E-Mobility

The man who designed signature vehicles for Ferrari, Maserati, or BMW, is of the opinion that Tesla's Cybertruck is one of the ugliest vehicles he has ever laid eyes on. He blames the digital transition of design schools and aiming at shock value for some of the current questionable car designs.

New ambient lighting, ventilated seats, and a sound system upgrade may be in store for the Tesla Model 3 Highland refresh that will be released later this year. The car already leaked out with new headlights and taillights, and it will have slightly longer body equipped with HW4 camera set.

After BYD took apart Corollas in days past to see how they are made, it's now Japan's turn to learn about making electric vehicles from China. The largest Japanese publishing house will issue a rather pricey BYD Seal disassembly and surface manual with preface saying that is how the 'future EV leader' does cars.

Cheap sodium-ion batteries without expensive lithium are making industry inroads despite the falling prices of lithium carbonate. The electric vehicle battery spinoff of the world's second largest EV maker BYD will build its first factory for mass production of the novel sodium-ion chemistry.

Tesla electric vehicles proved to be some of the most efficient in terms of power draw again, regardless of the weather outside. The Model S managed to notch just a 20% range drop from freezing temps in the winter to the EV-perfect weather test.

Despite scoring both Ford and GM as adopters of its open-source North American Charging Standard, Tesla will still have to ensure CCS support at its Supercharger stations if it wants federal money. The nationwide EV charging network that the government is building has a US$7.5 billion budget.

Perhaps Alfa Romeo wasn't on the internet for the Boaty McBoatface incident of the mid-2010s, or maybe it was, and it's looking for some extra-spicy free publicity. The Italian car-maker posted a teaser for its upcoming compact electric vehicle online and asked the audience to suggest a name for its new vehicle. Speculation points to the Jeep Avenger as a platform partner for the as-yet-unnamed Alfa Romeo EV.

All automakers only have a 3-5 years window to figure out electric vehicles and make it on the other side unscathed during the transition, according to Tesla's biggest competitor. For BYD, the hard part is over and it only sees growth on the horizon, while its CEO says full self-driving will never happen.

There is a new electric vehicle sales runner-up after the leader China, and it is the United States which surpassed Germany to become the world's second biggest EV market. China still holds the lion's share of sales with 56% of the total, but the US is growing at a much faster pace.

Just a few days after Ford announced that it would be adopting Tesla's North American Charger Standard (NACS), General Motors has joined the blue oval, revealing that it will soon start replacing CCS ports with NACS hardware. Ford's adoption of the standard drew some scrutiny from industry players, but this move by GM is likely to put pressure on other EV makers to do the same.

After seeing the Model 3 Highland redesign in black and white colors under the test mule camouflage, now it's time for the blue version to show up. It has been spotted under cover again, but with different wheels than what has appeared on the Highland so far.

Just, as previously rumored, Tesla's Gigafactory in Mexico may start production of its cheapest Model 2 in July or August of 2024. That's the timeframe Tesla is pushing its Chinese component suppliers for while they expand to Mexico, in order to qualify the EVs made there for federal subsidies.

Zero Motorcycles has announced that it will extend its Go Electric Incentive until July 15. As part of the promotion, which aims to fill the gap left by the lack of federal tax incentives to promote electric motorcycle adoption, Zero Motorcycle customers get up to US$4,500 cash back or a significantly more affordable financing deal.

After months of teasing, Volvo has finally taken the wraps off its EX30, revealing an affordable electric compact crossover SUV that's barely larger than a VW Golf and packs a wallop off the line. An attractive starting price and startling 0–60 times are sure to make Volvo's smallest SUV to date a particularly attractive buy for a fair few prospective EV buyers.

The redesigned 'Highland' Model 3 will not only come with larger body and new, more aggressive looking headlights, but the turn signals and the tail lights have been reworked, too. Moreover, the new FSD Hardware 4.0 camera kit has also been confirmed in spy shots of the sides.

A member of the Rivian subreddit posted an image on Reddit of the burnt-out husk of an R1T after it seemingly mysteriously caught fire at an Electrify America charging station in Mill Valley, California. Rivian has responded to the incident, stating that the company is looking into what may have caused the fire, but it denies that the source of the fire was the high-voltage battery pack.

A Norwegian automotive outlet has put 32 electric vehicles through a real-world range test in good weather, covering a range of driving scenarios, from coastal to mountain driving to highlands highways. While Tesla's Model S Long Range AWD had the longest legs, the test becomes far more interesting when you compare WLTP range to the real-world results.

Tesla has issued a recall for its Model Y steering wheel to address potentially loose steering wheel assembly bolts. This isn't the first time Tesla has had issues with the steering assembly. An instance of the steering wheel detaching almost immediately after delivery went viral on Twitter a few months prior, launching an NHTSA investigation. This latest recall is, however, unrelated to the viral posts that sparked the NHTSA investigation — this time, the retention hardware is there, it's just not torqued to spec.

