EV batteries are lasting longer, and some are safer; Qualcomm-Tata alliance; SDV deal; Ford’s UEV; auto chip deal; return of diesel and V8; Uber charger incentives; CAN attacks; radar for low power THz sensing; Tesla’s break; breakthrough in dry-electrode EV batteries; and please shut your Waymo door.
Quick links: Deals and New Chips, Batteries and BEVs, Autonomous, Policy and Research.
Infineon and BMW are jointly developing software-defined vehicles based on BMW’s “Neue Klasse” architecture and Infineon’s MCUs, high-speed Ethernet solutions, power management ICs, and power switches.
Tata Electronics will manufacture Qualcomm‘s automotive modules in India, as part of a new strategic alliance signed this week.
GlobalFoundries and Renesas inked a multi-billion-dollar deal to manufacture Renesas chips in GF’s fabs in the U.S., Germany, Singapore, and China. Renesas also rolled out new automotive-grade SoC technologies for multi-domain ECUs, using chiplet architecture and a 3nm design to improve NPUs for AI processing. The company also introduced a configurable 3nm TCAM for automotive applications.
TDK rolled out high-reliability automotive-grade negative temp coefficient (NTC) thermristors, expanding the temperature range up to +175 °C.
Ford revealed new details about its upcoming EV architecture, which includes a small $30k EV truck next year. An important change is the move to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, with lithium manganese rich (LMR) planned for longer-range EVs in the future. Unlike other types of lithium-ion batteries (nickel-cobalt-aluminum and nickel-manganese-cobalt), LFP and LMR batteries are considered thermally stable — less likely to burst into flames in an accident or during charging — and they last longer. The downside of LFP is they’re heavier and cannot store as much energy.
Fig. 1: Lithium iron phosphate battery array in Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle Platform. Source: Ford Motor Co.
Still, fire risk remains a real concern for NCA and NMC batteries, which require sophisticated thermal management systems. The NHTSA issued a fire risk warning on 11,895 Mercedes EQB vehicles, advising owners to park outside due to a possible internal failure of a high voltage battery. Dealers will replace the high voltage battery at no-charge.
On the plus side, concerns about lithium ion batteries lasting only 10 years or 100,000 miles appear to be too conservative. Nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) batteries used by Tesla and Lucid, and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) used by Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Chevrolet are lasting much longer than expected. After analyzing over 8,000 EV battery tests, diagnostics-firm Generational found that batteries last longer than previously thought: “High-mileage vehicles – those with 100,000+ miles on the clock – frequently return a result of between 88% and 95% battery health.”
Still, EVs aren’t selling as well as carmakers originally expected. Stellantis is just one of many established OEMs to scale back BEV production and return to its roots. The company plans to reintroduce a V8 version of the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, as well as 7 diesel models to stave off competition from Chinese EVs, per Reuters.
Polestar plans to offer four new EVs to launch in the next three years.
Uber plans to offer incentives to other companies to install EV chargers in the U.S. and Europe, aimed at serving its current drivers and future robotaxis. In addition, the company will spend $100M to build fast-charging hubs for its EV fleet.
TML published latest report on how Europe is advancing toward zero-emission mobility reflects some progress on affordability, with 27 car models now priced up to €30,000. The overall market share of ZEVs in new registration increased to 17%, versus 14% in 2025.
University of Chicago researchers developed a new dry-processed electrode architecture that improves the performance of the battery and offers environmental benefits at a lower cost.
LLNL researchers used prediction modeling and simulation to better understand single-crystal applications in batteries and lower the cost of testing of battery materials.
Waymo is paying Atlanta Doordash workers to close its robotaxi doors when a passenger doesn’t. Otherwise, the car can’t move.
The California DMV announced that Tesla took corrective action regarding its marketing terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” and thus will not face a license suspension. The decision stems from a finding in 2025 that Tesla violated state law by disseminating misleading terms suggesting autonomous driving capabilities.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s robotaxis were involved in 14 crashes in Austin, Texas, since the new service started in June 2025, according to Electrek.
The US Trade Commission launched another probe into the automotive rules of origin, aimed at determining how trade rules impact the U.S., with respect to the US-Mexico-Canada agreement.
Poland is banning cars manufactured in China on its military sites, citing “potential possibility of uncontrolled acquisition and use of data by these systems.”
China issued a pricing compliance guide for the automotive industry, aimed at preventing below production cost sales of vehicles or parts.
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