The board of Drive Electric, a not-for-profit with a mission to accelerate the uptake of e-mobility in Aotearoa, announced the appointment of two new board members, Anthony MacLean and Fabian Lloyd.
Board Chair Kirsten Corson says, “We are delighted to welcome Anthony MacLean (BoostAuto) and Fabian Lloyd (Fonterra) to the board. The added skills sets of Heavy transport, Commercial and OEM will add significant value. Our volunteer board work exceptionally hard and we feel fortunate to have Anthony and Fabian join us.”
About the New Officers
Anthony MacLean, Director at BoostAuto.
Anthony has extensive OEM experience in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas, having led the Vans team at Mercedes-Benz, and more recently was responsible for introducing the first truly affordable EV when he bought the MG brand back to life in locally. He also runs a micro mobility business and BoostAuto, an automotive consultancy working with local dealers, and distributors as well as emerging brands.
Fabian Lloyd, Decarbonisation Manager – National Transport & Logistics at Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited.
Fabian brings valuable, hands-on experience from playing a key role in Fonterra’s electrification of six milk tankers. He has strong relationships across the commercial and heavy transport ecosystem, and offers practical insight into the challenges and opportunities of decarbonising large fleets.
Reappointments
At Drive Electric’s AGM on 10 September 2025, the following incumbent officers were reappointed for two year terms: Kirsten Corson, Annette Azuma, Tim Calder, Eric Pellicer and Dennis Kelly.
At that meeting, outgoing board member Sam Steel and long-serving former events manager Hannah Henderson were awarded a Lifetime Membership of Drive Electric.
The new officers join the current board, which includes:
Enphase Energy has announced its new IQ Bidirectional EV Charger architecture, aimed at enabling both vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid features for EVs. The system is designed to allow users to charge their vehicles, provide backup power to their homes during outages and interact with the grid. The system is managed through the Enphase App, and its release is targeted for the second half of 2026.
The IQ Bidirectional EV Charger is designed to support both 400 V and 800 V EVs and can deliver up to 11.5 kW of bidirectional power. The architecture incorporates gallium nitride-based grid-forming microinverters. The charger operates with Enphase’s IQ Meter Collar for installation, offering a scalable solution that can start with basic charging and expand to a larger home energy system by adding solar and battery modules.
The system introduces a black start feature, allowing homeowners to restart and power a de-energized home by simply plugging in the EV, aimed at enhancing backup power reliability. It uses artificial intelligence-powered energy management to optimize EV charging and discharging based on real-time electricity rates, solar production forecasts, and current grid conditions.
Enphase’s IQ Meter Collar
The IQ Bidirectional EV Charger uses a DC architecture, placing the inverter within the charger for faster power transfer and advanced energy control. Enphase Energy says this approach is designed for greater efficiency compared to AC-based systems, which rely on the vehicle’s onboard charger.
“The IQ Bidirectional EV Charger brings the family car into the home energy system,” said Jayant Somani, senior vice president of the digital business unit at Enphase Energy. “It’s simple to install, easy to control, and designed to deliver backup power and the ability to share energy with the grid for homeowners.”
Increasing data transmission needs are pushing the limits of current termination technologies. As data connectivity evolves, manufacturers are under pressure to deliver high-speed, reliable terminations while improving production performance. Many still rely on conventional setups that slow down operations and limit adaptability to new connector systems. There is a rising demand for integrated, flexible tooling solutions that meet these expectations and prepare operations for next-generation standards.
Join this webinar at next week’s Virtual Conference, presented by TE Connectivity, where we will explore:
Improving production efficiency by integrating critical process steps.
Enabling flexible tooling setups that support current and next-generation connector platforms.
Demonstrating how in-line quality inspection and monitoring can enhance consistency and traceability.
Whether you’re an engineer, technician, or product manager, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to elevate your connectivity solutions.
Broadcast live from September 15 to 18, 2025, the conference content will encompass the entire EV engineering supply chain and ecosystem, including motor and power electronics design and manufacturing, cell development, battery systems, testing, powertrains, thermal management, circuit protection, wire and cable, EMI/EMC and more.
In a market saturated with ever-heavier EVs, a new British marque is betting big on going light. Enter Longbow Motors – the world’s first dedicated electric sports car manufacturer in […]
Tesla is known for pushing boundaries, but its latest move might be the boldest yet. The company has laid out an incentive plan for CEO Elon Musk that ties his pay to unprecedented growth goals. If Musk can grow Tesla’s market value from just over $1 trillion today to $8.5 trillion within the next ten years, he could unlock a payday that would cement him as the first trillionaire in history. The plan is so ambitious that Tesla’s own filing led with the words: “Yes, you read that correctly.”
