The premium B-segment EX30 e-SUV made by Sino-Swedish OEM Volvo Cars sold 8,000 units in Europe in March, making it the continent’s third highest-selling all-electric model after the Tesla Model Y and 3, the firm says.    “The EX30 was the third highest-selling EV in March, having only started its retail journey,” says Volvo CEO Jim Rowan. “The EX30 is the smallest fully electric premium SUV, but with big potential. “The Q1 performance showed the early prospects of this car, even though deliveries are still in the ramp-up phase. The car is a profitable growth driver for us as a busi ..read more

The recently appointed CEO of US battery making challenger Quantumscape says that EV adoption will not penetrate mainstream consumers without commercial solid-state batteries at mass scale, as the firm reported its Q1 results. Siva Sivaram, who has just finished his first quarter in charge of the firm, told analysts on the company's earnings call that automotive customers are "still uncomfortable with the EV value proposition" compared to ICE cars. The industry therefore has to to offer a battery solution that beats current options not only on range and charging speed, but also lifespan and c ..read more

Japanese OEM Toyota will invest $1.4bn to expand its Princeton, IN manufacturing site to build a new three-row BEV SUV for the US market. The Toyota marque currently offers just one BEV, the b4ZX, which is currently manufactured in China, while its luxury brand Lexus has a couple of all-electric offerings. In a similar mould to fellow Japanese OEM Honda's announcement of a North American value chain, Toyota's Indiana project will involve vehicle making as well as a battery assembly line on the same site. The battery plant will use materials sourced from Toyota's battery materials facility in ..read more

US automaker Ford’s new all-electric Explorer SUV, which went on sale in Europe last month, is largely a retooled Volkswagen ID.4. Further BEV models that do not originate out of Detroit HQ may now be next in line to follow it. It looks increasingly likely that Ford’s so-called “skunkworks” project based in California — given how the narrative has evolved ever since the project was first publicly acknowledged by Ford during its Q4 results call in early February — will be first to take on the challenge of producing profitable all-electrics rather than the second generation, or Gen-2, line-up t ..read more

To hear a legacy OEM that has committed to rapid electrification as whole-heartedly as Sweden’s Volvo Cars say it does not greatly matter to its commercial prospects if 30pc or 80pc of the market adopts BEVs seems initially counterintuitive. For Volvo, though, it is a logical consequence of its positioning as a premium brand. “When it comes to the size of the BEV market, we can debate whether it is going to be 30pc of the market, or 50pc, or 80pc. The only thing I know is that the BEV share of the premium market is going to be higher than its share of the total market, and we are in the premi ..read more

Japanese OEMs Nissan, Mazda and Toyota have unveiled a slate of new NEVs to be sold in China, as Japanese automakers rethink how to make their mark on the world's largest EV market by teaming up with local knowledge. At the Auto China '24 motor show in Beijing, Nissan has unveiled a BEV sedan, the Epoch, a BEV SUV, the Epic, the Era PHEV SUV, as well as the Evo PHEV sedan, all of which are concepts. Nissan's products for the Chinese market are manufactured in conjunction with Chinese OEM Dongfeng. Mazda has also unveiled two new electrified vehicles at the Auto China 24 show, the first of a n ..read more

US legacy OEM Ford is finding limits to the impact of cost-cutting strategies on its EVs, as top line pressure sees the firm's Model e business make little progress towards profitability in Q1. Ford's strategy for breaking even on Model e has primarily revolved around driving costs down, ahead of economies of scale from greater unit volume. But, speaking on the company's Q1 earnings call, CFO John Lawler bemoaned that competitive pressure to cut sales prices has largely cancelled out this work. "So far, the last 12 to 18 months, it has just been a continuous march down on the top line, which ..read more

European and Asian OEMs are set to unveil a slew of new EV offerings at leading trade show Auto China 24, which begins tomorrow. Germany's VW will introduce the ID.Code concept, a large e-SUV aimed at the Chinese market and built on the automaker's China Main Platform. The vehicle will form part of the ID.UX sub-brand, which VW is basing around highly advanced software EVs. VW partner Xpeng also recently announced its own AI-defined vehicle mass-market brand last month. The German heavyweight launched its Volkswagen China Technology Company in the city of Hefei in November with the goal of la ..read more

Customers may be able to buy the Tesla Semi e-truck in early 2026, the US EV pure play has revealed. “Our first vehicles are planned for late 2025 with external customers starting in 2026,” says the firm’s vice-president, vehicle engineering Lars Moravy. Sign up for EV inFocus EV inFocus: Hard news for the corporate e-mobility sector Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Tesla has begun construction of a factory to make Semis in Reno, NV.  Now it is “finalising the engineering of the Semi to enable a super cost-effective high-volu ..read more

Indian OEM Tata Motors has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vertelo, a integrated fleet electrification platform, for the delivery of 2,000 of its fleet customer-focused EVs. Tata launched its XPRES brand exclusively for fleet customers in July 2021. The MoU convers delivery of XPRES-T all-electric sedans, the brand's first model. Sign up for EV inFocus EV inFocus: Hard news for the corporate e-mobility sector Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Vertelo is a new platform providing end-to-end solutions in fl ..read more