E-Mobility

Tesla's new $5,000 bundle for the 2024 Model S and X includes Full Self-Driving, Premium Connectivity, and unlimited Supercharging for 36 months. This package offers savings of around $1,076 compared to individual subscriptions, making it a potentially cost-effective option for frequent drivers.

The KroxWay is a relatively inexpensive car radio with an extensive range of functions and comes with its own operating system. Memory cards can be installed and the screen is large.

The Tesla Cybertruck has had a particularly difficult time keeping its name out of controversy. However, there is no doubting the fact that it is an incredibly powerful vehicle with great potential for heavy duty tasks, provided they aren't over long distances. A recent video detailing the Cybertruck's off-roading capabilities in a notably perilous terrain truly drives home the point that the Cybertruck is more than a capable off-roader.

According to a recent tweet by Tesla citing Consumer Reports, it has been reiterated that Teslas are the least expensive to maintain long term, ranking at the very top. This should not come as a surprise, considering that electric vehicles require far less frequent servicing than ICEs due to their inherently lower count of moving mechanical parts.

Tesla has published the Q2’24 Vehicle Safety Report. The report claims that Tesla EVs with Autopilot handily beat the national average in vehicle safety. While EVs without Autopilot also apparently outperformed the national average, they fall short of Autopilot-enabled cars.

Eight months after launching in the US, the Cybertruck has now officially arrived in neighboring Canada and Mexico.

A Ford Mustang Mach-E recently covered a whopping 569 miles on a single charge. Towards the end of the attempt, the Mach-E covered 23 miles with just 1% of charge left. This achievement comes courtesy of the extremely efficient driving of Webfleet's experts, which can hardly be replicated by everyday driving scenarios. Nevertheless, this impressive record proves just how far EVs have come in terms of drivable range.

Norway, called “The EV capital of the world”, is inching closer to its goal of completely phasing out gasoline-powered cars by 2025. Data regarding the total passenger vehicle registrations in the country for July 2024 has surfaced online, revealing that non-plug-ins only made up about 5.7% of the total sales.

Driven by hypermilers, the Mustang Mach-E managed to squeeze more than six miles of range on a single kWh of battery capacity, beating the record 2025 Lucid Air Pure efficiency rating.

An illegal powerline hookup tried to circumvent the electricity meter for free charging with rather predictable results.

Volkswagen touts its new ID.3 GTX range as the most "sporty" electric vehicles (EVs) of their series, with a 240 kilowatt (kW) output in the top-end Performance variant. It is rated to go from 0 to ~60 miles per hour (mph) in less than six seconds and to charge at up to 185kW via DC. The GTX Performance is available to pre-order in Europe alongside its vanilla GTX sibling from now.

Lucid Group has just announced a whopping $1.5 billion investment from an affiliate of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). The funding comes as Lucid is starting production for its highly anticipated Gravity SUV and looks to strengthen its financial position amid ongoing challenges. With this investment, Lucid expects to maintain sufficient liquidity through the fourth quarter of 2025.

Tesla is testing the 350kW charging output speeds that its V4 Supercharger stations are meant for in a nationwide trial. The tests could be aimed at fixing the Cybertruck charging curve as its only electric vehicle with 800V powertrain.

The $9,000 EV Instant Rebate that the Washington State Department of Commerce set budget for in the spring is now in play. The rebate is stackable with the WA state's sales tax waiver, too, unlike New Jersey, which has now introduced an electric vehicle sales tax.

A new version of the Decathlon BTWIN R500E Electric Longtail Cargo Bike has arrived in various European countries, with a second fresh variant also in the pipeline. The model has front and rear luggage racks, with the latter doubling as a child seat, supporting loads up to 170 kg (~375 lbs).

The ENGWE L20 Boost, a new upgraded version of the L20 e-bike, is now on sale in Europe. The main feature of the latest model is a handlebar-mounted Boost button that triggers a burst of increased torque. Plus, ENGWE is currently offering a discount for those who purchase the fat-tire e-bike in the next few days.

Public VIN records filed with the NHTSA reveal that KTM and Husqvarna’s 2025 model lineup will feature their first street-legal electric motorcycles. The two bikes, named the KTM “Electric Freeride” and Husqvarna “Electric Pioneer”, seem to share the same powertrain, and are likely based on the Husqvarna E-Pilen and KTM Freerider E LV concepts from 2022.

