BYDhas announced it is targeting a major expansion of its international business in 2026, aiming to sell 1.3 million vehicles outside China as it seeks to offset slowing momentum in its home market. The goal represents an approximately 25% increase compared with the company’s overseas deliveries in 2025, underlining how central global markets have become to BYD’s long-term growth strategy. Strong sales abroad helped it become the world’s largest EV maker last year, overtaking key rivals, and international markets now account for a growing share of its overall volumes. The push comes as domestic demand in China shows signs of pressure, driven by reduced government incentives for EV purchases and intensifying competition among local manufacturers. While the new overseas target is ambitious, it is more cautious than some earlier expectations, as analysts had previously anticipated even higher international sales. BYD executives have signaled that expanding global brand recognition, broadening dealership networks, and launching new models will be critical to achieving the target. BYD has been rapidly building its presence across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, while also investing in manufacturing facilities outside China to support local production and reduce trade risks. This strategy reflects BYD’s aim to balance global expansion with a more challenging environment at home, while laying the groundwork for sustained international growth through the rest of the decade.
Fastned has announced it has secured up to €200m in new bank financing to accelerate the rollout of its fast‑charging network for EVs across Europe. This funding comes in the form of a green loan facility, with an initial €100m in committed capital and the option to unlock a further €100m as expansion progresses. The 1st phase of investment will focus on building and upgrading charging stations in Belgium and Switzerland over the next 3 years, with the additional funding available to support growth in other European markets. The financing will be used to develop new fast‑charging locations, expand and increase capacity at existing sites, and secure new high‑traffic locations suitable for large charging hubs. It also supports the continued rollout of Fastned’s distinctive station design and retail facilities, which are intended to improve the charging experience for drivers. The loan has a 5-year term and offers Fastned lower financing costs compared with its retail bonds. This agreement adds a 3rd pillar to Fastned’s funding strategy, complementing its retail bond programme and its equity listing, and thus gives the company greater flexibility to scale its network as EV adoption rises. Fastned has set a long‑term ambition to reach c.1,000 locations by 2030. The new financing strengthens its position as one of Europe’s leading independent fast‑charging providers.
The UK has announced it has joined 9 other European countries in a landmark agreement to build a large, interconnected offshore wind power grid in the North Sea, capable of delivering up to 100GW of electricity. This project aims to transform the North Sea from a declining O&G basin into a major hub for clean energy. Under the pact, countries will develop offshore wind farms linked by high‑voltage subsea cables that can connect directly to multiple nations, thus allowing electricity to be shared across borders and improving energy security. The agreement will be formalised through the Hamburg declaration and involves the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway. Supporters argue that closer cooperation on planning, infrastructure and supply chains will help reduce costs, speed up deployment and create long‑term jobs. The UK government described the initiative as a way to reduce reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets and strengthen national energy independence. The new grid contributes to a wider regional goal of building 300GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050. This follows growing momentum for renewables, with wind and solar now generating a larger share of Europe’s electricity than fossil fuels.
CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have jointly published a new roadmap setting out how EV batteries can be redesigned and managed within a fully circular economy. The report outlines an integrated approach covering battery design, use, recovery and reintegration, with the aim of keeping batteries and critical minerals in circulation for as long as possible. It argues that circular battery systems are essential as global EV adoption accelerates, helping to reduce dependence on newly mined raw materials, cut emissions and improve long‑term supply‑chain resilience. The roadmap was developed with contributions from more than 30 organisations across the battery and automotive ecosystem and translates circular‑economy principles into practical actions that can be deployed at scale. Key priorities include designing batteries for reuse and recycling, treating batteries as long‑term assets rather than disposable components, expanding business models such as battery swapping and second‑life applications, and building regional infrastructure to support collection and high‑quality recycling. The roadmap also highlights the economic opportunities of circularity, including lower material costs, new revenue streams and more stable access to critical minerals. CATL’s existing operations are presented as early examples of how circular systems can work in practice, with high material recovery rates and alternative battery chemistries that reduce environmental impact. Together, CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation position the roadmap as a foundation for scaling circular battery systems globally across transport and energy storage.
The UK has announced it has opened its 1st publicly accessible electric HGV (eHGV) charging hub, thus marking a significant milestone in the decarbonisation of heavy‑goods road transport. The new facility, located at Moto Exeter on the M5, is purpose‑built for electric trucks and features 4 dedicated charging bays equipped with 9 ABB Terra high‑power chargers delivering between 175kW and 350kW. The hub was delivered by Actemium as part of GRIDSERVE’s £100m+ Electric Freightway programme, which is backed by substantial UK government funding and aims to create a nationwide network of public eHGV charging sites. Built over an impressive 15‑week construction phase within a 6‑month programme, the hub provides safe, high‑capacity, drive‑through charging designed for articulated lorries, supporting the operational needs of freight operators. The project addresses one of the biggest barriers to transitioning heavy trucks to zero‑emission technology, the lack of appropriate public charging infrastructure, and is expected to play a pivotal role in enabling electric freight transport at scale.
