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Happy Friday! This week in mobility... vehicle announcements provided insight into the directions OEMs are taking their business, and more.

Need to Know

New vehicle hype brought with it the future direction OEMs are taking their electrified lineups…

Hyundai showcased its first dedicated electric sedan, the Ioniq 6, sporting an unconventional design. The announcement continues the company’s refreshed take on vehicle design and production as it enters a new automotive age.

Infiniti hopes to enter an electric renaissance of its own, showcasing the new QX80, ushering in a revised direction for the luxury brand. In a time when luxury profits are reaching records, Infiniti has seen sales plummet. With a focus on product over volume, the brand is hoping to turn a corner.

In Other News

• 🏛️ Regulatory. The European Union parliament decided in favor of a 100 percent reduction in CO2 emissions for all new vehicles by 2035 while raising interim emission reduction targets. Thirty-four companies signed an open letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom asking him to consider allowing autonomous trucks in the state. And NHTSA is seeking information from Honda about unintended braking on 1.7 million vehicles.

• 🚘 Cars. McMurtry Automotive, a British EV startup, plans to launch a road-legal version of the Spéirling electric single-seater. Toyota’s hybrid powertrain Hyryder SUV was teased in India. Lotus claims it will be the first pure EV sports car brand. And Cruise brought traffic to a halt for hours in San Francisco when a number of its driverless taxis malfunctioned.

• 🚛 Trucks & Buses. Waymo’s autonomous trucks will deliver home goods for Wayfair in a Texas pilot program. Valladolid, Spain, ordered 30 tram model zero-emissions buses from Irizar e-mobility. Inceptio Technology began driverless L4 heavy truck testing on open roads. Alibaba became the first company in China to receive approval to test autonomous trucks without a safety driver on public roads. Volta Trucks completed its first customer evaluation of Volta Zero. Finally, Tevva, a British EV startup, launched a fuel-cell commercial truck model.

• 🛴 Micromobility. The micromobility scene saw new e-bike and e-scooters options, including models from State Bicycles Co, Omvos, and Bo Mobility. And Texas-based Volcon launched its Stag electric UTV with 100+ miles of range.

• ⚡ Mobility Ecosystem. Rivian opened its first Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) DC fast-charge station in Colorado. Enel, an Italian energy company, has launched a new global business focused on smart EV infrastructure solutions. LG announced that it is moving into the EV charging station business with the acquisition of AppleMango. Finally, Noodoe EV, a charging technology company, expanded to Thailand.

• 🛞 Autonomous Tech. Britishvolt announced its roadmap to develop 46900 tailored battery cell technology for high-performance EVs.

• 📍Go to Market. As EV adoption accelerates, General Motors has expanded its EV first responder training efforts in the US and Canada.

• 💼 Business. Polestar went public on Nasdaq on June 24 via SPAC. General Motors reported a 15% drop in second-quarter auto sales due to the global chip shortage and supply chain disruptions. Merrill Lynch predicted that Tesla’s electric vehicle market share may plummet from 70% today to just 11% by 2025 in the face of increased competition from General Motors and Ford.

• 🤝 Partnerships. Toyota and Suzuki are deepening their collaboration in EV development and production in India. Uber announced that 15,000 Tesla vehicles are already in the hands of its drivers in 30+ US cities through its deal with Hertz to expand access to EVs. Finally, Cummins and Komatsu to collaborate on advancing the development of zero-emissions mining haul trucks.

• ✨ Investments. Electrify America raised $450 million, with participants like Siemens and Volkswagen, to boost expansion. Industrial Next, stated by a Tesla veteran, raised $12 million to automate EV production. And Stellantis became the second largest shareholder in Vulcan Energy to increase lithium production for its EVs.

Interesting Reads

• Chinese EV sales hit 31 percent of the overall market, with 25 percent being pure EVs, a substantial growth year-over-year.

• A new report points to one-in-three vehicles sold globally being electric by 2028.

• A thought piece on how embedded SIMs could simplify the connected vehicle experience.

• Net zero cities will require considerable changes to our urban transport systems. This article outlines eight key messages on how we can achieve this goal.