Track research & development news alongside market analysis, provider activity, and connected mobility intelligence from PAVE Insight.
BYD patent details dual-electrolyte solid-state battery cathode
BYD has published a Chinese patent application for a solid-state battery cathode combining halide and sulfide electrolytes. The design aims to improve solid-solid interface stability, but the filing provides no vehicle testing, production validation or commercialisation timeline.
South African team to test electric minibus taxis in 2023
GoMetro, MiX by Powerfleet, HSW, ACDC Dynamics and Stellenbosch University are forming a project team to test electric minibus taxis in South Africa. Trials near Stellenbosch and a national roadshow will assess operational suitability and support wider taxi-sector electrification.
FAW and Lishen test EV battery charging to 70% in under four minutes
FAW’s Hongqi and Lishen Battery have tested an ultra-fast-charging EV battery that reaches 70% charge from 10% in 3 minutes 41 seconds. The 12C cell uses an advanced anode, low-resistance materials and liquid cooling to control heat during high-power charging.
NuPort completes autonomous truck tests at Blue Water Bridge
NuPort Robotics has completed year-long autonomous truck and platooning tests in the Blue Water Bridge corridor in Ontario. The project assessed autonomous freight technology around congestion, customs approaches and controlled access points, supporting future cross-border operations.
ITS Australia and iMove to mark decade of transport R&D collaboration
ITS Australia and iMove will mark ten years of transport R&D collaboration at the ITS Australia Global Summit 2026 in Melbourne. The event will showcase iMove projects and its decade-long contribution to Australian transport research, with more than $100 million invested.
Tesla targets self-driving capability for Semi trucks by early 2027
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says autonomous-driving capability will be working on the battery-electric Semi by late 2026 or early 2027. Sensor-equipped trucks have been undergoing public-road testing in California ahead of planned self-driving deliveries.
Fortescue tests electric 150-tonne water truck ahead of Pilbara rollout
Fortescue has tested XCMG’s electric 150-tonne water truck, dozers, graders and wheel loaders, with the first machines due at its Pilbara mines later this year. The company plans a complete electric mining-fleet rollout by 2027 as part of its diesel phase-out.
New York offers $8m for hydrogen and alternative-fuel projects
New York’s NYSERDA is offering $8m for developers, manufacturers and researchers working on hydrogen, ammonia and other low-carbon fuel technologies for heavy-duty transport and other hard-to-electrify sectors. Projects require at least 50% non-state cost share.
Lepas completes Australian testing of L6 electric SUV ahead of launch
Lepas has completed Australian testing and adaptation of its L6 electric SUV, tuning ADAS, software and vehicle performance for varied roads, climates and traffic conditions ahead of its November launch.
Smart #2 enters global prototype testing ahead of 2026 debut
Smart has begun global physical testing of its electric #2 prototype ahead of a production debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 2026. Validation covers handling, durability, NVH and structural performance, including winter testing in Northeast China.
University of Oulu expands clean hydrogen and sustainable industry research
University of Oulu researchers are working with energy and heavy-industry partners on clean hydrogen production, industrial decarbonisation and advanced steel research. Projects include solar hydrogen spin-off ZUN-H and expanded collaboration with Outokumpu.
Solid-state battery system completes year-long Beijing field trial
Pure Lithium New Energy’s solid-state battery system has completed a year-long field trial in Beijing’s heating network, operating through extreme heat and humidity. The deployment validates stationary durability but does not yet demonstrate the cost, scalability or performance needed for mass-market EVs.
Xpeng’s G9L electric SUV spotted testing in Australia
Xpeng’s larger G9L electric SUV has been photographed undergoing testing in Australia. Regulatory filings indicate a five-seat, dual-motor model producing up to 430kW, signalling a possible future Australian launch.
ERTRAC calls for coordinated road-transport research funding in Horizon Europe
ERTRAC and European road-transport associations are calling for dedicated, coordinated research funding in the 2028–2034 Horizon Europe programme, covering connected and automated driving, mobility, logistics, safety and infrastructure.
First Hydrogen advances AI-powered unmanned ground vehicle
First Hydrogen is developing AI capabilities for an unmanned ground vehicle platform targeting autonomous navigation, situational awareness, threat detection and counter-drone operations in defence, security and critical-infrastructure environments.
Study links car refrigerant to rising European ‘forever chemical’ pollution
University of Bristol researchers found that HFO-1234yf, widely used in newer vehicles, may generate substantial deposits of persistent TFA pollution across Europe. The study calls for improved monitoring of refrigerant emissions and their environmental effects.
SYNERGIES launches CCAM platform for scenario and tool sharing
The SYNERGIES Platform has launched for the CCAM community, combining a Scenario Dataspace with a Marketplace for discovering and sharing scenarios, datasets and software tools used in system development and validation.
PASQUALE project explores quantum inertial units for resilient navigation
GMV has launched the 24-month PASQUALE project under ESA’s NAVISP programme to develop and validate a navigation system combining GNSS, conventional inertial sensors and quantum sensing for improved resilience during signal outages.
Chips JU opens €300m funding calls for European autonomous-driving stack
Chips JU has opened 16 funding calls worth more than €300 million, including a strategic call to build a European autonomous-driving ecosystem around next-generation software-defined vehicle architectures.
