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DETROIT — U.S. safety regulators have opened an investigation into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries after five automakers issued recalls due to possible defects that could cause fires or stalling.

The Biden administration announced it will invoke Cold War powers to boost domestic production of materials for batteries needed to power electric vehicles and the transition to renewable energy, a move intended to improve U.S. competitiveness in a market dominated by China.

Shares of Volta Inc. plunged to all-time lows after the electric vehicle charging company announced the abrupt departures of two of its top executives, both of them founders of the firm.

The U.S. Postal Service announced March 24 it ordered more than 10,000 new electric delivery trucks, up from the 5,000 the agency had initially planned to purchase.

LANSING, Mich. — Electric vehicle battery maker LG Energy Solution plans a $1.7 billion expansion in western Michigan that will add up to 1,200 jobs by 2025, officials announced March 22.

ASBURY PARK, N.J. — A wave of new electric vehicle charging stations across the country is coming as interest in alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles is on the rise, though most of the plans were in the works before recent gasoline price spikes.

Mercedes-Benz Group AG opened a battery factory in Alabama months before the luxury carmaker starts assembling electric SUVs nearby in an effort to challenge Tesla Inc. in the U.S. EV market.

House Democrats are asking the U.S. Postal Service’s inspector general to investigate the agency’s decision to replace its mail-truck fleet with almost all gasoline-powered models, a move that paved the way for a contract with Wisconsin military truck maker Oshkosh Corp. worth as much as $6 billion.

Spiking gasoline prices have hiked Americans’ monthly bills to fuel popular pickups and SUVs by hundreds of dollars, which is leading more consumers to kick the tires on electric vehicles.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Amerit Fleet Solutions has set out to create a national network of certified technicians trained to perform maintenance and repair work on electric vehicles for fleet customers in markets across the country.