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Scooter Doll

scooterdoll

Scooter Doll is a writer, creator, and tech enthusiast born and raised in Chicago who splits time between The Windy City and western Michigan. When he’s not traveling the world offering the latest EVs reviews or insights, he’s probably rooting for his city’s beloved sports teams (just not the White Sox). Please send any tips, suggestions, or, most importantly, dog photos to him at scooter@electrek.co

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CATL in talks to establish multiple battery recycling sites in Europe with eyes on North America next

CATL recycling

CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, looks to continue its dominance in its given market by expanding its existing battery recycling program to new continents outside of China. The company is in talks with a specific partner to erect multiple battery recycling facilities across Europe and may soon be doing the same in North America.

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Halo.Car begins operating remote-piloted EVs on public roads without a human present [Video]

Unique remote-piloted EV delivery service Halo.Car has taken a big step forward in its progress of transitioning more people over to electric vehicles. Today, the carshare startup announced it had removed the safety drivers from all its EVs, claiming to be the first company in the world to enable electric vehicles to be commercially remote-piloted on public roads without a human present inside. Watch as the empty EV turns heads around downtown Las Vegas in the video below.

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Joby Aviation rolls first eVTOL off production line and is already FAA certified to begin test flights

Joby eVTOL

eVTOL developer Joby Aviation has completed building the first aircraft off its pilot production line in California. The Joby aircraft is expected to become the “first ever eVTOL to be delivered to a customer” next year, but it will need to complete flight testing before then. Luckily, the FAA has already issued certification.

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John Deere signs partnership to sell EGO’s 70+ battery-electric products across dealer network

John Deere EGO

John Deere has announced the signing of a strategic partnership with EGO and its parent company Chervon. Under the agreement, EGO’s lineup of over 70 battery-powered lawn care products will soon become available at John Deere dealers. This is wonderful news for consumers looking to abandon gas-dependent lawn work, but there is a tinge of capitulation in this deal we can’t overlook.

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GM Energy launches Ultium Home charging with 3 bundles, vehicle-to-home capabilities

GM-electric-Ford-Maverick

Eight months after sharing details of its new GM Energy business unit, General Motors has shared the first product specifications for its lineup of Ultium Home charging solutions designed for residential EV owners. The company will initially offer three distinct home energy management bundles, including capabilities for vehicle-to-home functionality and solar installations.

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Factorial looks to bring a circular economy to solid-state batteries by recycling lithium-metal

solid state recycling

Solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy has announced a new partnership with South Korean metal refining company, Young Poong, to research and implement lithium-metal recycling into its production practices. Through the investment, Factorial hopes to reuse excess metal materials to create a more circular economy.

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Zoox begins true driverless rides in Vegas as first purpose-built robotaxi operating in Nevada

Less than five months after beginning completely driverless (and pedal-less) rides on public roads in California, Zoox has expanded operations to Nevada, beginning where else but fabulous Las Vegas. Nevada is quickly becoming a hub for robotaxis, but Zoox is captured a “first” in the Silver State thanks to its unique design.

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BMW breaks ground on new US battery facility, furthering South Carolina as its new EV hub

BMW South Carolina

BMW Group moves one step closer to enabling US EV production while simultaneously helping promote the state of South Carolina as a new hub for battery and vehicle manufacturing. The Plant Woodruff facility, announced last fall, is officially under construction and will eventually complement new and existing factories operated by BMW and AESC in The Palmetto State.

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Volkswagen CEO squashes any hopes of the famed Beetle making an all-electric comeback

electric beetle

A mere few weeks after a digital animation of an electric Volkswagen Beetle stirred the rumor mill about a real-life version, the CEO of the passenger cars business has said otherwise. Although the German automaker recently revived its classic Bus as a BEV with several other familiar VW nameplates to follow, the Beetle will remain exterminated for now.

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Hyundai IONIQ 5 N Nürburgring testing video teases fighter jet sounds before Goodwood debut [Video]

Hyundai IONIQ 5 N

Ahead of its world premiere at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, Hyundai Motor is teasing the public with one last video of its upcoming performance-focused IONIQ 5 N EV. The racetrack capable model recently entered its final phase of capability testing at the renowned Nürburgring motorsports complex in Germany.

