China has launched a one-year nationwide campaign to inspect intelligent connected vehicle safety, automakers' research and development (R&D) and production capabilities and product conformity, state broadcaster CCTV has reported.  The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the State Administration for Market Regulation have jointly issued a notice announcing the campaign. The drive will ta...

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has expanded its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) program to add Kia, Volvo, Polestar and Nissan electric vehicles and charger options eligible for up to $13,000 in additional incentives. The California-based utility company said it added Bidirectional Energy and PowerFlex as approved partners, broadening the network of automakers, charger-makers and software providers in the program. The expansion adds to eligible Ford, Tesla, Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac models...

Zamboanga City in the Philippines has installed three electric vehicle charging stations at the City Hall grounds, with two of the units now available for free public use as the local government begins to promote greener transport options. City Administrator Percival Ramos, who oversaw the installation, said two of the charging stations have been placed in front of City Hall for public access, while the third unit inside the City Hall compound will be reserved for the city’s own EVs. “...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has widened its investigation into General Motors' (GM) eBoost braking system, launching an Engineering Analysis that now covers nearly 1.2 million vehicles. The probe follows hundreds of reported incidents involving potential brake-assist failures and marks a significant escalation from an earlier review that initially focused on the model year 2023 Cadillac Lyriq electric sport utility vehicles. According to the NHTSA's Office of...

China has proposed a 170-article revision to its road-safety law that would require automakers or importers to handle traffic violations committed while vehicles operate in fully autonomous mode, CCTV reported. The draft revision to the Road Traffic Safety Law was submitted on Aug. 25 for an initial review by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, CCTV said. It contains 9 chapters and includes a new section, “Special Provisions for Autonomous Vehicles,” covering public-...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into a potential brake defect affecting an estimated 82,040 model year 2024 Ford Maverick Hybrid pickup trucks in the US. The agency's Office of Defects Investigation said it received a petition on July 20 requesting a probe into intermittent loss of braking in the vehicles. The petition alleges intermittent loss of antilock and regenerative braking tied to certain fault codes, resulting in a collision. ...

Continental has developed a concept tire containing about 43% recycled materials as part of the EU-funded Zero Emission Electric Vehicles Enabled by Harmonized Circularity (ZEvRA) project. The tire uses recycled tall oil, steel, rubber from end-of-life tires and polyester fibers made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. It also contains materials from pyrolysis, including recovered carbon black from end-of-life tires, and uses recycled sand to produce an alternative silica var...

The Indian government is preparing to introduce stricter vehicle lighting regulations aimed at improving road safety and reducing accidents caused by excessive headlight glare. The proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules are expected to come into effect from April next year. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed reducing the maximum permissible intensity of vehicle headlights. For two-wheelers (motorcycles and scooters), the limit would be lowered from 150,0...

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has requested India’s Finance Ministry to end a 2.5% basic customs duty on aluminum scrap, citing rising input costs and tighter global supplies. In a letter sent to the Finance Ministry dated July 14, 2026, the Indian vehicle manufacturers' lobby group said that aluminum is increasingly important as automakers shift to lighter, more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. Lightweight aluminum accounts for nearly 20% of four-wheelers and...

Greater China’s electric vehicle (EV) charging points reached 23.68 million by the end of July 2026, up 41.9% from a year earlier, the National Energy Administration said on Aug. 24, 2026. Public EV charging facilities totaled 5.099 million, up 21.3% year over year, while private charging facilities rose 48.8% year over year to 18.58 million, according to data from the national charging infrastructure monitoring and service platform. The expansion comes as sales of new-energy vehicles (N...

The California Energy Commission approved a $95.2 million plan for fiscal 2026–2027 to expand zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure across California, US. The annual Clean Transportation Program Investment Plan Update, approved Aug. 17, covers spending in the current fiscal year and includes projected allocations through 2028–2029. The money is intended to support electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling for light-, medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs. The plan allocates $48 milli...

Minda Instruments Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Minda Corp. and part of the Spark Minda Group, has received approval under the government of India’s Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) to manufacture display module subassemblies, a critical automotive electronics component that has largely been imported into the country. The approval paves the way for the Indian supplier to establish a greenfield thin-film-transistor (TFT) display module assembly facility, marking a sign...

Mainland China has introduced five automotive chip certification and accreditation industry standards, effective Oct. 1, to help locally designed semiconductors qualify for use in production vehicles. The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China said the framework is the world's first national-level capability assessment system for institutions across the automotive chip supply chain. Regulators said the absence of unif...

