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Thousands of workers at nine Volkswagen factories across Germany, including its EV-only factory, are going on strike this morning, bringing assembly lines to a grinding halt in the battle over the slashed pay, lost jobs, and the automaker’s future.

The walkouts, scheduled Monday morning, are planned to last several hours and serve as a warning of possible 24-hour strikes on the horizon, or even more drastic measures going forward, Reuters reports. The IG Metall union, which represents 120,000 Volkswagen workers, has said it will take the fight all the way if it has to.  

“If necessary, this will become the toughest wage dispute Volkswagen has ever seen,” IG Metall’s chief negotiator Thorsten Groeger said in a statement. “How long and intense this dispute will be is Volkswagen’s responsibility at the negotiating table.”

He added: “Volkswagen has set our collective bargaining agreements on fire, and instead of extinguishing this fire during three rounds of negotiations, the management board keeps throwing open barrels of gasoline onto it.”

The strike comes after weeks of collective bargaining negotiations in which the Volkswagen didn’t back down from its plan to potentially slash thousands of jobs and close factories in Germany – a first in the automaker’s 87-year history in the country. Volkswagen plans to close at least three factories, lay off thousands of workers, and trim pay for those remaining by 10%, all as it fights to stay alive amid stiff competition from China.  

The strikes today include Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, as well as demonstrations at the Hanover plant, which employs around 14,000 people. Demonstrations are also expected at component and auto plants including Emdem, Saltzgitter, and Brunswick.

IG Metall has also called on employees of VW’s EV-only plant Zwickau, run by a Volkswagen subsidiary, to strike on Monday and Tuesday.

Volkswagen EV production
Volkswagen’s EV production facility in Emden, Germany / Credit: Volkswagen Group

In late October, Volkswagen announced that it would officially close its Audi plant in Brussels where it makes the Audi Q8 E-Tron after huge rallies blocked the Belgian capital over the potential closing of the plant.

Today’s walkouts are the largest at Volkswagen’s German operation since 2018, with that strike involving 50,000 workers over pay disputes.

This comes at a time when VW is radically restructuring its business to cut costs, while seeking to streamline production and development processes, shaving off months on the development cycles of specific projects to help tighten the belts, all while rethinking its EV retail model to stay more competitive. Volkswagen has been facing a steep decline in sales in China, which is its core market, while simultaneously facing challenges from BYD and other Chinese automakers entering the European market.


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Greenlane sweetens electric truck purchases with charging perks

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Greenlane sweetens electric truck purchases with charging perks

Greenlane, which provides public charging infrastructure for electric trucks, just rolled out a new dealer program called “Charge On Us,” which offers $500 in charging credits and six months of free Greenlane Edge subscription access with every qualifying electric truck purchase. The offer applies across light-, medium-, and heavy-duty models. Velocity Truck Centers, one of North America’s largest commercial truck dealers with 65 locations across the US, is the first partner to sign on.

Scott Zeppenfeldt, COO of Velocity, said charging is the biggest unknown for customers considering the switch. “Where to charge, how to support it, and how to pay for it all” often stops fleets from moving forward, he explained. “Greenlane’s ‘Charge On Us’ program removes those hurdles by letting our customers rely on public infrastructure instead of investing time and money in their own charging setup. We’re excited to run pilot programs out of their flagship Colton facility and utilize other sites on their network. This gives us a real-world proving ground to show customers how straightforward electric can be when the charging piece is handled.”

For dealers, the program comes with sales support, marketing resources, and customer service, plus access to Greenlane’s growing public charging network. Dealers also get subscriptions to the network, which makes it easier to run pilots at Greenlane facilities and test the experience with customers. The Greenlane Edge subscription unlocks discounted charging rates, advanced reservation tools, and billing software that can lower the total cost of ownership and streamline freight operations. Fleets also gain access to real-time charging data, route planning support, and consolidated billing.

“As more heavy-duty fleets shift to electric, we need to address the real concerns holding them back: where to charge, cost, and how to deploy charging infrastructure day one,” said Patrick Macdonald-King, CEO of Greenlane. “Our program tackles these issues by providing immediate charging credits, access to high-speed chargers, and our technology ecosystem that delivers a seamless charging solution. Partnering with Velocity helps us scale that impact and make electrification easier for more companies by lowering the cost of entry and complexity of procuring power and deploying infrastructure.”

