March 30 (Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has signed an undisclosed deal with Brazilian mining company Vale S.A. (VALE3.SA) for the supply of nickel to the electric car maker, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

The price of nickel, which is essential to making batteries for electric vehicles, had been rising steadily even before the conflict in Ukraine drove it up even further and triggered chaos at the London Metal Exchange in early March. read more

Continue reading “Tesla signed secret nickel supply deal with Vale – Bloomberg News”

By Jiraporn Kuhakan and Chayut Setboonsarng

BANGKOK, March 30 (Reuters) – Thousands attended the Bangkok International Motor Show this week where electric vehicles (EVs) were in the spotlight due to rising petrol prices and a government subsidy taking 15% off the price of some EV cars.

Thailand, along with most other countries in Southeast Asia, has been slow off the blocks to embrace EVs, but demand is starting to gain momentum with Chinese car makers in particular producing cheaper models and increasingly targeting the region.

Continue reading “Thais turn to EVs at motor show as petrol prices soar”

March 29 (Reuters) – Russia’s transport ministry has drawn up a law that would oblige taxi companies to share data with the Federal Security Service (FSB), a document seen by Reuters showed on Tuesday, raising concerns about the data privacy of passengers.

The adjustment to the law was first reported by business daily RBC, which said several other ministries had given their support for the bill and that it may soon be submitted to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, for preliminary approval, before eventually heading to the upper chamber and then to President Vladimir Putin for final approval.

Continue reading “Russia draws up law to force taxi firms to share data with FSB -document”

SHANGHAI, March 29 (Reuters) – Shanghai’s COVID-19 lockdown roiled auto production on Tuesday as a major supplier joined Tesla (TSLA.O) in shutting a plant to comply with measures to control the spread of the coronavirus.

General Motors Co’s (GM.N) joint venture in Shanghai maintained production by asking workers to sleep on factory floors and getting passes for trucks to continue deliveries, two people familiar with the matter said.

A key auto supplier, Aptiv PLC (APTV.N), told workers at one of its Shanghai facilities that supplies Tesla and GM’s Shanghai joint venture to head home on Tuesday because of the need to enforce COVID controls, people briefed on the measure said. read more

Continue reading “Auto manufacturers scramble as Shanghai locks down”

BERLIN, March 29 (Reuters) – Top Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) shareholder Porsche SE (PSHG_p.DE) supports plans to list luxury sportscar maker Porsche AG but the conflict in Ukraine could affect the timing of the proposed IPO, the holding company said on Tuesday.

Volkswagen aims to conduct the Porsche initial public offering (IPO) in the fourth quarter of 2022, though that may change if the conflict in Ukraine drags on, Porsche SE’s finance chief said.

Continue reading “Ukraine could affect Porsche IPO plan, top VW shareholder says”

FRANKFURT, March 29 (Reuters) – Germany’s H2 Mobility fuelling station network said on Tuesday it will get an extra 110 million euros ($121 million) over the next five years to roll out more infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles powered by hydrogen.

Of the total sum, hydrogen investment platform Hy24 will inject 70 million euros through the Clean H2 Infra Fund, which it manages, and H2 Mobility’s seven other existing shareholders will stump up 40 million euros.

Continue reading “H2 Mobility gets $121 million from investors to build hydrogen network”

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday plans to unveil tougher fuel economy standards for vehicles that would reverse his predecessor Donald Trump’s rollback of U.S. regulations aimed at improving gas mileage and cutting tailpipe pollution, officials said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Deputy Administrator Steven Cliff will make a “major announcement” on fuel economy standards on Friday, the Transportation Department said. It did not offer details of the announcement.

Continue reading “U.S. to unveil revised stricter fuel economy regulations on Friday”

By Kantaro Komiya

TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters) – Japan will ban the export of high-end cars and other luxury goods to Russia in its latest response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the trade ministry said on Tuesday.

The partial ban on Russia-bound auto items, which account for more than half of Japan’s exports to Russia, came after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a commitment to place more sanctions on Russia at a Group of Seven summit last week.