The Prague City Council has approved the extension of three contracts that entail modernizing public lighting and preparing selected street lights for on-street electric vehicle charging points until Dec. 31, 2028. The city council said the project links upgrades to public lighting with renewal of the electricity distribution grid. By coordinating work and using the same cable routes, Prague aims to reduce disruption to roads and pavements and limit inconvenience for residents ...

Kodiak AI received a California DMV permit on Aug. 13 to test heavy-duty autonomous vehicles on public roads with a safety driver. The authorization was granted under the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ newly expanded Autonomous Vehicle Tester program. The program allows permitted heavy-duty autonomous vehicle developers to test and deploy their technology on California roads for the first time. The permit lets Kodiak operate in California with a safety driver behind the wheel. ...

The EU has adopted a new regulation on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) that introduces binding requirements for recycled-plastic content in new cars sold across the bloc. The measure is intended to deepen circularity in the automotive sector, increase the use of secondary raw materials and curb reliance on imported resources. Under the new rules, automakers will have to ensure that at least 15% of the plastic used in new vehicles is sourced from recycled materials from 2032, rising to 25% in 2036...

The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) council in South England has approved a plan to install more than 500 on-street electric vehicle chargers over the next three years. The scheme is part of a £16.5 million project that is funded by the Department for Transport’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund and private sector investment. The project aims to deliver a total of 564 EV chargers across the region, offering 1,128 public charging sockets. The proje...

Hungarian electric-vehicle charge-point operators (CPOs) are cutting output and raising prices during evening peak hours to help balance the local power grid. These measures are aimed at reducing peak electricity demand between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. MOL said in early August it was temporarily reducing the output of MOL Plugee fast chargers with a capacity of 150 kW or more to 100 kW each day between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. The company had previously closed its own car washes and asked franchise pa...

India’s Ministry of Heavy Industries has received 20 bids for a 72.8 billion rupees (about $763 million) scheme to promote domestic manufacturing of sintered rare earth permanent magnets. The technical bids were opened after a global tender was issued on March 20 for the program that is officially named the "Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM)," the ministry said. The program is intended to create a total manufacturing capacity of 6,000 metric t...

New Zealand's government will offer about NZ$21 million (about US$12.32 million) in zero-interest loans for public electric vehicle charging infrastructure as it targets the installation of 10,000 public EV charge points by 2030. Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Energy Minister Simeon Brown said National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFFCo) would shortly issue a request for proposals for the second round of loans. The funding is aimed at charge-point operators (CPOs) seeking co-in...

Hungary’s move against Semcorp in early July is more than a local environmental enforcement case. It is a signal that Europe’s battery build-out is entering a stricter phase where permits, pollution control and public acceptance can directly shape industrial strategy. It matters because Semcorp makes separator film, a critical battery component, and its shutdown in Debrecen could ripple through Europe’s electric vehicle supply chain, especially where mainland Chinese-owned investments in b...

Hong Kong's Transport Department issued a pilot license for four autonomous private cars to trial a route between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Kowloon Station. The trial, approved under section 4(1) of the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicles) Regulation, will run between the Express Rail Link's Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the Airport Express's Kowloon Station. The vehicles will operate in autonomous mode along Wui Man Road, Jordan Road, Nga Cheung Road, Station Perimeter Road Sou...

Greater Cambridge has secured £3.88 million in UK government grant funding to expand its self-driving bus program beyond trials toward public transport services. The award will fund the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and partners’ Commercialising Connector project, building on the Connector program. The work will examine how autonomous buses can move from trial projects into real-world services, including customer experience, ticketing, safety and accessibility. Self-driving Connec...

Yasa, the UK-based electric motor manufacturer owned by Mercedes-Benz, has secured government funding to develop rare-earth-free and heavy-rare-earth-free motor technologies for future electric and hybrid vehicles. The funding was awarded through the UK government's DRIVE35 Demonstrate competition and will support Project Resilience, an initiative designed to reduce the automotive industry's reliance on rare-earth magnet supply chains, which have become a growing concern due to geopolitical t...

Sila, a US battery technology company, said it has received a conditional loan commitment of up to $1.4 billion from the US Defense Department's Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) to expand battery materials production and develop a lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility in Washington state. The financing would support a significant expansion of Sila's silicon-carbon anode manufacturing capacity at its Moses Lake, Washington, facility and help fund the construction of a battery cell p...

