Scooter Doll

Human Horizons’ automotive brand HiPhi announced its flagship X EV has completed TÜV SÜD testing overseas to allow for the sale of the electric SUV in Europe. With a second model already making digitized waves in China and a third to be announced at the Shanghai Auto Show next week, Human Horizons will look to bring more of its HiPhi EVs to European markets in the future.

Mere months after sharing its production timeline for a new high-volume facility in Mexico, lidar sensor developer Luminar has taken the factory online ahead of schedule and has already begun delivering the first Iris sensors manufactured at the site to one of its largest customers.

It has now been close to two years since Lucid Motors began rolling its flagship Air sedan off its assembly lines. We were lucky enough to attend Lucid’s launch event and got to test drive the Dream Edition Air. However, even as Lucid’s footprint grows in the US, many consumers have not even seen an Air up close, let alone driven one. Beginning this month, Lucid Group is going on tour with the Air to give US consumers a chance to experience it for themselves.

The BYD Dolphin hatchback has the potential to become the Chinese automaker’s most popular EV model in Europe as it will now enter major markets overseas this year. At a starting price of around 30,000 euros ($33K), the Dolphin will also arrive at BYD’s most affordable electric option.

Ford Performance is looking to earn the latter half of its namesake by continuing the evolution of its all-electric Mustang designed specifically for motor sports. The automaker unveiled the new electric Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800 prototype this morning, which looks to pick up where its Cobra Jet 1400 predecessor left off a few years ago, targeting several new quarter-mile NHRA world records.

“We’ve built our robotaxi from the ground up. Now, to truly test it, we have to break it apart.” That’s the sentiment shared by robotaxi developer Zoox as it looks to finally launch its truly driverless EV to the public soon. In the final chapter of its “Putting Zoox to the Test” YouTube series, Zoox shared unique safety features that went into the robotaxi design and, of course, included plenty of footage of its EV getting smashed up. See more below.

General Motors announced that GM Ventures is leading a $50 million Series B financing round in EnergyX – a company specializing in direct lithium extraction and refinery technologies. As part of the investment, GM will help fund the commercialization of EnergyX’s sustainable extraction technology in exchange for lithium to be exclusively used for EV production.

German automaker Volkswagen Group is looking to more than double its current share of the US market by prioritizing EV production in North America. By adhering to new terms laid out in the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, Volkswagen intends to deliver at least 25 all-electric models over the next seven years that will qualify for the entire $7,500 federal tax credit.

Luxury electric boatbuilder ALVA Yachts is doing what many in the maritime industry consistently strive toward – building vessels bigger and better. Its latest solar electric catamaran is a 90-foot superyacht called the OCEAN ECO 90 H2 – in addition to zero-emissions propulsion and sustainable power, it adds hydrogen fuel cells and a wing sail propulsion system to alleviate any need for fuel aboard. Oh, don’t forget the jacuzzi up top.

One week from today, Polestar will pull the sheet off its highly anticipated Polestar 4 “SUV Coupé.” The global reveal will take place at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show where Polestar is promising to showcase a unique EV design that empowers its “fastest production car to date.”

EV startup Canoo has announced a long-term lease of an existing production facility in Oklahoma City, where it will operate a full and final assembly line for its flagship Lifestyle Vehicles (LVs).

A year after its digital premiere, BYD has officially showcased the U9 EV under its new Yangwang luxury sub-brand. The quad motor supercar debuts atop BYD’s new e⁴ platform featuring a DiSus vehicle body control system being hailed by its makers as the “most advanced in the global industry.” As you’ll see below, this EV can actually jump up and down.

After removing the quad motor, Max pack R1T from its configurator last December, Rivian has followed through on its promise to deliver a higher horsepower “Performance” dual motor option to reservation holders. The American automaker shared specs and pricing today along with updates ranges for dual motor R1T configurations using the Max pack.

Freewire Technologies’ unique approach to EV light charging infrastructure is already setting the stage to quickly bolster available chargers under the Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, but Freewire is now setting its sights on Europe with a second headquarters.

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has commenced production of the first MK-V all-electric tractors for Monarch under a previously announced manufacturing agreement. The first tractors recently rolled off assembly lines at the well-known Lordstown production facility in Ohio.

Just over a week after its global premiere streamed from Korea, Kia has debuted its upcoming EV9 SUV in North America, beginning with the crowds attending this year’s New York Auto Show. Many of the details shared are regurgitated from last week’s event, but Kia did share further insights into its production plans, which will soon include assembly in the US.

Less than a year after initially teasing its interior, the new EQE SUV from Mercedes-Benz is on the cusp of reaching customers for the first time. As one of the first Mercedes EVs completely assembled in the US, the EQE SUV has designed with Americans in mind and should do well in the market. Before it reaches dealers, I got the chance to travel to Portugal and experience several variations of this model for myself, below are my first impressions.

European yacht broker MYSEA has announced the beginning of sales of the AQUON One eco-catamaran – a solar electric yacht powered by the sun and hydrogen fuel cells with luxurious accommodations for eight to ten passengers without any emissions.

Months after officially declaring bankruptcy but vowing to continue development of its mass-market solar EV, Lightyear has restarted its business as a new company with a significantly smaller team. In order to raise additional funds to continue its quest to bring affordable SEVs to the masses, Lightyear plans to auction off the few models of the Lightyear 0 that were originally built.

As we approach summer deliveries of Hyundai’s upcoming electric streamliner – the IONIQ 6 – I got the chance to get behind the wheel for the first time and share my thoughts. As Hyundai’s second model on its 800V E-GMP platform and one of the most aerodynamic EVs available, the IONIQ 6 is sure to provide an extremely joyful, sporty ride to owners while delivering some of the most advanced technology at quite reasonable costs.

XPeng Motors just announced that its EV customers in three major Chinese cities will receive a Phase One rollout of the automaker’s XNGP advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). With new software architecture, massive computing power, and dozens of sensors, XPeng continues to tout its ADAS platform as the “most advanced mass-market option in China.”

American EV automaker Rivian may finally be making its long-speculated trek overseas into new markets in Europe. According to a recent job post from the company, it is looking for a manager to lead its Service Center in Berlin, Germany – which would be its first footprint in the EU. By looking to hire new positions overseas, Rivian’s EV expansion feels all but imminent. However, those EU customers hoping this means they will soon be able to get their hands on an R1T will be disappointed.

As we approach April, much of the US is just beginning to thaw out after the harsh months of winter. Soon, spring will bloom into hot, sunny summers when we are expecting to see the official debut of the upcoming all-wheel drive Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. Before then, however, Hyundai is teasing its red-hot performance EV drifting through snowy terrain near the arctic circle. Check out the video below.

Today we’ve learned that Ford Motor Company has reopened its order books to the next wave of F-150 Lightning reservation holders. The news comes as the American automaker returns to full production of the all-electric truck this week at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan. That being said, those reservation holders will see higher MSRPs across multiple trims. Here’s the latest.