Thursday, 16 July 2026

Posco has opened a joint development effort with Hyundai Motor and other partners aimed at a high-silicon electrical steel used as a precursor for stator and rotor production, according to electrive. The material is intended to yield more efficient electric motors.

The work is built around electrical steel carrying a silicon content of 6.5%, electrive reported. Lifting the silicon share cuts iron losses in a motor's magnetic core, though it also leaves the metal more brittle, turning the rolling of thin, large-format sheets into a manufacturing hurdle, according to electrive.

Ten partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set the collaboration in place, electrive reported. Funding comes from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), with the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) handling coordination, according to electrive.

Cho Myung-jong, Head of the Future Steel R&D Center at Posco, said the effort brings the steel and future mobility industries together on electrification, according to electrive.

The steel project follows a separate battery-materials deal. Posco struck a multi-year contract with SK On earlier in the year for up to 25,000 tonnes of lithium concentrate sourced from Argentina, destined for electric vehicle batteries and stationary storage, electrive reported.

China wants new energy vehicles (NEVs) to reach around 30% of its total vehicle fleet by 2030, according to electrive. The State Council issued the action plan on Thursday under the country's 15th Five-Year Plan.

Reaching that level would require nearly tripling the current share. China's Ministry of Public Security counted 43.97 million registered NEVs at the end of 2025, or 12.01% of all vehicles on the road, electrive reported. Battery-electric vehicles made up about 30.22 million of that count, close to 69% of the NEV total.

The plan also fixes energy and emissions targets for 2030. CO2 emissions per unit of gross domestic product should drop 17%, while non-fossil sources should supply 25% of China's energy consumption, according to electrive.

Separately, China moved in early July to phase out the annual vehicle tax exemption for plug-in hybrids and several classes of electrified commercial vehicles, ending it in 2027, with battery-electric passenger cars keeping their exemption, according to electrive.

Allego is switching to Ampeco for the backend of its charging network, according to electrive, a system that will manage over 35,000 charging points across 16 European countries. The migration is expected to be completed in Q4 2026.

The move covers around 1.3 million charging sessions per month, more than 200,000 registered EV drivers, and over 60 active roaming connections, according to Ampeco.

Norbert Teichmann, IT Director at Allego, said the platform demonstrated depth across the core charge point management system capabilities needed to operate and scale a large charging network.

Ampeco's platform is used by over 200 charging infrastructure operators across more than 70 markets, with more than 120,000 charging points already migrated to it, according to electrive.

In September 2025, Allego announced plans to develop and implement a new mobility service provider platform in collaboration with Deftpower.

Kia UK has confirmed that the EV2 Long Range now qualifies for the maximum Band 1 Electric Car Grant, cutting the on-the-road price by GBP 3,750, according to electrive.

All variants fitted with the 61kWh Long Range battery are eligible for the full GBP 3,750 grant, including the Air, GT-Line, and GT-Line S models, electrive reported.

The grant brings the entry-level EV2 down to GBP 24,245, the GT-Line LR to GBP 28,995, and the GT-Line S LR to GBP 32,595, according to electrive.

Kia states these variants offer an all-electric driving range of up to 275 miles on a single charge.

Across the EV2, EV3, EV4, and Passenger ranges, 13 Kia EVs are now eligible for the grant scheme, according to electrive.

Kia had previously offered its own GBP 1,500 discount on the EV2 through the Kia EV2 Reservation Saving, which has now been replaced by the government's ECG scheme, electrive reported.

Ford is recalling an estimated 42,784 Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers in the US over a potential rear differential issue, according to electrive.

The recall covers certain vehicles from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 model years, electrive reported. All affected cars feature a rear-wheel drivetrain, meaning they lack a front motor that could keep the vehicle moving if the rear differential breaks.

Ford was aware of 62 warranty claims as of June 11, 2026, according to electrive.

The fault traces to a teardown analysis shared by Ford's Product Development team on March 11, 2026, electrive reported. The analysis examined a rear differential recovered from a 2023 model year Mustang Mach-E in Europe and identified a failed rear differential pinion shaft.

Ford will begin contacting owners of the affected vehicles from July 13, 2026, according to electrive.