Aurrigo International PLC has been awarded £1.43 million in UK government funding to test autonomous vehicles for airport safety tasks under a project named SENTRY. The company will use the CAM Pathfinder grant to deploy its Auto-Shuttle vehicles on routine airport work, including security patrols, perimeter inspections and counting birds and encouraging them to move somewhere safer. The vehicles will also inspect runway and taxiway surfaces for cracks, wear and loose objects that can d...

The Canadian province of New Brunswick plans to add 16 fast chargers to its eCharge network through a C$5 million investment from the province’s emissions reduction fund, the provincial government said. The Energy Department will work with NB Power to install the chargers in underserved areas where the private sector may not yet have a business case, the province said. The move is part of a broader effort to expand electric-vehicle infrastructure across New Brunswick. The province also p...

The New York City Transportation Department (NYC DOT) has launched an online portal for public feedback on a plan to add 600 curbside electric vehicle charging points over the next three years. Commissioner Mike Flynn said the expansion of the PlugNYC network would take the city from 88 Level 2 curbside charging points to nearly 700 across all five boroughs. “But for those who still drive, we need to dramatically accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles,” Flynn said. The EV charger...

The Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis has opened 86 public electric vehicle charging points to all users on July 17 after Renault Group’s Mobilize Share car-sharing service ended locally. The EV chargers had previously been reserved for the Mobilize Share fleet, which stopped operating in the Metropolis on June 30. They are now available to all EV users, adding public charging capacity across the region. Eighty of the new charging points are in Nice, France, increasing the city’s publicly a...

The Philippine government has unveiled a $1 billion subsidy program for local electric vehicle manufacturing, offering automakers direct government co-funding of up to 40% for eligible battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and components. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the decree creating the Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) program, which aims to draw investment into local production. The scheme follows a 2022 policy that cut import duties to 0% on completed EVs and key parts to ...

Mainland China has issued a mandatory national standard for the safety of Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving systems, which will take effect on July 1, 2027. The standard, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), is intended to set a unified safety baseline for higher-level automated driving systems, regulate technology development and strengthen vehicle manufacturers’ responsibilities. It applies to M-category passenger vehicles and N-category car...

Altilium said on July 29 that it has received UK Patent No. GB2637908B for its EcoCathode electric vehicle battery recycling process. The UK Intellectual Property Office granted the patent, titled “Material Recovery Method and Use,” covering a hydrometallurgical process to recover, purify and regenerate cathode materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The UK-based clean technology company said the process converts “black mass” into high-purity battery-grade materials for u...

Blue Solutions and AVL have completed a joint battery-safety evaluation showing Blue Solutions’ solid-state technology meets GB 38031-2025 requirements, the companies said. The program assessed the safety behavior of next-generation solid-state battery cells as they move toward industrial scale-up. It examined technology-specific requirements, including pressure management and mechanical integrity at both cell and system levels. The collaboration, conducted on a nonexclusive basis, combi...

Devon County Council and Torbay Council in the UK have agreed to work with Believ, Char.gy and Wenea to install almost 3,000 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging sockets over the next few years. The chargers will be placed in communities, car parks and on streets across Devon and Torbay. The three companies will deliver, operate and maintain the charging points, with deployment focused on locations where the councils say demand is greatest. Approximately £30 million is expected t...

British self-driving technology company Oxa and the Dubai Future Foundation formed a joint venture, Shifft, to deploy autonomous vehicle systems in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a commercial rollout targeted for late 2027. The Oxford-based company will work with the UAE government agency to integrate Oxa’s technology into local vehicle systems. Oxa will supply self-driving software, cloud fleet management tools and specialized sensors for industrial vehicles and worksite management syst...

Qatar has completed the first phase of operational testing for autonomous electric taxis under its Transportation Master Plan for Qatar-2050, the Ministry of Transport said. The trials evaluated operational, technical and regulatory requirements for autonomous vehicles, as well as traffic safety, infrastructure readiness and potential integration into the country’s existing transport system, according to the ministry. The ministry also conducted a pilot operation of autonomous electric t...

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), mainland China has issued more than 20,000 test licenses for intelligent connected vehicles in 2026. Guo Shougang, an official with the MIIT, told a media roundtable in Beijing that authorities have opened more than 57,000 kilometers of roads for testing and completed more than 220 million kilometers of testing this year. Twenty pilot cities have deployed more than 60,000 intelligent devices through vehicle-roa...

The German-Chilean research project PaNaBat is setting up a platform to coordinate joint research work on sustainable lithium extraction, battery raw materials and battery recycling. The project aims to build long-term links between Germany and Chile in research, education, technology transfer and industrial cooperation. It also seeks to support more diversified and regional supply chains for lithium and other critical raw materials used in battery cell production. More than 50% of the wor...

