Scooter Doll

Japanese automaker Toyota continues to delve deeper into a Bizarro-mirrored universe in which it actually (sort of) behaves like an EV automaker. Following news earlier this week in which the EV laggards laid out an $5.6 billion investment plan to build batteries, Toyota is already making moves to convert two engine and powertrain plants near its Japanese headquarters to produce EV batteries instead.

Budding electric boat racing league E1 has announced an agreement with organizers of the annual World Port Days event in Rotterdam, Netherlands to include electric boat racing. In addition to E1’s RaceBird prototype being on display at this year’s event, E1 is planning future races in Rotterdam as it approaches its inaugural championship racing season next year.

GM has officially begun Ultium EV battery production in the US as part of its $2.3 billion joint venture with LG Energy Solution. The JV’s 2.8-million square foot facility in Ohio is now assembling battery packs for the GMC Hummer EV, but remains hush on what other EVs in the GM family will receive them. Meanwhile, the American automaker continues to work through disputes as its battery factory employees look to unionize.

Spoiler alert: A week after announcing the first EQS SUV models began rolling off its US assembly lines, Mercedes-Benz has finally shared what starting price and trims consumers can expect to see. Although this all-electric SUV and its battery components will be built on US soil, its price tag will prevent US customers from qualifying for federal tax credits. Shocking.

According to a recent revenue report, EV automaker Polestar brought in over $1 billion in revenue in the first half of 2022. That’s nearly 100% growth compared to the first half of 2021, offering further evidence that Polestar is poised to become a major contender in the EV market.

Two weeks after announcing its O² roadster concept would see scaled production as the Polestar 6, the EV automaker has announced that all 500 slots of its “LA Concept” edition are all spoken for. Even though its scheduled launch remains four years away, the appetite for the Polestar 6 is strong.

Join Electrek and the crew from FullyCharged.SHOW for Fully Charged Live, coming to the San Diego Convention Center September 10-11. Here’s what you can expect to see.

As we roll along in the third quarter of 2022, GM’s long-promised EV lineup is beginning to materialize and gain some serious momentum. The American automaker now has several EVs on the market and has even more in its production pipeline. In recent media appearances, CEO Mary Barra has relayed confidence in GM’s autonomous technology and has reiterated the company’s goal to usurp Tesla as the leader in EV production. Can GM pull it off?

Connected vehicle system developer Sibros has added a new partner to its Rolodex. This time it isn’t an automaker but Google Cloud. By adding Google’s advanced scalable data infrastructure, Sibros looks to bolster its connected vehicle management technology to support a number of data-driven functions to its EV customers, like fleet management and OTA updates.

According to the “fact of the week” from the United States Department of Energy, the number of EVs offering at least 300 miles of range has grown tremendously since 2016 and has tripled in 2022 compared to a year prior. Higher range remains a huge selling point for US consumers, but still begs the question – is it really necessary for the average driver?

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) developer Volocopter has shared a new video showcasing the time and effort the company and its staff have been putting into the flight testing campaign for the VoloCity eVTOL air taxi as it moves closer to genuine flights with human passengers. You can see it taking off and landing in real time below.

Xiaomi Corporation is reportedly facing delays in acquiring a license to make EVs of its own in China under the Xiaomi Automobile brand it registered in 2021. As a result, the behemoth consumer electronics manufacturer is in early talks with Beijing Automotive Group Co. (BAIC) to co-develop EVs in order for the latter to fulfill its promise of delivering its first vehicles by 2024.

Following the debut of its third generation cell-to-pack (CTP) “Qilin” battery cells in June, battery expert CATL has shared which EV brand will be the first to use them – ZEEKR. The energy dense batteries will initially debut on the recently announced ZEEKR 009 MPV, quickly followed by the ZEEKR 001 which promises over 620 miles (1,000 km) of all-electric range.

Following President Emmanuel Macron’s re-election in France this year, he has begun making good on a promise he made during his campaign to make electric vehicles more affordable. The government is reportedly working out how quickly it can roll out a new measure that would make leases for some EVs available to the people of France for only 100 euros a month.

Mercedes-Benz has shared new details of the 2023 model year versions of its EQ line of all-electric vehicles. While multiple models sit upon the precipice of debuting in the US, Mercedes has introduced even more variations that should be available to US consumers by year’s end. Check it out.

Mercedes-Benz announced the official launch of EQS SUV production today, the first of its EQ line to be built entirely in the US. With a start of production and Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa assembly plant in Alabama, we expect to hear EQS SUV pricing soon as deliveries remain on track for later this year. With the recent signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, we wonder if the US-built electric SUV will qualify for federal tax credits under the new terms of the bill.

Kia continues to tease the public with its EV9 SUV – the automaker’s next all-electric vehicle to join the lineup as a competitor to SUVs like the Rivian R1S. The camouflaged version of the EV9 can be seen enduring final testing before it makes its global debut next year. Here’s the latest.

Seaplane airline Harbour Air continues to make progress toward making its entire fleet of planes electric by successfully completing its first point-to point test flight in Canada. The eBeaver electric plane flew 45 miles with plenty of reserve power left when it landed.

As many legacy automakers join a slew of new and established EV manufacturers in committing to an all-electric future for passenger vehicles, the transition for consumers continues to rise. While we are still quite a ways away from a world of roads dominated by BEVs, the graph of this transition continues to trend upward. Below is where the US currently stands in total EV registrations, broken down state by state. We’ve also compared last year’s results to see how far your state has grown.

Swedish-Kenyan mobility company ROAM has followed up the launch of its first production-intent model of electric motorcycles with the launch of its first all-electric bus built for mass transit in Africa. The ROAM Rapid is an electric bus specifically designed to address the unique challenges of public transport in Nairobi and Africa as a whole. Check it out.

Direct current fast charger manufacturer Tritium has officially opened the doors of its new EV charger manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee – its first production footprint in the United States. With it, Tritium intends to bring over 500 new jobs to the state.

The creator and technical team behind the upcoming Airspeeder eVTOL racing league, Alauda Aeronautics, has successfully completed 250 test flights as it moves closer to one day transporting pilots inside the vessels in worldwide grand prix’. To celebrate, the company has shared extensive video footage of its progress over the course of the last two years. You can view it below.

Mercedes has offered the public the first glimpse of the interior of its upcoming EQE SUV. First glance appears to be on brand for the German automaker’s EQ line of EV sedans and SUVs, and MB is promising this one will deliver some of the most spacious interior in its class when it debuts in October.

Following last week’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act in the US, German legacy automakers Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have sealed agreements with the Canadian government to acquire raw materials for EV battery manufacturing at their US facilities. This move could help EVs from both automakers qualify for US tax credits under the revised terms of the recently signed bill.