The recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 (Jan. 6–9, 2026) marked a clear inflection point: software-defined vehicles (SDVs) have entered their industrialization phase. Original equipment manufacturers and suppliers shifted decisively away from exploratory demos and concepts toward scalable, production-ready SDV platforms, with most architectures, toolchains and compute strategies aligned to 2026–28 SOPs. The focus has clearly moved from what SDVs could do, to how they can ...

Himadri Speciality Chemicals is expanding into the electric vehicle battery materials sector and is in discussions with global EV manufacturers and battery-makers to supply lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials. This move is intended to leverage the increasing demand for cost-efficient, safe and eco-friendly battery chemistries, thereby enhancing the company's role in the global energy storage supply chain. The company plans to introduce its LFP business in stages, aiming to supply m...

Singapore energy company SP Group and mainland Chinese tech company Huawei have launched Singapore's first ultrafast electric vehicle charger, which incorporates a battery energy storage system. The charger, located at Temasek Polytechnic, is manufactured by Huawei and operated by SP Group's EV-charging unit, SP Mobility. It is rated for a maximum power of 480 kW and is capable of adding 200 km of range in just five minutes for compatible vehicles. The integration of a battery energy storage ...

The London Borough of Harrow is enhancing its electric vehicle infrastructure by collaborating with Char.gy to install 500 new on-street EV charge points. This initiative primarily focuses on residential streets, aimed at residents without driveways or off-street parking. The charge points will be lamp column-mounted, offering low-powered charging suitable for topping up vehicles while parked at home. As of now, 225 charge points have been installed, with an additional 275 expected by Oct. 2,...

Ericsson has launched the Ericsson Cradlepoint R2400 router and the extensible RC1250 modem. It is built for vehicles and mobile field teams, combining ultrafast failover, high-precision location services and advanced edge computing to help organizations operate more safely, efficiently and reliably. Designed for first responders, transit operators and private fleets, the R2400 supports mission-critical applications ranging from lifesaving emergency coordination to route...

ŠKODA has enhanced the infotainment systems in its all-electric Enyaq (running software 4.0 and above) and Elroq models with a suite of new digital features. These include the AirConsole gaming platform, the ŠKODA Play video service and native Spotify integration. All three are part of the Media Streaming Package, which is offered free of charge for the first three years in new vehicles. AirConsole, developed by Swiss company N-Dream, debuts with 15 games — including Tetris — available ...

Waymo is advancing its autonomous driving technology with the introduction of its 6th-generation Driver. This system is built for expansion into more cities and diverse environments, including extreme winter weather, with a design that reduces costs while maintaining safety standards. Over seven years, Waymo has accumulated experience from nearly 200 million autonomous miles driven in over 10 major cities. Waymo's Driver leverages a custom sensing suite combining high-resolution cameras, radar a...

WeRide and Uber Technologies have introduced the first commercial robo-taxi service in downtown Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, marking the Emirates' first autonomous vehicle deployment in its city center. With this expansion, the service now covers approximately 70% of Abu Dhabi's central areas. This expansion includes operations across Khalifa City, Masdar City and Rabdan, as well as routes between Corniche Road and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, in collaboration with the Integrated...

Audi has integrated third-party apps EasyPark and ryd directly into its MMI infotainment system, enhancing its digital solutions portfolio. The ryd app is accessible in all Audi models via the Audi Application Store, while EasyPark will be available by the first quarter of 2026. To use these apps, users need to set up accounts with the respective providers and input payment information. Following installation from the Audi Application Store, only a one-time setup is required....

Porsche has decided to use South Korean batteries exclusively for all its electric vehicles sold in South Korea starting in 2026. Previously, the Macan Electric sport utility vehicle was equipped with batteries from mainland Chinese company CATL, but starting from the 2026 model year, vehicles will be fitted with Samsung SDI batteries. The Cayenne Electric, a midsize SUV to be released in 2026, and the Taycan, an all-electric model currently available, will feature batteries from LG Energy So...