The government of Canada has announced C$10.9 million for 22 electric vehicle infrastructure and education projects across the country, including funding for nearly 400 chargers. Environment, Climate Change and Nature Minister Julie Dabrusin announced the funding, which follows Canada’s new Auto Strategy unveiled in 2025. The federal government said the projects are intended to make it easier for Canadian families and businesses to switch to EVs. Almost C$9 million will go to nine projec...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary investigation into about 1.2 million Tesla vehicles over reports of suspension failures that could lead to a loss of steering control. On July 31, the US auto safety regulator informed that its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 156 complaints alleging that the front lower lateral link detached in certain 2018–2020 Model 3 and 2021–2023 Model Y vehicles. If ODI finds a safety-related def...

Zimbabwe’s state-owned lithium miner, Mutapa Energy Resources, has secured $300 million from a group that includes mainland Chinese companies to develop assets in the country. “It’s a done deal,” Innocent Rukweza, CEO of Mutapa Energy, said in an interview. He declined to name the investors, saying one of the companies is listed and must first make a regulatory disclosure. Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. and Tshingshan Holding Group Co. were in talks on a $250 million to $300 million pa...

Momenta has received nationwide Level 4 testing approval from the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), allowing it to test autonomous driving technology in urban environments across Germany. The permit from Germany’s federal vehicle authority covers Level 4 autonomous driving tests in accordance with the country’s safety and validation requirements. Momenta said the approval will let it validate its systems in urban driving conditions nationwide and support ongoing German projects. Those p...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will allow Zoox to commercially deploy up to 2,500 robo-taxis annually for two years under a temporary exemption. The NHTSA said the exemption will be subject to an enhanced, adaptable oversight structure that can evolve as Zoox’s technology advances. The action is part of a set of automated vehicle policy changes directed by US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy under the department’s Innovation Agenda. The NHTSA also said...

Hertfordshire County Council in the UK has chosen Zest to install more than 1,000 public electric vehicle chargepoints across North Hertfordshire, St Albans and Welwyn Hatfield. The project will be backed by significant investment from Zest and £1.8 million from the central government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. Zest will fund, operate and maintain the network for 15 years at no cost to the council or residents, the council said. Hertfordshire has been divi...

Dutch energy distribution system operator Liander has begun a pilot to pay electric vehicle drivers for easing grid congestion at 12,000 Vattenfall and Allego charging points in Gelderland, the Netherlands. The project is the first in the Netherlands in which a grid operator is involved in procuring flexibility through mobility service providers (MSPs). It is being run with Deftpower, charge-point operators (CPOs) Vattenfall and Allego, and MSPs ANWB and Athlon. The pilot wi...

Mainland China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is likely to bar automakers from offering blue indicator lamps in their passenger cars starting in August, CarNewsChina.com reported on July 29, citing multiple industry reports and sources. The move amounts to a ban on installing the so-called “Little Blue Lights,” which are used to show when advanced driver assistance systems are activated. The National Automotive Standardisation Committee is expected to issue suppl...

Volvo Cars will pay 18,000 Norwegian kroner (US$1,900) to each Norwegian owner of a lidar-equipped EX90 or ES90 after abandoning Luminar-supplied lidar technology and related features. Henrik Juel Teige, spokesperson for Volvo Cars Norway, confirmed the compensation to Motor.no. He said Volvo had ended its lidar partnership and dropped plans for lidar-based functions for the EX90 and ES90. “The lidar-based features Volvo previously communicated about will not be launched, and the driver ...

Energiesysteme Groß GmbH has opened a megawatt charging hub in Niestetal, Germany. The facility has been operational since June, offering electric trucks charging at up to 1,000 kW near the A7 motorway junction by Kassel. The site, located in the Hermann-Scheer-Straße industrial park in Northern Hesse, uses Megawatt Charging System (MCS) technology to charge heavy commercial vehicles via two MCS dispensers. The company said trucks can be ready for use again in just over 45 minutes, kee...

Tesla has secured a significant legal victory in the UK after the Supreme Court ruled that it can revive its lawsuit against US technology company InterDigital and patent licensing platform Avanci. The case, which is expected to return to the High Court, centers on Tesla’s efforts to secure access to standard-essential patents (SEPs) required for the deployment of 5G-connected vehicles in the UK. The dispute began in 2023 when Tesla filed proceedings against InterDigital and Avanci in the H...

