Scooter Doll

Almost a year to the day after rolling its first Eletre hyper-SUV off its assembly lines in China, Lotus Cars is letting customers in the UK finally get behind the wheel and test drive it firsthand. Most eyes are on the hill climbs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, but Lotus is using the motor circuit to show off its new EV tech.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles continues to expand the scope of its autonomous driving technology simultaneously on two separate continents using its ID.Buzz electric vans. In Germany where the robotaxi testing initially started, Volkswagen will begin transporting actual passengers for the first time, including government officials.

Mere days after teasing the debut of an all new “electric pony,” Ford has delivered – and it’s not what we expected. At the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, Ford just unveiled the Mach-E Rally – an off-road version of its all-electric Mustang. Have a look.

We haven’t even come close to seeing what sort of design Chinese electronics manufacturing behemoth Xiaomi intends to deliver under its young automotive division, but we may have a better idea of what level of power it may be packing. A recent image has surfaced that appears to showcase Xiaomi’s EV battery specs, hinting at an 800-volt platform housing over 100 kWh of battery power.

As an American automaker, Tesla continues to grow its production footprint (and sales sheet) in China, but the same opportunities are not currently available to Chinese EV automakers, like NIO, hoping to enter the US market. NIO CEO William Li hopes that will soon change as both he and Elon Musk stress the need for improved relations between the US and China.

The rumor mill is gaining momentum in China as two more sources have shared new details of Audi’s alleged plans to source its next EV platform from an OEM overseas. Chinese-state owned SAIC Motor appears to be the current frontrunner as discussions with Audi are reportedly advancing and pertain to the former’s luxury sub-brand IM Motors.

Almost a year to the day after announcing its new N performance line of EVs, beginning with the IONIQ 5, Hyundai has publicly unveiled the long-teased N version at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The IONIQ 5 N combines past and present as a nod to Hyundai’s performance arm’s design characteristics, reimagined for the new age of EVs built for track performance and not just speed in a straight line. Ever seen an EV specifically designed for high speed cornering?

Less than a week after rolling its last combustion dependent Fiesta off its assembly lines in Europe to make room for its EV future, Ford is already flirting with the idea of keeping the party going – just without those pesky emissions clouding up the dance floor. Ford’s boss in Europe shared the company has eyes on Volkswagen’s ultra-compact ID.2all EV and the modular MEB platform it sits atop.

Mere days after gathering over a dozen automakers building EVs in China to commit to a non-binding pledge to avoid further price wars, China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers, at the advisement of the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, has retracted the pledge after quickly catching flack promoting potential monopolization.

After multiple development delays due to software issues internally and at parent company Volkswagen Group, Audi AG is reportedly exploring discussions in China to buy its next generation EV platform from another OEM, perhaps even a competitor overseas.

Mercedes-AMG has officially launched its third EV model and first all-electric performance SUV with the EQE. I previously tested out the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, so you know I had to take the AMG version out for a spin to see how it compares. Here are my thoughts.

Even as it continues its deliveries of its limited edition Battista hyper GT, Automobili Pininfarina is now expanding the variety (and exclusivity) of its all-electric hypercar model while continuing to honor its rich Italian history. During the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the hyper EV developer will unveil a new, ultraexclusive version of the Battista called the Edizione Nino Farina – named after a family member crowned the first-ever Formula 1 champion.

Here I am, back at it with another test run of a new product in electric mobility. This go-around is with Base Camp and its F11 electric skateboard. Unlike many of the longboards I’ve reviewed in the past, the F11 is much closer to the skateboards I grew up unsuccessfully kickflipping on. Its specs won’t blow you away, but its portability, ease of use, and available accessories are definitely worth a look.

My journey in the electric mobility segment recently brought me to Gothenburg, Sweden – home to the Skansen Kronen, ZEEKR’s design center, and of course, Volvo. Sweden is one of the Scandinavian markets embracing electrification, and it couldn’t be more apparent in its public transit network. This includes 100% electric ferries, of which I got the chance to tour and go for a ride.

Two and a half years after first sharing plans to implement a 150 kWh solid-state battery pack in its EVs, NIO appears poised to finally do just that. The automaker’s digital user manuals now feature specifications of the solid-state pack, supplied by WeLion – debuting on the upcoming ES6 SUV. The additional supports recent promises from NIO’s chief that customers in China will be able to select the energy-dense pack as early as this month.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced a revision to its long-running “dual-credit policy,” in which local automakers earn certain calculated credits for each EV they build. The Ministry is reducing said credit by 40%, putting certain automakers in jeopardy of non-compliance and risk of losing their ability to sell to the public.

A slew of automakers in China have banded together and pledged to regulate how they market their EVs and avoid further price wars to help stabilize a booming market for consumers. Chinese EV automakers like NIO, XPeng, and BYD have been joined by the likes of Tesla to promote healthy competition and less “bad blood” overseas.

SAIC Motor, a Chinese state-owned automaker, is doubling down on its EV strategy in Europe following encouraging sales so far this year. The massive automaker recently shared plans to erect a new EV production facility overseas, to help deliver models to its growing audience in the market.

Fresh off the first US deliveries of its flagship SUV, the Ocean, the EV automaker’s chairman and CEO teased its third model on social media – a convertible GT called the Fisker Ronin. We still don’t know much about this EV yet (Fisker still needs to deliver a model before this one), but we do know the automaker is planning to deliver BIG range, and shared our best look of the super GT below.

Less than two years into his tenure as head of Shell’s renewables business, Thomas Brostrøm is exiting the company to “pursue an external opportunity,” according to a spokesperson for the company. Brostrøm’s exit follows Shell CEO Wael Sawan’s highly criticized strategy to shift back to more oil and gas production, investing less into renewable energy.

Less than a month after rolling its first new coupe SUVs off its assembly lines in China, XPeng Motors has officially launched its latest model – the G6. Priced below $30,000, XPeng sees the G6 as a serious competitor to the Tesla Model Y and plenty of other EVs in China. The automaker has a lot riding on this one as it looks to bolster less-than-stellar sales in its native country as of late.

Bay Area startup Boundary Layer Technologies (BLT) has been taking pre-orders for its all-electric, jet ski-like hydrofoil it calls Valo. Despite still being in the prototype phase, the demand for what its makers describe as a “hyperfoil” is clearly there. The company’s initial production run of the electric jet ski variant is sold out well past 2023.

Audi AG has announced a changing of the guard at CEO, as Markus Duesmann is being relieved of his duties following a resolution passed by the automaker’s supervisory board today. Duesmann will be succeeded by Volkswagen Group’s vice president of Product and Group Strategy and general secretariat, Gernot Döllner. Here’s what we know.

Nearly six months to the day after revealing ambitious plans to enter new markets in Europe this year, ZEEKR has launched pre-orders for two of its three current EV models. The Chinese EV automaker will launch in two EU countries to begin as it shares a timeline to expand to even more of Western Europe.