The numbers are staggering when you put them in perspective. At $8.5 trillion, Tesla would be worth more than double what Nvidia is valued at today, and Nvidia currently holds the title of the world’s most valuable company. For Musk, success would mean his personal stake in Tesla would swell from about 16% to over 25%, sending his fortune into the stratosphere at more than $2 trillion. That’s not just wealth on a new level, it’s wealth that reshapes the conversation around executive pay worldwide.
“Ultimately, the new award aims to build upon the success of the 2018 CEO performance award framework, which ensured that Elon was only paid for performance delivered,” Tesla wrote in its shareholder statement.
But getting there won’t be simple. The plan comes at a time when Musk’s leadership is under scrutiny. Some analysts point to his outspoken political views, particularly his support of far-right figures, as a drag on Tesla’s brand image. Others argue that his attention is spread too thin between Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and his social media platform X. Tesla’s European sales dropped 40% earlier this year, and some have connected that dip to the distractions and controversies surrounding its CEO. Still, despite the noise, Tesla’s board made its stance clear: Musk remains their “visionary leader,” and they’re willing to stake the company’s future on his ability to deliver.
The package itself isn’t just about share price. Tesla has included ambitious performance targets tied to profit, innovation, and product milestones. Among them: deploying one million autonomous “robotaxis” and delivering one million humanoid AI bots. These are goals that sound futuristic, almost like something out of Musk’s playbook for Mars colonization, but they highlight the company’s ambition to extend well beyond electric cars. If he fails to at least double Tesla’s valuation in ten years, Musk receives nothing. If he succeeds, both Musk and Tesla shareholders ride the wave together.
Of course, not everyone is impressed. Dan Coatsworth, an analyst at London-based AJ Bell, summed up the skepticism: “One minute Tesla’s board is wondering if Elon Musk is a liability to the company given his outspoken views and political distractions, the next they’re effectively saying ‘pick a number, any number’ to lock him in for as long as possible.” Critics see the package as a symptom of weak corporate governance and worry it could set a dangerous precedent for executive compensation in other companies.
Supporters, though, argue that the stakes are worth it. If Musk can pull Tesla’s valuation into the multi-trillion-dollar range, investors stand to gain massively right alongside him. The board clearly believes Musk is the only person capable of taking Tesla to that level, and they’re signaling that conviction with this record-breaking pay deal. Whether he achieves it or not, one thing is certain: Tesla and Elon Musk remain inseparable in both success and controversy, and this package makes that bond even tighter.
Hyundai Motor Company unveiled its Concept Three compact EV at IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich, marking the automaker’s first compact EV concept under its Ioniq sub-brand. The debut represents Hyundai’s […]
Polestar has officially revealed the Polestar 5, a four-door electric performance Gran Turismo that translates the brand’s 2020 Precept concept into production reality. The Swedish automaker’s flagship model represents the […]
The September 2025 issue is now available online! Packed full of news, interviews and features, including: COVER STORY Revolutionary drive Mercedes-AMG’s GT XX Concept aims to redefine electric performance FEATURE […]
Rimac Technology has presented new EV battery platforms, ultra-compact powertrains, and next-generation control electronics at IAA Mobility, detailing platforms developed through collaborations with ProLogium, Mitsubishi Chemical Group and Kautex Textron. These solutions are designed for large-scale production and production-ready, according to Rimac, aiming for integration in hundreds of thousands of vehicles in the near future.
Rimac’s next-generation battery system, developed with ProLogium and Mitsubishi Chemical Group, integrates solid-state cell technology and new housing solutions. Rimac notes that ProLogium’s solid-state cells paired with Mitsubishi Chemical Group’s advanced materials result in a system that is lighter, more energy-dense, and safer than previous generations. For near-term EV applications, Rimac is highlighting an “Evo Technology” battery based on 46XX Gen2 nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells within a thermoplastic composite housing, co-developed with Kautex Textron, featuring optimized thermal management.
Rimac has designed a platform supporting both high-energy and high-power configurations using either 46XX or 2170 cell formats, with scalable, cell-to-pack architecture and integrated safety and thermal features.
Rimac’s powertrain platforms include the SINTEG 300 and 550 single electric motor eAxles, which can reach over 8 kW/kg power density and more than 90 Nm/kg torque density. The patented rotor achieves speeds up to 25,000 rpm, with both coaxial and offset layouts offering output from 150 to 360 kW and torque between 2,500 and 6,250 Nm. These are targeted at a range of EV applications, from sports coupes to SUVs. Rimac is also preparing its high-torque “XXL Axle”—a dual-motor unit validated at over 11,000 Nm—to enter production in 2026 with a global automaker, offering more than 95 percent peak efficiency.