Australia will invest A$30 million through its Grid Enhancing Technologies (GET) Grant Program to fund 14 projects designed to strengthen electricity networks and accelerate the use of electric vehicles, batteries and renewable energy across the country. The projects include initiatives that enable vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, allowing EVs to operate as mobile batteries and supply electricity back to the grid during periods of high demand. Other projects will encourage EV owners to charg...

Abu Dhabi Mobility signed five agreements and a letter of intent covering advanced air mobility, autonomous transport, mapping, emergency response and 3D-printed bus shelters. The Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility), an affiliate of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, said the agreements were signed with public and private sector partners as part of efforts to develop smart transport and expand strategic partnerships. Under the sponsorship of the Smart and Autono...

ZF Lifetec, the passive safety subsidiary of the ZF Group, said it will start series production in August of an infrared seatbelt designed to help interior cameras verify whether occupants are wearing belts correctly. According to the company, its Infrared Belt is intended for all seating positions, including rear seats, and is aimed at helping automakers meet current and future requirements from safety rating groups such as the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The belt uses fabric made fro...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has denied a petition seeking a defect investigation into emergency mechanical door releases on about 180,000 model year 2022 Tesla Model 3 vehicles, Reuters reported on July 24. The petition alleged that the manual door release could be hard to find after a crash if the vehicle lost power, raising the risk that occupants could become trapped. The NHTSA said the petition did not provide evidence of a likely safety-related defect th...

Thailand is reviewing a 24 billion baht ($714 million) plan to replace up to 80,000 aging transport vehicles with electric vehicles. The initial proposal, presented to a government committee in June, covered commercial transport vehicles including taxis, motorcycle taxis, tuk-tuks, buses and trucks, Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat told Reuters. Officials are now considering whether to expand the program beyond transport vehicles to all EV purchases. "We are reconsidering ...

Spain's Council of Ministers has approved the terms of the Auto+ Plan, a €400 million subsidy program aimed at boosting electric vehicle purchases, with the scheme expected to be formally published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) in the coming days. The program, first unveiled earlier in 2026, has faced implementation delays, prompting several automakers to advance incentives to customers to support EV sales. As the scheme will apply retroactively to purchases made from Jan. 1, industry...

The Scottish government plans to continue supporting small and medium-sized haulage operators by investing a further £1 million in its SME fleet analysis scheme, which aims to help fleet operators transition to zero-emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The next phase of the SME Fleet Analysis Support fund follows what the government described as high levels of interest and engagement from operators across Scotland. The scheme is part of the Heavy Goods Vehicle Market Readiness Fun...

According to a press release, Mobileye reported its second-quarter 2026 revenue at $508 million. The second-quarter 2026 revenue was relatively flat compared to the second quarter of 2025, which was reported at $506 million. The company raised the midpoint of its 2026 revenue outlook by $20 million after second-quarter fiscal year 2026 revenue came in at $508 million. Operating loss and adjusted operating income in the second quarter of 2026 improved by 59% and 46%, respectiv...

Hong Kong’s Transport Department has approved fully driverless autonomous vehicle trials on Airport Island, removing in-vehicle backup operators after successful remote tests. The decision expands the North Lantau trial program. Remote backup operators will also be added alongside in-vehicle staff on the Tung Chung and Sunny Bay routes, the department said. Airport Island trials had previously required both remote control center operators and in-vehicle backup operators. After reviewing ...

Seeing Machines secured a driver and occupant monitoring program with a European automaker, expected to generate about $5 million in lifetime revenue. The company said the Driver & Occupant Monitoring System (DMS/OMS) program was awarded through an existing tier 1 customer. It did not name the automaker or the tier 1 supplier. Seeing Machines’ technology will be integrated into a rearview mirror solution for use across future vehicle platforms, including electric vehicles. Start of p...

Mainland China has resumed issuing robo-taxi permits in some cities after suspending new licenses in April, according to The Straits Times, citing people familiar with the matter. The restart is taking place gradually after authorities completed an industrywide review in late June, the sources said, declining to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media. One of the first permits went to Momenta Global, allowing the company to run trials in Shenzhen, mainland China. ...

Waymo driverless cars had 68% fewer police-reportable crashes per mile than human drivers, though federal monitoring of automated vehicles needs improvement, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said. The study examined Waymo vehicles operating without drivers in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin. Researchers compared crashes per vehicle mile traveled that a person would typically report to the police. “The results show that, on a limited scale, these driverless...

