VW’s US Innovation Hub just announced four breakthroughs in electric mobility and sustainable transport – here’s what the research center has achieved.
Volkswagen’s Innovation Hub opened in 2020 at the University of Tennessee (UT) Research Park at Cherokee Farm in Knoxville. The federally funded Oakridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is there too. VW collaborates with UT and ORNL scientists on its EV research. Here’s what the VW Innovation Hub has been up to:
AI-optimized EV battery pack frame
Volkswagen researchers are working on new material structures to reduce vehicle weight, which in turn helps to increase the range of EVs. The aim of the first pilot is to replace the steel frame that houses the EV battery pack with something lighter.
The team used artificial intelligence (AI) with millions of parameters on UT’s high-performance computer cluster to develop a modular repeating structure in the shape of tiny pyramids (main photo). The structure can be 3D-printed from liquid resins and can hold 30K times its own 0.15 lb weight (68g). So this frame would be up to 60% lighter than the steel frame. The researchers found that the resin frame absorbs more energy than the steel frame (they’re testing its durability in the photo above), which means it’s robust.
Electrek’s Take:Intriguing. As VW is claiming that its resin frame is lighter and stronger – and we’re going to assume it’s made sustainably – I hope to see this progress beyond the pilot stage and will keep an eye on it.
EV interiors made of paper
Scientists at UT’s Center for Renewable Carbon are using paper as a recyclable alternative to plastic parts and foils for EV interiors. The team has patented a method of preforming and hot-pressing cellulose fiber-reinforced thermoplastics into durable interior parts.
The recyclable paper-based composites can be transformed into various interior shapes and sizes, and different textures and colors can be added.
VW says it’s “checking opportunities” to include paper-based interior parts in future models and “work to support industry-scale production.”
Electrek’s Take: Any move toward recyclable materials and away from plastics can’t come fast enough. No timeline is given here from VW on industry-scale production plans; it’d be great to see this material used by VW in mass-produced EVs.
Lightweight fiber composite body parts
Researchers re-created the liftgate of a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas using sheet molding compound, a type of fiberglass-reinforced plastic. The new liftgate was 13 pounds lighter than the metal one, resulting in a weight savings of more than 35%. That would help increase the range of EVs.
VW says that the fiber composite liftgate doesn’t need changes in assembly sequence compared to metal liftgates, so the former can be produced in high volumes.
Researchers have recently further refined molding processes and ways to optimize durability, quality, and design options.
Electrek’s Take: Fiber composite body parts are already in production at Bentley and Lamborghini, which are part of the Volkswagen Group. They’re using the new materials and the molding process for the Bentley Continental and the Lamborghini Aventador. Those are luxury cars, so it’s not exactly mass production, but researchers are also exploring fiber composite pickup truck beds and other components.
Wireless EV fast charging
VW’s team has patented a coil and charging pad design with silicon-carbide materials. In early trials, the automaker says that the prototype silicon-carbide inverter system has proven to be highly efficient. The research team has been able to increase the charging power level up to 120 kW with this prototype from an earlier 6.6 kW prototype, and their goal is to reach 300 kW.
Electrek’s Take: There’s no further elaboration from VW on what’s next for its wireless EV fast charging project, so I’m guessing this is still in early stages. It’d really need a lot of finessing to be viable on a widespread scale. Still, to progress from 6.6 kW to 120 kW is an achievement. It’d be nice to just pull up over a charging pad in a parking spot and start charging, especially when it’s extremely hot – that’s you down south – or when it simply won’t stop raining, like us up here in the Northeast.
I hope at least half of these projects go into mass production and become cost-effective. But seeing how VW has implemented a short-term spending freeze, it’s probably not going to happen soon.
Photos: Volkswagen
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Tesla has quietly expanded its new MultiPass feature to more regions across Europe, allowing owners to charge at third-party stations directly through their Tesla account — no separate app, card, or registration required.
The feature, which first launched in the Netherlands earlier this year, is now rolling out to additional countries, including Germany and France, according to Tesla’s own support page. The update builds on Tesla’s push to make charging as frictionless as possible — not just at Superchargers, but across an entire network of compatible public chargers.
What is Tesla MultiPass?
Tesla describes MultiPass as a “seamless charging option” that lets drivers find and charge at third-party charging stations using their existing Tesla Account. By partnering with a network aggregator, Tesla now connects to over 1,000 charging networks and thousands of stations across Europe.
In practice, MultiPass aims to make the charging experience at third-party stations as close to a Tesla Supercharger as possible — you can simply tap your Tesla key card or select the stall in your Tesla app at a supported charger, and the cost of the session is automatically billed to your Tesla account. The same payment method used for Supercharging applies, and sessions appear right in your Tesla app’s charging history, unified with your Supercharger activity.
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Tesla’s goal is to reduce the number of sign-ups and third-party accounts you need to charge outside of Tesla’s own network. MultiPass turns the Tesla key card into a universal charging credential.