E for Electric on YouTube has released a two-year experience owning a Volkswagen ID.4, explaining that, although there are a number of truly beneficial aspects of the electric SUV, some of the drawbacks are untenable. After having owned the ID.4 for two years, these persistent issues ultimately led him to sell the car, and the industry move towards the software-defined vehicle means that these types of glitches are only going to become more common.

Tesla has managed to hit the 40% minimum of critical battery minerals threshold so that even the cheapest Model 3 now qualifies for the full $7,500 amount of Biden's new EV tax credits. While Elon Musk claimed so over the weekend, the US government just made the RWD Model 3 eligibility official.

Research seems to suggest that, although federal EV tax incentives and lower cost of ownership are attracting buyers to the electric vehicle market, many EV owners only buying an additional electric vehicle instead of replacing an ICE one. EV charging infrastructure is still seen as a major barrier to entry, despite expanding charger availability and a tendency for owners to charge at home.

The average selling price of a Tesla car could fall each quarter in the next few years while it keeps its profit margins intact. This is thanks to the generous green energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act that would benefit Tesla and Panasonic the most.

Volkswagen North America CEO Pablo Di Si has issued a shot across the bow, warning against price gouging and excessive dealership markups on its upcoming US-bound ID. Buzz electric minivan set to launch in 2024. The CEO emphasised that the vehicle is an important launch for VW, and that the company cannot afford to drop the ball in this case.

After Ford and Tesla announced a collaborative effort to bring the Tesla's NACS charging hardware to Ford's future electric vehicles, a handful of EV charging providers have made their stances clear. Not everyone is on-board with the NACS port as a universal solution, though. Detractors of Ford's adoption of Tesla's charging standard point to concerns of safety and an industry moving away from truly open standards.

Tesla's CEO hinted that an 'epic sound system' is in store for the Cybertruck and it now becomes clear why and how. The first electric pickup from Tesla may come with not the usual single woofer, but two forward-facing 8" subwoofers tucked under the rear seats.

Owners of used Teslas won't be delighted to hear that the value of their electric cars may drop yet again after Elon Musk returned from China and retweeted that even the cheapest Model 3 will now qualify for full subsidy. It was only eligible for US$3,750 in tax credits so far, while next it may get the full US$7,500 amount.

Hyundai has reported a record number of battery electric vehicle sales in May, with the Ioniq 5 seeing a 28% increase in monthly sales compared to last year, outpacing the rest of Hyundai's line-up that saw an average 20% increase in sales. The new Hyundai Ioniq 6 fell behind the Ioniq 5 considerably, reinforcing the US penchant for SUVs over sedans.

Xiaomi is rolling out its powerful Electric Scooter 4 Ultra across Europe. The new model has a 940W peak power motor delivering a top speed of 25 kph (~16 mph). The folding e-scooter has a 70 km (~43 miles) range and features like E-ABS braking and journey tracking via the Xiaomi app.

Volkswagen has officially unleashed its all-electric minibus on the North American market with the announcement of its "long wheelbase" (or LWB) variant. This version of the ID. Buzz also has a heat pump to go with its enlarged battery and extra cubic capacity. It also has an increased top speed thanks to a more powerful electric drive motor - especially in its forthcoming GTX model.

Tesla has issued the next Service Bulletin for fixing the water ingress issue with the Model Y liftgate and this time it is planning to use a different sealant. Owners who see water accumulating on the trunk seals should take it to a service shop for liftgate lamp gasket replacement or call Tesla's Mobile Service rangers.

The Fisker Ocean Extreme all-electric SUV has just received its EPA range estimate, achieving a rating of 360 miles in the EPA's testing. Not only does the Ocean Extreme edge out the Tesla Model Y by a fair bit, it also achieves the best EPA rating of any electric SUV with a price tag of less than US$200,000. Examining the Ocean Extreme's battery capacity provides a bit more context about the comparison, though.

In addition to a brand-new app for the infotainment system of the good-looking Polestar 2, the electric hatchback from Sweden gets a few welcome changes that mainly affect iPhone users. Most importantly, the free software update optimizes the range assistant whose algorithm should now offer more precise predictions.

Fiat has announced that it is reviving one of its most legendary pieces of branding in a new all-electric vehicle (EV). Then again, the new Topolino is not so much a car as it is a quadricycle. It is, as such, pitched at the extreme budget end of the EV market, and is now hyped as so metropolitan, sustainable and stripped-back that even its doors are optional.