Yotta Automated Software Solutions Inc. (YASSI) has launched its Easy-Connect API platform, offering enterprise users a single integration for vehicle records and related intelligence across 46 US states. The Santa Rosa, California-based company said the platform is aimed at lenders, insurers, automotive retailers, fleet operators and government organizations that need real-time vehicle data without managing multiple vendors or integrations. Easy-Connect provides access to vehicle records ...

BC Hydro plans to deploy 3,500 new public electric vehicle charging ports in British Columbia by 2035. The company's ambitious EV charging infrastructure rollout plan is backed by a C$700 million investment. The expansion, which is being carried out with the British Columbia government, will more than triple the number of public charging ports in the province. BC Hydro’s current public fast-charging network has 917 charging ports at 190 locations. The utility plans to add charging hubs i...

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will open its next electric vehicle rebate application cycle on Aug. 1, 2026, with $14 million appropriated for the program in fiscal 2027. The application period will run through Dec. 31, 2026, Director James Jennings said. Forms and instructions are available on the Illinois EPA’s EV Rebate Program webpage, and applications postmarked or received before Aug. 1, 2026, will not be accepted. The program provides a $2,000 rebate for an eli...

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) selected AmpUp’s Adapt & Earn managed-charging pilot as the only Cycle 1 Innovative Energy Solutions project to move to scaled deployment. PURA's July 1 decision invites AmpUp and the state’s electric utilities to submit a joint proposal for a statewide program. The effort would extend managed charging to public and shared electric-vehicle chargers across Connecticut, AmpUp said July 21. The 18-month pilot, run with Evers...

Mercedes-Benz is seeking to raise a proposed US Senate bill’s Chinese-ownership limit for connected vehicle sales to 25% from 15%, according to sources familiar with the matter. The bipartisan measure, introduced in April by Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, would prohibit automakers from selling connected vehicles if more than 15% of their ownership is held by Chinese entities. The threshold would affect Mercedes-Benz, which is nearly 20% owned by Chinese enti...

Targa Telematics has partnered with Hyundai Connected Mobility GmbH to integrate Hyundai vehicle data into its fleet-management platform across Europe. The agreement covers different generations of Hyundai vehicles, allowing fleet operators to manage both newer vehicles and earlier models through the Targa Telematics system. The companies said the integration will use native vehicle data without requiring new hardware installations. Fleet data streams will feed directly into the Targa Te...

The UK government will remove value-added tax (VAT) on domestic electricity bills from Oct. 1, cutting the rate from 5% to zero in a move expected to reduce annual household energy costs by about £45 under Ofgem’s price cap. The Ofgem price cap is a limit set by the UK’s energy regulator Ofgem on the maximum unit rates and standing charges suppliers can charge for default and standard variable energy tariffs. While the measure is aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures, it is also ex...

South Korea will introduce a Domestic Production Tax Credit covering about 10 national strategic technology sectors to encourage domestic manufacturing and sales. The measure, confirmed in the government's "Economic Growth Strategy for the Second Half of 2026" released July 20, would reduce corporate and income taxes in proportion to domestically produced and sold volumes of core strategic technology items. The policy is dubbed the "Korean Inflation Reduction Act" and shifts support beyond on...

Huawei executive Jin Yuzhi said Level 3 autonomous driving cannot be bypassed, outlining a road map in which urban low-speed Level 4 pilots begin in 2026, followed by large-scale Level 3 commercialization in 2027. Jin, senior vice president of Huawei and CEO of Yinwang, said, "Level 3 (L3) cannot be skipped," reaffirming that Level 3 and Level 4 are distinct stages rather than competing paths toward full autonomy. The transition from Level 2 to Level 3 represents a fundamental shift becaus...

Mainland China will impose a 2% consumption tax on previously exempt lithium batteries from Sept. 1, 2026, and solar cells from 2027, the Finance Ministry said July 17. The tax will apply to battery products, including lithium primary batteries and lithium-ion batteries, with the rate rising to 4% on Sept. 1, 2027, according to the ministry statement. Solar cells will face a 2% consumption tax starting April 1, 2027, increasing to 4% after a year. Mainland China currently levies a 4% consu...

High-reclining seats — also known as zero-gravity seats — have become immensely popular in mainland China over the last few years. Several local automakers, especially manufacturers of new-energy vehicles (NEVs), are equipping their new vehicles with such seats, which can be reclined up to 140–160 degrees to deliver a more comfortable ride experience for occupants. According to data from the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI), automakers offered zero-gravi...

