KULAN, Lux Research, Consumer Reports, Audi.

KULAN Light-weight farming: The joint project POLY-LAB.NET is coordinated by the Fraunhofer IWU and funded by federal funds. Their development is a electric concept vehicle destined for farming. The KULAN only weighs 300 kilos but is said to be able to carry loads of up to a ton. It will be presented in Germany at the IAA for commercial vehicles at the end of this September.
elektronikpraxis.vogel.de, poly-lab.net (both in German)

Low-cost energy storage: A new report by Lux Research points out silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) as materials fit to reduce cost for EV batteries considerably. The example being used is a Tesla Model S, which could save more than 6,000 dollars.
greencarcongress.com, marketwired.com

Consumer Reports gives an update on its long-term test with a Tesla Model S. While it found “many minor problems that merit some reflection” occurring after 15,743 miles of testing, it still got reviewers “raving,” EV fans or avid car heads alike. For Tesla, these recent tests and reported problems with whole drive units being exchanged rather regularly, has led them to rethink their strategy and the company is now looking into fixing rather than replacing parts.
consumerreports.org (long-term test update), transportevolved.com (Tesla’s repair policy)

Thinking ahead of Audi: The press has been pondering a premium Audi A9 for quite some time. Spanish designer Daniel Garcia has now taken things into his own hands and came forward with a concept that features in-wheel motors as well as self-repairing nano materials.
homes-design.com, parentesis.com (in Spanish)