E-Mobility

Tesla is releasing the latest FSD Beta v11.4 update to employees and Elon Musk said that the changes are so numerous that it should really be called v12. The FSD Beta v12, however, will be 'end to end AI,' while Tesla is mulling an FSD trial option.

Tesla's investments in Texas just grew with the largest refinery for EV battery-grade lithium in North America. Elon Musk rode the Cybertruck to announce the long-rumored refinery on the Gulf Coast, and said that it will be ready to make lithium for the batteries of one million electric vehicles next year.

Qualcomm has announced that it intends to augment its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology by acquiring the company Autotalks, a company with "expertise" in the same area. The chip-maker intends to enhance its Snapdragon Digital Chassis chips with new safety solutions, which might find buyers such as Volkswagen.

The first Fisker Ocean electric SUV has been delivered just weeks after the company started to ramp up production. Fisker plans to produce over 40,000 units of its Ocean SUV in 2023, just two years after the unique electric vehicle was announced in 2021.

The 33-year-old Adam Michael Fresquez approached the shooter sitting in his Tesla at a full Supercharger station, and was first maced then shot several times after an altercation. Upon leaving the scene in another Tesla, the perpetrator called 911 and turned himself in, but an investigation if the argument was over a charging stall is still ongoing.

Tesla's Gigafactory in Berlin has started production of new Model Y versions, both in terms of battery supplier, and when it comes to the colors the electric SUV is available in. The Midnight Cherry Red Model Y has made a cameo, as is a standard range version with the safer BYD blade LFP battery.

Ford will open up orders for the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck on May 9, 2024. No reservation will be required, and customers can place an order online or at their local Ford dealership with a deposit securing the order. Not all is rosy, though, as Ford has sold out of the 2023 F-150 Pro trim, and dealership allocation is limited.

The specs for the leaked 2024 Mini Cooper Electric have been officially announced, and range numbers for Mini's exciting hot hatch have almost doubled. In contrast to the previous Cooper's 145-mile rating, the 2024 Cooper SE's 248-mile range is very promising.

Whenever the topic of electric vehicles comes up, fledgling automotive brand Tesla is bound to make an appearance. The company has made a name for itself in the last decade or so by delivering practical electric vehicles that many thought impossible. As Tesla grew, though, it made some errors that could easily have spelled disaster for any other car maker.

A new Twitter teaser from Tesla shows the Model S Plaid ripping around a track, reaching speeds in excess of 200 mph. The Model S Plaid launched with a top speed of 163 mph that was later upped to 175 mph via the addition of Track Mode. Previously, Elon Musk revealed that the only way to safely get the Plaid to its originally promised 200 mph limit was with ceramic brakes.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has completed its updated tests on the 2023 Rivian R1S and given the vehicle its Top Safety Pick+ award. It is the only large luxury SUV to receive the award in 2023 so far. The Rivian R1T received the same award earlier this year, as did the Tesla Model Y.

A report from Germany indicates that Giga Berlin will soon start producing Model Y units furnished with batteries from BYD. There have been a number of rumours and leaks indicating that Tesla and BYD were working together to bolster Tesla's supply chain, despite the competitive nature of the automotive industry. Tesla has had notoriously long wait times

April 2023 saw changes to US federal tax incentives for EV buyers. Although it still offers up to US$7,500 in tax credits, there are limitations on weight, MSRP, and country of assembly that dramatically reduced the number of qualifying vehicles. Here are three EVs that qualify for the updated 2023 clean vehicle credits.

Tesla has re-introduced the Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive Model 3 Long Range on the US design page. Changes to the vehicle's rated range and pricing make for a confusing package that makes the Model Y look particularly good.

Fisker just announced a partnership with battery provider Ample that aims to produce Fisker vehicles powered by Ample swappable batteries, starting with business and fleet customers. The partnership aims to deliver its first Ample-powered Fisker Ocean vehicles by the first quarter of 2024. Tesla, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten about battery swapping altogether.