Hong Kong opened its first large-scale electric vehicle battery recycling plant on July 16, a 100,000-square-foot facility able to process up to 10,000 metric tons of batteries a year. The plant, located in Tuen Mun’s EcoPark, can handle batteries equivalent to those from about 20,000 cars annually. The facility is aimed at recovering materials from end-of-life EV batteries as the city prepares for rising volumes of battery waste. Chief Executive John Lee, speaking by video at the openin...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) aims to finalize new autonomous vehicle safety requirements by 2028, Administrator Jonathan Morrison told Bloomberg, as regulators move toward performance tests for self-driving cars. The agency plans to seek public and industry comment on “behavioral competencies” for self-driving vehicles, with objective tests to determine whether they can be deployed safely on public roads. Morrison said the goal is to provide certainty “s...

The West Northamptonshire Council in the UK has appointed leading charge-point operator (CPO) Char.gy to deliver more than 3,000 on-street electric vehicle charging sockets under a program backed by the UK government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund and private investment. The council said the rollout, described as one of the UK’s largest local on-street EV charging programs, will focus on residents who depend on street parking and lack access to home charging. Installa...

HAAS Alert has said it has begun contributing live road-safety information across Europe’s Data for Road Safety (DFRS) ecosystem, joining BMW Group and Škoda as the only three active providers under European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) guidelines. The Chicago-based connected-vehicle safety company said it moved from joining DFRS to streaming hazard information in under 12 months.  DFRS is a cross-sector European initiative that shares road safety data among vehicle manu...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has denied Tesla’s 2024 petition to avoid a recall fix for about 19,900 vehicles with headlights that may exceed maximum lighting levels. The recall covers certain 2017–2023 model year Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Tesla had argued the lighting issue was inconsequential to motor vehicle safety and did not require a recall or notification to consumers. The NHTSA said it disagreed with Tesla’s conclusion that the condition pose...

Malaysia is set to begin small-scale production this month of a domestically developed graphene-enhanced lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles (EVs), in a move seen as a step forward in the country’s effort to build higher-value manufacturing and clean technology capabilities. The battery has been developed by NanoMalaysia Berhad, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and will be produced by its wholly owned subsidiary, Gigafactory Malaysia. The project has...

In an analysis published by Mobileye, the company noted that the EU introduced mandatory ADAS performance requirements in 2024 that are being expanded in July 2026, while China is preparing enforceable standards for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving, expected to take effect in July 2027. The July 2026 measures are the second wave of the EU’s General Safety Regulation and will set required thresholds for autonomous emergency braking, intelligent speed assistance and driver attention moni...

Rheinbahn, Rheinmetall, its subsidiary MIRA and Düsseldorf Airport started a public-road pilot of teleoperated shuttle vehicles at Düsseldorf Airport on July 13, 2026. The vehicles run between the airport railway station and the terminal area as the partners test remotely supervised and teleoperated mobility services under operating conditions. The pilot is intended to assess how the vehicles perform in real traffic and how they fit into existing transport networks. The project will al...

Grant PUD received $250,000 in Washington state grants to support electric vehicle chargers, including 10 public stations at its future Ephrata Service Center along State Route 282. The public chargers will be installed at the service center now under construction, with completion slated for early 2028, the utility said. The chargers will be Level 2, 19.2-kilowatt, 80-amp ChargePoint 6000 stations, which can charge all makes and models. An hour of charging can add about 75 miles of range t...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 168, a bill creating a $3,500 instant rebate for families buying their first zero-emission vehicle (ZEV). The bill is part of a $600 million clean-transportation package. The rebate program, expected to start soon, will offer the discount at participating dealerships. California has dedicated $135.5 million to the program, with an equal contribution to be matched by participating automakers, the governor’s office said. The broader $600...

DENSO and TÜV Rheinland Japan validated a battery passport for AESC energy storage products ahead of the EU mandate taking effect in February 2027, the leading Japanese supplier said in a press release on June 29. The companies used actual data from AESC Group Ltd.’s Energy Storage Systems (ESS) business to test whether the passport could meet the EU Battery Regulation and function in commercial operations. DENSO built and supplied the technology foundation, while TÜV Rheinland Japan acted a...

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering a significant change to autonomous vehicle rules by potentially removing the requirement for steering wheels in fully driverless vehicles. Jonathan Morrison, head of the US-based vehicle safety regulator, said that vehicles designed to operate without any human intervention should not necessarily be required to include manual driving controls. “If you’re developing a vehicle that is designed never to be driven by...

