Mercedes has recently undertaken rigorous testing in Austria ahead of the launch of its next EV offering, the EQG. The launch of the new model – using a bespoke electrical architecture integrated into the car’s ladder frame chassis – is expected in 2024.

German authorities have created a new EUR 300 million package of subsidies for the installation of solar panels, as well as the installation of a storage battery, for EV owners. Each customer that takes up the offer will receive up to EUR 10,200, although according to reports the budget has already been depleted. Nevertheless, another EUR 200 million is expected to be made available from next year.

Switzerland will see the annual Auto Zurich show open its doors to the public on 1st November. The event is a precursor to the country’s more international Geneva show which will open in February 2024 for the first time since 2019.

China has opened its first ‘autonomous driving’ tourist route in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone. The 35-minute route, starting from the Xiaojunshan subway station and passing through popular scenic spots in the area, has six different stops and covers a total distance of 24 km. The zone has opened 660 km of roads for autonomous driving tests so far.

Xiaomi, the Chinese smart device manufacturer, is working on its first electric vehicle, expected to begin mass production in 2024. In addition to working on its cars, it has recently filed a patent for a new EV wireless charging system.

BYD has introduced two new ‘eBus’ innovations at Busworld 2023 held at the Brussels Expo. The 40-foot long B12 eBus brings a new generation of integrated chassis technology to public transport in Europe, according to the manufacturer. Another vehicle is the 45-foot customisable pure-electric intercity double-decker coach: the BYD-UNVI DD13. It is a collaboration between BYD European coach body-build specialist, UNVI. These new buses join two established BYD models on show at Busworld 2023: the BYD eBus B19 (60-foot) and the 50-foot BYD eBus B15.

Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker, will build a new kind of data centre using chips and software from Nvidia, for a range of applications including self-driving cars. Sharing a stage at Foxconn's annual tech showcase in Taipei, Foxconn Chairman Liu Young-way and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said their companies would build these ‘AI’ factories together. "A new type of manufacturing has emerged - the production of intelligence. And the data centres that produce it are AI factories," Huang said, adding that Foxconn had the expertise and scale to build them globally. Huang explained that AI factories could continuously receive and process data from autonomous electric vehicles to make them smarter. "This car would of course go through life experience and collect more data. The data would go to the AI factory. The AI factory would improve the software and update the entire AI fleet," said the Taiwan-born Huang. "In the future, every company, every industry, will have AI factories."

Luxgen Motor, subsidiary of Taiwan-based auto conglomerate Yulon Motor, has unveiled pricing and delivery dates for its new n7 model (a development of the original Foxconn Model C prototype). The EV model received 25,000 initial orders, starting in September 2022. However, Tso Chi Sen, chairman and acting president of Luxgen Motor, said only around 7,000 units are estimated to result in actual sales. Production of the n7 is planned from November and December, and delivery will commence from mid-January 2024. Luxgen are also planning to work with seven local charging station operators to boost national infrastructure.

Kia has announced that it will roll out its new EV9 electric vehicle model in North America in the coming months. However, this only applies to Canada and Mexico, not the US. Reports suggest the choice is probably because two-row mid-size crossovers like the EV5 will not sell well in the market, unlike the EV9. The new EV is built on the same E-GMP platform as Kia’s EV6 and Hyundai’s Ioniq 5. Although the EV9’s specifications differ from each market, the version offered in China includes Level 3 autonomous driving, a 530 km range, a 64 kWh battery and a 160 kW motor. The Canadian version will likely feature similar specifications. There is also an extended-range variant that can travel up to 720 km on a single charge, and an AWD iteration that can reach 650 km.

On October 5, the US Department of Energy reported that more than 4,000 public charging stations, with over 7,000 ports, were out of service. This figure represents a failure rate of over 6%, but is likely much higher. Here Technologies, a specialist company that collects real-time data on connected chargers, counted 4,673 inoperable terminals at that time, but other ‘unconnected’ charging points could inflate the data.

Despite the US government’s commitment to provide USD 100 million in funding to repair and replace non-functioning infrastructure, a labour shortage is likely to slow the process. “Finding a high-level electrician, called a journeyman, especially one trained in EV chargers, is a significant challenge,” said Matt Trout, president of Trout Electric, which services and installs chargers and other electrical equipment in Southern California.

Chinese automaker, Chery, has announced that it will expand operations in the Brazilian market with up to three new brands. Work has already commenced with negotiations at dealership level and provision for local production.

O&J (Omoda & Jaecoo), the company that will run Chery International's operations in Brazil, is to launch the first cars in the first half of 2024. They will be in the form of the J7 SUV, from Jaecoo. At the same time, from a logistics perspective, the company is also studying the best way to bring in and distribute the cars. Additionally, a possible distribution centre is in the plans, but a decision is yet to be made.

Stellantis has announced that it will make hybrids in all its factories in Brazil, starting with the facility in Pernambuco. Goiana Automotive Plant will use a Bio-Hybrid platform in 2024 and will also be the first of the group to produce electric vehicles. The Northeast will also be the starting point for Stellantis' flex hybrids - and also for electric ones. The automaker confirmed that the first cars with the new Bio-Hybrid platforms will be made at the Automotive Plant in Goiana (PE), but assured that all its factories in Brazil will have vehicles made on the architecture.

Production of the models that will debut the flex hybrid base begins in Pernambuco in 2024. In addition, Stellantis made it clear in a statement that Goiana will be the company's first plant in Brazil that will produce 100% electric vehicles - although no date has been set.