Market developments
BMW Group has named Samsung SDI (Europe) and LG Energy Solution (US) as additional battery cell suppliers for its 6th generation (Gen6) high-voltage batteries, announced on November 9, 2026. Both companies will supply cells from their existing regional plants from the late 2020s. BMW did not disclose contract values, volumes or which specific plants will be involved. The deal reflects BMW’s local for local strategy of sourcing components near where vehicles are built. The company says this boosts regional value creation, shortens transport distances, improves supply security, and adds resilience through a diversified global network. Going forward, BMW’s European-made cells will come from CATL, EVE Energy and Samsung SDI, while LG Energy Solution supplies the US. Gen6 batteries are assembled at 5 new plants near BMW vehicle factories: Germany, Hungary, China, the US and Mexico. BMW describes localizing cell production as complex and investment-heavy, requiring capable partners, supportive local conditions and workable regulation. It aims to build full regional battery ecosystems long term. BMW also maintains in-house expertise at 3 Bavarian sites: a Munich center researching new cell technologies, a Parsdorf center developing efficient near-series cell production, and a new Salching recycling center using BMW’s direct recycling method, to be built and operated by Encory.
Norwegian charging manufacturer Zaptec has installed one million EV chargers worldwide, with the majority being in Europe. The figure counts chargers actually in use at customer sites, including homes, apartment buildings, workplaces and commercial properties. Independent market analysis from LCP Delta estimates that Zaptec makes up roughly a tenth of Europe’s installed charging base. The company holds leading positions in both the residential and non-residential segments. Zaptec turned its focus to EV charging in 2016 and has grown from a Norwegian technology firm into an international manufacturer. It began with shared charging solutions and has since added home charging and energy management products. It now serves customers across Europe and in selected markets beyond. Local sales teams, distribution partners and a European manufacturing network have supported this growth by linking Norwegian product development with the needs of each market. The company credits installers and partners with much of this progress, as well as its own staff in development, manufacturing and support.
Infrastructure & policy
Instavolt, the UK’s largest fast-charging EV network, has signed a national framework agreement with Whitbread, owner of Premier Inn, to install ultra-rapid chargers at selected hotels across the UK. The number of chargers hasn’t been disclosed. Instavolt will identify well-located Premier Inn sites for new charging hubs and upgrade existing facilities across the estate, adding new chargers, improving grid connections where needed and introducing clearer signage. The chargers will be open to everyone, not just hotel guests. Premier Inn, the UK’s biggest hotel brand, has more than 845 hotels across the UK and Ireland. Instavolt operates around 1,200 sites with roughly 4,250 chargers, offering speeds from 50kW to 160kW and prices from 55p per kWh off-peak to 92p per kWh at peak times. Instavolt stressed that the deal also means investing in existing sites, not just new installations. Premier Inn has stated the estate needs to evolve as more guests switch to EVs. The first upgrades begin immediately, while new sites are in design, planning and construction.
RWE and KKR have reached financial close on a £13.1bn debt package to build the Vanguard West and East offshore wind farms off Norfolk. The deal was agreed with a consortium of banks and the National Wealth Fund, which has committed c.£1bn. It covers two 1.55GW fixed-bottom projects. Both projects won Contracts for Difference in the UK’s Allocation Round 7, at a strike price of £91.20 per MWh in 2024 prices. After the auction results in January, RWE agreed a turbine supply deal with Vestas for Vanguard West. This was the first major manufacturing agreement to follow the record allocation round. Vestas won a similar contract for Vanguard East a few weeks later, and the two wind farms will use 184 Vestas V236-15.0MW turbines in total. The project has faced setbacks. In April, RWE canceled its order for Vanguard West monopiles from SeAH’s factory at Teesworks, near Redcar. It kept its order for Vanguard East, which is due for later delivery. Orsted also ended its Hornsea 3 monopile contract with SeAH after the manufacturer could not fulfill the order. RWE also won CfD contracts for its Dogger Bank South wind farms, a JV with (Emirati developer) Masdar.
Deals
Green Voltis, a Stockholm-based AI energy optimization startup, has closed a €13.5m Series A round, with Lochpine Capital as sole investor. The company runs a route-to-market platform for battery storage and renewable energy projects and manages more than 1.2 GWh of contracted capacity, aiming to help stabilize grids that increasingly depend on volatile renewables. Its technology rests on two systems. Chrono is an energy management system handling site control and grid-code compliance. Aether AI is a trading agent built on time-series foundation models that forecasts prices and optimizes revenue across several markets at once. Green Voltis is also moving into data center power. With grid connection waits in major European hubs reaching up to ten years, it plans to run data centers as flexible, grid-friendly assets and is developing around 120 MW of powered land in the Nordics. The funding will support R&D and expansion beyond its current ten markets.
Harbinger, a California-based maker of electric and hybrid medium-duty vehicle platforms, announced that it has secured $240m in Series D funding. The round was co-led by Tiger Global, Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund and Ridgeline. Other participants included Fidelity Management & Research Company, Squarepoint Capital, Greycroft, ArcTern Ventures, and several others, along with strategic backers FedEx and THOR Industries (via TechNexus). Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley acted as placement agents. The raise takes Harbinger’s total funding to more than $650m since its founding in 2021. The company plans to use the capital to push beyond trucks into a broader set of markets: commercial vehicles, energy storage, power generation, autonomous driving software and defense applications. It will also keep scaling manufacturing capacity for its medium-duty platform. Beyond vehicles, Harbinger develops battery and drivetrain systems and auxiliary power products. Interestingly, a Tiger Global partner described electrification as a major bottleneck of the AI era and called it one of Harbinger’s core strengths. The funding follows a FedEx order for 2,000 all-electric Harbinger trucks worth over $300m.
Vaeridion, a Munich-based electric aircraft designer, has raised secured €124.5m to advance its electric Microliner. This comprises a €30m Series A2 equity round, led by SHIFT Invest and Invest-NL, with backing from existing investors including World Fund, Project A and Vsquared Ventures, plus a €94.5m EU Innovation Fund grant for its CAROLUS project. However, the grant isn’t final yet, and it’s expected to be signed in 2027 and would fund a final assembly line and production ramp-up at Oberpfaffenhofen. The equity will go towards certification-ready prototypes and integrated battery and powertrain testing. The nine-seat aircraft targets a 400 km range under instrument flight rules, or up to 550 km with four passengers in visual conditions, and a cargo version is planned. It has a glider-style wing, modular batteries and several motors driving one propeller. Vaeridion reports purchase commitments for over 130 aircraft worth more than €730m, with ASL Group as its 1st customer.
Humble Robotics has raised a $51m Series A led by Obvious Ventures, with existing backers Eclipse and Energy Impact Partners returning. This brings its total funding to $75m, six months after it came out of stealth. The money will pay for customer pilots, testing, early manufacturing and new vehicle variants. Its product, the Humble Hauler, is a driverless electric truck with no cab or hitch. It is a flat, skateboard-style platform that carries 40- and 53-foot containers, with 360-degree sensors, a 200-mile range and a 55-mph top speed. Without a cab, it is around 20% lighter than a standard tractor and trailer, so it can carry heavier loads at a lower cost per mile. The startup is targeting short regional runs such as port drayage and plant-to-warehouse shuttles, which are easier to electrify and control than long-haul routes. No customers have been named yet, and pilots are expected by around August 2027.
See you next week!
