Scooter Doll

GM-owned robotaxi service Cruise continues to expand its reach of driverless rides throughout the US, announcing a start of services in Houston – its fourth major city. Houston locals can now join the waitlist to take a spin in one of Cruise’s EVs, see below.

Young and promising Chinese EV brand ZEEKR announced it is moving some of its current European staff in Gothenburg, Sweden to a new spot closer to the action in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Following the move, ZEEKR plans to grow its staff overseas and it continues to expand into new markets.

Following EV battery agreements with CATL and EVE Energy last fall, BMW shared it is adding SVOLT Energy to its rolodex. The battery developer is a spinoff of China’s Great Wall Motor and has reportedly been awarded a massive contract to supply EV builds in Europe worth up to $13 billion.

Days after sharing details of its trim levels and its own internal range estimates, Kia has followed up with the official EPA estimates for its EV9 SUV ahead of pre-orders next week. Here’s what we’ve learned.

Toyota Motor Company is the latest automaker delving into solid-state battery technology, vowing to mass-produce the safer and more energy dense cells in the next four years. In typical Toyota fashion, the Japanese automaker continues to smell its own farts, declaring that it and its new battery partner Idemitsu already “lead the world” in solid-state battery material development. Slow down there, guys…

For my latest experiment into the ever growing world of all-electric micro mobility, I got the chance to test out the eRW3 Pro skates from Rollwalk. These slip on eSkates are quick, portable, and versatile – perfect to zoom around on and share with friends and family. That said, I hit a few snags with them along the way which I dig into more below. Here are my thoughts.

Resilient startup Aptera is back with a robust progress update after a busy summer promoting its upcoming solar EV by the same name, ahead of planned production next year. The company has posted not one, but two videos updating its fanbase about its progress, which appears to be coming along quite nicely. Could it be the first to successfully reach scaled solar EV production?

Exactly two months after calling out Tesla directly while announcing a speedy performance version of its flagship 001, Chinese automaker ZEEKR is hinting at possible sales of the EV in Europe. The company already has two models making their way overseas and could soon add the third, according to an executive at the company.

After an eight-year run and a reign as one of the highest funded EV startups in all of
China, WM Motor and its brand Weltmeister have filed for bankruptcy. Today’s news puts a bookend on a turbulent year facing financial struggles, but the startup has vowed to restructure through debt collectors and will seek a rebirth.

Days after announcing a concrete date for the start of reservations in the US this month, Kia has followed up with even more pertinent details surrounding the EV9 SUV, including its trim levels and pricing. Here’s the latest.

Mercedes-Maybach announced it has partnered up with Space Perspective – a carbon neutral space travel experience company – in which the former’s EVs will eventually transport thousands of ticketed customers to and from their journeys beyond the sky.

Just over a year after unveiling its ultra-fast Hyper SSR supercar, GAC Aion has officially launched their EV in China and begun first deliveries. Available in three different versions, this supercar boasts some seriously impressive specs, including a 900V platform and a blistering 0-100 km/h time.

EV automaker NIO continues to be the only passenger vehicle manufacturer to demonstrate the true potential of battery swap stations. Earlier today, the company live streamed its 30 millionth battery swap, hitting a milestone for the nascent technology, but also providing further evidence of how quickly NIO’s battery swap process is catching on amongst EV drivers.

Eco-responsible shipbuilder Sunreef Yachts had given the public its first glimpse of its new 80-foot solar electric yacht before it makes it US debut in Fort Lauderdale, Florida later this month. The 80 Sunreef Power Eco is a fully-electric luxury catamaran that could very well be one of the most advanced solar electric yachts built to date.

Renault Group and Volvo Group have announced the forming of a new company together to help decarbonize the logistics industry. The new joint venture will specialize in developing a lineup of all-electric vans built atop a new LCV skateboard platform.

California-based EV automaker Karma Automotive is looking to claw itself back from irrelevance in a fast-paced industry that has hockey-sticked upward in innovation without it. Following an aggressive strategy under a new president, Karma intends to introduce an entirely new EV portfolio next month, including its first super coupe. Here’s what we know so far.

Light eVTOL developer Opener.aero has announced it has changed its company name to Pivotal, following the debut of first scalable production aircraft, Helix. Despite the new nomenclature, Pivotal will continue business as usual as it looks to open order for the Helix eVTOLs very soon.

This morning, Lucid Motors has announced the launch and immediate start of sales for a new rear-wheel drive (RWD) variant of its Air Pure sedan. Today’s latest trim closes out the lineup of Lucid’s flagship EV, now offering a variety of trims from the RWD pure, the the tri-motor Sapphire. Don’t get it twisted, though, this “most affordable” Lucid model delivers more range than nearly any other EV on the market.

It’s been nearly a two-year journey since XPeng Motors originally announced its mid-sized luxury SUV, the G9 – a model born into expectations from its creators as a potential best seller in its respective segment. I recently found myself on a tour through Europe that included the Netherlands and thought, “The G9 recently arrived here, why not ask XPeng for a loaner to tour the countryside in?” Luckily XPeng obliged, and I got a the full helping on the G9 I so desired. I was not disappointed.

Mere days after seeing Hyundai, Genesis and Kia EVs charging at Tesla Superchargers, all three of the brands under the Hyundai Motor Group umbrella have confirmed a pivot to the North American Charging Standard (NACS).

Solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy has announced a major milestone in bringing its energy-dense cells to EVs one day. A-Samples of its 100+ Ah Factorial Electrolyte System Technology (FEST) solid-state battery cells are making their way to the company’s automotive partners around the globe – who those specific OEMs are though is up for dispute.

Three men from Switzerland have formed the Peak Evolution Team with the goal of conquering the summit of Ojos del Salado in Chile – the world’s highest active volcano – in a solar electric truck, with the help of Austrian logistics company Gebrüder Weiss. The custom-built solar EV is on its way to Chile, and if the team proves successful, it will have achieved a world record that will quite literally bring the electric vehicle to new heights.

Genesis USA has just shared pricing and packaging for the 2024 model year of its GV60 SUV. In addition to new standard features, the luxury sub-brand of Hyundai Motor Group has introduced a new rear wheel drive (RWD) that offers nearly 50 miles more range than the 2023 EV models at a significantly lower MSRP.

eVTOL developer Joby Aviation continues to deliver key milestones in bringing its all-electric aircraft into commercial operations. Today, Joby confirmed it has completed multiple eVTOL test flights in California with a pilot onboard, with the video footage to back it up. See for yourself below.