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Greenlane opened its flagship charging center in Colton, California, in April. The site features over 40 high-speed chargers, including 12 pull-through and 29 bobtail lanes built for medium- and heavy-duty EVs. It also offers driver-friendly amenities like restrooms, wifi, carports, and 24/7 security, plus extras such as office space and parking. The Colton facility sits at the junction of I-215 and I-10 and anchors Greenlane’s I-15 charging corridor linking Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It’s also part of the I-10 corridor, with new sites on the way in Blythe, California, and Greater Phoenix.

Read more: Greenlane launches a second long-haul EV truck corridor pilot


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Jeep axes the Gladiator 4xe, the plug-in hybrid pickup that we were promised

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Jeep axes the Gladiator 4xe, the plug-in hybrid pickup that we were promised

The Jeep Gladiator 4xe is dead before arrival. Jeep’s plug-in pickup was expected to arrive as a sibling to the Wrangler PHEV, but that will no longer be the case.

Why did Jeep cancel the Gladiator 4xe?

Jeep’s plug-in hybrid pickup was set to arrive this year. As a midsize pickup and one of the best-selling Jeep vehicles in the US, the Gladiator is a perfect fit for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system, right?

It seemed like it, but Jeep maker Stellantis disagrees. According to a report from Automotive News, Stellantis told its suppliers that it’s no longer planning to launch the Gladiator 4xe.

The Gladiator PHEV is the latest vehicle that Stellantis has canceled as it reassesses its product lineup in the US.

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A company spokesperson confirmed the decision with Car and Driver, saying, “As customers’ propulsion preferences for battery-electric trucks continue to evolve, Stellantis is reassessing its product strategy and will no longer include an electrified Gladiator variant in the Jeep lineup.”

Jeep-Gladiator-4xe-hybrid
The 2025 Jeep Gladiator Willys (Source: Stellantis)

The spokesperson added that Jeep has “already begun reinvesting funding to ensure the long-term growth of the Jeep Gladiator and will introduce even more customer-requested factory features, customization, and additional powertrain options in the near future.”

Does that mean an “electrified” option is still in the pipeline? It could. Earlier this month, Stellantis canceled Ram’s all-electric pickup, the Ram 1500 REV. It also dropped the base R/T trim from the Dodge Charger EV.

Jeep-Gladiator-4xe-hybrid
2025 Jeep Gladiator NightHawk (Source: Stellantis)

The Ramcharger, a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV), will instead take its spot and name (Ram 1500 REV). With the plug-in hybrid Gladiator 4xe canceled, Jeep’s Gladiator could be next in line for an REEV powertrain option.

Until then, Jeep still offers plug-in hybrid Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models, which were the top two best-selling PHEVs in the US in the first half of 2025.

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XCharge NA is now leasing DC fast chargers to small businesses

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XCharge NA is now leasing DC fast chargers to small businesses

XCharge North America (NA) and Ascentium Capital have launched a new leasing program to help small-business owners host DC fast chargers without having to front huge amounts of cash or rely on government incentives.

Businesses can lease XCharge NA’s DC fast chargers – up to 400kW – for an affordable monthly rate. That way, they can tap into the US public DC fast-charging market, which is expected to grow at a 14% compound annual rate through 2040 and generate $3.3 billion in annual market value, without paying steep upfront costs. Unlike charging-as-a-service models, where operators earn a percentage of the revenue, lessees in this program can earn the full charging revenue.

The program is modeled after a financing structure used in the auto industry. It bundles installation, equipment, warranties, and maintenance into a single package to simplify things for business owners. XCharge NA says its GridLink and C6 chargers can also be installed faster than typical fast chargers, and the equipment can be moved to different sites if needed. Because the chargers integrate with existing infrastructure, businesses don’t need to worry about major grid upgrades or transformer installations.

“At our core, XCharge NA has always been focused on making EV charging more accessible for businesses of all sizes – from high-traffic airports to small-business owners,” said Aatish Patel, co-founder and president of XCharge NA. “Our new financing model was designed to mitigate risk for individuals looking to get into EV charging without significant upfront [capital expenditure].”

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Patel added that working with Ascentium brought the financial expertise needed to make the program possible. Stephen Interlicchio, senior vice president of strategic services for Ascentium, said, “This type of flexible capital option is exactly what the industry needs now, especially to empower small businesses and real estate owners that don’t have the ability to pay significant costs up front but are committed to participating in the EV transition.”

Leasing a C6 EV charger (pictured) starts at $800 a month. You can learn more here.

Read more: Texas trailblazes with DC fast chargers with integrated battery storage


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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