BYD will supply Daimler with Blade Batteries The Elec reports that BYD is planning to supply Daimler with its lithium ferrous phosphate (LFP) batteries. These are the brand's Blade Batteries without modules that have higher energy density compared to their counterparts with modules and match the energy density of NCM batteries. Ultimately, this increases the average EV range per charge by 100 km. In general, LFP batteries are able to provide arou8nd 300 km of...

smart joint venture establishes smart Europe, a smart EV in the B-segment is due in 2022 based on a new EV platform The new global smart joint venture between Geely and Mercedes-Benz in China has established smart Europe GmbH as a wholly-owned subsidiary to supply, sell and service future smart vehicles in the European market. It will be located in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Stuttgart. A new all-electric vehicle architecture will become the foundation for smart's entry into the premium B-segment range with its first products...

Mercedes-Benz EQV tested in winter conditions For several weeks, the development team of Mercedes-Benz has been testing the first purely battery-electric premium MPV from the brand. The tests have been held in Arjeplog, Sweden under severe climatic conditions - minus 30 degrees Celsius, icy roads, deep snow. This marks the end of one of the last milestones before the EQV market launch in the second half of 2020. A team of over 30 engineers, electronics experts...

Mercedes-Benz will showcase the VISION AVTR at the "Meet Mercedes" event in Geneva Mercedes unveiled the VISION AVTR at CES 2020 at the beginning of January and today the company announced that the European debut of this futuristic concept is scheduled for the "Meet Mercedes" event which takes place on the day before the Geneva Motor Show, 2 March 2020, in the "HEAD - Genève“. The VISION AVTR is inspired by James Cameron's film Avatar and the result of unusual global cooperation between one of the...

IBM and Mercedes are a step closer to the next-generatino Li-S batteries A couple of months ago, IBM Research announced it has discovered three new materials extracted from seawater for EV batteries. This research included Mercedes, Central Glass Sidus. In January, IBM and Daimler unveiled they use "a quantum computer to model the dipole moment of three lithium-containing molecules, which brings us one step closer the next-generation lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries that would be more...

Volvo Car and Geely consider combining their businesses In a press release from today, Volvo Car said that it is pondering on combining its business with Geely Automobile as this will "accelerate financial and technological synergies between the two companies. The considered combination would have the scale, knowledge and resources to be a leader in the ongoing transformation of the automotive industry. The combination would preserve the distinct identity of each of the...

2020 smart EQ fortwo and smart EQ forfour UK prices are announced The smart EQ series is now on sale in the UK and the local smart website has listed the official prices. Here they are for the basic trims of the models: 2020 smart EQ fortwo coupé - £20,350 inclusive of the £3,500 PICG grant 2020 smart EQ fortwo cabriolet - £23,920 inclusive of the £3,500 PICG grant 2020 smart EQ forfour - £20,785 inclusive of the £3,500 PICG grant smart specifies an operating range of 111-114 km...

Amazon launches 10 Mercedes-Benz eVito vans in Munich 10 Mercedes-Benz eVito vans with full Amazon branding on them are now circulating the streets in central Munich. All are the long body variant of the eVito (5370 mm wheelbase). Amazon plans on launching into operation more vehicles to expand its electrically operated fleet. The Mercedes-Benz eVito packs a 41 kWh battery that is good for a run of 150-184 km. It takes 6 hours of charging to offer the same range again...

GAC Group plans to invest USD 1 billion in NIO On January 15, Chinese media reported that GAC Group plans to invest 1 billion US dollars in NIO. It is believed that with the launch and delivery of the NIO EC6, the brand's demand for funds will increase, and the next round of financing will become the focus of external attention. At the Q3 financial report meeting, the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Feng Wei said that NIO has made significant progress in...

The VISION AVTR concept by Mercedes is inspired by the Avatar film Well, it's CES time in Las Vegas, meaning it's concepts time for automakers. This year, Mercedes-Benz has gone wild with its VISION AVTR concept. The extremely futuristic and beautiful looks of the vehicle have been inspired by the Avatar film. The concept was presented by Daimler CEO Ola Kaellenius and Avatar director James Cameron. The VISION AVTR concept interprets the currently modern ideas of a vehicle being an...

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC goes on sale in South Korea tomorrow Daimler will launch the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 4MATIC in South Korea this weak with sales starting tomorrow - October 22nd. The model is priced at 105 million won (US$89,000). Unlike other brands of imported cars, Mercedes has enjoyed a stellar year in South Korea. From January to September 2019 the sold imported cars totalled 167,093 units which are 15% less year on year, according to the Korea Automobile Importers...

Daimler teases the Mercedes-Benz EQS once again, this time with a video Daimler has kept a tight lip on the Mercedes-Benz EQS concept. So far, it has released only one shot of the vehicle depicting it under wraps. Today, the company teased it on Facebook again, but this time with a video. It only shows the front grille with the Mercedes emblem on it, while the car is on the move. The concept of a luxury sedan will debut at the IAA 2019 in Frankfurt this week, where Mercedes will also...

Daimler teased the Mercedes-Benz EQS - an all-electric sedan concept Daimler has teased the Mercedes-Benz EQS on Facebook announcing that it will be showcased at the IFA 2019 in Frankfurt. The post does not unveil much but this should be all-electric sedan concept of the brand. It has already unveiled the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC (check the full specs here) and the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQV - the world's first all-electric MPV, which will also be showcased the 2019 Frankfurt...