The total battery capacity that EV makers gobbled up globally has reached the whopping 133 GWh in Q1, and BYD is now the second largest battery maker after it widened a lead with Tesla's supplier LG. That's an year-on-year increase of nearly 40% in installed EV battery capacity compared to the same first quarter.

Ford accepted the Tesla EV price war challenge and cut the Mustang Mach-E tag for the second time as it expects US$3 billion in losses this year while it scales up its electric vehicle production. Unlike GM, it will keep the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto infotainment systems support in its vehicles.

SUPER73 has announced that it is working on its first ever motorcycle - however, like its current line of distinctive bikes, this C1X will be electric. The OEM touts it as a ground-breaking project in that it combines the best features of both vehicle types - with fast charging and LED lighting to boot. Its current prototype is backed to lead to a market-ready version in the near future.

Depending on where you live, the Chevrolet Bolt is either the cheapest or one of the cheapest electric vehicles available. Unfortunately, Chevrolet is discontinuing the Bolt and Bolt EUV at the end of 2023, meaning buyers will have to look elsewhere for an EV that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. A look at the competition shows why the US$27,000 Bolt has been such a hit.

J.D. Power recently released the April Automotive Sales Outlook report for the US, revealing a decline in electric vehicle market share between February and March 2023. EV adoption is still up slightly year-over-year, despite an increase in EV hesitancy thanks to a lack of charging infrastructure.

Chinese EV maker NIO has released its April delivery report, which reveals a staggering 31% year-over-year increase in EV deliveries. The company has delivered 37,699 vehicles in 2023, of which 6,658 were in April. During Q1, 2023, Tesla delivered 106,915 vehicles in China alone.

Tesla owners with the new 2023.12.1.1 software update can now answer or mute calls directly from the left scroll wheel, or take in Zoom meetings with video from the interior camera. The scroll wheel actions can now also be customized in all directions from the Controls > Display > Scroll Wheel Function menu in Settings.

Tesla appears to have suspended orders for its Model X and S vehicles in some right-hand-drive markets, with no indication of when availability will return. The auto maker has not made any public statements about why orders are suspended, but speculation suggests that recent price cuts are to blame.

The grip over battery raw materials and supply chain that China has results in 20% cost advantage before other efficient EV makers like Tesla, according to NIO's chief. He confirmed that NIO may launch its rumored Firefly mass market EV globally next year.

While the average Texan pays US$71 in annual gas taxes, electric vehicle owners in the Lone Star state will have to shell out US$200 per year if a Texas House bill is ratified by Governor Abbott. This record annual EV levy may be a harbinger of things to come for electric cars that have been exempt from road taxes despite their heavier weight.

Tesla's main competitor BYD reported 400% rise in profits compared to the same quarter last year and a gross margin very near to what Tesla reported for Q1. It just released its first mass market electric vehicle, the US$14,000 BYD Seagull that can go for more than 200 miles on a charge.

Daimler Truck North America, BlackRock and NextEra Energy Resources have partnered to create Greenlane, which will develop a charging network to power electric freight vehicles. The joint venture will invest over US$650 million in charging infrastructure along key freight routes. The network will also feature hydrogen refuelling stations.

The 2023 Kia EV6 is an ode to excess and something of a hit in the electric car community. There are a number of things that make the performance EV stand out in the growing electric SUV segment and make it a surprisingly well-rounded vehicle, especially given its comparatively high US$48,700 price tag.

MG has continued its foray into the EV space with the Comet, a car that aims to "keep it real" with a build and specs to match its relatively tiny price-tag. The 2-door vehicle supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but lacks amenities such as fast charging, heated seats or even particularly extensive range.

CrossCheck When Tesla announced the CyberTruck all those years ago, it set off an electric pickup revolution. Unfortunately, the US EV maker lost its early-mover advantage by postponing the actual production launch by almost five years. The projected 2023 launch means Tesla will have to compete against the likes of the Ford-F150 — currently the most popular electric pickup truck available.

