Ownership of electric-powered vehicles in Northern Ireland has soared by 133 per cent in the last two years – much higher than any other UK region – new figures show.

Carmakers, which have invested billions on electric vehicles, slammed Britain’s move to delay a 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, saying it would disrupt supply chains and slow the transition to greener cars.

A New Zealand-based startup just got $18 million to commercialize graphite made of wood chips for EV batteries in Europe and the US.

Demand for battery-powered cars continues to climb. The number of new EVs registered across Europe soared 102% in August to just shy of 197,000 cars.

China’s Nio Inc on Thursday unveiled a high-end smartphone designed to be used with its electric vehicles, touting a plethora of related functions such as using the phone to instruct the car to park itself.