Xpeng, an intelligent electric vehicle company, has collaborated with Antom, a merchant payment and digitization services provider under Ant International, to enhance the digital payment experience for EV charging. This makes Antom the first global payment partner for Xpeng's EV charging business, supporting its global expansion. The partnership, which commenced in Hong Kong in February 2026, is set to expand further into Southeast Asia and other global markets. Antom utilizes Ant Intern...

STMicroelectronics has introduced the Stellar P3E, an advanced automotive microcontroller featuring AI acceleration for edge intelligence. This microcontroller unit (MCU) is designed for software-defined vehicles (SDVs), facilitating the integration of multifunction X-in-1 electronic control units, helping to reduce system cost and complexity. The Stellar P3E stands out due to its embedded ST Neural-ART Accelerator, which allows for efficient real-time AI processing, being the first in the autom...

Aurora Innovation has announced a significant expansion of its driverless network with a new software release that will triple its capacity and facilitate expansion across the Southern US by 2026. This is Aurora's fourth software release since it began deploying driverless trucks in April 2025. Previous releases enabled initial operations between Dallas and Houston, enabled night operations, and validated routes to El Paso, Texas. The latest software utilizes generalized AI to navigate the va...

Arrow Electronics has introduced a strategic initiative and research hub to facilitate the development of next-generation vehicle electrical and electronic (E/E) architecture. The initiative aims to provide automakers and tier 1 suppliers with engineering expertise and supply chain support as the industry shifts toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs). E/E architecture represents a shift from distributed computing, where separate computers manage individual features, to centralized systems that ...

Mahindra & Mahindra has selected Mobileye's SuperVision and Surround advanced driver assistance systems for six upcoming vehicle models, with production anticipated to start in 2027. The program will utilize Mobileye's EyeQ6 High system-on-chip and will include multiple Mahindra models set to launch in India and other markets, with Mobileye serving as a tier 1 supplier. Both ADAS solutions will integrate various functions, such as perception, Road Experience Management (REM) intelligence and...

Aumovio is supplying Leapmotor, a mainland China-based electric-car manufacturer, with a range of safety systems for its B- and C-platform vehicles. Leapmotor’s B-platform models are equipped with Aumovio's latest long-range radar, electric parking brake and airbag control unit (ACU), while the C-platform models come equipped with the MK C2 one-box brake system, long-range radar and ACU. For Leapmotor's high-volume sport utility vehicle models such as the C10, C11 and C16, Aumovio supplies ...

Anson Resources Ltd., through its subsidiary Blackstone Minerals NV LLC, has successfully produced battery-grade lithium carbonate with 99.4% purity from the brine of its Green River Lithium Project. The company upgraded and purified the eluate, initially produced during test work at its Sample Demonstration Plant, and transported it to Anson's Lithium Innovation Center in Florida, US, for further processing. This proprietary downstream flow sheet removed impurities, resulting in lithium carb...

BMW Group and E.ON have announced Germany's first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) offer, allowing customers to charge their BMW iX3 at home for free up to 14,000 km annually. The initiative is part of BMW's Neue Klasse, which integrates V2G, vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities into BMW electric vehicles. Customers purchasing the BMW iX3 enjoy a €700 discount on the bidirectional BMW Wallbox Professional, along with a V2G electricity tariff from E.ON. This package includes an ...

Pony.ai announced that the first mass-produced bZ4X robo-taxi, developed in collaboration with Toyota, has been completed, marking a significant milestone in their partnership for the production and deployment of robo-taxis. This achievement demonstrates a deep synergy between Pony.ai and Toyota in autonomous driving technology, vehicle manufacturing and supply chain integration. Both companies plan to produce over 1,000 bZ4X robo-taxis by 2026 and start introducing them into commercial services...

Ouster, a company specializing in sensing and perception for physical AI, announced that it completed the acquisition of StereoLabs SAS on Feb. 4. StereoLabs, known for its AI vision and perception solutions, has provided 3D vision systems since 2010, shipping over 90,000 ZED cameras to a customer base exceeding 10,000, and is supported by a broad developer community. With this acquisition, Ouster introduces physical AI's first unified sensing and perception platform, integrating digital lidar, ...