Decathlon has unveiled the Magic Bike 2, a concept e-bike. The electric bicycle is highly adaptable, with front and rear racks, which you can use to secure a child seat; alternatively, a child can be seated in a detachable trailer. Plus, an extender battery improves your range, with Magic Mode smartly adapting assistance, ensuring you don't run out of charge.

The Tesla Model 3 'Highland' refresh will reportedly be shown by Elon Musk tomorrow during his visit to the Gigafactory in Shanghai. Tesla's CEO will use the Chinese trip to unveil the Highland version as the Model 3 prices in the US get slashed for cars that are in stock.

Presenting at an investor conference, Ford CEO, Jim Farley, predicted that electric vehicle prices will decrease in the coming years. Price drops are likely only coming in the first half of the 2030s, and they're probably going to be as a result of increased automation instead of improved parts availability.

Decathlon has launched its Riverside 520 E all-terrain e-bike in Europe. With a 250W motor and 500Wh battery, you can achieve a top assistance speed of 25 kph (~16 mph) and travel for up to 100 km (~62 miles) between charges. Other features include a backlit display, hydraulic disc brakes and an integrated torque sensor.

In the three days after opening pre-orders for the electric SUV, NIO received a reported 30,000 pre-orders at its Chinese dealerships. For comparison, Tesla has sold an average of just over 30,000 Model Y electric SUVs in early 2023. Pre-orderers have until July 31, 2023 to confirm their orders.

Tesla has started notifying some of its customers that their newly bought cars will be delivered with less than 50% charge 'due to a new industry policy.' As it started transporting more vehicles by sea, Tesla may now have to comply with maritime EV shipping regulations for 20%-50% maximum charge on board.

In a move that could result in a lot of lives saved and coffee spilled, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed that a feature similar to Tesla's Automatic Emergency Braking be mandatory for all new cars or trucks. The NHTSA has estimated that this would prevent at least 360 deaths a year.

Volkswagen's newly-revived rugged, off-road SUV and truck brand, Scout Motors, recently announced that it has recruited Chris Benjamin, who has been responsible for the design teams behind many modern Jeep and RAM designs over the years. This is a big move for Scout Motors, and it couldn't have come cheap, indicating VW is serious about the spin-off and its electric future.

Professional driver Misha Charoudin has put the Tesla Model S Plaid through its paces on the Nürburgring and found the car lacking. Charoudin dubbed Tesla's sports car "Dangerously fast and unstable," on account of its incredible power output paired with less-than-adequate suspension and braking hardware. The very nature of an electric vehicle drivetrain means these criticisms are likely applicable to many performance EVs currently on the market.

Rivian has tanked the Tank Turn feature that was slated to come to the Rivian R1T. The feature, which would allow drivers to spin the wheels on opposite sides of the electric vehicle in opposite directions to turn the vehicle on the spot, was pitched as a boon for off-roading. The eco-friendly reason for the feature's cancellation has stirred up some criticism related to the weight of the Rivian.

The ingenious tinkerers from the US have dismantled the majority of the Tesla Model 3 Performance's body, which resulted in a much lighter electric vehicle whose acceleration from 0 to 60 mph is quite a bit closer to the way more expensive and lightning-quick Tesla Model S Plaid.

Tesla has now let us have a glimpse of its first electric pickup with two steering wheel options in a short period of time. The Cybertruck may be available both with a regular round steering wheel, as spotted on what was likely a prototype, and with a hybrid uninterrupted yoke wheel of sorts.

Kia has relaunched its Light trim of the EV6 crossover as a cheaper alternative. The version, which had previously been discontinued, has a 58 kWh battery for a reduced range. According to Kia, only a limited number of the EV6 Light will be available in its Western US region for now.

An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign has been launched for the Nireeka Mega e-mountain bike. The bicycle has a top speed of 38 mph (~61 kph) thanks to a 1500 W Bafang motor and up to 52 miles (~84 km) of range. Other features include a full suspension system, fat tires and smart taillights.

Decathlon has launched the 2023 Rockrider E-EXPL 500 S and 520 S electric mountain bikes in the EU. The new models feature a 500 Wh battery providing up to 64 km (~40 miles) of assistance range, with BROSE DRIVE mid-mounted motors delivering a top assistance speed of 25 kph (~16 mph).

The Gboost V8 2023 e-bike conversion kit is now on sale. The motor is available with up to 800W power for a top speed of 32 kph (~20 mph). Multiple power packs are on offer, providing up to 90 km (~56 miles) of assistance range, and a new smart controller brings Bluetooth smartphone connectivity to your bicycle.

Volvo has announced that it will introduce its "smallest ever SUV" in mid-2023. The EX30 is tipped to launch as an all-electric vehicle with a range of up to 298 miles, albeit with a smaller battery than that of the XC40. Nevertheless, it is also touted to deliver perks such as advanced safety in a "more enjoyable" package.