The European Commission has approved a second project under EU state aid rules to support research and innovation in the battery value chain. Several German companies will benefit from this, but also Tesla.

InoBat Auto from Slovakia presents what it claims is the world’s first “intelligent” battery cell for electric vehicles. And not only that, the company says their approach to battery production makes it possible to produce better cells faster and more efficiently while offering more range.

The EU project NEXT-E with 252 fast-charging stations will soon be connected to Hubject’s eRoaming platform Intercharge. This involves 222 fast chargers with 50 kW and 30 HPC stations with 150 to 350 kW charging capacity in seven Eastern European countries.

German machine manufacturer Manz has received an order from the Slovakian company InoBat Auto to supply production equipment for setting up a pilot line for stacked lithium-ion pouch cells. A follow-up contract with automotive supplier TE Connectivity is also on the horizon.

The Slovakian company InoBat Auto has provided further details of its planned research and production of electric car battery cells in cooperation with the US technology company Wildcat Discovery Technologies.

In August 2019, 6,672 electric vehicles drove on Polish roads, with a share of just 0.2%, Poland is at the bottom of the league in Central Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, the Polish government has set itself ambitious targets for e-mobility. But the new funding programme is controversial, as Aleksandra Fedorska reports.

The Slovak Ministry of Economy is starting a new round of subsidies for electrified vehicles in order to encourage individuals, businesses and government agencies to purchase electric vehicles. A total of 5 million euros has been earmarked for the programme.

Škoda has started series production of its first battery-electric model. The first Citigo e iV rolled off the assembly line on Wednesday at the Volkswagen plant in the Slovak capital Bratislava.

Magna has received its most significant production order for transmission technologies in the company’s history from the BMW Group. The multi-year contract covers all front-wheel-drive dual-clutch transmissions, including hybrid transmissions.

GreenWay is expanding its portfolio. Previously they primarily provided charging services to EV drivers. Now they are offering a full suite of goods and services for businesses and other locations which would like to have a charging station on-site to support EV drivers.

The Nissan Charge App developed by Nissan and Plugsurfing enables electric car drivers to charge at over 100,000 charging points throughout Europe. The service that includes navigation and charge management first launches in Italy and Germany before successively covering other markets.

According to Europa-COO Emilio Herrera, Kia is considering making a purely electric version of its Ceed model, as well as bringing another – as yet unnamed – new fully-electric model brought to market by 2021, and bumping up electrification through plug-in hybrids.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said Tesla would open stores in Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia and most Eastern Europe states by early next year. Meanwhile, Model 3 has arrived in Australia, and back in the company’s home country, a judge in Delaware, USA orders Tesla to defend Elon Musk’s potential payout.

The Slovakian group InoBat and the US energy technology company Wildcat Discovery Technologies plan to build a production line for electric car batteries in Slovakia. Construction of the 100-MWh line is scheduled to start in 2020.

The French car manufacturer PSA intends to assemble the battery packs for electric and hybrid cars of its Peugeot, Citroën and DS brands at its Trnava (Slovakia) plant and later also at its Vigo (Spain) plant.

Seat has presented its first electric model, the Mii electric, in Oslo. It will replace the conventionally powered Mii, whose production will end in July 2019. Advance sales start in September and the first units are to be delivered before the end of this year.

Volkswagen’s plans for future plants are changing rapidly: from 2023, the purely electric small car for less than 20,000 euros is to be built in Eastern Europe instead of in Emden in Germany as originally planned. The Zwickau plant in Germany will probably hand over the production of the I.D. Crozz to Emden.

Peugeot has apparently already started production of the e-208. According to media reports, the first vehicle of the new generation Peugeot 208 with an all-electric drive rolled off the assembly line on 27 March at the PSA plant in Trnava, Slovakia.

The Czech Energy Group (CEZ) has been tasked with setting up fast charging stations in Hungary. The expansion is part of a $44M investment, first in their home nation before coming to Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia in the next decade.

The subvention program that was extended by half a year at the end of last year for the acquisition of BEVs and PHEVs by private persons will not be renewed.

GreenWay will be opening a series of 31 fast charging stations across Poland during July and August. The move will expand the company’s presence in Poland and Slovakia to around 100 charging stations.

The EU Commission is supporting the construction of 118 fast charging stations for the CEUC (Central European Ultra Charging) project. Smatrics was chosen as a service provider for the rollout, operations and maintenance of the network.

