Tuesday, 11 August 2026

The UK government has awarded almost GBP 65 million to automotive technology projects as it starts allocating money under its DRIVE35 programme, according to electrive.

Industry will match that contribution, taking total investment to close to GBP 130 million and supporting more than 1,800 jobs, electrive reported.

The bulk of the money is aimed at moving zero-emission vehicle technologies closer to commercial production. Nearly GBP 50 million of the government funding is directed at those projects, according to electrive.

Within that pot, the largest single allocation announced for zero-emission technologies is GBP 26.9 million, split across five companies through DRIVE35's Scale Up fund.

A separate GBP 17 million goes to nine projects under the Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder programme, electrive reported.

The awards form the opening tranche of a much larger commitment. The government now describes DRIVE35 as a GBP 4 billion programme running to 2035.

Industry Minister Blair McDougall said the investment "will secure skilled jobs, strengthen our manufacturing heartlands and help drive the reindustrialisation of Britain".

Toyota's 2027 bZ FWD Plus carries a sticker of $37,980 before the delivery fee and an EPA-estimated range of up to 314 miles, according to Electrek.

The entry point to the lineup is the bZ XLE FWD, rated at up to 236 miles on the EPA cycle, Electrek reported. The gap between the two front-wheel-drive trims reflects a choice of two battery packs, sized at 57.7 kWh and 74.7 kWh, per the same report.

Charging hardware is native rather than adapted. Electrek reported the bZ ships with a built-in NACS charge port, giving drivers direct access to Tesla Superchargers without an adapter, and that a 10% to 80% recharge takes around 30 minutes.

The model already has commercial traction. Electrek reported the bZ was America's fourth top-selling EV in the first half of the year.

BMW began series production of the i3 at its Munich headquarters plant on 6 August, according to electrive. The company has cut manufacturing costs at the site by 10 per cent alongside the production start, electrive reported.

Order books opened earlier. A First Edition of the electric mid-size saloon has been available to order since mid-June at a starting price of EUR 75,340, per electrive. The entry-level i3 50 xDrive will start at EUR 65,900.

In a separate development reported by electrive, Transport for London has issued Private Hire Vehicle licences for a fleet of fully electric Ford Mustang Mach-E cars modified by Wayve for autonomous driving. Uber's waiting list for the London robotaxi service drew more than 100,000 sign-ups in the past eight weeks, according to electrive.

South African firm Thula Solutions has revealed a purpose-built electric safari vehicle carrying a 65 kWh battery, with an estimated range of around 200 km, electrive reported. The team is targeting output of roughly 50 vehicles per month at a dedicated production facility.

Volvo Bus UK & Ireland has finished handing over 72 battery-electric BZL Electric double-deckers to Arriva London, according to electrive.

The operator's earlier commitment to the model dates to July 2024, when Arriva London ordered 51 Volvo BZL double-deckers for its Tottenham garage, electrive reported. Those vehicles were assigned to routes 243 and 341.

Volvo's order book with the operator is not confined to battery vehicles. Arriva also holds an order for 63 B8RLE MCV eVoRa diesel buses, per electrive. Those diesels are due to enter service in Bangor, Luton and Teesside during Q4 2026.

Mitsubishi has unveiled a compact electric car, the ASX VR-e, for sale in Australia and New Zealand, according to electrive.

The vehicle was not engineered in-house. electrive reported that Foxtron, the automotive subsidiary of iPhone maker Foxconn, developed the EV under an agreement with the Japanese brand that the two companies announced jointly in May 2025.

Mitsubishi derived the ASX VR-e from the Bria, Foxtron's first in-house model, per electrive. That makes the badge-and-adapt route the core of the product plan rather than a new platform investment by the carmaker.

Production sits with a third party as well. The ASX VR-e will be sourced from Yulon Motor's factory in Miaoli, Taiwan, according to electrive.

Sales geography is contractually fenced. Under the memorandum of understanding Mitsubishi signed with Foxconn, the carmaker plans to market the car only in the Oceania region, electrive reported. The launch markets named for the model, Australia and New Zealand, fall within that limit.

Home energy technology firm dcbel has joined the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's V2X Pilot Program, according to Solar Builder.

Eligibility is tied to specific vehicles. Solar Builder reported that participants driving a 2018 to 2025 Nissan Leaf, a 2025 Polestar 3, or a 2025 Volvo EX90 can use the vehicle to power their home.

The hardware side rests on dcbel's Ara unit. Connected to a bidirectional EV, it can save homeowners up to USD 1,300 per year by shifting charging into off-peak hours, according to Solar Builder.

The window for dcbel's portion of the MassCEC V2X program closes on Sept. 30, 2026, or earlier if program funds run out, per Solar Builder.

ACMobility has widened its electric vehicle infrastructure work in the Philippines under two partnerships, one with Basic Energy Corporation and one with Grab Philippines, both aimed at public transportation networks, according to CleanTechnica.

The company is the mobility unit of the Ayala Group, CleanTechnica reported. Its build-out has two tracks. On the hardware side, ACMobility is installing charging stations along major traffic corridors. On the software side, it is launching digital fleet management technology intended to support electric buses.

CleanTechnica described the arrangement with Basic Energy Corporation and Grab Philippines as dual partnerships to strengthen public transportation networks.