Scooter Doll

Chinese EV manufacturer GAC Aion has officially debuted its A480 fast charger, capable of charging its upcoming Aion V SUV from 30-80% in under five minutes. While still impressive, the fast charger’s top charging power of 480 kW sits well below rumors last week speculating this debut would showcase a 600 kW charger.

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced an immediate halt to all of its e-Palette self-driving transportation pods operating at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The decision comes on the heels of an accident that took place in the Paralympic Village yesterday, when a Toyota e-Palette collided with a visually impaired athlete, injuring them.

EV manufacturer GAC Aion continues to tout its charging capabilities in China. Following a demonstration last month showing charging speeds of five to eight minutes, the company is reportedly about to introduce an even more powerful fast charger on Monday.

A member of Rivian forums recently got the chance to have an informative call with his “Rivian Guide” this week, where he asked a ton of questions, all of which were answered to some degree. This included everything from R1T and R1S delivery updates, a possible Rivian store, and more details about Apple Carplay compatibility. Here’s everything we know so far.

The Tesla Model S and Model 3 provide drivers with either a taste of veteran performance, or refreshing innovation and value. Both combine to form the US automaker’s line of electric sedans, although they share more of their mechanical makeup with their respective assembly-line SUV partners. Below is a comprehensive breakdown comparing the two to help you decide which sedan may be best for you.

In its continued journey toward vehicle electrification, Audi has announced goals to become a sustainable, social, and technological leader by 2030. This is all part of a new corporate strategy from Audi called “Vorsprung 2030,” with the goal of accelerating the automaker’s electrified transformation originally slotted for 2026. Furthermore, Audi will continue to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle production, approaching an end date of 2033.

Nissan has announced that it’s the first Japanese automaker to join a United Nations-supported “Race to Zero” campaign, which is focused on accelerating electric vehicle implementation and reaching carbon neutrality. With the long-established LEAF on the market and an all-electric crossover on the way, Nissan said it aims to make all new-vehicle offerings fully electric… but not until “the early 2030s.”

A Norwegian company called Yara International claims to have created the world’s first zero-emission ship that can also transport cargo autonomously. The Yara Birkeland electric cargo ship was first conceptualized in 2017 but now looks to make its first voyage with no crew members onboard later this year in Norway.

Chinese automaker XPeng has officially begun its first venture overseas as it has loaded its P7 EVs on a ship headed for Norway. This initial batch of smart electric sedans represents XPeng’s commitment to a full-scale operation in Norway and an eventual expansion further into Europe.

NIO has introduced a new test on its app required for all drivers before unlocking the ability to use Navigate on Pilot (NOP), the company’s assisted driving feature. The required testing comes in the wake of a fatal crash earlier this month that involved a man driving his NIO ES8 using NOP in Southeast China.

With all the talk of robots and AI lately, we felt it topical to showcase the same technology producing art. Polestar has teamed with musician and robotics engineer Moritz Simon Geist to create a whole new type of music. The songs were produced using robots configured from Polestar 2 components alongside actual sounds from the EV itself. You can also sample the music and create a custom soundtrack of your own.

Welcome one and all back to the Electric Vehicle Spotlight (EVS), where we at Electrek shine a light on specific companies bringing exciting new innovations and strategies to the world of electrified transport. Our latest EVS is on Opibus, a company headquartered in Kenya that was born out of a research project in Sweden.

By focusing on all-electric conversion kits for fleet vehicles, as well as manufacturing electric motorcycles and energy systems, Opibus is on a mission to implement clean electric mobility in the emerging markets of Africa.

Autonomous Class 8 EV developer Einride announced a partnership with Bridgestone to co-develop safer and more efficient solutions for commercial fleet EVs. Through the partnership, Bridgestone becomes the exclusive tire supplier to Einride’s electric and autonomous trucks in the US. In turn, Einride will provide trucks and digital services to Bridgestone’s logistic network to help electrify a majority of its transports by 2025.

Foxconn, a major assembler of the iPhone, announced plans to build EV manufacturing plants in the US and Thailand next year, with mass production scheduled for 2023. With this move, Foxconn looks to leap from the slowing wave of smartphone manufacturing to the tidal surge of EV demand.

Electric fleet mobility company Xos, Inc. has just introduced a mobile charging solution for electric fleet vehicles called Xos Hub that avoids waiting for infrastructural installation. Xos Hub sits alongside Xos Serve as two new services offered through Xos Energy Solutions, a new business unit within Xos, Inc.

Ford has shared test-drive footage of its Mustang Mach-E facing extreme weather conditions with a newly hired driver, a robot. The footage comes from Ford’s state-of-the-art Weather Factory in Germany and shows the new robots performing driving test simulations under extreme heat and high altitude, many of which human drivers cannot easily manage.

Driverless tech company Motional announced the expansion of its West Coast operations, including public road testing of its next-generation robotaxi in Los Angeles under an agreement with Lyft. Motional has also opened a Bay Area office for Compute Design.

In preparation for its Dakar Rally debut this coming January, Audi has put its RS Q e-tron through eight days of endurance testing in extreme heat in Spain. Three teams of drivers from Audi Sport took turns testing the RS Q e-tron over tough terrain as well as fast gravel sections.

LG Energy Solution is looking to universities and research institutes around the world to help push the next generation of battery technologies forward in the form of a contest. Its international “Battery Innovation Contest” (BIC) will be hosted by LG Energy Solution with open entries through September. The contest is open to all topics pertaining to batteries, and the winner will receive a prize up to $150,000 annually for continued R&D.

In a summer update from lodging rental marketplace Airbnb, customers can now search for accommodations that include an EV charger in their stay. Airbnb made the search addition after years of EV drivers requesting the option.

Global automaker Volkswagen has shared plans to showcase a version of its upcoming ID.5 GTX crossover SUV coupé next month at the IAA Munich Motor Show. However, this international expo debut comes with a caveat, as Volkswagen’s ID.5 GTX will be showcased as a “near-production concept” wrapped in camouflage.

Volvo Car USA recently visited the FDNY in Mahwah, New Jersey, to donate a fully electric XC40 Recharge to the department for post-accident safety training. While first responders like the FDNY are no strangers to helping safely remove citizens from damaged vehicles, BEVs present new safety measures to be aware of to keep both EV passengers and firefighters safe.

US EV automaker Rivian has submitted a permit application to the Planning Commission of the City of Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. According to the application, Rivian has requested a conditional use permit (CUP) to revamp an industrial building to support 24/7 maintenance and receive new EVs for inspection before they’re delivered to customers.

Technology company and EV startup Arrival has announced plans to co-develop a cloud-based data platform with Microsoft to enable telemetry, vehicle, and data management for future electric vehicle fleets. Together with the help of Microsoft Azure, Arrival looks to streamline the sharing of data within fleet mobility holistically.