Monday, 15 June 2026

Toyota opened UK orders for the Hilux BEV from GBP 42,170 (USD 56,500), excluding VAT, marking the launch of its first fully electric pickup and first body-on-frame electric vehicle.

The Hilux BEV uses a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup producing a combined 278 hp (208 kW) and 348 lb-ft (473 Nm) of torque, with towing capacity above 3,700 lbs (1,700 kg).

Power comes from a 59.2 kWh water-cooled lithium-ion battery built from 80 cells arranged in five 16-cell modules. WLTP-rated driving range is up to 160 miles (257 km).

DC fast-charging peaks at 125 kW, taking the battery from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes, according to Toyota specifications reported by Electrek.

The UK launch follows an Australian rollout last month, where the electric pickup went on sale at AUD 74,990 (USD 51,500) without on-road costs.

The Hilux nameplate is Toyota's global workhorse pickup, sold primarily in markets outside North America. Moving it to a battery-electric drivetrain on a body-on-frame chassis puts Toyota in a segment where Ford, Rivian, and General Motors have focused on the larger US full-size pickup category, while Chinese manufacturers including BYD and Great Wall Motor have pushed electric and plug-in hybrid mid-size trucks into Australia, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

The 160-mile WLTP range positions the Hilux BEV as a work and fleet vehicle rather than a long-distance hauler. Toyota has long argued that battery-electric powertrains are one of several decarbonization routes for its lineup, alongside hybrids and hydrogen, and the Hilux BEV is the first time the company has applied a pure battery-electric drivetrain to its truck platform.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has lifted the outer dome onto the double-layered containment building of unit 1 at the Lianjiang nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, the company said.

The steel structure measures about 41 metres across and 11 metres high, with a total lifting weight of close to 1,000 tonnes.

CNNC is building the site on behalf of the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC). China's State Council cleared construction of the first two reactors at Lianjiang in September 2022, each a 1,250 MWe CAP1000 unit derived from the Westinghouse AP1000 design. CNNC has set 2028 as the target year to complete unit 1 and bring it into operation.

SPIC says Lianjiang will be the first nuclear project in China to use seawater secondary circulation cooling, and the first to deploy a super-large cooling tower.

The CAP1000 is the domestically engineered version of the Westinghouse AP1000 pressurised water reactor. With the dome now seated on unit 1, work shifts toward installation of equipment inside the containment building ahead of the 2028 commissioning date set out by CNNC.

Lianjiang's cooling configuration, as described by SPIC, pairs seawater secondary circulation with a super-large tower, a combination the company says has not previously been deployed at a Chinese nuclear station. The 1,250 MWe rating for each of the two approved CAP1000 units at the site was set out in the September 2022 State Council approval.

A look back at one of the defining renewables stories of early 2026: India posted its strongest solar quarter on record, installing 15.3 GW in the first quarter of the year. The figure marked a 143% year-on-year jump from the 6.3 GW added in Q1 2025, according to Mercom India's Q1 2026 India Solar Market Update Report.

The quarterly surge lifted India's cumulative installed solar capacity to 152 GW as of March 2026, according to pv magazine. Large-scale projects made up 85% of that base, with rooftop solar accounting for the remaining 15%.

Gujarat and Rajasthan dominated quarterly large-scale additions, contributing approximately 40% and 39% of new capacity respectively. Maharashtra ranked third with 6%.

Mercom Capital Group CEO Raj Prabhu attributed the record quarter to accelerated project execution ahead of the June ALMM-II deadline and the reduction in Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) charge-waiver benefits, according to pv magazine. Developers had been racing to commission projects before both regulatory thresholds tightened the economics for later builds.

Prabhu also flagged a risk that would shape the rest of the year, warning that transmission bottlenecks could constrain what was expected to be a record year for solar installations.

The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) framework governs which solar module suppliers can sell into government-linked projects in India, and Phase II tightened domestic content rules for cells. The ISTS waiver, meanwhile, had for years exempted renewable projects from inter-state transmission charges, lowering delivered power costs for buyers in states without strong solar resources. Both levers had been central to the project economics underpinning India's pipeline, and their phased rollback set the pace of execution heading into Q1 2026.

The quarter cemented India's position as one of the fastest-growing solar markets globally, even as grid build-out lagged generation additions.

The Canton of Grisons has opened applications to mount photovoltaic systems on 50 retaining walls along its cantonal road network, pv magazine reported.

The call traces back to the Mazzetta motion, which the Grand Council backed in its December 2024 session and which urged a solar offensive across cantonal road infrastructure.

Expressions of interest are due by 31 August 2026, with optional site visits for shortlisted applicants tentatively set between mid-September and late October 2026.

Grisons is the largest Swiss canton by area, and its cantonal road network threads through Alpine valleys where flat building land is limited. Retaining walls supporting these roads form built surfaces that are already cleared, accessible from the carriageway, and in many cases oriented to the south.

The pv magazine report frames the program as a way to put cantonal road infrastructure to work for solar generation rather than competing with farmland or untouched terrain. The canton has not disclosed in the published call a target installed capacity, a contracting timeline, or the technical specifications applicants must meet.

The motion sits within a broader Swiss push to expand solar on public assets, with the Confederation backing alpine projects under federal energy legislation while cantons keep authority over their own road infrastructure. Grisons borders Italy and Austria and operates one of the longest cantonal road networks in the country, giving the 50-wall pilot a wide pool of candidate sites to draw from.

The August deadline is the first filter. Site visits in the autumn window will follow for applicants the canton selects to advance.