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Autonomous rideshare startup Waymo has announced an additional $2.5 billion investment round of funding. Waymo plans to use the additional funding, led by parent company Alphabet Inc., to hire more staff and advance its self-driving technology toward more paid rides.

Swedish automaker Polestar has announced that its upcoming performance SUV, the Polestar 3, will be built in the US and targeted at American consumers. The all-electric SUV will be manufactured at the Volvo Cars production center in South Carolina and supported by retail “Spaces” across the US.

In a Tweet earlier today, autonomous rideshare company Cruise, announced it has secured a multi-year credit line of $5 billion from GM financial, to help purchase thousands of Origin vehicles. This new credit line will give Cruise $10 billion in total capital to help roll out its autonomous Origin vehicles manufactured by GM.

Chinese EV automaker NIO announced it has received European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (EWVTA) for its flagship SUV, the ES8. This essential certification will allow for mass production of the NIO ES8, as well as license plate registration for all countries in the EU.

General Motors (GM) has announced a collaboration with Wabtec Corporation to attempt to develop and implement its Ultium battery technology into Wabtec’s freight locomotives. GM also plans to develop its HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell systems for Wabtec to commercialize zero-emission, heavy-duty locomotives.

DC Fast Charging hardware and software manufacturer Tritium has announced a collaboration with Loop, a developer and operator of both public and private EV charging networks. The partnership begins with Tritium’s DCFC’s on Loop’s network on Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile, with plans to expand further in California followed by expansion to other states.

Specialty vehicle manufacturer The Shyft Group recently announced plans to bring its own Class 3 all-electric chassis platform to market to serve a wide range of medium-duty trucks. This includes commercial trucks, recreational vehicles, passenger buses, and last-mile delivery fleets.

Minority stakeholder Ideanomics has announced that it has now acquired 100% of Solectrac, a zero-emission tractor manufacturer based in the US. With the full acquisition, Ideanomics plans to continue to support Solectrac in scaling toward becoming a global supplier of clean agricultural equipment.

Medium-duty electric vehicle developer Phoenix Motorcars has unveiled its third-generation electric drivetrain and has begun series production of commercial vehicles that utilize it. The first three vehicles were recently completed at the company’s Ontario, California, facility and will soon be delivered to fleet customers.

Electric mobility company Xos, Inc. has announced a new powertrain division called “Powered by Xos” to provide, design, and integrate its own technology for other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Contrary to other Xos ventures, Powered by Xos will focus on off-highway vehicles, including commercial and industrial applications such as heavy-duty forklifts.

A recent announcement from battery swap startup Ample, has revealed a partnership with Sally to help transition ride-share, taxi, and last-mile delivery drivers toward EVs using Ample’s battery swap technology. As a part of the partnership, the companies will also co-develop unique centers to sit alongside battery swap stations, so drivers can use the restroom and rest while their EV gets a new modular battery pack.

Autonomous rideshare rivals Waymo and Cruise have both reportedly applied for permits to charge passengers for self-driving rides in the San Francisco Bay area. Some of the applications are still under review, but it could be a major step toward autonomous rideshare vehicles operating as commonplace soon.

Kia America has announced the 2021 version of its Niro crossover EV will soon be available to consumers. The automaker is completely transparent in admitting the 2021 Kia Niro is essentially a carryover from the 2020 EV but with some “technology and convenience enhancements.”

Nuvve Holding Corp. has announced a new collaboration with energy technology developer Romeo Power to integrate each company’s respective technologies toward accelerated vehicle-to-grid (V2G) adoption. The collaboration will make Romeo Power’s battery management system (BMS) V2G compatible, thanks to Nuvve’s platform, regardless of the type of commercial vehicle.

BMW has officially announced the pricing and market launch for two US versions of the all-electric i4 — the i4 eDrive40 and i4 M50. The i4 M50 is the first fully electric performance model to come from BMW M GmbH. Both models promise range, elegant design, cutting-edge UI, and driving assistance technologies —all with zero emissions.

BYD (Build Your Dreams) has introduced a fully electric Type D school bus, complete with smart technologies like bi-directional charging and advanced safety features. According to the Chinese automaker, its sleek design “will have students wanting to step onboard.” You know, because kids clamor to get to school each morning when they’re on a cool bus.

A recent SEC filing has revealed that electric vehicle charging network EVgo is still 82 charger installations short of meeting its June 30 milestone deadline for the quarter, part of an agreement with General Motors (GM). According to the filing, missing this milestone would give GM the power to terminate the agreement and seek pre-agreed liquidated damages of up to $15 million, although GM currently remains confident in EVgo.

General Motors (GM) continues to expand its electric vehicle fleet and has decided Earth simply isn’t enough. Together with Lockheed Martin, GM plans to develop an electric lunar rover for NASA to be operated by Artemis astronauts to explore our Moon.

Volvo Cars has announced that its Torslanda site in Sweden has become the company’s first climate neutral car manufacturing plant. The automaker is calling this achievement a significant step toward its goal of making its global manufacturing network climate neutral by 2025.

Public fast-charging network EVgo has announced a new program called EVgo Reservations that gives drivers the freedom to claim their spot at a charger ahead of time. The initial rollout consists of 17 locations across California and the Seattle area in a pilot program that has already expanded.

Thanks to some excellent sleuthing by someone on a Rivian forum through the NHTSA database, we now have a Rosetta Stone in deciphering VIN coding on upcoming R1Ts. Furthermore, the motor options listed in the VIN document hint at the possibility of a more affordable, dual-motor Rivian R1T on the horizon.

In anticipation of the imminent, yet cloudy delivery date of the Air sedan, Lucid Motors has shared video footage and new details of its User Experience, or UX. This in-depth look at Lucid UX offers a first look at several unique technologies implemented within a sleek design to match the rest of the Air… whenever it becomes available.

EV charging management provider AMPLY Power will announce a collaboration with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions focused on charging fleets of electric buses by means of solar-powered overhead charging stations. AMPLY CEO Vic Shao will introduce this solution at the VERGE Electrify virtual conference today, but he spoke with Electrek beforehand about its potential.