Element3, a critical minerals company based in Fort Worth, Texas, has initiated lithium carbonate production in the Permian Basin, marking the first new domestic lithium mining project in the US in over 50 years. Located in Midland, Texas, the facility has a 3,000 metric tons per annum capacity and utilizes produced water from the Permian Basin, transforming oil and gas infrastructure into a critical mineral asset. This initiative supports the current US administration's goal to reduce reliance ...

The Waymo Driver has achieved a milestone of almost 200 million fully autonomous miles, integrating itself into the urban landscape of significant US cities and enhancing road safety, the company said in a blog post. Beyond what is visible to riders and local communities, it operates within virtual environments, handling complex scenarios before they occur on public roads. Recently, Waymo introduced the Waymo World Model, a generative model that elevates the standards for large-scale, hyper-real...

Tesla has started operating a China-focused AI training center aimed at enhancing its cars' self-driving capabilities in the world's largest electric vehicle market, following Beijing's deregulation of the technology. Grace Tao, vice president of Tesla, mentioned that the center possesses sufficient computing power for developing assisted-driving features but did not disclose its location or investment size. This development marks a noteworthy step toward commercializing Tesla's Full Self-Drivin...

WeRide and Uber Technologies have announced an expansion of their strategic partnership to deploy at least 1,200 robo-taxis across the Middle East by 2027. The deployment will cover Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Dubai, UAE; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; making the robo-taxi services accessible through the Uber app. This initiative builds upon their existing fully driverless operations in Abu Dhabi and passenger services in Dubai and Riyadh, with Uber planning to increase the fleet progressively a...

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) showcased the future of connected mobility in Sacramento, US, with demonstrations of next-generation vehicle connectivity technologies on US roads. The event highlighted innovations in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) tolling, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), and safety and awareness, bringing together automakers, telecom operators, technology and solution partners to exhibit real-world applications. 5GAA Chairman Christoph Voigt emphasized that these demonstr...

Fuel and toll intelligence solutions provider MapUp has announced that its TollTally solution is now available on the Geotab Marketplace Order Now program. This strategic integration enables fleets of all sizes and vehicle classes — from rental cars to Class 8 heavy trucks — to access accurate, GPS-based toll intelligence directly within the MyGeotab platform.  The collaboration between Geotab and MapUp's TollTally addresses the toll billing "lag" problem prevalent in ...

For more than a decade, the automotive industry followed a clear trajectory: digitize the driving experience, replace physical controls with touchscreens and let software define the cockpit. From 2026, Europe’s most influential vehicle safety assessor will begin to reverse that logic. Under revised protocols, the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) will explicitly reward vehicles that provide physical controls for essential driving functions, such as indicators, hazard lights, wi...

Artificial intelligence has become one of the automotive industry’s buzzwords. It appears in earnings calls, factory tours and investor decks with near-compulsive frequency. Automakers promise smarter factories, fewer defects and lower costs, all delivered by algorithms quietly optimizing production in the background. The reality, however, is more prosaic. AI has proved very useful in specific, tightly bound applications. What it has not yet delivered is the sweeping transformation often impli...

For decades, automakers have sought ways to shed vehicle weight — from early aluminum and high-strength steel use to modern composites — but electrification, with heavy battery packs, has put lightweighting under the spotlight. Reducing mass improves performance, efficiency and range while helping to meet tightening emissions standards. Today, manufacturers are exploring a broad palette of materials — magnesium alloys, advanced steels, aluminum, carbon-fiber and bio-based composites and th...

Waymo has announced its plans to expand its driverless taxi services into Sacramento, California, although an official start date for operations has not been provided. The expansion is facilitated by the recent approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles that permits Waymo to operate its robo-taxis in more regions throughout the state, including Solano, Yolo and Sacramento counties. Waymo's decision to move into Sacramento aligns with the city's innovative spirit and its growi...

VeriSilicon has announced enhanced versions of its image signal processing (ISP) IP ISP8200-FS series, namely ISP8200-ES and ISP8200L-ES, which offer improved performance and energy efficiency for complex automotive camera systems. These enhancements have achieved ISO 26262 ASIL-B functional safety certifications from TÜV NORD, underscoring their reliability for advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving applications. The enhanced ISP8200-FS series IP can operate up to 1.2 G...

