Wednesday, 15 July 2026

Tata Motors launched the Sierra.ev on Tuesday, its seventh passenger EV sold in India, according to electrive. Pricing runs from 1.879 million rupees to 2.599 million rupees before registration charge, insurance, and 1% Tax Collected at Source.

The model comes with a choice of two module-less LFP battery packs, sized at 63kWh and 75kWh, electrive reported. On the larger pack, the Long-Range RWD variant covers 665km while the Long-Range AWD variant reaches 624km. The dual-motor AWD version hits 0 to 100km/h in 5.8 seconds, according to electrive.

Tata Motors sold more than 92,000 electric cars in FY2026, spanning April 2025 to March 2026, and held a market share above 40%, electrive reported.

By FY2031, the company aims to run ten electric car models, according to electrive. It targets total car sales rising from 640,000 units in FY2026 to over 1.2 million units by FY2031, alongside 30% EV penetration by that year.

Mercedes-Benz Group sold 63,000 battery-electric vehicles worldwide in the second quarter of 2026, according to electrive, a 25 per cent increase over the first quarter and a 50 per cent rise against the second quarter of 2025.

The share of fully electric vehicles in Mercedes passenger car sales climbed from 7.7 per cent in Q2 2025 to 13 per cent in Q2 2026, electrive reported. That worldwide gain came as total passenger car volumes fell. Mercedes-Benz Cars sold 417,800 passenger cars worldwide in the quarter, an 8 per cent decline year-on-year, with China sales dropping 30 per cent to just under 100,000 units, according to electrive.

Mercedes-Benz attributed the China decline to intense competition, cautious consumer sentiment, ongoing model transitions and active sales steering.

Europe carried the electric growth. Mercedes-Benz sold 43,500 battery-electric passenger cars in the region in the quarter, an 87 per cent growth rate, with fully electric models representing 26 per cent of Mercedes passenger cars sold there, electrive reported.

The van division also lifted its electric mix. Mercedes-Benz Vans recorded 94,100 sales in the quarter, including 10,100 BEVs, a 46 per cent increase versus Q2 2025, according to electrive. That raised the global electric share for vans to 11 per cent from 7 per cent a year earlier.

Board member Mathias Geisen said the all-new electric GLA will have its world premiere at the end of July as part of the company's launch plan.

Cubos is taking over TotalEnergies' fleet charging business in Germany, according to electrive, its third takeover within six months after the Swarco acquisition in December 2025 and the ChargeOne acquisition in April 2026.

The deal covers around 6,000 charging points, electrive reported. That will expand the Cubos German network to around 15,000 charging points across more than 1,000 B2B customer sites.

The acquired assets consist of AC and DC charging points, according to both companies. The AC points sit primarily at customer sites such as employee or fleet car parks, while the DC points are mainly used at high-throughput locations, Cubos said.

All jobs in TotalEnergies' fleet charging business will be retained after the acquisition, electrive reported, growing the Cubos team to around 500 employees.

The purchase is a decisive step toward becoming one of the top three charge point operators (CPOs) in Germany, said Cubos CEO Marc Wille.

Wren Kitchens has taken delivery of 10 electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 tractor units to begin electrifying its heavy goods fleet, according to electrive.

The purchase was partially funded by the UK Department for Transport's GBP 1 billion zero-emission commercial vehicle programme, electrive reported.

Each eActros 600 carries a battery capacity of 621 kWh, with electrive citing a minimum range of 500 km and up to 750 km.

The trucks can recharge from 20% to 80% in one hour using 400 kW DC rapid charging, according to electrive.

Renault has refreshed the Master E-Tech Electric with a chemically redesigned 87kWh battery, new comfort and safety functions, and additional variants for different applications, according to electrive.

The new cell chemistry uses a medium nickel content and will not affect the vehicle's range, a Renault spokesperson told electrive. The revised composition improves thermal management and charging performance. The cells are supplied by LG Energy Solutions, the spokesperson confirmed, and the 87kWh battery is assembled at Renault's plant in Batilly.

The van retains its bidirectional 11kW onboard charger for AC charging, with an optional bidirectional 22kW charger now available, according to electrive. Depending on the market, the Master E-Tech Electric is expected to support Vehicle-to-Grid functionality by the end of the year.

Renault has widened the variant lineup, electrive reported. The smaller 40kWh battery is now offered for the Chassis-Cab version, which was previously available only with the larger battery. Across the range, the Master E-Tech Electric comes with either a 40kWh or 87kWh battery and achieves a WLTP range of up to 448km depending on the version.

The update also reaches the cabin. The upper section of the dashboard will consist of 20 per cent recycled plastic from end-of-life vehicles, according to electrive.