Transport Scotland Transport Scotland has announced an £85m investment to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure and support the transition to zero‑emission transport across the country. The funding forms part of the Scottish Government’s draft 2026–27 Budget, which commits more than £4bn to transport spending, including a record £2.7bn for public transport. The EV charging allocation is intended to expand and strengthen Scotland’s charging network to meet rising demand as more drivers and businesses switch to EVs, thus helping ensure access across urban, rural and island communities. The investment also aligns with Scotland’s wider climate and transport ambitions, including its target to reach net zero emissions by 2045. Additional measures include new incentives to help consumers and businesses adopt EVs and a 10‑year business rates relief for qualifying EV charging points, designed to encourage private investment in charging infrastructure. Ms Fiona Hyslop, Transport Secretary, said the funding will help cut emissions, improve connectivity, and support a transition to a low‑carbon economy. Whilst providing the foundations for long‑term economic growth and cleaner, more sustainable transport across Scotland.
Deals
Mia Labs, , an Austin-based AI platform for automotive dealerships, has raised $20m in a Series A funding round led by Permanent Capital Ventures. Investors such as Norwest, Eniac Ventures, Vine Ventures, Analog Ventures, and Logos Fund also participated. The funding follows a strong year of growth in 2025, during which Mia Labs expanded to more than 350 franchise dealerships across the USA. Its AI-powered conversational platform supports dealership communications across sales, service, and reception, replacing fragmented tools such as call centres, IVRs, and chatbots with a single system. To date, the platform has powered over 1 million customer conversations, booked more than 130,000 appointments, generated over $45m in revenue for dealers, and saved more than 1.5 million staff hours. The new capital will be used to accelerate product development, expand the team, and support continued growth.
ABZ Innovation, a Hungary‑based manufacturer of heavy‑duty agricultural and industrial drones, has secured $8.2m in new funding led by Vsquared Ventures. The company focuses on drones designed for demanding, real‑world tasks rather than consumer or hobbyist use, targeting sectors such as agriculture, construction, infrastructure maintenance, and industrial cleaning. Its systems are used for precision spraying and spreading in farming, thus helping reduce chemical and water use while addressing labour shortages, particularly in high‑value crops. In industrial settings, ABZ’s drones remove people from hazardous or repetitive work, such as cleaning at height or operating in contaminated environments, improving safety and reducing downtime. The funding will support expanded manufacturing capacity, faster product development, and growth in key international markets. ABZ Innovation is positioning itself as a European alternative in a market largely dominated by Chinese manufacturers. Thus, emphasising supply‑chain security, data sovereignty, and reliable service networks as drones increasingly become essential productivity tools across infrastructure and industry.
Keyloop has announced it has acquired UK‑based Motortech.ai in a move designed to accelerate the rollout of AI across its automotive retail technology platforms. The acquisition will see Motortech.ai’s conversational AI capabilities integrated into Keyloop’s Fusion Automotive Retail Platform, enabling dealers to improve efficiency and enhance customer engagement. Motortech.ai is best known for its AI customer agent, AIME, which replaces traditional website forms and manual responses with real‑time, 24/7 digital conversations. AIME can guide customers through key stages of the buying process, including searching and comparing vehicles, qualifying leads, answering queries, handling part‑exchanges, managing reservations and supporting finance applications. By embedding this technology across areas such as inventory management, dealer websites and sales workflows, Keyloop aims to create a more uniform link between customer interactions and dealership operations. The deal supports growing demand for always‑on, omnichannel communication, as customers increasingly expect quick and personalised responses across digital platforms. Further enhancements planned for 2026 include expanding AIME into contact centre services and aftersales engagement, as well as reactivating lapsed leads. Keyloop believes the combined technology will help dealers increase conversion rates, improve customer satisfaction and generate new revenue opportunities.
Zipline,, a drone delivery and logistics startup, has raised more than $600m in new funding, marking a major milestone for the company as autonomous delivery moves into the mainstream. Zipline has built the world’s largest drone delivery network, initially focused on delivering medical supplies in Africa before expanding into commercial deliveries in the US. The company has now completed over 2 million deliveries globally, with its US operations growing rapidly and demand increasing c.15% week on week. Zipline currently delivers food, retail goods, and healthcare products directly to homes in minutes and is preparing to expand services to additional major American cities, including Houston and Phoenix, in 2026. The latest funding will support further expansion, increased manufacturing capacity, and continued development of its autonomous systems, as the company positions drone delivery as everyday infrastructure rather than a niche technology.