A 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance has clocked 200,000 miles on its original battery, while having required only a modest amount of maintainence. Despite the high mileage, the Model 3's owner reports a net loss in range of only about 9-10%, an impressive feat to say the least.

The S5 charging stations are actually more powerful than the ones Pepsi uses to charge the Tesla Semi.

Wirelessly charging an electric vehicle, by all means, seems like a distant dream considering the ineffeciency and glacial speeds associated with wireless charging. However, the meticulous researchers at ORNL beg to differ, having demonstrated a Porsche Taycan that boosts its charge level to 50% in just 10 minutes - wirelessly.

JDI has developed the Dual Touch 2VD - the world’s first simultaneous dual-user, dual-view touchscreen display. Targeted for use in automobiles, the driver and passenger see different images based on their viewing direction and can simultaneously operate the touchscreen.

A modified Tesla Model S Plaid with stripped down interiors has managed to speed through a quarter-mile run in just 8.56 seconds. Such speeds are unheard of in a production sedan, with the $2.2 million Pininfarina Battista being only slightly quicker at 8.55 seconds.

Tesla classifies FSD as still a Level 2 autonomous driving system for regulatory and insurance reasons. Mercedes, however, already got permission to run Level 4 self-driving tests in China.

WhistlinDiesel has finally got his hands on a Tesla Cybertruck and put it through what must be the most brutal, abusive review yet. Aside from the usual shenanigans, Cody Detwiler unexpectedly found a serious problem with the Cybertruck when a simple tow test caused the tow hitch to destroy the rear gigacasting spectacularly.

A new patent filing has revealed that Suzuki is collaborating with Tokai Rika to develop an innovative rear-view camera system for motorcycles. It will supplement conventional mirrors and will enhance safety by displaying a cropped, relevant field of view that covers the rider’s blind spot. However, it is not known when the feature will actually find its way to production vehicles.

After ordering 100,000 Teslas, depreciation and upkeep made Hertz give up on the rapid electrification of its rental fleet. It will now continue offering its Tesla vehicles at a discount to offload them quickly at a steep loss.

Ford has released a new performance upgrade for the 2024 Mustang Mach-E GT. With the software upgrade installed, Ford claims that the Mustang Mach-E GT now beats the Tesla Model Y Performance in acceleration as the upgrade reduces the Mustang Mach-E GT’s 0 to 60 mph time by 13%.

Tesla touts its first Cybertruck electric pickup as 'durable and rugged enough to go anywhere,' and that claim has now been put to tests that are sometimes too extreme.

Thanks to the recent off-road update, the Tesla Cybertruck now has the ability to lock front and rear differentials, making it a beast for high-traction pulling. In a recent tractor pull event, the Cybertruck emerged victorious in the 2500-class, dominating diesel-powered pickup trucks.

CheckMag I spoke with Brian R Lyons of TMNA Toyota Motor Corp North America about the implementation of Linux in Toyota and Lexus infotainment systems. Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) is a version of Linux being used by several automotive manufacturers.

Electric bicycle maker, Velotric, is running a sale on a number of its e-bikes. The Velotric Packer 1 is on sale for 22% off during the sale. The electric cargo bike features a 750 W custom hub motor and a 25 mph (ca. 40 km/h) top speed.

BYD is preparing to enter the Canadian electric vehicle market, which could significantly impact the sector and attract federal scrutiny due to potential tariffs on Chinese EV imports. Lobbyists for BYD have registered with federal and Ontario governments to advise on market entry and tariff issues. Although the launch details remain unclear, BYD has been meeting with Canadian dealers and plans to introduce passenger EVs in Canada soon.

Paraplegic Kevin Piette has walked with the Olympics 2024 torch while wearing the Wandercraft Atalante X exoskeleton. The 36-year-old exoskeleton pilot had an accident 11 years ago that left him unable to use his legs. Piette is an exoskeleton pilot working at Wandercraft to help develop assistive technologies for the disabled.

Tesla might be on the way to match the 4680 battery production costs that its own suppliers are able to achieve by mastering the pivotal dry electrode production method.