Continue reading “Japan to ban Russia-bound exports of luxury cars, goods from April 5”

TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters) – Global demand for nickel used in batteries is expected to rise more than 20% this year on solid demand for electric vehicles (EVs), Japan’s biggest smelter of the metal Sumitomo Metal Mining (5713.T) said on Tuesday.

Sumitomo Metal, which supplies cathode materials for the Panasonic (6752.T) lithium-ion batteries used in Tesla (TSLA.O) EVs, said demand for nickel used in rechargeable batteries will climb to more than 410,000 tonnes in 2022 from nearly 330,000 tonnes in 2021.

Continue reading “Sumitomo Metal sees global nickel demand for battery use at 410,000 in 2022”

March 28 (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) said on Monday Steve Hill, the head of the automaker’s No. 1 selling Chevrolet brand, will lead a new Commercial Growth Strategies organization that includes fleet and retail vehicle sales operations.

The new firm will oversee current cross-brand activities that strengthen GM’s brands and the company’s position in the market, the Detroit-based automaker said.

Hill will oversee GM fleet, U.S. sales operations and electric vehicle (EV) retail innovation teams, the company said.

Continue reading “GM creates new organization to spur commercial growth”

SHANGHAI, March 28 (Reuters) – U.S. automaker Tesla (TSLA.O) is suspending production at its Shanghai factory for four days after the city announced on Sunday night it would lock down in two stages to carry out mass testing for COVID 19, two people familiar with the matter said.

The company has notified its workers and suppliers of the move, the people said.

It initially attempted to create a closed loop to continue production and called workers in on Sunday, one of the sources said. However, it allowed them to leave that evening after it decided it did not have enough provisions for them, the source added.

Continue reading “Tesla suspends production at Shanghai factory for 4 days to comply with COVID curbs – sources”

MEXICO CITY, March 27 (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) workers in northern Mexico have voted by a broad margin to keep their collective contract with one of Mexico’s biggest unions, weeks after GM workers in central Mexico elected independent representation, ousting the long-dominant group.

In votes Thursday and Friday at General Motors (GM.N) in the city of Ramos Arizpe in the border state of Coahuila, several thousand workers cast ballots to keep ties with the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), the union said on Sunday.

By David Shepardson

March 26 (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) said on Saturday it has received permission to operate in London under a new 30-month license, ending a years-long battle with the city transport regulator over safety concerns.

“Uber has been granted a London private hire vehicle operator’s license for a period of two and a half years,” a spokesperson for Transport for London (TfL) said in a statement to Reuters.

In 2019, Uber lost its license to carry paying passengers in London for the second time, and a year later the ride-hailing firm was granted an 18-month London license after a legal battle to restore its operations. The U.S. company first lost its license in 2017.
Continue reading “EXCLUSIVE U.S. boost fines for automakers not meeting fuel economy rules in Tesla win”

By Paul Lienert and Nick Carey

March 25 (Reuters) – Battery swapping – replacing a depleted battery with a freshly charged one – is not new: The first experiments with exchanging batteries in electric cars date to America’s Gilded Age in the late 1890s, according to industrial historian David A. Kirsch.

Here is a timeline of key events in the development of battery swapping:

1896: Auto pioneers consider the exchange of depleted batteries with fresh ones as a way to extend the operating range of early rudimentary electric vehicles, from streetcars to delivery trucks.

Continue reading “Factbox: Swapping electric car batteries since the Gilded Age”

By Nick Carey and Paul Lienert

March 25 (Reuters) – While swappable batteries are slow-burners in the electric car market, they have been a quick hit for e-scooters and e-bikes, making it easier and cheaper for rental companies to keep the small vehicles available on city streets.

But the fast-growing micromobility industry faces a bottleneck as companies, reluctant to relinquish their own tech secret sauce, resist widespread standardization of batteries, a development that could turbocharge efficiency.