The Geely subsidiary EV producer Zhi Dou is planning to establish a production base in Europe. They are closely looking at Slovakia and Romania, but the final decision will only fall in Fall.

PSA is planning to begin manufacturing electric cars in Trnava, Slovakia, as was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show by Chairman of the managing board Carlos Tavares. This includes the building of the Peugeot 208 and its EV variant.

The first four of 18 electric buses are now running in Bratislava. Slovakia’s capital had turned to Czech SOR Libchavy for their first such order.

Bratislava is the first city in Eastern Europe to have an EV charging station that is fed both by the grid as well as a battery. The GridBooster combines two fast-charge stops with CCS and ChaDeMo.

The state of Slovakia has extended its plug-in vehicle privileges and will continue to grant up to 5,000 euros when buying an ecological car before the end of June 2018.

Hyundai bets on EV market in the U.S.: Including the Ioniq, the South Korean brand wants to launch no less than 14 electric and hybrid models in the U.S. by 2020. According to CEO Dave Zuchowski, the plans include four BEVs and PHEVs each, as well as a fuel cell vehicle. Asked about President-elect Donald Trump, the Hyundai boss didn’t want to speculate on possible changes on the U.S. market.
autonews.com

China approves fifth EV start-up: Min’an is the first joint venture to get the government’s green light after China said this summer that all EV production must be approved. A first model is to hit the road in 2018. The company’s plant will start with a production capacity of 50,000 units per year, which will later be tripled.
shanghaidaily.com

EU funds electric bin lorry: As part of the LIFE programme, the EU Commission will invest around 223m euros in low-emission pilot projects. Part of the cash as been earmarked for electric mobility undertakings, such as a lorry bin with an electric and fuel cell drivetrain in Belgium.
europa.eu, europa.eu (all projects)

McLaren plans second hybrid hypercar: The hybrid GT codenamed BP23 was inspired by McLaren’s F1, though the three-seater is said to be more comfortable. Insiders believe the new hybrid addition will boast a total of 515 kW.
autocar.co.uk

Slovakia pushes EVs: The announced subsidies programme has now been finalised, and the government will grant buyers up to 5,000 euros for battery-electric and up to 3,000 euros for plug-in hybrid cars. A total of 5m euros have been earmarked for the scheme, which will not be extended once cash runs out.
cleantechnica.com, data.greenway.sk (funding details)

Supercar unveiling: Techrules announced the serial version of its GT96 supercar with turbine range-extender for the Geneva Motor Show next spring. The car is said to go 2,000 km on one charge. 25 units a year will roll off production lines from 2017. A street-legal and a track version are planned.
autocar.co.uk

Is BMW planning its own Model 3? The many reservations for the new Tesla seem to have inspired BMW to get its own electric limousine. It will be based on the carmaker’s 3-series and will therefore not sport a distinct design and carbon fibre chassis, like the i-models. For some, it’s an indication that the previous approach to an electric line-up has failed. As reported yesterday, an electric X4 and Mini Cooper are also in the cards.
dw.com, autocar.co.uk, handelsblatt.com (fee required)

Bigger battery for C Evolution: The BMW C Evolution is now fitted with the new generation battery cells that are also used in the i3, allowing the 35 kW scooter to go 160 km on one charge. The A1 driving license version in Europe with an output of 11 kW and a top speed of 120 kph will also remain.
greencarcongress.com, bmwgroup.com

560 km range: Proterra presented the Catalyst E2, an all-electric bus with a larger battery that can therefore service destinations outside cities. Capacity is set at around 600 kWh, allowing the bus to go up to 560 km on one charge. The manufacturer has delivered more than 300 electric buses to its home market North America to date.
insideevs.com, greencarcongress.com, prnewswire.com

The 1,000 kW Toroidion is coming: The Finnish super car is apparently already in the final stages of the development phase. Based on the in 2015 presented 1MW Concept (we reported), the manufacturer plans a small series of 75 units per year. Moreover, the Toroidion team and Mika Salo are already preparing to take part in the 24h of Le Mans.
electricautosport.com

Slovakia plans EV incentives: Electric cars are to account for 31 percent of car sales by 2030, which is why the government is planning a series on measures to help the market. These include direct subsidies and tax relieves, scrapping registration fees and allowing for a shorter depreciation period for companies, implementing zero emission zones and the promise to install one charger for every 10 EVs sold.
spectator.sme.sk