Over 1.8 million Tesla cars in the United States are said to be incapable of detecting whether the front hood is snapped into place fully or not, posing a safety risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) disclosed this information on Tuesday, July 30 highlighting the importance of installing the software update that fixes the issue ASAP.

Outdoor gear maker Arc-teryx and startup Skip have unveiled the MO/GO exoskeleton trousers, which use powerful motors and carbon fibre braces to boost leg strength while hiking on inclined terrain or climbing stairs, relieving up to 30 lbs (13.5 kg) of weight. Weighing just 7 lbs, MO/GO runs for over 3 hours or 5-6 miles. Although still in final development, it can be pre-ordered now and will cost $5000 upon launch.

The South Pasadena Police Department expects that the move to an all-electric patrol car fleet will save taxpayers $400,000 per car over a 10-year period on gas alone.

A major investigation that involved taking apart salvaged Tesla FSD computers and hacking their chips to extract raw Autopilot data reveals how questionable self-driving system decisions can lead to deadly accidents.

Tesla has posted a render of the future Semi Factory along with a photo of the current stage of the construction of this cutting-edge facility. The company had previously stated an intention to start mass production of the Semi electric truck in 2025.

Lead Tesla Cybertruck engineer, Wes Morrill, has revealed that the upcoming range extender for the vehicle must be installed by Tesla technicians for safety reasons. This means it will not be a portable accessory that owners can easily install or remove whenever they want. While the range extender will significantly increase the car’s range, there is little doubt that the benefits come with certain trade-offs.

When personal electronics OEM Xiaomi launched its first ever electric car, it conservatively predicted that it would be able to ship 100,000 of them by the end of 2024. Now, the company is said to believe that it will hit that target far earlier than it imagined, even though it has just taken one of its vehicular production lines offline.

Tesla started selling dedicated microphones for in-car karaoke sessions and now offers multicolor ambient lighting retrofits to willing owners of select vehicle batches made in Giga Shanghai.

With Tesla's stock down 12% since the earnings reveal, Elon Musk's big bet on robotaxis and a ride-share service may not pay off, according to NIO.

Tesla's FSD v12.5 update for the Cybertruck now has a rollout timeframe - sometime in August. Confirmed by Elon Musk on July 28th during an X takeover event livestream, v12.5 will upgrade autonomous driving with a single neural network for city navigation and enhanced driver monitoring. Beyond core features, the update has some user-centric improvements like climate control, headlights, and entertainment.

Although the Tesla Cybertruck has been lambasted for its shorter range when towing heavy loads, the electric pickup truck fared quite well in a torturous towing test at altitude that pushed the Ford F-150 Tremor with the 3.5L Ecoboost engine to its thermal limit.

BYD has initiated the delivery process for its luxury electric vehicle, the Yangwang U9. Priced at 1.68 million yuan ($), the U9 has impressive performance specifications, including a top speed of 309.19 km/h (mph) and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 2.36 seconds. The vehicle's interior has sleek carbon fiber accents. To address potential delivery delays, BYD has implemented a points-based compensation system.

Green Navy's Prometeo, first appearing in a June 7 press release, is the first catamaran in Europe to be powered by electro-hydrogen propulsion. This vessel marks a key step towards decarbonizing maritime transport. By combining electric propulsion with hydrogen fuel cells, Prometeo offers zero-emission, silent, and efficient operation. The catamaran is designed for both passenger and cargo transportation and is expected to be commercially available in spring 2025.

The Cybertruck is made of stainless steel and needs specialized products to clean its surface, including to remove the tiny so-called 'rust' spots that sometimes form on it.

Huawei's liquid-cooled supercharging technology performed impressively in extreme temperatures. Rigorous testing in the Turpan region (China), known for its intense heat, showcased the system's ability to maintain low noise levels while achieving high charging efficiency. The technology's advanced cooling system and precise temperature control algorithms are key factors in its success, Huawei claims.

The Trek Slash+ features the same aggressive geometry, high-pivot suspension, and top-notch equipment that makes the regular Slash such an iconic enduro race machine, but packs a quiet, lightweight, 50 Nm motor and 580 Wh battery for hours of pedal assist. Contrary to DJI's new powerful, lightweight eMTB, the Slash+ is meant to still feel like a regular mountain bike but open doors to longer trail days.