Nico Rosberg’s team won the first race in the Extreme E electric off-road racing series with Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor as drivers. In the lower ranks, the event in Saudi Arabia was marked by two accidents.

The Formula E is on again, and with the season just starting remains entirely unpredictable. The FIA World Championship’s opening races on Friday and Saturday in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, happened at night, making for striking imagery.

Lucid Motors appears in talks to go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) belonging to investor Micheal Klein. The deal could be worth $15 billion (about €12.4Bn) for the electric vehicle maker.

Lucid Motors is in talks with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to build an electric vehicle factory near the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, according to a media report. A second location in the country is also reportedly under consideration.

The Formula E is back for its sixth season, presenting a whole a new battle between German carmakers as Mercedes and Porsche join Audi and BMW in the all-electric racing series.

Formula E has released another rather spectacular PR film just before the start of the fifth season in Saudi Arabia. This time it is about one of the oldest sports in the world and one beloved in the arabic world. Here, it is of course combined with one of the newest.

The Formula E wants to send a message that goes beyond electric transport when opening the new season in Saudi Arabia next month. Seven female drivers will take part in the FE test in the country.

It is confirmed, PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, who Elon Musk had banked on to help him taking Tesla private, is investing in Lucid Motors. The sheiks are ready to spend over a billion dollars to launch the Air EV.

PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, who Elon Musk had banked on to help him taking Tesla private, is thinking to invest in Lucid Motors. The electric car startup is holding talks with PIF over a $1BN investment, Reuters quotes sources close to the matter.

Elon Musk’s tweet in which he was thinking aloud about taking Tesla private had seen the stock markets surge then crush last night. His rationale however is a long-term one he says and in line with the CEO’s actions to curb speculation.

Testing charging in public: Oxford intends to set up 100 on-street EV charging points by 2019 but wants to test at least six solutions by different providers first. Residents of the university town are asked to put their interest forward to have a charging point close to home. The trial is being funded through an 800,000 pound grant from the UK government’s ultra-low cities fund.
airqualitynews.com

Luxembourg is to get hybrid buses as Autobus de la ville de Luxembourg orders 5 from Volvo as a turn-key solution. The 7900 Electric Hybrid is a plug-in that can operate 70 percent of the time electrically. Fast-chargers for the buses come from ABB with all deliveries due by the end of 2016.
greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com

Marseille turns to electric transport: The French city put its first 12 metre electric bus in service. The Irizar i2e has a 374 kWh battery pack, that offers a range of up to 155 miles and needs five hours of charging to be ready for a 14 to 16 hour shift. Marseille is also testing hybrid options.
greencarcongress.com

Fleet renewal: New Flyer is to deliver 267 hybrid and diesel buses to Connecticut’s Department of Transportation (CTDOT). The contract is worth about 122m dollars and includes an option for an additional 218 vehicles. It has not been said however, how many of the buses will be partially electric.
canadianmanufacturing.com, newflyer.com

Pilgrims’ carriage: 18,000 carts will be made available at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s capital Abu Dhabi during the holy month of Ramadan. The fleet for worshippers includes at least 300 electric scooters and electric cars as well as special vehicles.
arabnews.com