Chinese auto-chip startup Black Sesame Technologies said on Wednesday that it had raised "hundreds of millions of dollars" from Xiaomi and other investors as China accelerates development of its semiconductor industry.

US automaker General Motors will source more semiconductors directly from manufacturers to adapt to the ongoing global chip shortage, its CEO Mary Barra said on Friday.

Battery plants in South Korea and Michigan operated by LG Energy Solution (LGES) have been identified by GM as the source of defects behind a rash of battery-related fires in the Bolt that have triggered three recalls and $1.8 billion in warranty set-asides by GM since last November - recalls for which GM still has not implemented a hardware fix.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Wednesday that effectively bans the sale of new internal combustion engine cars, off-road vehicles, light-duty trucks and equipment by 2035.

Gogoro, a Taiwanese startup that specializes in battery-swapping technology, is in talks to go public through a merger with Poema Global Holdings, a blank-check firm, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The chip shortage that is disrupting global car production could continue into 2022 and even 2023, a leading German car industry figure has said.

As carmakers gathered in Munich on Monday to launch almost exclusively zero- or low-emission vehicles, an ongoing semiconductor shortage cast a long shadow over the first major car show since before the pandemic began.

Philippines-based renewable energy firm AC Energy Corp. (Acen) and partnered with Indian solar power firms to build a US$220-million solar power project in the country with an installed capacity of 420 megawatts as their initial two solar farms start commercial operations.

Asia's renewed surge in Covid-19 infections is compounding supply-chain blockages across the world's biggest source of manufactured goods.

The Chinese government has unveiled a five-year plan outlining tighter regulation of much of its economy. It says new rules will be introduced covering areas including national security, technology and monopolies.

Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is gaining traction in the country with more vehicles sold in the first seven months than the whole of 2020. A positive outreach by manufacturers including improved charging infrastructure along with price parity with conventional vehicles on the back of government incentives and falling battery prices are driving demand for EVs, particularly for two- and three-wheelers from logistics and ecommerce players, industry officials said.

Tesla released more details about its effort to deploy large-scale battery recycling, and it claims that it can recover about 92% of battery cell materials with its recycling process. When it comes to emissions throughout the entire lifecycle, electric vehicles have two main advantages over gas-powered vehicles.

India is considering slashing import duties on electric cars to as low as 40%, two senior government officials told Reuters, days after Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) appeals for a cut polarised the country's auto industry.

Tata Motors has enjoyed the most success in the EV segment in India so far thanks to the popularity of the Nexon EV. The company Chairman N Chandrasekaran is aiming to achieve at least 25 percent of its sales from EVs in the medium to long term, compared to the current share of 2 percent.

Chinese automobile-chip maker stocks tumbled after the government launched a probe into possible price manipulation, putting a brake on share surges buoyed by a global semiconductor shortage that's approaching the 12-month mark.

Tata Motors has also established itself as the frontrunner in the EV space, a journey it started 3 years ago, with the R&D support from Jaguar Land Rover. The EV version of its Nexon has helped it to fast- track penetration in the personal EV space, something which the competition has not been able to do successfully.

The U.S.-based manufacturer is planning a vertically integrated thin-film solar module manufacturing facility in India. The factory will likely be built in Tamil Nadu and become operational in the second half of 2023.

The use of hydrogen power for mobility is an "interesting alternative" for India, especially as it would reduce dependence on lithium imports, the chairman of Maruti Suzuki, said India's top-selling carmaker.

American electric vehicle maker Tesla may set up manufacturing unit in India if it first succeeds with imported vehicles in the country, according to company CEO Elon Musk. He, however, said at present import duties in India are "the highest in the world" and is hoping for "at least a temporary tariff relief for electric vehicles."

Tata Motors is steering its underlying business toward sustainability, promising to bring 10 battery-powered vehicles to the Indian market by 2025 after having set the same deadline globally for a fumes-free Jaguar range.

Hyundai Motor Group is in talks with South Korean chip companies to help it reduce reliance on foreign supplies amid a global shortage that has halted assembly lines at automakers around the world, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Apple is in early-stage talks with China's CATL and BYD about the supply of batteries for its planned electric vehicle, four people with knowledge of the matter said.

US President Joe Biden has issued a new executive order that is set to hit 59 firms including communications giant Huawei.

Renesas Electronics on Tuesday said restoring full production capacity at a fire-damaged chip plant in Japan would take longer than expected, predicting a return to normal by mid-June rather than the previously estimated end of May.

Tesla plans to pay in advance for chips to secure its supply of the crucial materials in a move to overcome the global chip shortage, according to people familiar with the matter. The electric-car maker is also exploring buying a plant as a part of the efforts,

China's GAC plans to roll out its first vehicle model with autonomous driving functions developed with Huawei Technologies after 2024, GAC's general manager told reporters at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show on Monday.

German automaker BMW is aiming for a quarter of its sales in China to be pure battery electric vehicles by 2025, its China chief Jochen Goller said on Monday.

China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group's expansive pop-up showroom sits at the heart of Shanghai's National Exhibition and Convention Center. With nine models on display, it's hard to miss. The electric car upstart has one of the biggest booths at China's 2021 Auto Show, which starts Monday, opposite storied German automaker BMW AG. Yet its bold presence belies an uncomfortable truth - Evergrande hasn't sold a single car under its own brand.

The fate of automakers will be determined by how executives balance the decline of the internal-combustion engine with the rise of battery power, along with other drivetrains. If electric vehicles achieve 30% market share by 2030, that will leave the auto industry with 40 million vehicles of excess capacity for gas-powered cars - the equivalent of 200 unneeded factories.

Xiaomi plans to invest about $10 billion over the next decade to manufacture electric cars, embarking on its biggest-ever overhaul to enter China's booming EV market.

Nio will temporarily halt production at one of its factories in Anhui province because of a semiconductor shortage, becoming the first high-profile Chinese carmaker to succumb to the chip snarl that's silenced the factory lines of auto manufacturers globally.

China's Xiaomi plans to make electric vehicles (EV) using Great Wall Motor's factory, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter, making it the latest tech firm to join the smart mobility race.

General Motors president Mark Reuss has provided more details about GM's next-generation Ultium battery chemistry and announced a joint development agreement with lithium metal battery innovator SolidEnergy Systems.

US-listed Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers Li Auto, Nio and Xpeng plan to list in Hong Kong as soon as this year, tapping a growing investor base closer to home, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.

China's leaders are finalizing their political and economic agenda for the rest of 2021 and beyond. How the country achieves technological independence and tackles the climate crisis will be near the top.

China's Huawei plans to make electric vehicles under its own brand and could launch some models this year, four sources said, as the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, battered by U.S. sanctions, explores a strategic shift.

The US president signed an executive order on Wednesday requiring federal agencies to conduct 100-day reviews of supply chains for semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, electric vehicle batteries and critical minerals used in manufacturing products such as cars and weapons.

Jack Ma's Ant Group quickly became one of China's most powerful companies, and its plans for bridging the worlds of tech and finance were growing ever more ambitious by the day. Now it appears to be turning into the kind of highly regulated Chinese bank that it hoped to supplant.

China announced new anti-monopoly rules over the weekend - but that's not likely to have much impact on the market for now, argues Bank of Communications International's Hao Hong.

Tesla announced in an SEC filing Monday that it has bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin.