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FRANKFURT, Germany — Automaker Volkswagen says it will invest $50 billion (44 billion euros) in developing autonomous and electric cars and expand the appeal of battery-powered cars by selling its upcoming ID compact for about what a diesel-powered Golf costs.

Albemarle Corp., the world’s largest lithium producer, is planning to expand production in Australia, chasing the market for a form of the metal increasingly being used by the makers of electric car batteries.

Nikola Motor Co. announced it would begin production within five years in Europe of a heavy-duty, hydrogen-electric truck designed to be compatible with full autonomy as it expands its business beyond North America.

HANOVER, Germany — Bosch presented a range of products and innovations to support the trucking industry’s movement toward vehicle electrification and automated driving here at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show.

HANOVER, Germany — The global truck manufacturers and suppliers exhibiting here at the massive IAA Commercial Vehicles show expressed a broadly shared vision that connectivity, automated driving and electric power are the dominant trends that will mold the future of commercial vehicles.

Commercial vehicle supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG announced it would spend 12 billion euros over the next five years on its e-mobility and autonomous driving technologies aimed at a logistics industry in need of new vehicles to deal with rising delivery volumes and clean air issues.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Autonomous technologies and electrified equipment will have specific roles in the transportation and intermodal sectors and already are increasing safety and improving efficiency. As the technology continues to advance, it may gain adoption faster in the controlled situations within intermodal yards and drayage environments.

Tesla Inc.’s lead in battery technology gives it a cost advantage that may last for several years and help the U.S. electric-car maker face down an onslaught of new competition, according to new research from Bloomberg.

Automation in the trucking industry is ramping up quickly. But how will the next levels of automation be deployed? Episode 2 of RoadSigns has the answers. Click to listen.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany — The leader of global supplier ZF believes that commercial applications for automated technology could soon become a reality in certain controlled situations, but believes broader deployment in congested and high-traffic areas will take awhile.