Cox Automotive's vAuto has integrated with AI inspection specialist UVeye to enhance vehicle inspections within dealership workflows. This integration, operational at select dealerships such as Brickell Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Miami, utilizes UVeye's high-speed scanners to quickly gather data on a vehicle's exterior, underbody and tire conditions. The data is then seamlessly integrated into vAuto's appraisal and inventory systems, allowing dealers to assess trade-ins more efficiently whi...

BlackBerry's QNX division and HaleyTek have partnered to introduce a fully software-defined audio (SDA) system in the upcoming Volvo EX60 electric sport utility vehicle. This initiative is part of Volvo Cars' Superset tech stack strategy, aimed at transitioning vehicle functions from hardware-centric to software-driven architectures, beginning with the EX60's SPA3 infotainment platform. Unlike traditional audio systems with dedicated digital signal processors in amplifiers, the new SDA system ce...

Toyota and Lexus are integrating the North American Charging System (NACS) into their electric vehicle models, allowing 2023–2025 Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ drivers to use NACS direct current fast chargers via an adapter. The initiative arose from Toyota's commitment to customer needs and the industry's shift toward the NACS standard, which was adopted as an official Society of Automotive Engineers standard in 2024. Rather than using existing market products, Toyota developed its own e...

KPIT Technologies has announced a strategic Outsourcing Service Provider (OSP) partnership with Salesforce. Under this collaboration, KPIT will deploy its proven Vehicle Relationship Management (VRM) solution on Salesforce’s secure, scalable and AI-driven customer relationship management (CRM) platform — helping automotive original equipment manufacturers and mobility providers deliver measurable business outcomes across the aftersales value chain. Across passenger vehicles, commercial tr...

Mobility technology provider Ecarx Holdings introduced a preproduction sample of its innovative Zenith computing platform at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, held recently in Las Vegas. This new platform, designed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, utilizes the Snapdragon Elite SA8797 platform for automotive and offers an integrated high-performance intelligent cockpit and advanced driver assistance system architecture. The platform supports Android 16, Google Automotive Servi...

Diodes Inc. has announced the release of the automotive-compliant PI2MEQX2505Q, a 1.8-V, 2.5-Gbps MIPI D-PHY ReDriver with four differential data lanes and one clock lane. This device is designed for the MIPI D-PHY 1.2 protocol and regenerates D-PHY signaling in channels involving printed circuit board (PCB) traces, connectors and cables to ensure optimal electrical performance from CSI-2/DSI sources to sinks, compensating for frequency loss. The PI2MEQX2505Q supports data rates up to 2.5 Gbps, ...

Samsung SDI has reported its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results for 2025. In the final quarter of 2025, the company achieved revenue of 3.86 trillion won (approximately $2.6 billion) with an operating loss of 299.2 billion won. This revenue marks a 26.4% increase quarter over quarter and a 2.8% increase year over year. The operating loss was halved from the previous quarter, indicating a gradual improvement in business performance. The annual financial summary for 2025 showed reve...

EVgo Inc., a significant provider of public fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, announced its plans to extend its network with the deployment of North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors. This expansion follows a successful 2025 pilot program where EVgo installed nearly 100 NACS connectors across 22 metropolitan areas. The company aims to accelerate its rollout to exceed 500 NACS connectors by the end of 2026. These connectors will be placed at both existing and new l...

With software version 3.4, Lucid Motors has introduced a broad set of refinements across vehicle access, comfort, driving intelligence and the digital experience — each designed to make every interaction with Lucid Gravity feel more intuitive, responsive and connected. Version 3.4 improves reliability and consistency across all entry and startup interactions, including: more reliable key fob detection; extended key fob battery life, with earlier and clearer low-battery alerts; and...

BMW is partnering with BlackBerry to integrate QNX software into its next-generation vehicle platform. This agreement involves embedding BlackBerry's real-time operating system and AI capabilities into BMW's foundational vehicle architecture, enhancing BlackBerry's role in the automotive software sector and strengthening its relationship with a major automaker. This partnership underlines BlackBerry's shift from consumer hardware to a focus on safety-critical software for vehicles, leveraging fe...