REWIRE project advances smart remanufacturing
The Horizon Europe-funded REWIRE project has brought together industry and research partners across three demonstrators to deploy robotics, AI and digital twin technologies, and has established a Triage, Plan, Simulate and Assure framework to improve remanufacturing traceability, compliance and scalability.
Chery files patent for sulfide coating for solid-state cells
Chery has filed a patent for a sulfide electrolyte coating designed to reduce interface degradation in solid-state batteries and has outlined plans to integrate the technology into high-density vehicle cells targeting 2027 pilot operations.
Nissan leads UK project to integrate solar and AI into EVs
Nissan has secured funding for a three-year, £10m UK project that has combined power electronics, AI and perovskite tandem solar integration to develop vehicle-integrated charging, bidirectional V2G and intelligent energy management for electric vehicles.
National Highways alliance unveils AI tools and digital twins for roads
National Highways, Cambridge University and industry partners have developed AI pavement assessment, digital-twin and flood-resilience tools for England’s road network, aiming to identify defects earlier, improve maintenance planning and support lower-carbon construction.
Imec expands chiplet programme for autonomous edge
Imec has extended its Automotive Chiplet programme into an Autonomous Edge Chiplet programme, leveraging established HPC building blocks to promote chiplet reuse, reduce redevelopment and foster an interoperable edge computing ecosystem across automotive and other sectors.
Avatr obtains L3 autonomous driving test licence
Avatr has obtained an L3 autonomous driving test licence and has submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, while it has delivered 6,912 vehicles in May 2026, a 37.8% year-on-year decline.
5GAA study examines dynamic V2X road-safety use cases
5GAA has released a technical report examining dynamic C-V2X road-safety applications, including intersection safety, vulnerable road users and high-speed rear-end collisions, using analytical models, simulations and real-world data.
Wasa Åkarn reports on Volvo L90 Electric operation
Wasa Åkarn has tested Volvo's L90 Electric at the Igelsta CHP and has reported it has met operational needs for terminal handling, pallet and heavy‑lift tasks. The firm has highlighted manageable charging through opportunity top‑ups and pilot power‑unit use.
Australia’s first locally made electric articulated bus unveiled
Volgren and Volvo have unveiled Australia’s first locally made electric articulated bus in Perth. Two 18-metre BZL Electric Articulated buses will be tested before entering Transperth service around August.
CATL, Xiaomi and BMW join global battery standards
CATL has joined automakers and technology firms to launch a unified Battery Circular Design Guide and has set diagnostic, disassembly and remanufacturing standards for passenger and commercial EV batteries; it has also outlined recycling, lifecycle valuation and European infrastructure targets.
NACFE report details changing maintenance needs for diesel truck fleets
A new NACFE report examines how North American truck fleets are adapting maintenance for software-intensive diesel engines. It highlights oil analysis, coolant testing, connected diagnostics, condition-based servicing and technician training as fleets navigate the transition to new powertrains.
Mlink begins live testing of chipset on Iridium NTN Direct
Mlink has begun live on-air testing of its MS150-IR IoT-NTN chipset on Iridium’s 3GPP-based satellite network. Certification and product availability are expected before the end of 2026, supporting global connectivity for applications including automotive and logistics.
ZF LIFETEC four-airbag system for reclined seats
ZF LIFETEC has developed a four‑airbag system for reclined seating that has been designed to protect head, pelvis and legs and to reduce submarining; modules have been scheduled for series production in 2028 and have been announced for AIRBAG 2026.
CATL solid-state battery at tier four of nine
CATL has reached level four of a nine-tier solid-state development scale and has clarified that commercialisation has remained pending; regulatory reclassification and competitor hybrid plans have constrained near-term deployment, while liquid chemistries have retained market dominance.
BHP and Rio Tinto trial battery-electric haul trucks
BHP and Rio Tinto have begun trials of two Caterpillar Cat 793 XE battery-electric haul trucks at BHP's Jimblebar mine, and the trials have produced operational data to assess dynamic in-motion charging and scalability for large-scale deployment.
Tesla Semi spotted undergoing autonomous-driving validation in California
A Tesla Semi electric heavy truck has been photographed on California public roads fitted with additional sensors and ground-truthing equipment, apparently for autonomous-driving system validation ahead of future self-driving deliveries.
Xiaomi validates track-developed driving algorithms for production vehicles
Xiaomi is accelerating Nürburgring validation of software algorithms for traction control, emergency intervention and stability management, with the aim of transferring motorsport-derived parameters to production vehicles.
Dream Chip unveils automotive ISP-X418
Dream Chip has introduced the ISP-X418, an automotive-certified ISP with HDR support, multiple outputs and safety extensions, and has contributed SoC chiplet architecture and Safety Island IP to the CHASSIS programme for a UCIe-based base die.
FAW Jiefang tests sodium-ion battery in heavy-duty truck
FAW Jiefang has completed testing of a heavy-duty truck with a 339 kWh sodium-ion battery, which has retained over 90% usable capacity at −40°C and has supported full charging in 20–25 minutes while exceeding 8,000 fast-charge cycles.
Composite CAS electrolyte extends solid-state battery life
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an organic-inorganic composite gel electrolyte that has improved ionic conductivity and mechanical strength, and has delivered 84.15% capacity retention after 350 cycles in prototype full cells.
BYD to split central R&D into five brand research centres
BYD has reorganised its central Automotive Engineering Research Institute into five autonomous brand research centres and has introduced independent profit-and-loss accounting to reduce product overlap after a reported 20% sales decline in early 2026.
