Carla Westerheide

Dacia has reduced the price of the Spring electric city car to £11,990, making it the cheapest new car and cheapest EV on sale in the UK. The move undercuts the Leapmotor T03 and widens the price gap to entry-level combustion models.

ESB eCars has introduced higher charging tariffs across its public EV charging network in Ireland and Northern Ireland, increasing costs for both pay-as-you-go users and subscribers. The updated pricing also simplifies the tariff structure by grouping all DC chargers above 50 kW into a single pricing category.

Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has resumed operations at its lithium mine in Jiangxi after a shutdown lasting almost a year. The Jianxiawo deposit contains one of the world's largest reserves of lepidolite, which CATL processes on site into battery-grade lithium carbonate at its own refinery.

Electrify America is expanding its pilot deployment of North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors, adding the charging interface to a number of high-traffic sites in California and the eastern United States. The operator will convert selected CCS connectors at ten sites and establish four dedicated NACS locations.

Gujarat, a state in western India, has commissioned 70 electric buses for public transport. It deployed 40 of these e-buses in the state capital, Gandhinagar, on 28 June and another 30 units in Vadodara on 29 June.

Motor Fuel Group (MFG) has reduced charging prices across its MFG EV Power network by 25 per cent for the summer period. From 1 July to 30 September 2026, drivers can access ultra-rapid charging at 59p/kWh across nearly 600 locations in the UK.

InstaVolt has agreed to sell its charging operations in Spain and Portugal to Powerdot. The move will allow the UK charge point operator to focus investment on expansion in the UK and Ireland.

California will introduce a new point-of-sale rebate programme for first-time zero-emission vehicle buyers later this summer. Backed by $135.5 million in state funding and matching contributions from automakers, the initiative forms part of a broader $600 million clean transport package. The initiative, branded MyFirstEV, will launch later this summer.

The UK government will introduce its new mileage-based Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028. Following a consultation with more than 5,000 respondents, ministers have simplified compliance requirements for fleets and dropped additional mileage checks for newer vehicles.

The University of Nottingham and GKN Aerospace have established HPDrive Technologies to develop cryogenic electrical machine technologies. The new company will focus on applications in hydrogen-electric aviation and other high-power sectors.