
VW appoints new Sales & Marketing Director
Volkswagen Group Africa has announced the appointment of Simphiwe Nghona as Sales and Marketing Director, effective 1 May 2025.
- Industry News
- 15 May 2025
Verge Motorcycles, the Finnish company that will begin selling its electric superbikes in the US market at the end of this year, joins the ranks of well-known car giants, General Motors and Ford, in announcing its intention to utilise Tesla’s NACS charging network.
Electric superbike pioneer, Verge Motorcycles, has taken a stand on the recently much talked about electric plug-in war and announced at the end of June that it would be the first in the industry to adopt Tesla’s NACS charging connector.
“We have been following the discussion with interest about the future of the charging infrastructure and Tesla’s decision to open up its NACS charging standard. Providing our customers with a comprehensive and easy, fast charging system is vital in terms of Verge’s growth. We are currently preparing to enter the US market, and as the Tesla of motorcycles, this decision seemed like a natural solution for us,” says Marko Lehtimäki, Chief Technology Officer at Verge.
“Total customer service is everything for Verge. We want Verge owners to have access to the most extensive fast charging system in North America, which is why we plan to utilise Tesla’s network of 17 000 charging stations,” says Pekka Parnanen, Chief Operating Officer of Verge’s US operations.
Tesla’s decision to remove all the patents for its NACS charging standard has received a lot of international attention recently, after several major players in the industry, including General Motors, Ford and most recently electric car manufacturer, Rivian, announced that they would adopt the charging system developed by Tesla.
Following the move to open up the NACS charging standard, competing operators can also add charging devices equipped with NACS connectors to their networks. Until now, the patent-protected system could only be used to charge Tesla’s own vehicles.
The new Volvo XC70 mid-size SUV is Volvo Cars’ first extended-range plug-in hybrid. It provides a pure electric range of up to 200 kilometres, making it Volvo Cars’ longest-range plug-in hybrid to date.
A shift towards an electric vehicle landscape in South Africa will get another boost with the soon-to-be released Geely Riddara double cab 4x4 and 4x2 bakkies locally by Enviro Automotive.
The latest Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition clearly showed the worldwide shift towards new-energy drivetrains like battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).