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Fisker finally kicks off first US Ocean deliveries, where else but California

Fisker US deliveries

Two and a half years after beginning development of its flagship EV, the Ocean, Fisker Inc. is delivering it to its first US customers. As a Southern California-based automaker selling an EV named after the water it’s headquartered near, it is quite on-brand that the first US deliveries of the Fisker Ocean begin in the Golden State. Here’s the latest.

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Porsche sets new division to create software-defined vehicles with ‘highly automated driving functions’

Porsche software

As Porsche looks to eventually transition into an all-electric sports car brand, it is establishing a new software-centric division at its Nardò Technical Center proving ground in Italy. The automaker and its technical center will utilize the nearby talent pool of software experts and engineers to hail in a new era of digitalization that will enable highly automated driving and other functions in future EVs.

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Airtrick A1 Pro review: A fun, easy way for you and your friends to experience electric skates

Airtrick skates

The electric skate revolution is officially upon us! Or, upon me at least. After my first experience with e-skates earlier this year, more and more companies are coming out of the woodwork with their own unique designs in a cool new form of electric mobility. Take Airtrick for example – I got the chance to test out their A1 Pro electric skates and found a cool new way to get around that anyone can try in the comfort of their own sneakers. Check it out.

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China extends EV tax exemptions totaling $72 billion through 2027, the largest tax break to date

China EV tax

China’s Ministry of Finance has confirmed that tax exemptions for New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) scheduled to expire at the end of this year have been extended through 2027. Consumers in China will now be able to take advantage of EV tax breaks amounting to over $4,000 per vehicle to start, which will dwindle down over the next four years.

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Ford Performance is climbing Pikes Peak in a modded up E-Transit ‘SuperVan’ you’ve gotta see

Ford pikes peak

Ford Performance is literally and figuratively gearing up for the 101st Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and is using the 4,725 foot climb to showcase the power of all-electric design. This year, the American automaker is sending a souped up E-Transit donned the “Ford SuperVan 4.2.” Spoiler alert! By that, I mean… it has a huge spoiler. Take a look.

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McMurtry teases a production version of its record-setting Spéirling fan car, yours for a cool $1 million

McMurtry EV

One year after trouncing the hillclimb record at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, McMurtry Automotive is set to showcase a limited-run, production version of its all-electric Spéirling fan car called the PURE. A validation prototype of this soon-to-be commercially available sealed-skirt fan car will be on display at this year’s hillclimb ahead of pre-production… Oh, and it costs over a million dollars.

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Stellantis and Foxconn announce joint venture to produce next-generation EV semiconductors

Stellantis semiconductor


Dutch automotive conglomerate Stellantis announced the forming of a new joint venture with Hon Hai Technology Group, better known as Foxconn, to develop and scale a family of state-of-the-art semiconductors for next-generation EV platforms. Stellantis and Foxconn will each bring their own expertise to the JV, which should eventually cater to the entire automotive industry.

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NIO snags $740M investment from Abu Dhabi government fund to expand international business

NIO Abu Dhabi

Chinese EV automaker NIO has confirmed that a holding firm backed by the Abu Dhabi government is investing close to $740 million dollars in exchange for new Class A shares in the company. As a new minority shareholder, NIO intends to jointly pursue new global business opportunities and accelerate growth in new markets outside of China.

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Rivian latest to climb aboard the NACS hype train, will offer Tesla Supercharger access to drivers

Rivian-ride-quality

American EV automaker Rivian Automotive announced it is embracing the North American Charging Standard (NACS) originally developed and implemented by rival Tesla. Rivian is the latest automaker to embrace the charging standard, joining an ever-growing list OEMs.

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Everything you need to know about the North American Charging Standard (NACS)

NACS charging

There’s been a lot of chatter amongst the EV industry lately about the North American Charging Standard, better known by the initialism “NACS.” The charging standard originally introduced by Tesla is quickly becoming the preferred charging plug and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. All the more reason to stay in the know since your next EV could very well use NACS to charge.

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