Continue reading “E-scooters fall head over wheels for battery swapping”

BEIJING, March 25 (Reuters) – Organisers of the Beijing autoshow, which was scheduled to be held in late April, have postponed the event due to a recent flare up of COVID-19 cases in China, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Auto China, the event’s organisers, have yet to decide on a new date, the sources said, declining to be identified as the information was not yet public.

Auto China did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Continue reading “Beijing autoshow postponed due to COVID surge in China”

By Gilles Guillaume and Nick Carey

PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) – Renault’s (RENA.PA) Chief Executive Luca de Meo warned on Thursday that the automaker’s retreat from Russia creates a “very complex situation” for the company, hitting profits and sales as it seeks to accelerate a multi-year turnaround effort.

In an internal video for employees, de Meo said Renault will make the security of employees a top priority as it weighs options for its Russian operations in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. read more

Continue reading “Leaving Russia complicates Renault’s turnaround plan, CEO says”

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) – The U.S. Postal Service said on Thursday it placed an initial $2.98 billion order for 50,000 next-generation delivery vehicles from Oshkosh Corp (OSK.N) and will double its initial planned electric vehicle (EV) purchases.

U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy said that based on USPS’s reform efforts and “our improving outlook, we have determined that increasing our initial electric vehicle purchase from 5,000 to 10,019 makes good sense from an operational and financial perspective.”

Continue reading “USPS to buy 50,000 delivery vehicles in $2.98 bln initial order”

March 24 (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) on Thursday said it will list New York City’s iconic yellow cabs on its app, a move that marks the company’s latest expansion into the taxi market and could help the ride-hailing giant overcome a driver shortage in its biggest U.S. market.

Uber during its recent investor day in February outlined taxis as a major growth opportunity, calling it a highly fragmented $120 billion industry with 20 million active vehicles – more than five times the number of Uber’s own pre-pandemic vehicle base.

Continue reading “Uber expands on taxi strategy by adding New York City’s yellow cabs to app”

By Hyunjoo Jin

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23 (Reuters) – Japan’s Toyota Motor (7203.T) and Aurora Innovation Inc (AUR.O), a U.S. developer of automated driving systems, have started testing autonomous ride-hailing fleet in Texas, with two safety operators and no passenger on board, Aurora said on Tuesday.

Toyota’s Sienna minivans, retrofitted with Aurora’s self-driving system, will be tested on highways and suburban streets in the Dallas-Fort-Worth area, with the operation including trips enroute to an airport.

Continue reading “Toyota, Aurora test-drive autonomous ride-hailing fleet in Texas”

March 23 (Reuters) – Nikola Corp (NKLA.O) said on Wednesday it started production of its electric semi-trucks on March 21.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Russell had said in a February earnings call that production will begin on March 21 and laid out plans to deliver 300 to 500 Tre BEV semi-trucks this year.

Nikola is yet to report any revenue from truck sales.

(The story corrects paragraph 1 to say semi-trucks, not pick-up trucks; removes reference to pre-series truck builds in paragraph 1; corrects paragraph 2 to say production will begin on March 21, not second quarter.)

PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) – Shares in French carmaker Renault (RENA.PA)fell on early trade on Thursday after the company announced it was suspending operations at its plant in Moscow.

Renault shares were down by around 2% at 0811 GMT, making the carmaker the biggest loser on France’s CAC40 blue chip index.

Renault, the Western carmaker most exposed to the Russian market, also said it would assess options on its majority stake in Avtovaz (AVAZI_p.MM), Russia’s No. 1 carmaker. read more

Continue reading “Renault shares down after company suspends Moscow plant”

March 23 (Reuters) – A spike in demand for electric vehicles (EV) in the global markets is encouraging automakers such Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Stellantis NV (STLA.MI) to secure raw materials needed for making batteries.