Uber is opposing a Washington, DC, bill that would allow driverless commercial robo-taxi operations, arguing it could give Alphabet-owned Waymo a de facto monopoly. The measure, introduced by Councilmember Charles Allen in May, would update the District's Autonomous Vehicle Act of 2012. Companies such as Waymo and Zoox may now test autonomous vehicles in Washington, but only with a human safety operator behind the wheel. “We have already seen in other jurisdictions how a flawed, first-...

Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor is preparing to enter the Canadian car market and is certifying its vehicles with Canadian regulators to obtain approval for domestic sales. The carmaker could launch its first two models in Canada as early as next year.  Dongfeng plans to show its electric vehicles in Montreal this week. "We are working on that, and maybe next year we will be ready to launch the first two models," said Julie Mazorra Fernández, director of North World Industry,...

Dublin Airport has unveiled Ireland’s first pantograph electric bus charging infrastructure, part of a €17 million investment to support a new zero-emission shuttle bus fleet and advance its decarbonization efforts, airport operator daa said July 8. The automated high-power charging system uses retractable charging arms to rapidly recharge electric buses at the end of their routes, allowing vehicles to remain in service without returning to a depot during the day. The infrastructure wi...

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Dubai Taxi Co. opened a dedicated electric vehicle charging hub with 24 ultrafast-charge points for DTC's taxi fleet, the first phase of a planned network of more than 200. The hub, located at DTC's headquarters in Muhaisnah 4, was inaugurated by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA, and Abdul Muhsen Ibrahim Kalbat, chairman of the DTC Group's board of directors. Each charge point is rated at 360 kilowatts, and the sit...

California, US, plans to offer first-time electric vehicle buyers instant rebates of $3,500 for new models and $1,750 for used vehicles after the federal $7,500 credit expired in September 2025. The program, funded by $135 million in Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget, would apply the discount at the dealership rather than at tax time. If automakers match the state funding as expected, available support would exceed $270 million. To qualify, buyers would have to certify they have never owned a zer...

The Federal Republic of Germany has awarded Vinci Concessions' subsidiary Eliso an eight-year contract to install and operate up to 180 heavy-vehicle charging points across 25 stations in northern Germany. The project represents an approximately €100 million investment and will place the charging stations along principal transport routes, Vinci said. The sites will be built specifically for electric heavy vehicles. Each station will have between three and 36 charging points, with power...

Mainland China will enforce a mandatory national safety standard for combined driver assistance systems in intelligent and connected vehicles from Jan. 1, 2027, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on July 2, 2026. The standard was recently approved and released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration, the ministry said. It applies to three types of combined driver assistance systems: basic single-lane systems, b...

Aidoptation BV received Belgian approval to test a Level 4 autonomous driving system on 100 kilometers of the E313 and E314 highways in Limburg, Belgium. The authorization from the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport (FOD) and the Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic (AWV) marks the first test of a Level 4 fully autonomous driving system at highway speeds on public roads in the EU. Testing will use a Maserati GranTurismo Folgore electric vehicle fitted by Aidoptation with lidar, rad...

Mainland China has set a target for new energy vehicles (NEVs) to account for 30% of its vehicle fleet by 2030, requiring the fleet to more than double within five years. The State Council released the 15th Five-Year Plan Carbon Peaking Action Plan on July 9, 2026, outlining steps toward the country's goal of peaking carbon emissions before 2030. The plan also calls for new energy commercial transport vehicles to make up 25% of the fleet by 2030. Mainland China's NEV fleet stood at 43.97 m...

An INIT-led consortium has launched the three-year BRAVE10k project to prepare Germany's public transport system for more than 10,000 autonomous vehicles by 2030. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and supported by TÜV Rheinland. About 20 partners from the transport, industry, research, standardization and consulting sectors are involved, with the project kick-off held at INIT in Karlsruhe, Germany. BRAVE10k is not aimed at developing...

The head of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told self-driving car companies on July 8 to quickly address driverless vehicles interfering with police, firefighters and other first responders. Jonathan Morrison, who leads the US vehicle safety regulator, said in a letter to the industry that NHTSA had documented multiple instances of autonomous vehicles entering active emergency scenes. He cited other cases in which vehicles blocked the paths of ambulances and fire...

OMV Petrom completed an EU-supported project installing 384 ultrafast electric vehicle charging points along a TEN-T corridor linking Bratislava, Budapest, Oradea and Cluj-Napoca. The project had a total value of approximately €40 million at the time of contracting, including up to €12 million in EU grants for Romania under the Connecting Europe Facility, the company said. The charging points were installed across Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. Romania accounted for 304 charging points...