Thursday, 27 August 2026

China's MIIT has decided that the wild vehicle designs used to compete in the Chinese auto market need to go, CleanTechnica reported.

The decision lands on a market where the distinction between cars and electric cars has largely collapsed. The Chinese auto market is now largely the Chinese EV market, according to CleanTechnica.

Competing in that market has gotten harder and harder, CleanTechnica said, with styling one of the levers manufacturers have pulled to stand out.

Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), the city's public transport operator, has taken delivery of 130 electric buses, according to electrive. The batch cost 2.345 billion rupees, roughly 21 million euros, the state government said in a public statement cited by the outlet.

The delivery opens a procurement of 750 low-floor electric buses, electrive reported. That order splits into 500 units specified with air-conditioning and 250 specified without.

MTC intends to buy the full 750-vehicle fleet for 13.37 billion rupees, about 120 million euros, and run it through seven depots, according to electrive.

The EiV12 low-floor model carries a 235 kW motor, a 283 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack, and a range of up to 200 kilometres, electrive reported. Top speed is 75 kph.

The operator already runs 625 electric buses, of which 400 are non-AC and 225 are air-conditioned, according to electrive. Completing the 750-unit order would more than double that existing electric fleet.

APM Terminals Elizabeth has ordered 96 Class 8 electric terminal tractors from Orange EV and 34 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes from Konecranes for the Port of New York and New Jersey, according to Electrek.

The terminal handles nearly 30% of container traffic across the Port of New York and New Jersey, Electrek reported. It supports more than 600 vessel calls and 800,000 truck loads each year.

Henrik Kristensen, Managing Director of APM Terminals Elizabeth, said the orders represent another milestone in the terminal's modernization journey. In his words, they help "strengthen critical port infrastructure, enhance operational performance and prepare for future cargo growth".

Bethann Rooney of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey framed the purchase in emissions terms, saying modern electric equipment moves the port toward the Port Authority's sustainability goal of a net-zero future. Rooney also said the new equipment strengthens the capacity and reliability of the port facilities.

The two equipment classes cover different parts of the yard workflow. Terminal tractors haul chassis and containers between the quay and stacking areas, the segment tied to the 800,000 annual truck loads Electrek cited. Rubber-tired gantry cranes stack and retrieve containers in the yard, and the 34 units ordered from Konecranes replace diesel drive systems at that stage of the chain.

Terra Charge will add the North American Charging Standard (NACS) to its Japanese network from fiscal year 2028, with a target of 2,500 NACS charging points by the end of fiscal year 2033, according to electrive.

The Japanese charging infrastructure provider already counts a substantial NACS base in the country. As of 19 August, Terra Charge reported 1,323 publicly registered NACS charging points nationwide, electrive said.

The standard remains a small share of the national fleet of chargers. Japan has around 68,000 charging points in total, most of them CHAdeMO, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as cited by electrive.

Beyond DC hardware, the company is examining an AC NACS charger aimed at sites where vehicles sit for longer, including hotels and multi-family residential buildings, electrive reported.

From 25 September, Tesla begins a recall covering nearly 2.98 million cars in China, spanning all four of its model lines sold there: the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X, electrive reported.

That action sits inside a larger regulatory sweep rather than standing alone. China's market regulator SAMR put the combined total at 4.3 million vehicles, with Xiaomi, Xpeng, Zeekr and Leapmotor also named among the affected manufacturers, according to electrive.

The fault sits with the manual release handles used to open doors from inside when normal systems fail. SAMR says occupants may struggle to find or work those releases during an emergency, electrive reported.

Retractable electric handles mounted on the outside, of the kind fitted to the Model S, leave first responders and firefighters with no physical way in once a car loses power. China is banning that design outright from next year, according to electrive.

No European recall has been ordered while the German inquiry runs. The Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt is still examining why a door opening mechanism apparently failed, the German Federal Ministry of Transport told Reuters. That work started in April 2026 at the request of the public prosecutor's office, following a crash in Schwerte, Germany, that killed three Tesla occupants.

The Dutch vehicle authority RDW said on Wednesday it is watching developments. "There is currently no recall in Europe for the affected electric vehicles," the RDW told Reuters.

Toyota has launched the updated 2027 bZ5 electric SUV in China with regular prices from 129,800 yuan to 199,800 yuan, or roughly USD 19,500 to USD 30,000, according to Electrek. The refreshed model is sold in six variants.

FAW-Toyota is running limited-time prices across the lineup starting at 109,800 yuan, about USD 16,500, Electrek reported. The regular range covers all six trims.

The pricing undercuts Tesla's best-selling crossover in the same market. Electrek reported the base Tesla Model Y RWD starts at 263,500 yuan, or USD 39,200, in China, with a CLTC range of 593 km.

The repricing follows a steep sales decline. FAW-Toyota sold 529 bZ5s in China last month, down 64% from July 2025, according to Electrek. CnEVPost data cited by Electrek put the model's monthly peak at 3,019 units in September 2025.

On the powertrain, the electric SUV uses a single front-mounted motor rated at a maximum 268 horsepower, or 200 kW, with 243 lb-ft (330 Nm) of torque, per Electrek.

The gap between the bZ5 entry price and the Model Y RWD sticker is the core of Toyota's positioning: the limited-time 109,800 yuan offer sits well under the 263,500 yuan Tesla starting point. Whether that closes the volume gap will show in monthly deliveries measured against the 3,019-unit high.