Delhi deployed 300 electric buses for public transport on Tuesday, according to electrive. The induction expands the city's public transport electric bus fleet to 4,845 units, the largest in India, electrive reported.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government aims to grow the e-bus fleet to 7,000 units by the end of 2026 and 14,000 units by 2028, according to electrive.

The government also inaugurated four electric bus depots on the same day as the deployment, electrive reported. Two depots in Narela together offer space for 250 nine-metre units, while depots in Rithala and Kohat Enclave have capacity for 30 and 90 electric buses respectively.

The expansion follows the Delhi EV Policy 2026, launched at the beginning of the month, according to electrive. The policy is valid until 31 March 2030 and offers road tax and registration fee exemptions, incentives on EVs, and an incentive for scrapping old vehicles.

BYD has opened orders for the Dolphin G DM-i plug-in hatch in Europe and the UK, with first customer deliveries set to begin in September, according to Electrek.

In Germany, the Dolphin G DM-i Active starts at €18,990 after a €4,500 government incentive and a €5,500 BYD E-Bonus discount, according to Electrek. Without the incentives, the standard Active model is priced from €28,990.

Electrek reported that the Boost, Comfort, and Sport Edition models use an 18.3 kWh Blade Battery, delivering a pure-electric range of 65 miles and a combined range of 646 miles.

All versions run a permanent-magnet synchronous front-mounted electric motor producing 161 hp and 210 Nm of torque, according to Electrek, enabling a 0 to 62 mph sprint in 8.3 seconds.

The Boost, Comfort, and Sport versions carry a 6.6 kW on-board charger and 39 kW DC charging capability, which can take the battery from 10% to 80% in 26 minutes, according to Electrek.

VinFast's city car costs $7,150, according to a CleanTechnica headline.

CleanTechnica compared the vehicle with the Fiat Topolino EV, which it said costs $13,995. The VinFast headline also stated the city car has twice the range.

According to CleanTechnica, the Fiat Topolino EV cannot be driven on roads with a speed limit over 35 mph.

Yamaha has entered India's premium electric scooter market with the Aerox-E, an electric version of its sporty maxi-scooter, according to Electrek.

The Aerox-E runs a 9.4 kW electric motor producing 48 Nm of torque, according to Electrek. Yamaha claims a top speed of 95 km/h (59 mph).

Power comes from two removable 1.5 kWh batteries providing a combined 3 kWh, Electrek reported. Yamaha claims up to 117 km (73 miles) of range on the Indian driving cycle, with a full charge from empty taking around 3 hours and 10 minutes on the supplied dock charger.

Test riders in Indian media suggest real-world range may land closer to 80 km (50 miles) in Eco mode rather than the full 117 km claim, according to Electrek.

The scooter is priced at 282,000 INR (roughly USD 2,950), which sits above several established premium electric scooters in India, Electrek reported.

The Aerox-E batteries do not appear to follow the Honda MPP e: swappable battery standard, which a consortium of motorcycle makers including Yamaha had previously backed as a unified swappable battery standard, according to Electrek.

Norwegian energy companies Eviny and Statkraft plan to merge their fast-charging operations, with Eviny acquiring Statkraft's subsidiary Mer in exchange for shares, according to electrive. The deal is subject to antitrust approval.

The combined business will be named Eviny Elektrifisering and based in Bergen, electrive reported. Eviny will hold 57 per cent of the merged entity and Statkraft 43 per cent. The two companies say the tie-up will create the largest fast-charging provider in the Nordic countries.

According to electrive, the new company's market share is expected to reach 24 per cent in Norway and 14 per cent in Sweden.

Henrik Sætness, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Statkraft, said the charging market is in a consolidation phase where scale and cost efficiency are becoming increasingly important for profitability. Eviny CEO Ragnhild Janbu Fresvik said the merged company will double its revenues while reducing costs.

Eviny is developing a fast-charging network with 142 locations as part of the Deutschlandnetz in Germany, and is collaborating with partners including Grr Garbe Retail, electrive reported.

In Norway, 97.6 per cent of all newly registered passenger cars were battery-electric in the first half of 2026, according to electrive.