Tesla owners simply need to activate MultiPass through the Tesla app:
Open the Tesla app and check “Messages” for the MultiPass invitation
Tap Learn More → Next
Follow on-screen steps to activate your key card via NFC
Once activated, you can start charging sessions in two ways:
Tap your key card directly on the supported third-party charger
Or, start the session in the Tesla app, selecting the stall remotely
Your session appears instantly in the app, complete with cost and time details, just like any Tesla Supercharger session.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla already operates the world’s most reliable and extensive DC fast-charging network. Supercharger is probably the best thing Tesla has ever done.
But outside of the Supercharger footprint, especially in Europe’s dense urban areas, third-party chargers fill critical gaps.
MultiPass eliminates one of the last friction points for Tesla drivers to use these third-party charging stations.
It looks like after a short testing phase in the Netherlands, Tesla is now ready to expand access throughout Europe.
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Tesla’s EV registrations in the UK, its biggest market in Europe, took a dramatic hit in October 2025 — just 511 units — marking one of the brand’s weakest showings in recent memory. That’s a steep drop from 971 in October 2024 and 2,677 in October 2023. The tone of the market is shifting.
Maybe Tesla’s CEO stoking a civil war in England isn’t helping the automaker’s demand in the important market.
Tesla’s sales have been struggling in Europe over the past two years, and the decline has been accelerating in 2025.
While some believed that things were stabilizing for the American automaker in Europe, the October data tells a different story. Tesla had its worst month of deliveries of the year in 12 of its 15 biggest European markets.
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As Tesla sales in Germany crashed over the last year, partly because Tesla CEO Elon Musk supported the far-right AfD party, the UK became Tesla’s biggest market in Europe.
But now it looks like the UK is going in the same direction.
According to registration data, Tesla delivered only 511 vehicles in the UK in October 2025. Tesla has over 50 stores in the country – that’s an average of roughly 10 vehicles per location for the whole month.
It’s the worst monthly performance since October 2022.
Much as Tesla’s demand crashed in Germany, Elon Musk’s politics might be behind the lower demand in the UK.
The CEO regularly comments on UK politics and often shares inflammatory reports about crimes perpetrated by immigrants. He also shares misleading crime and immigration statistics aimed at spreading hatred.
After he tweeted that “Civil war is inevitable. Just a question of when.”, he was accused of stoking a civil war in the country.
Musk’s public commentary on UK topics has sparked backlash and resulted in his “unfavorability rating” reaching 80% in the country.
Electrek’s Take
Meanwhile, Tesla’s demand cliff is opening the door to competitors. BYD is now expected to outsell Tesla in the whole year of 2025 in the UK despite Tesla having a presence in the market for much longer.
Not many industry watchers thought it would happen this fast.
Tesla appears to be completely missing out on the surge of EV sales in Europe due to a mix of having a stagnant EV lineup, brand problems brought on by a controversial CEO, and increased competition.
Rondo Energy and energy producer EDP are installing a massive 100 MWh renewable-powered heat battery at HEINEKEN’s brewery in Lisbon, Portugal. The project will deliver round-the-clock renewable steam and reduce emissions without altering the facility’s beer brewing process.
Photo: Rondo
Brewing HEINEKEN with zero-carbon steam
The Rondo Heat Battery (RHB) will be the biggest deployed in the beverage industry worldwide. It can store electricity as high-temperature heat using refractory bricks, then convert that heat into 24/7 steam, all without burning fossil fuels.
At HEINEKEN’s Central de Cervejas e Bebidas Brewery and Malting Plant, the heat battery system will supply 7 MW of steam, powered by renewable electricity from onsite solar and the grid. That steam is identical to steam created by gas-fired boilers, but without the carbon pollution.
EDP is providing the renewable electricity and will deliver the steam directly to HEINEKEN via a Heat-as-a-Service model. Rondo is supplying the battery, and HEINEKEN gets to ditch fossil fuels without retooling its brewing process.
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Why this matters
This project is a big win for industrial decarbonization. High-temperature steam is one of the most complex parts of manufacturing to electrify, and the beer industry runs on it. HEINEKEN’s Lisbon site already uses solar panels for electricity and electric heat pumps for hot water, and this move helps it go even further.
It’s part of HEINEKEN’s “Brew a Better World” plan to hit net zero emissions by 2040 and decarbonize all of its global production sites by 2030.
Additionally, the deployment aligns with Portugal’s national target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
The bigger picture
With the European Investment Bank and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst backing this and other Rondo projects with €75 million in funding, this Lisbon installation is just the beginning. Rondo’s technology enables energy-hungry industries to switch from fossil fuels to renewable electricity without compromising 24/7 operations.
Rondo CEO Eric Trusiewicz sums it up: “We are thrilled to be installing our first Rondo Heat Battery in Iberia, and to support HEINEKEN to reach its goals. We look forward to helping industries across Iberia cut costs and carbon, and help Iberia capitalize on the opportunity.”
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