electric vehicle batteries

Electric vehicles have outsold gasoline and diesel cars in Europe for the first time, according to reports by Korean media including Chosun Ilbo. The milestone marks a turning point for the European auto market, highlighting how quickly battery-powered cars have moved from the margins to mainstream dominance across the continent.

Chinese battery maker CATL has unveiled a new electric vehicle battery that it says can recharge in just six minutes and deliver a range of 1,000 kilometres on a single charge. The announcement, highlighted across technology and autos coverage, underscores CATL's push to lead the global EV battery market and ease drivers' concerns about charging times and range anxiety.

Geely has agreed to acquire a 30% stake in the battery-swapping business of rival Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio. The move would link two competing automakers in the infrastructure segment that Nio has built out as a differentiator for its cars, allowing drivers to exchange depleted batteries for charged ones in minutes. The reported deal highlights growing consolidation and cooperation in China's crowded electric vehicle market.

Sales of Chinese hybrid cars are growing rapidly in the European Union even as the bloc imposes tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. The tariffs, introduced to counter alleged subsidies, apply mainly to battery-electric models, so manufacturers are increasingly exporting hybrids, which fall outside the measures, to keep a foothold in the European market.

Chinese car companies are pushing ahead in electric vehicle technology with ultrafast charging that can refill a battery in about five minutes. Reports carried in US regional newspapers highlight the advance, which would put Chinese manufacturers well ahead of Western rivals on charging speed and reinforce concerns about China's growing lead in the EV sector.

Chinese automaker BYD has confirmed plans to bring an electric car with a solid-state battery to market in 2027. The move would place the world's largest EV maker among the first automakers to commercialise the technology, which promises greater energy density, faster charging and improved safety over conventional lithium-ion cells.

Chinese automakers Geely and Nio have signed an agreement to accelerate the rollout of battery swap technology for electric vehicles, a system that lets drivers exchange a depleted battery for a charged one in minutes instead of waiting to recharge. The deal could bring swap stations to more locations, though financial terms and timelines have not been disclosed.

China currently supplies up to 70% of the battery-grade lithium chemicals used in Europe, and a German recycling company has opened a new plant it hopes will help cut that dependence. The company's process recovers lithium from batteries, though significant obstacles remain before it can make a real dent in imports. The project is being watched as a test case for Europe's broader push to secure homegrown supplies of critical raw materials for the electric vehicle and battery industries.

South Korean chemical maker LG Chem and German automaker Volkswagen have announced a partnership to develop new materials. The collaboration signals growing cooperation between battery and materials suppliers and carmakers as the auto industry works to secure supply chains and advance technologies such as lighter components and next-generation battery materials. Details on the scope and value of the deal have not been disclosed, but industry watchers view it as another step in deepening ties between Asian suppliers and European automakers.

Chinese electric vehicle makers NIO and Geely have announced a partnership covering EV charging networks and battery swapping technology. The deal would link NIO's battery swap infrastructure, one of the largest in China, with Geely's vehicle lineup and energy services. Cooperation between two of China's biggest EV groups signals growing industry consolidation around battery swapping as a charging alternative.

An American-developed battery technology is being pitched as a way to loosen China's dominance over the electric vehicle supply chain. China currently controls much of the world's battery production and critical mineral processing, making any credible US alternative strategically significant. Industry coverage suggests the technology could reduce Western automakers' dependence on Chinese suppliers, though questions remain over cost, scale and timelines.

Chinese EV maker BYD says a significantly improved electric vehicle battery will arrive next year, promising better performance over current technology. The announcement puts further pressure on rivals like Tesla and CATL in the increasingly competitive battery and EV market, where battery breakthroughs on range, charging speed and cost are a key differentiator.

Canada's arrangement with China over electric vehicles is being framed as a story that goes beyond imported cars. Beyond tariffs on Chinese-built EVs, the discussion touches on deeper ties in manufacturing, battery supply chains and investment that could shape Canada's auto sector. Observers are watching whether Ottawa will widen its approach to Chinese involvement in the country's EV industry as a whole.

A new report argues the next wave of American battery demand will come not from electric vehicles but from grid-scale storage, as utilities add batteries to balance growing amounts of wind and solar power and to stabilize an aging electricity network under rising demand from data centers. Industry watchers see this as a structural shift in where battery manufacturing and investment will flow next.

Electric vehicles offering around 300 miles of range have become the standard expectation for new models, according to a new analysis from InsideEVs. The publication asks whether 400 miles will be the next benchmark as battery technology improves and automakers compete on range figures. The piece is prompting debate among EV enthusiasts about whether consumers actually need that much range or whether charging infrastructure matters more.

An auto industry executive has publicly admitted that most companies are struggling to develop solid-state EV batteries, calling out an uncomfortable truth in the race to commercialize the technology. Solid-state batteries promise greater range, faster charging and improved safety, but mass production has proven difficult, and the comments suggest timelines may slip further than many manufacturers have publicly acknowledged.

Solid-state batteries, long tipped as the next breakthrough for electric vehicles, are being deployed first in humanoid robots, according to a new report. The reasoning is that robots offer a smaller, less price-sensitive market where the batteries' high energy density and safety benefits matter most, letting manufacturers iron out costs and production issues before tackling mass-market EVs.

FAW-Volkswagen, the German-Chinese joint venture, has introduced the Jetta M6, a new fully electric sedan. The model extends the Jetta brand, long known for affordable combustion cars in China, into the battery-electric segment. Details on specifications, pricing and launch markets are limited so far, and the announcement is drawing attention from observers tracking how established joint ventures respond to China's fast-moving EV competition.

Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio will operate a dedicated battery swapping network for Geely's ride-hailing brand Cao Cao Mobility and robotaxi fleets, according to an industry report. The arrangement would give Geely's commercial fleets access to Nio's fast battery swap technology through a segregated network, separate from the one serving Nio's own customers, as both automakers push deeper into fleet and autonomous mobility services.

A large-scale study drawing on 500,000 electric vehicle battery health checks compared 20 EV models to see which hold their charge best over time. InsideEVs reports that one car stood out from the pack in terms of battery degradation, offering buyers a rare data-driven comparison of long-term battery durability across brands.