The Norwegian metal producer Elkem has founded an independent subsidiary under the name Vianode for the development and production of anode materials for electric car batteries. There is already one potential major customer.

The logistics specialist Dachser wants to deliver to the city centres of at least eleven European metropolitan regions without emissions by the end of 2022.

Ford has started deliveries of the Mustang Mach-E in Europe, specifically in Norway. A larger shipment of the electric vehicle model has arrived in Norway and the first vehicles have been handed over to customers there.

Nio plans to deliver the first ES8s in Norway in September 2021. As the Chinese carmaker has now announced, Norway will also be the first overseas market to offer the company’s complete charging infrastructure – including battery swapping stations.

7,229 new electric passenger cars were registered in Norway in April, up 96.9 per cent compared to the same month in the last Covid-year. Norway’s most successful model across all drive types in April was the VW ID.4 with 1,824 buyers.

Ford is preparing European trials with its incoming e-Transit van. The now electrified classic will enter real-world operations at clients in the UK, Norway, and Germany by late summer this year. Ford scheduled further testing in the US as well.

The Kia EV6 can now be configured and ordered at local dealers across 24 nations in Europe. During the reservation phase, which has now ended, Kia recorded 7,300 reservations for the electric model in Europe. This indicates – as already with the e-Niro – long delivery times.

The Chinese government is investing in the construction of a huge industrial park called Neo Park in Hefei. An industrial cluster for intelligent electric vehicles will be created there, where hundreds of EV-related companies will be located.

Škoda has started deliveries of its electric model Enyaq iV. The first model was delivered to a family in Norway. After the start of deliveries in the Scandinavian markets, Western and Central Europe are to follow from May and June 2021.

An analysis by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) found that new registrations of BEVs and PHEVs increased strongly in Europe and China in the first quarter of 2021. China remains the largest electric market, just ahead of Europe. What is striking is the enormous increase in new PHEV registrations in Europe.

Within the framework of the European innovation project Flagships, the world’s first commercial cargo ship with hydrogen propulsion is to go into operation on the Seine in Paris this year. This has significantly shifted the focus of the project initiated in 2018.

The Norwegian electric car market is en route to full recovery as sales of EVs remain strong and begin to surpass previous statistics. This March, electric vehicles accounted for 56% of all new car registrations, up 23.7% from the same month in 2020.

The British SAIC brand MG Motor is increasingly expanding into continental Europe. After the recently launched all-electric SUV ZS EV and the soon to follow plug-in hybrid MG EHS, the carmaker has announced the next electric duo: the SUV Marvel R Electric and the compact estate MG 5 Electric.

BYD has provided new details on its ‘Blade Battery’ for electric cars. In addition to the safety advantages, which were the focus of last year’s presentation, the service life is the most striking feature of the new announcement: BYD mentions 1.2 million kilometres or 3,000 charging cycles.

Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and aircraft designer Tecnam have teamed up with Norwegian regional airline Widerøe to deploy an all-electric passenger aircraft by 2026. The electric aircraft called P-Volt will seat nine people.

A new analysis by the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) provides interesting insights into the status of charging infrastructure development in Europe. The study also shows that a major effort is still needed to reach the European Green Deal’s milestone of one million public charging points by 2025.

The world’s largest all-electric ferry yet has gone into service in Norway on a route across the Oslo Fjord. Bastø Electric is the first of three battery-powered ferries operated by the shipping company Bastø Fosen to enter Norwegian waters with more in the making in Turkey.

Norway just released the plug-in vehicle registrations for February, with 5,074 new electric cars talking the lead in February. The market share of EVs in all new passenger car registrations for the month was 47.5 per cent.

China’s electric carmaker Xpeng just released February deliveries. Speaking to electrive, they also officially confirmed lithium iron phosphate or LFP batteries coming in for both models, the G3 and P7 sedan. There’s also news for Europe.

BYD has unveiled the 2021 Tang EV for the Norwegian market. In the new model year, the electric SUV comes as a seven-seater with the ‘Blade Battery’ and a capacity of 86.4 kWh for a range of about 500 kilometres.

Torqeedo has opened a direct sales office in Norway to serve the growing market for electric marine propulsion systems there. This is Torqeedo’s eighth direct sales office worldwide.

The Norwegian company Teco 2030 is planning Norway’s first “gigafactory” for fuel cells for use in ships. Fuel cells with an output of 1.2 gigawatts per year are to be produced there.

In spring 2021, the first all-electric charter fleet will start operating on the Norwegian Telemark Canal. The fleet will be comprised of six charter boats equipped with Torqeedo e-drives from the Slovenian shipyard Greenline Yachts.

Hydrovolt has started construction of a battery recycling plant in Fredrikstad, Norway. The newly founded joint venture between the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt and the Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro says the plant will be operational at the end of 2021.

Statkraft makes another acquisition in the field of charging infrastructure: The Norwegian state-owned energy company announces the takeover of 51 per cent of the shares of the Swedish provider Bee Charging Solutions. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021.

General Motors hired actor and comedian Will Ferrell for its Super Bowl commercial, in which the company promotes its Ultium platform. Norway as the market leader for electric cars? They don’t want to put up with that in the USA!

The Canadian-Norwegian battery specialist Corvus Energy has announced that it will start developing and producing maritime fuel cell systems on a large scale in cooperation with Toyota.

The new plug-in car registrations have come out for Norway. Market shares look impressive as usual in Europe’s EV wonderland. Electric cars make for over half of all sales in the first month of the year. Still, there’s been a slight decline.

Norway has not always been the promised land for EV enthusiasts. In fact, it took the oil-producing nation a while to become a fan of electric driving. Incentives played a role of course but before the money came a push in popularity from an unlikely source.

Norway’s Norgesbuss has ordered 102 electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach for use in Oslo. This is the largest order for VDL in Europe to date.