announced a new joint venture with the world’s largest battery manufacturer CATL, to build a large-scale lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant at one of the former’s existing production sites.

Chinese tech behemoth turned EV automaker Xiaomi Automobile continues to make its presence known in the industry, striking fast and often. Following news earlier this year that it was working on a second flagship model, an SUV, to compete against the Tesla Model Y, Xiaomi has finally unveiled it and shared it will be called the YU7; have a look.

eVTOL developer Archer Aviation has solidified an existing partnership in the Abu Dhabi region of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Today, the company announced a new multi-party collaboration agreement with key UAE and Abu Dhabi entities in order to establish evTOL air taxi operations in that area of the Middle East. In doing so, Archer would become the first eVTOL network to begin commercial air taxi flights in Abu Dhabi and intends to do so “as soon as possible.”

Solid-state battery developer QuantumScape shared another critical milestone today: its “Cobra” separator production process has been developed, delivered, installed, and is ready for initial separator processing. The achievement was the last item on QuantumScape’s list of goals for 2024, putting it on track to produce a higher volume of samples of its flagship commercial solid-state battery, the QSE-5.

As promised, robotaxi developer Waymo is expanding its Waymo One service to new US cities. The latest on its service map is Miami, which will see a start of robotaxi testing operations next year before Waymo opens up public rides to all customers. ¡Hasta pronto, Miami!

Rivian has just opened the second of its new lineup of Charging Outposts, where EV owners can recharge, replenish, and, in true Rivian fashion, make their own trail mix. The new site, located in Joshua Tree, California, is the first Rivian Charging Outpost offering access to all EV makes and models as the American automaker works to expand the availability of its charging network throughout the US.

Advanced air mobility (AAM) operator UrbanLink continues to make big moves in establishing a fleet of eVTOL aircraft for air taxi and other aerial mobility applications. Most recently, the company signed a new partnership with CRISALION Mobility out of Spain, committing to purchase 20 of the latter’s Integrity eVTOL aircraft as UrbanLink expands beyond its native state of Florida and overseas to at least two markets in Europe.

Mazda Miata fans rejoice! EV conversion specialist Electrogenic has introduced a new “plug-and-play” conversion kit for the Mazda MX-5 that makes the original model all-electric. This EV conversion kit keeps the soul of the beloved Mazda Miata, but adds more performance and playfulness to a car that is already renowned for being a joy to drive.

We hinted at it last month, and it’s now official – Aptera Motors has re-opened its crowdfunding program, giving fans and believers in the startup’s solar electric vehicle technology the opportunity to invest and help it reach scaled production.

Despite tariffs on imported Chinese EVs in place in Europe, BYD is making good on its vow to continue its global expansion and is showing no signs of deterrence. The Chinese automaker recently put its second BYD-branded ship, “Changzhou,” into operation to export thousands more new energy vehicles (NEVs) to Europe.