Weekly News Roundup: 11/12-11/18

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Headlines and links from all the news we didn’t cover in depth here on EVmeme.com this past week. Follow the links for more on each.

Volvo Launches EM90 Electric Minivan for MPV Market
Volvo has unveiled its EM90 electric minivan, a first for the company, which will launch in China and eventually expand to other markets. The multi-purpose vehicle offers 738 kilometers of range.

Hyundai Adding $1.5B EV Plant In Ulsan
Hyundai Motor held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new electric vehicle plant. The plant, located at the Hyundai complex in Ulsan, will be EV-dedicated and the hub for Hyundai’s electrified mobility production. Capacity is expected to be 200,000 units per year.

Yanmar Makes Delivery of First Maritime Hydrogen Fuel Cell System
Yanmar Power Technology has made its first delivery of its maritime hydrogen fuel cell system. The system will power the Motena-Sea passenger ship HANARIA in Japan.

VinFast Announces More Than 70 Dealership Applications In U.S.
VinFast Auto has announced that more than 70 dealers have applied to its dealership program. The new carmaker is planning to begin distributing its electric vehicles through 125 points of sale nationally.

Toyota To Begin On-Road Feasibility Testing of Hydrogen-Powered Corolla in Australia
Toyota Motor has entered two races in Australia in order to test its Corolla and GR86 concepts running carbon-neutral fuels. The liquid hydrogen-powered Corolla, which has run in races previously, has seen some changes that the automaker wanted to test.

MAN Engines Shows New Hydrogen Combustion Engine for Off-Road Applications
For agricultural machinery and off-road applications, MAN Engines has presented a new H4576 engine based on its D3876 diesel engine base. The hydrogen combustion engine outputs 500 horsepower.

BMW Announces Level 3 Highly Automated Driving Available Soon In 7 Series
BMW has announced that level 3 (highly-automated) driving will be available in its 7 Series flagship sedan starting in the spring. It will work in the dark and allow drivers to take hands off the steering wheel.

Volvo Group To Acquire Proterra Battery Business
Proterra Inc are in chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. The company’s assets were auctioned with Volvo being the winning bidder to acquire the Proterra Powered business unit for $210 million.

Electrify America and 4 GEN Logistics Begin Construction at Port of Long Beach
Electrify America and partner 4 GEN Logistics have begun construction on a large charging station at the Port of Long Beach in California. The station will power 4 Gen’s growing fleet of electric class 8 drayage trucks working in and around the port.

Forge Nano Launches U.S. Battery Manufacturing With Planned North Carolina Gigafactory
Forge Nano is planning to build a gigafactory in North Carolina through its subsidiary Forge Battery. The company plans to build lithium-ion batteries for defense, aerospace, and specialty electric vehicle markets.

GreenPower Receives 35 Mega BEAST Orders In California
GreenPower Motor has announced 35 orders for Type D all-electric, purpose-built school buses for the California market. School district orders include Montebello and Garden Grove schools.

BMW Expanding ChargeForward Smart Charging Service
BMW of North America has announced a national expansion of its smart charging service, ChargeForward, for national (48 state) rollout in the U.S. The launch coincides with the sales availability of the first all-electric 5 Series, the BMW i5.

Applied Hydrogen AS To Deliver Fuel Cell-Powered 30T Excavator
Norway’s Applied Hydrogen AS and Ballard Power Systems have partnered to develop a new 30-ton, zero-emission excavator powered by Ballard’s FCmove-XD 120kW fuel cell. The excavator will be delivered to Veidekke AS.

Mercedes-Benz Launches First North American EV Charging Hub
Mercedes-Benz, in a joint venture with MN8 Energy, has opened the first of its planned premium EV charging stations in North America. The first Mercedes-Benz Charging Hub opened at Mercedes’ headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

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GM Buys Out BrightDrop
Electric delivery startup BrightDrop was acquired by General Motors. The fleet company has been closely aligned with GM since its inception.

Toyota and Redwood Materials Cooperating On Battery Recycling
Toyota Motor North America and Redwood Materials have announced an expanded recycling agreement. The agreement includes recycling for end-of-life electric vehicle batteries.

Write Electric and Axter Complete Maiden Flight of Hybrid Crop Duster
Wright Electric and Axter Aerospace have announced the successful completion of maiden flights of hybrid-electric crop duster aircraft.

CARB Approves Nearly $624M In Funding For ZEV Switch
The California Air Resources Board has approved almost $624 million in funding for incentive programs to encourage switching to zero-emission vehicles. Most of the funding is slated for “low-income and disadvantaged communities.”

Vitesco Tech Starts Electric-Axle Drive Manufacturing
Vitesco Technologies has completed its 2,800 square meter manufacturing space and will begin production of its EMR4 electric axle drive. These will ultimately be used by Hyundai after a testing series on production models.

LG Enters US EV Charging Market with AC and DC Chargers
LG Electronics is entering the U.S. electric vehicle charger market in 2024 by introducing its first line of AC and DC charging stations. The line will include Level 2 and Level 3 EV chargers for consumer use.