In the field of electronics, Rimac also displayed a portfolio of domain and zonal electronic control units (ECUs) powered by NXP’s S32E2 processors. These units consolidate multiple traditional ECUs into high-performance domain controllers, managing tasks such as torque vectoring, battery management, and high-voltage distribution. The architecture is designed around centralized software-defined vehicle principles, supporting real-time operation, over-the-air updates and advanced safety requirements.
All newly unveiled technologies will be produced at Rimac’s Croatian manufacturing facilities, which consist of over 95,000 square meters of space across two sites, including its flagship campus.
“What we’re showcasing at IAA represents the convergence of breakthrough innovation and production readiness. These aren’t simply concept technologies; they’ve been developed to be production-ready solutions that will power hundreds of thousands of vehicles in the coming years,” said Nurdin Pitarević, COO, Rimac Technology.
The first of three midsize EVs, an SUV, is set to go into production late next year, at a promised cost below $50,000.
Looked at one way, the EV startup Lucid Motors faces huge challenges. For five years, it’s only sold about 10,000 cars a year, its cash burn is prodigious even by auto-startup standards, and it hasn’t had a permanent CEO since longtime leader Peter Rawlinson resigned in February.
On the other hand, acting CEO Marc Winterhoff was distinctly upbeat during a media briefing last week that previewed the keynote address he is to give at the huge IAA auto show this week. The headline news is that the Gravity electric SUV is now available for orders in Europe, with deliveries to start early next year.
Europeans can order the high-end Grand Touring trim now, at a starting price of 116,900 Euros (roughly $137,000) in Germany. The Touring trim will be available “later,” at a price of 99,900 Euros. Range of the 123-kilowatt-hour battery version is quoted at up to 748 kilometers (465 miles) on 20- or 21-inch wheels, tested on the European WLTP cycle that’s somewhat more lenient than US EPA testing, which rates the same SUV at 450 miles of range.
The Gravity is a known quantity in North America by now, at least to auto reporters and most EV shoppers. The company offered drives of prototype vehicles 18 months ago, and US deliveries of the Gravity started recently. The launch “Dream Edition” has already sold out and Lucid expects the majority of its deliveries for the rest of the year to be Gravity SUVs, rather than the 4-year-old Air luxury sedan. Winterhoff said Gravity demand has been strong enough to exceed current production capacity.
Lucid Gravity
So … what’s next?
Following the Tesla playbook, just as EV startup Rivian is also doing, Lucid plans to supplement lower volumes of its large luxury models with a range of smaller, more affordable premium midsize vehicles—and, it turns out, there will be several of them.
Eighteen months ago, the company flashed a quick image of a shrouded midsize crossover on the screen during a presentation to show off its retooled and expanded Arizona factory. Then, exactly a year ago, it showed a slightly clearer partial rendering of what appeared to be that same vehicle—saying production would start in “late 2026” with a starting price “under $50K.” Lucid promised the midsize SUV would deliver “the same range as competitors” using a smaller battery, which helps keep the price low.
In the media interview, Winterhoff reiterated the planned start-of-production date at the end of 2026 for its first midsize vehicle, almost surely the SUV. It will compete with the Rivian R2, the aging Tesla Model Y, and various EV utilities from established makers.
More interestingly, he said a second model—or “top hat” in industry lingo—would follow “shortly thereafter,” and a third roughly one and a half years after that. The first two are thus likely to be 2027 models, with the third anyone’s guess.
So if the first one is the SUV, will the second be a sedan, reversing the Tesla cadence? Or will it be something different? Asked about commercial applications—think Rivian’s battery-electric delivery vans, for instance—Winterhoff said the midsize vehicles largely target retail buyers, but will have a role in the fleet market as well. (They will also be assembled from Completely Knocked Down, or CKD, kits in Lucid’s Saudi Arabia factory.)
Further, Winterhoff suggested, the company’s midsize platform could serve as a future platform for driverless vehicles—like, perhaps, the robotaxis it announced in July it would develop with Uber. Is that vehicle the third model on the midsize platform? It’s entirely possible.
Lucid has many bridges to cross before volume production of affordable EVs. First, the Gravity has to be a sales success not only in North America, but in Europe and other markets as well. Second, further factory expansion will be a necessity. And, of course, it has to be able to deliver on the promise of elegant luxury, long range, and a desirable vehicle that’s still priced under $50,000.
Its acting CEO exuded confidence it could do all that. Stay tuned.
