SA's vehicle recall crisis: a call for preventative action
According to the Automobile Association (AA), South Africa's vehicle safety system is failing its citizens.
- Industry News
- 21 November 2025
Airbus and Renault Group have signed a research and development agreement to enhance both companies’ efforts at developing electric propulsion.
The announcement of the agreement was made on 30 November.
As part of this partnership, engineering teams from Airbus and Renault Group will join forces to mature technologies related to energy storage, which remains one of the main roadblocks for the development of long-range electric vehicles.
The cooperation agreement will especially focus on energy-management optimisation and battery weight improvement. It will also look for the best ways to move from current cell chemistries (advanced lithium-ion) to all solid-state designs, which could double the energy density of batteries in the 2030 timeframe, when Europe will move to all-electric vehicles.
The joint work will also study the full life cycle of future batteries, from production to recyclability, in order to prepare the industrialisation of these future battery designs while assessing their carbon footprint across their entire life cycle.
“For the first time, two European leaders from different industries, are sharing engineering know-how to shape the future of hybrid-electric aircraft.
“Aviation is an extremely demanding field in terms of both safety and energy consumption, and so is the car industry. At Renault Group, our 10 years of experience in the electric vehicle value chain give us some of the strongest feedback from the field and expertise in the performance of battery management systems,” said Gilles Le Borgne, EVP, Engineering, Renault Group.
BYD, China’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, is preparing for a major international push, aiming to sell as many as 1.6 million cars outside its home market next year.
Global demand for electric vehicles surged in October, with combined sales of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models rising by 23% to 1.9 million units, according to data from Rho Motion.
South Africa is entering a transformative phase in its automotive sector as experts and industry leaders meet Wednesday, 12 November, to begin shaping the country’s first nationally recognised qualification for electric vehicle (EV) servicing and maintenance.