Following are some of the deals major automakers have announced with suppliers and miners:

TESLA (TSLA.O)

China’s Ganfeng Lithium Co (002460.SZ) will supply battery-grade lithium for three years starting 2022. Volumes were not disclosed. Ganfeng is the third largest lithium supplier in the world. read more

08-Dec-2021

STELLANTIS NV (STLA.MI)

RENAULT SA (RENA.PA)

Continue reading “Factbox: Automakers securing battery raw materials”

By Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang

SAN FRANCISCO/SEOUL, March 23 (Reuters) – LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) (LGES), a supplier for electric car makers Tesla and Lucid, said on Thursday in Korea it plans to invest 1.7 trillion Korean won ($1.4 billion) to build a battery factory in Arizona by 2024 to meet demand from “prominent startups” and other North American customers.

This will be its first U.S. factory to make cylindrical cells, a type of battery that has been used in Tesla and Lucid vehicles, LGES said. Construction will begin in the second quarter of 2022, with mass production to start in 2024 with production capacity of 11 gigawatt hours, LGES said in a statement.

Continue reading “Tesla, Lucid supplier LGES plans to build $1.4 bln battery factory in Arizona”

March 23 (Reuters) – U.S. auto retail sales could decline in March as rising inflation hinders spending by customers already limited by slim inventories due to pandemic-led supply shortages, and now the Ukraine crisis, consultants J.D. Power and LMC Automotive said.

Supply bottlenecks were showing signs of easing in recent months, but that progress is likely to be stalled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as new lockdowns in China following a resurgence in COVID-19 infections. read more

Continue reading “March U.S. auto sales to tumble on rising inflation, Ukraine crisis- data”

By Hyunjoo Jin

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23 (Reuters) – Japan’s Toyota Motor (7203.T) and Aurora Innovation Inc (AUR.O), a U.S. developer of automated driving systems, have started testing autonomous ride-hailing fleet in Texas, with two safety operators and no passenger on board, Aurora said on Tuesday.

Toyota’s Sienna minivans, retrofitted with Aurora’s self-driving system, will be tested on highways and suburban streets in the Dallas-Fort-Worth area, with the operation including trips enroute to an airport.

Continue reading “Toyota, Aurora test-drive autonomous ride-hailing fleet in Texas”

By Heekyong Yang and Joyce Lee

SEOUL, March 23 (Reuters) – South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution Ltd (LGES) (373220.KS) said on Wednesday it plans to invest $1.5 billion to set up a joint venture with Stellantis NV (STLA.MI) in Canada.

LGES owns 51% of the joint venture, tentatively named “LGES-STLA JV” and Stellantis owns 49%, LGES said in a regulatory filing.

The South Korean battery maker added that its board approved a guarantee of debt regarding its joint venture with Stellantis, which stands at $627 million.

Continue reading “LG Energy Solution to set up EV battery JV with Stellantis in Canada”

SHANGHAI, March 23 (Reuters) – BMW Group said on Wednesday production at all its plants in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang will be temporarily suspended from Thursday due to COVID control measures.

The German automaker said in a statement it had yet to determine a date to resume production.

BMW and its Chinese joint venture partner Brilliance China Automotive (1114.HK) have a production base in Shenyang which includes two vehicle plants, a research and development center and a powertrain plant.

BARCELONA, March 23 (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) planned battery cell plant in Spain will be located in Sagunto, on the outskirts of Valencia, and will have around 3,000 employees and a production of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) a year, the carmaker said on Wednesday.

The German group has embarked in an ambitious plan to build six large battery factories across Europe with partners by the end of the decade as it aims to become the world’s leaders in electric vehicles (EV).

ROME, March 23 (Reuters) – Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint venture between Stellantis (STLA.MI), Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), plans to build a battery plant in Italy, the latest move to boost capacity to meet demand for electric vehicles.

ACC will convert an existing Stellantis plant in Termoli, in southern Italy, into a battery facility as agreed in a March 21 memorandum of understanding with Italian authorities.

Continue reading “Stellantis, Mercedes battery cell JV to build plant in Italy”

By Victoria Waldersee and Nadine Schimroszik

Summary

GRUENHEIDE, Germany, March 22 (Reuters) – Elon Musk was cheered as he oversaw the handover of Tesla’s (TSLA.O) first German-made cars at its Gruenheide plant on Tuesday, marking the start of the U.S. automaker’s inaugural European hub just two years after it was first announced.

Loud music played as 30 clients and their families got a first glimpse of their shining new vehicles through a glitzy, neon-lit Tesla branded tunnel, clapping and cheering as Tesla Chief Executive Musk danced and joked with fans.

Continue reading “Dancing Musk hands drivers first Teslas from new German gigafactory”

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) said Tuesday it will recall 740,000 U.S. sport utility vehicles to address a headlight glare problems after U.S. regulators rejected its request to avoid calling them back.

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration denied GM’s 2019 petition to declare the issue inconsequential for GMC Terrain vehicles from the 2010 through 2017 model years. GM said the issue has been corrected in replacement parts and does not affect current generation vehicles. The automaker says it is still developing a fix.

SHANGHAI, March 23 (Reuters) – Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd (0175.HK) expects rising raw material prices and global chip shortages to pressure its profitability and sales this year, the Chinese company said on Wednesday, after posting a 12% fall in 2021 profit.

The world’s highest-profile Chinese automaker, thanks to its investments in Volvo Cars and Daimler AG , posted 2021 profit of 4.85 billion yuan ($761.64 million), compared with 5.53 billion yuan in the previous year. Revenue rose 10% to 101.6 billion yuan.

Continue reading “China’s Geely Automobile flags costs, chip shortage after 12% drop in 2021 profit”

By Victoria Waldersee

BERLIN, March 22 (Reuters) – Tesla will deliver the first cars from its 5 billion euro ($5.5 billion) Gruenheide plant on Tuesday, marking the biggest investment in an automobile factory in recent German history and the start of the U.S. company’s inaugural European hub.

The 30 clients chosen to receive the first cars on-site gathered with their families to await the vehicles through a glitzy, neon-lit Tesla branded exit from the factory, where Chief Executive Elon Musk and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were expected to arrive and begin the handover.

Continue reading “Tesla rolls out first cars from new German gigafactory”

By Nick Carey and Christoph Steitz

Summary

WOERT, Germany, March 22 (Reuters) – The shift to electric cars may pose an existential threat to suppliers of combustion engines but for auto parts firms such as TE Connectivity (TEL.N) the challenge is keeping up with demand.

It makes the connectors that link miles of cables in cars to all things electrical, from sensors to fuel injection systems to infotainment – and if there’s anything the cars of an electric era will need, it’s larger and ever more complex connectors.

Continue reading “EV revolution driven by ‘humble and hidden’ auto suppliers”

March 21 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Monday vehicle production and orders in Europe have been hit by the global semiconductor shortage as well as the conflict in Ukraine.

The U.S. automaker said it will idle its German plants in Saarlouis and Cologne, mostly due to the global chip shortage. That also led it to stop taking new orders for the S-Max and Galaxy vehicles built in Valencia, Spain. Ford said it has orders for both products that take it beyond September and that existing orders will be fulfilled.

Continue reading “Ford says European production hit by chip shortage, Ukraine conflict”

By Paul Lienert

March 21 (Reuters) – Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) plans to invest at least $7.1 billion over the next five years in North America and add 25 new electric vehicles there by 2030, including a recreation of VW’s classic Microbus, a top executive said on Monday.

The latter model, called ID.Buzz, is a centerpiece of the plan. It will be imported initially from VW’s Hanover plant in Germany, but ultimately could be assembled in the United States or Mexico, according to Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

Continue reading “VW targets $7.1 billion for North America, could build ID.Buzz there -executive”

PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) – A Paris taxi driver whose Tesla Model 3 crashed in December, killing one person, has filed a legal complaint against the U.S. carmaker, his lawyer said on Sunday.

The French government said in the days after the accident that Tesla (TSLA.O) had told it that there was no immediate indication of a technical fault. read more

Sarah Saldmann said her client had on Friday filed a criminal complaint with public prosecutors in Versailles alleging that Tesla had “put the lives of others in danger”.

Continue reading “Paris taxi driver files lawsuit against Tesla after fatal crash”