Monday, 14 September 2026

Volkswagen has unveiled the Mission Efficiency, a concept the automaker describes as the world's most efficient near-production electric car, according to Electrek.

On a demonstration run reported by Electrek, the vehicle covered 1,278 km from Wolfsburg to Vienna on a single charge and arrived with 164 km of range still available.

Electrek reports the car recorded a real-world efficiency of 6.89 kWh/100 km, excluding charging losses. The powertrain pairs a 54.9 kWh net battery with a single 99 kW front motor.

Aerodynamics carry much of the result. The Mission Efficiency has a drag coefficient of 0.158, which Electrek describes as a world record for a road-approved car.

Despite the specialized shape, the concept shares underpinnings with a mainstream model. Volkswagen built it on the same MEB+ platform used by the new ID. Polo, according to Electrek.

Carris, the municipal transport operator in Lisbon, has taken delivery of 29 additional electric buses, according to electrive. The rollout brings the operator's electric fleet to 103 vehicles.

With the new units in traffic, electric buses will cover more than 50% of the kilometres driven by Carris. Diesel numbers have dropped from 524 to 379 units. The operator is targeting a full exit from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles by 2030.

The order is part of an investment package worth over EUR 31 million, with EUR 17.05 million drawn from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, electrive reported.

The Portuguese government and the European Commission plan to back the purchase of 1,006 zero-emission buses across more than 70 municipalities.

Kia used the IAA Transportation stage to introduce the PV7, a bigger electric van built on 800-volt architecture and positioned above the PV5 in its purpose-built vehicle range, electrive reported. The second entry in the PBV line stretches the platform in size, load capacity, and battery energy while stepping up the voltage class.

European sales open in the second half of 2027, according to electrive.

Two NMC packs feed the PV7 drivetrains, sized at 71.5 kWh and 96.2 kWh.

The long-wheelbase PV7 Cargo with a standard roof takes 6.1 cubic metres of load volume, rising to 8.0 cubic metres when specified with the high roof. Payload tops out at 1,165 kilograms in that long-wheelbase Cargo, while the shorter standard variant is rated at 1,200 kilograms.

Shell's chemical division and Chinese truck brand FAW have partnered to develop an immersion-cooled battery pack for electric semi trucks, according to Electrek.

The pack surrounds the battery cells in an electrically insulating immersion cooling fluid, which Electrek reports enables more effective heat management than conventional EV battery cooling.

Electrek says the latest validation progress, together with the Starship concept itself, will be shown at the FAW TRUCKS booth during IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover, Germany.

Toyota has pushed back production of the Highlander EV to at least the first quarter of 2027, with the vehicle now set to arrive as a 2028 model, according to Electrek.

The Subaru Getaway, which shares underpinnings with the Highlander EV and is slated to be built alongside it in Kentucky, faces the same delay to at least the first quarter of 2027, Electrek reported.

A Toyota spokesperson said the company needed more time to make additional adjustments to the vehicle prior to launch, per Electrek.

On specifications, Electrek reported the 2028 Highlander EV will be offered with two battery packs of 77 kWh or 95.8 kWh. The smaller pack provides up to 287 miles of range, while the larger pack delivers up to 320 miles in front-wheel-drive configuration.

The delay lands as inventory of the current gasoline Highlander runs thin. Toyota dealers had around a 20-day supply of Highlanders nationwide as of September 10, Electrek said, citing Automotive News. Toyota's US sales are up 0.4% through August, according to Electrek.

UL Solutions has opened a certification program for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, according to Solar Builder. Testing and certification services for the V2G equipment are available at the company's laboratories in Fremont, California and Northbrook, Illinois, as of September 2026.

The program enables testing of products covered under UL 1741 Supplement SC, an offshoot of UL 1741 that governs inverters, converters, controllers, and interconnection system equipment for distributed energy resources, and it addresses bidirectional EV charging equipment, Solar Builder reported.

EPRI expects a pool of 130 million vehicles by 2030, per the same report.

The 2027 Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck will start at $53,200, according to Electrek, a $400 increase over the prior model year.

Electrek reports that the Trail Boss trim is returning to the Silverado EV lineup. The variant is lifted by 2 inches and offers 24% higher ground clearance.

On a competing nameplate, Electrek notes that Ford no longer lists the F-150 Lightning on its website. The automaker is preparing to introduce a $30,000 Fathom and an extended-range electric truck that will carry the F-150 Lightning name.

ABB E-mobility and Elexon have formed a strategic collaboration to help logistics operators and commercial vehicle fleets electrify their depots, unveiled at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover, according to electrive.

Under the arrangement, ABB E-mobility supplies the DC charging technology, while Elexon takes on analysis, consulting, technical planning, implementation, and later operation of the sites, electrive reported. Elexon is a certified partner of ABB E-mobility, qualified to install, commission, and service the charging solutions, giving fleet operators a single point of contact for their depot.

The partnership will initially cover Germany and Austria, with the two companies aiming to extend it to other European markets over the longer term, per electrive.

BYD unveiled the ETT 44 battery-electric tractor unit for the European market at IAA Transportation in Hanover, according to electrive.

The tractor is designed for a gross combination weight of up to 44 tonnes and carries a 651 kWh Blade Battery with LFP cell chemistry, electrive reported.

Via CCS2, the ETT 44 can charge at up to 420 kW, taking a maximum of 60 minutes to move from 20% to 80%, according to electrive. Using MCS, BYD specifies charging power of over 1.5 MW, with the same 20% to 80% session completed in a maximum of 20 minutes, per electrive.

BYD offers a ten-year or 1.2 million kilometre warranty for the Blade Battery, electrive reported.

Volkswagen has unveiled Mission Efficiency, a near-production electric concept car that pairs mass-production components with lightweight construction and aerodynamic optimisation, according to electrive.

On a documented long-distance run from Wolfsburg to Vienna, the car covered 1,278 kilometres and required only a single recharge of its 54.9 kWh usable battery, electrive reported. Real-world consumption came in at 6.89 kWh per 100 km, and the drag coefficient measured 0.158, which electrive described as a new benchmark for road-legal cars.

The concept is built on Volkswagen's MEB+ platform and uses the standard front-wheel-drive APP290 drive unit rated at 99 kW, drawing from a 54.9 kWh net high-voltage battery shared with other current models in the brand's line-up, according to electrive. Above 80 km/h, the aerodynamic and lightweight package cuts power consumption by more than 30 percent compared with conventional electric vehicles, electrive reported.

The coupé measures nearly 4.80 metres in length, seats four in a minimalist cabin, and offers a 481-litre boot, per electrive.

Volkswagen brand board member Thomas Schäfer said Mission Efficiency is intended to demonstrate what sets the brand apart in the electric age, framing it as technology for the masses rather than for the few, according to electrive.