Ford plans to launch a midsize electric pickup in 2027 with a starting price of around USD 30,000, according to Electrek. The truck will be the first vehicle built on the automaker's new Universal EV Platform (UEV), Electrek reported.

Production will run at Ford's Louisville Assembly plant, according to Electrek. The model will also be Ford's first EV fitted with a native North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge port.

Ford's Advanced EV Aerodynamics senior manager, Saleem Merkt, said earlier this year that the pickup's aerodynamic efficiency is more than 15% better than any other pickup truck on the market today and will result in longer range and lower cost for customers, according to Electrek.

To cut costs and improve efficiency, Ford is adopting new manufacturing practices including megacasting and prismatic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, Electrek reported. Ford claims the pickup will offer more interior passenger space than a Toyota RAV4.

Kia has launched an all-wheel drive variant of the EV4 in Europe, adding a rear electric motor for a combined 265 hp (195 kW) and 385 Nm of torque, according to Electrek.

The EV4 Earth AWD runs on an 81.4 kWh battery and delivers a WLTP range of up to 560 km (347 miles), Electrek reported. The AWD setup is offered on the Earth and GT-Line trims but not on the base Air model.

Electrek reported the Earth AWD starts at €48,730 ($55,700), while the GT-Line AWD starts at €51,940 ($59,300).

Despite matching the power of the dual-motor EV3 GT, Kia is not selling the AWD variant as a performance model with a GT badge, according to Electrek.

The separate EV4 GT is more powerful than the new AWD option, with a combined 288 hp (215 kW) and 468 Nm of torque, Electrek reported. Kia said the added power lets it accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 5.6 seconds.

Kia delayed the EV4 indefinitely for the US market because of the Trump Administration's auto tariffs and other policy changes, according to Electrek.

Leapmotor has launched the D99, a seven-seater van offered as a pure electric model and as a range-extender vehicle, according to electrive. Deliveries are set to begin on 20 July, electrive reported.

Prices run from 249,800 yuan to 319,800 yuan, or roughly EUR 32,250 to EUR 41,300, according to electrive.

The battery electric version uses a 1,000-volt architecture with a 115kWh battery from CATL, offering up to 700km of range under the CLTC standard, electrive reported. Its two electric motors deliver a combined output of 410kW.

The range-extender version runs on an 800-volt onboard system and pairs a 300kW all-wheel-drive powertrain with an 80.3kWh battery, rated at 480km of electric range, according to electrive.

Leapmotor claims both versions can charge from 30 to 80 per cent in around 15 minutes, electrive reported.

Specialist Passenger Solutions, a FirstGroup subsidiary, has won a contract to run shuttle services to and from the Sizewell C nuclear plant construction site in Suffolk, according to electrive.

The contract runs for five years from July 2026, electrive reported. It will see the subsidiary operate a fleet of 150 buses, including both hydrogen and electric buses, sourced by Sizewell C Ltd.

The agreement is expected to create 400 new jobs and transport at least 8,000 workers during the plant's peak construction period, according to electrive.

FirstGroup CEO Graham Sutherland said the company's Business and Coach segment has seen revenues double to GBP 230 million in FY2026.

Specialist Passenger Solutions also operates transport services at Hinkley Point C, moving over 12,000 people per day, electrive reported.

In 2023, a pilot scheme between Wrightbus and Sizewell C tested four Hydroliners to assess whether they could be used for worker transport at the site, according to electrive.

Vattenfall has divested its B2B Solutions charging division, with the sale affecting markets in Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, according to electrive.

The business includes around 10,000 charging points and has always been a niche offering, electrive reported.

In Sweden, the B2B charging business has already been sold to charging provider Voltavi, electrive reported, citing Hagmann.

Vattenfall separately announced the acquisition of the Swedish fast-charging business of Nima Energy, according to electrive. The deal includes 178 existing high-power charging (HPC) points at 16 locations, along with 254 planned HPC points at 36 new sites.

Under its InCharge brand, Vattenfall currently operates around 48,500 charging points across Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany, according to electrive.

The Fiat Topolino electric quadricycle is now available to order in the United States, though it is not yet road-legal, according to electrive. The vehicle can be ordered at select US dealerships starting from USD 13,995, excluding a destination fee.

According to electrive, the Topolino has an initial top speed of 19 mph in the US, which disqualifies it from standard road use. Stellantis defines low-speed vehicles (LSVs) as federally regulated street-legal vehicles capable of 20 to 25 mph and legal on public roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.

The quadricycle has a top range of 46 miles and can reach a full charge in around five hours on 2.3 kW alternating current, according to electrive.

Stellantis describes the Topolino as designed for neighbourhood and lifestyle use, including coastal drives, resort communities and private neighbourhoods. Olivier Francois, FIAT brand CEO, said the Topolino represents a new chapter for the brand in the US, defined not just by size but by purpose.