Nuon Solar, XL Hybrids, Virgin, Efficient Drivetrains.

Dutch team wins again solar car trophy: The Nuon Solar team of the Technical University Delft once again won the World Solar Challenge in Australia. Their solar vehicle Nuna 9 was the first to cross the finish line after four days and not less than 3,000 kilometres. For the Dutch team it was already the seventh title in the 14th race of the World Solar Challenge.
electricautosport.com, worldsolarchallenge.org

Ikea backs XL Hybrids: The U.S. manufacturer of electrification technology for commercial and municipal fleets raised 22m dollars in its latest financing round, pushing its overall funding sum to 50m dollars. Among its new investors are Exelon and Ikea. The fresh money shall help to expand XL Hybrids’ development, sale and distribution network in North America. Just recently, the company announced to kick off production of its XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System designed to electrify the latest Ford Super Duty F-250 pickups in the first quarter of 2018.
greencarcongress.com, bloomberg.com

Virgin invests in Hyperloop: Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is backing Californian start-up Hyperloop One, however the amount of funding is undisclosed. In the wake of the investment, Hyperloop One has got rebranded as Virgin Hyperloop One and Richard Branson is to join its board. The company is considered to be among the most promising of the hyperloop start-ups seeking to commercialize the transportation system introduced by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in 2013.
autoblog.com, electrek.co, virgin.com

Efficient Drivetrains and Shannxi Automotive jointly develop a PHEV cement mixer truck. While Shannxi Automotive provides its 32-ton cement mixer truck, Efficient Drivetrains contributes its PowerDrive 8000 PHEV drivetrain and control software. The vehicle’s first field deployment is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017. It is the first time, Efficient Drivetrains expands its portfolio into the construction industry.
newatlas.com, greencarcongress.com, constructionequipment.com