Germany

The German government announced that it will abruptly end its subsidy program for electric vehicles on December 31, which has dealt a blow to automakers in one of its biggest European markets. But Tesla and Mercedes-Benz say that they will compensate for it, covering the full price of the subsidy for German buyers, with other automakers joining in.

Ford Motor Company has announced that Germany is the next market where customers will gain access to its BlueCruise driver assistance technology. Following approval, Ford drivers in Germany can now take advantage of true hands-free driving on certain roadways.

Li-Cycle today launched one of Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery recycling centers, and it can process full EV battery packs.

The Swiss solar maker is diverting production equipment from Germany to the US to build a new solar cell factory in Colorado instead.

Coal-fired Boxberg power station in Eastern Germany will host the first phase of building the largest clean energy hub in Europe.

Mercedes-Benz has hired a contractor to install a 20-turbine wind farm at its test track in Papenburg, Germany.

Northvolt is going forward with building its EV battery plant in Germany after the EU ups its subsidies game to compete with US incentives.

Mere days after delivering its first Ocean SUV to a lucky customer in Europe, the team at Fisker Inc. has popped up in Germany, cutting the ribbon on two new customer-dedicated facilities in the country. The new Fisker Lounge and showroom also kick off the start of Ocean SUV reservations in the country as well as operations at the American automaker’s new European HQ.

American EV automaker Rivian may finally be making its long-speculated trek overseas into new markets in Europe. According to a recent job post from the company, it is looking for a manager to lead its Service Center in Berlin, Germany – which would be its first footprint in the EU. By looking to hire new positions overseas, Rivian’s EV expansion feels all but imminent. However, those EU customers hoping this means they will soon be able to get their hands on an R1T will be disappointed.

Following talks that carried late into Friday evening, representatives from both the EU and member state Germany have relayed that an agreement has been reached in the proposed 2035 ban of new combustion vehicle sales that will now include exceptions for e-fuels. After 2035, some combustion vehicles can still be sold, as long as they run entirely on carbon-neutral fuel alternatives.

According to a draft proposal recently seen by the media, the European Commission has reportedly added an amendment to its 2035 combustion vehicle ban that allows for the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles after the expiry, as long as they run entirely on climate-neutral e-fuels. This move is the latest chapter in a saga to ban ICE vehicles in the EU that has recently been stifled by countries insisting on the additional e-fuel exceptions, led by automotive juggernaut, Germany.

The saga of getting the EU’s proposed ban on sales of new combustion cars by 2035 continues, and more details are in limbo than ever. Following Germany’s abrupt opposition to the ban ahead of its final vote (a mere formality) last week, the EU Commission has declared plans to include a role for e-fuels in the future with hopes it will be enough to regain Germany’s blessing. Here’s the latest.

Germany has unexpectedly objected to the EU’s planned vote to officially ban combustion vehicles by 2035, questioning its support for the law and how it will affect the industry, particularly by not properly explaining how the use of e-fuels will be regulated.

Zero emission powertrain developer H2FLY has announced a joint project alongside Stuttgart Airport to develop and erect a Center for Excellence in Hydrogen Aviation. Together, the aviation teams will implement a purpose-built facility at the airport specifically designed to support hydrogen electric plane testing for passenger flights.

Europe’s first charging corridor for medium and heavy-duty electric trucks has been launched in Germany by BP Pulse.

German automaker Mercedes-Benz announced another big step in becoming an all-electric luxury brand by the end of the decade. The company recently shared that its Untertürkheim plant, where combustion engines have primarily been assembled, will be scaled up to deliver more EV motors for future Mercedes EQ vehicles. It is now targeting 1 million a year beginning in 2024.

German crane maker Sennebogen last week debuted a 50-metric-ton electric telescopic crawler crane – the first battery-powered crane in its weight class.

EV freight technology company Einride has announced its expansion into Germany, the EU’s largest transportation market. The company will bring its electrified and autonomous freight shipping technology to the country, backed by a new Einride regional office and local logistical hubs. It also has a list of German partners already in place.

Relatively new EV automaker ElectricBrands has unveiled a Camper version of its XBUS electric van, which originally debuted last year. While many of the pertinent details of this XBUS Camper variant remain a mystery, ElectricBrands has shared several images and claimed the EV is “at the top of customers’ reservation lists.” Check out the gallery below.

Reports out of Germany state that the country’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has proposed to gradually phase out subsidies for EV purchases through 2025 and completely eliminate any benefits to consumers purchasing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) by the end of this year. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) is pushing back, arguing that PHEVs remain vital to EV adoption.

Porsche AG is testing the possibilities of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in its EVs, but taking it a step further. Rather than just deliver EVs like the Taycan that can supply energy back to the grid rather than just pull from it, Porsche has run a V2G pilot program that utilizes “swarms” of EVs whose high-voltage batteries are pooled to help keep the local electrical grid stabilized.