Flying Cars, EV Range & Batteries: This Week's Top EV News
22 April
Chinese battery manufacturer CATL announced an array of new battery technology including the a new Qillin Battery, which it says enables a 1,500 km range for sedans.
This offering is competing with BYD’s Blade Battery 2.0, announced in March 2026, which offers more than 1,000 km in range.
CATL is the world's largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer and supplies a variety of automotive businesses, including BMW and Volkswagen.
21 April
Isuzu's D-Max EV has a 163 mile range, a 66.9 kWh battery and acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in 10.1 seconds, with a top speed of over 80 mph.
It has an over one-tonne payload, which rivals anything else in the UK EV pickup sector.
Isuzu’s D-Max EV is a significant new entry to the UK's EV pickup market, which has been mostly limited to offerings from Maxus, which Isuzu's new EV looks to improve upon.
20 April
Samsung SDI has signed a multi-year agreement with Mercedes-Benz to supply batteries for EVs for the first time.
Under the agreement, Samsung SDI will supply high performance batteries for Mercedes-Benz's "next generation" of EVs.
Mercedes-Benz achieved a share of 20.5% for EVs in its 2025 total sales, up from 18.5% in 2024, despite total unit sales down 9% compared to the previous year.
22 April
Volvo Trucks has announced a new long-distance electric truck, the FH Aero Electric, which can charge from 20% to 80% in 50 minutes and is capable of driving 700 km on a single charge.
Its range positions it competitively among other market leaders, such as the Tesla Semi and Mercedes-Benz eActros.
The release of the extended range truck coincides with Volvo losing European market share in electric heavy duty trucks to Mercedes in 2025, according to stats published by the ICCT.
23 April
Xpeng is working on two flying vehicles, one fully electric model and one hybrid. The company is calling these “flying cars”.
Vice Chairman and President of the Chinese EV maker, Brian Gu, told Reuters that he expects to start large-scale production of these vehicles in 2027.
Flying EVs could shake up the global mobility industry. McKinsey has predicted that by 2030, passenger advanced-air-mobility operators could rival today’s largest airlines in flights per day and fleet size.
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Brian Gu
Vice Chairman and President at XPENG Motors