Scooter Doll

China is returning to work following a break to celebrate the 2024 Lunar New Year, and XPeng Motors looks to hit the ground running with massive expansion plans. According to an internal letter, XPeng Chairman CEO He Xiaopeng detailed plans to deliver about 30 new and updated EV models over the next three years, bridging the price gap between $14,000 and $56,000 vehicles in China.

Born again truck brand Scout Motors hit a significant milestone this morning, breaking ground in Blythewood, South Carolina, the site of its future US hub for electric truck production. We’re still a ways away from the public debut of Scout’s flagship model. Still, there’s a lot to be excited about, and the brand’s heritage is already garnering a loyal fanbase in full support of its all-electric transition.

With its second all-electric model hitting the market this year, Lucid Motors wants to ensure consumers don’t forget about its flagship sedan – the Air. Having just launched its 2024 Air models a couple of months ago, slashing prices, Lucid has lowered its MSRPs once again, incentivizing potential customers with additional charging and maintenance bonuses as well.

General Motors (GM) has once again expanded its maps of routes that enable Super Cruise hands-free driving in North America. The American automaker now operates the largest hands-free driving network now that it has nearly doubled the mileage of available routes on the continent.

Fresh off a successful crowdfunding program to gain capital and secure slots for its first 2,000 solar EV builds, Aptera Motors is offering a peek at its production-intent design currently being finalized in Italy. See more in the video below.

Kenya-based electric mobility company ROAM has successfully completed a Series A funding round totaling $24 million in equity and debt to expand local production and further electrify mobility across Africa.

Following successful DC fast charger launches in Europe, Wallbox has begun production on its third-generation EV charger, the Supernova 180. This UL-certified DC fast charger was explicitly designed for the North American market and can add 100 miles of EV range in ten minutes.

Just four months after France’s Prime Minister announced a new EV subsidy program to incentivize drivers to go all-electric, the government is putting a halt to the savings, at least for the rest of the year.

Ahead of the start of Season 4 this week, Extreme E has closed out its competitive grid with the addition of its final team, led by seven-time Nascar Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson. Legacy Motor Club will make its Extreme E debut at the upcoming Desert X Prix event in Saudi Arabia, but Johnson won’t be there… but he has a pretty decent excuse.

eVTOL developer Joby Aviation has signed a definitive agreement with the government of Dubai to begin air taxi operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), sweetened by the exclusive rights to aerial operations in the country’s capitol for six years.

Seven months after seven major OEMs shared plans to join forces and implement a new EV charging network of over 30,000 piles in North America, the joint venture, now called IONNA, has officially received regulatory approval to begin operations. The JV has also named its first CEO, who is no stranger to EV charging.

A mere two years removed from its initial entry into new markets of Europe, Build Your Dreams (BYD) is looking to expedite its expansion with the help of Arval – a major vehicle leasing company overseas. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become leasing partners and ensure more BYD passenger and light commercial EVs are available to drivers.

The consumer market is on the cusp of deliveries of the Lotus Emeya – the hypercar manufacturer’s first four-door model ever. Today, Lotus Cars shared winter test footage that caps off a three-year development program that spanned 15 countries. Check out the sleek Emeya tearing through the snow in the video below.

Italian performance car specialist Abarth has just debuted a new all-electric model called the 600e as its bright purple “Scorpionissima” launch edition undergoes final testing ahead of a commercial shoot. Abarth shared its first image of the 600e, which promises to be its most powerful vehicle to date.

One month from debuting its second all-electric line of vehicles, Rivian is expanding the configurator of its flagship R1T and R1S trucks to now allow the Standard pack as a selectable option to customers. Additionally, Rivian has introduced a fourth pack called Standard+, delivering more range at less cost. Here’s the latest.

Einride has announced it is helping world-renowned brewery Heineken electrify its freight operations between the Netherlands and Germany. Heineken put several electric trucks into operation last month as it looks to deploy Einride’s entire ecosystem across its fleet operations in the future.

EV charging network Electrify America will soon offer the public an EV charging experience safe from the elements, where drivers can pull in, plug in, and chill out while their vehicle replenishes. This flagship indoor charging station kicks off a potential future in which you don’t have to wait in your car or outside while you charge… It also has complimentary Wi-Fi.

Geely Holding Group subsidiary Geely Auto has announced a vehicle purchase agreement with fellow marque brand ZEEKR to sell its EVs and aftermarket parts in Mexico. With the agreement, Geely hopes to fast-track ZEEKR’s line of advanced new energy vehicles to Mexican consumers hungry for more sustainable alternatives to combustion models as a stepping stone to further expansions South to Latin America.

A few months after sharing initial details and images, Polestar’s flagship smartphone, developed by Meizu in China, has been spotted on Google’s API website as a device compatible with the Play Store. Details of the incoming Polestar Phone remain relatively light, but we can confirm it will run on Android and support Google Play.

A Chinese auto blogger on Weibo has posted spy images of what could very well be our first public look at XPeng’s new EV sedan, codenamed “F57,” and rumored to officially debut as the P8…. or P9. Camo’d images show a slim but roomy sedan with a unique rear that reportedly has LiDAR but perhaps won’t for now. Check it out below.

Two years after pivoting its business strategy toward the development of commercial EVs, Bollinger Motors has earned IRS approval for federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, offering fleet customers potential tax credits up to 40,000 per vehicle.

Veteran autonomous delivery robot developer Starship Technologies announced it had raised an additional $90 million in funding to help expand its micro-logistics service to additional territories around the globe.

Almost a year after compatibility was listed as pending; Lotus has confirmed Apple Car Key capabilities are on the way to new all-electric Emeya owners. Lotus now joins a select group of vehicles that allow drivers to perform several access functions from the Wallet of their iPhone or Apple Watch.

The NFL’s “big game” is less than a week away, and companies with deep pockets are starting to tease the ads that will air on Sunday. If you’re an EV enthusiast, the trend of all-electric models dominating the automotive ad category will continue during this year’s Super Bowl. Below are the commercials that have been confirmed will air during this year’s game.