Tesla's Automatic Emergency Braking safety system will be working at much greater speeds up to 200 km/h (about 125 miles per hour) with the newest 2023.12.1 update that also brought a much needed fix for the windshield wiper speed. Not only that, but Tesla will also let AEB control the brakes while driving in reverse, too.

The same electric vehicle with solid-state battery would weigh below the threshold for mechanical parking ban, according to Samsung's solid-state battery development team in a new presentation. While weight and safety are the biggest advantages, production costs are a major concern for now.

Toyota's future electric vehicles could use batteries from Tesla supplier LG, including cylindrical 4680-style ones. LG will form a joint venture over a 20 GWh battery factory in the US to serve Toyota's big vehicle electrification push, and make its EVs eligible for federal subsidies.

Tesla vehicle prices on the second-hand market are no longer in the freefall caused by Elon Musk's incessant cutting strategy and the federal tax credit bonanza. Model 3 and Model Y prices on the used car market have now stabilized, and they have ultimately dropped less than the tags of luxury automakers like Lexus or Mercedes.

There's a lot to love about electric vehicles, but some manufacturers seem to have taken the EV revolution as an opportunity to turn up the dial on some of the automotive industry's worst ideas. From misleading marketing and proprietary technology, to potentially dangerous in-vehicle distractions, there are a number of things that should probably be addressed.

Garmin has introduced the Varia eRTL615 as its first rear-view radar specifically designed for e-bikes. It can detect vehicles as far away as 150 yards (or 140 meters (m)), to alert the rider in a number of ways, smartphone alerts included. The latest Varia-series device also integrates a tail-light with four different lighting patterns, and plugs directly into a compatible bike for battery-independent power.

Electric vehicles have clearly boomed in popularity in the past few years, with many new companies and most established marques fighting to get a slice of the pie. With the market maturing, it seems more and more like EVs are the right choice for most car shoppers in 2023.

"Greater efficiency than a Prius, performance of a Porsche" is the tagline for Tesla's electric vehicles, and the bestselling Model Y has now become cheaper than the average new vehicle in the US even before the federal tax credits. Tesla also touts its efficiency, saying that the Model Y can go for the record 4 miles per kWh of battery capacity.

37 EV models, some of which are the most popular electric vehicles in the world's largest car market, will gain access to Tesla's Supercharger network, much to the chagrin of current Tesla EV owners in China. Electric vehicles from Tesla's frenemy BYD, as well as NIO, XPeng, Polestar, and others, will be able to top up at Tesla Superchargers.

CrossCheck Not everyone will be cross-shopping the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 6, but the similarity in names makes it easy to think they're similar vehicles. The Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 are both built on the same platform, but there are three vital differences that might make you choose one over the other.

Tesla has fixed one of the most annoying issues about its bestselling Model Y and Model 3 EVs - the erratic windshield wiper behavior in automatic mode - by introducing good ol' physical wiper control. Its new software update finally lets drivers use button and scroll wheel to control the Model 3 and Model Y wiper speed.

ENGWE has discounted its new P26 e-bike in the US, UK and EU. You can save up to US$350 on the commuter model, with deals at the ENGWE store and Amazon. While the EU variant has a 250W motor for a top assistance speed of 16 mph (~25 kph), the US variant has an 800W engine delivering speeds up to 28 mph (~45 kph).

A power cell that can reportedly last for the lifespan of an 18-wheeler has been announced by the battery innovators from Northvolt. Created in cooperation with Scania trucks, the cell could eventually last 1.5 million kilometers before degradation sets in, or the life cycle of the big rig itself, replacing diesel as a fuel in the process.

Off-road motorcycles are almost a perfect application for electric bikes — precise throttle control, simplicity, and buckets of torque are boons on the trail, and the range demands aren't as high as road bikes. Yet, electric motorcycles aren't nearly as popular as electric cars. That said, here are some of the best electric options in the off-road world.

In a court ruling that sets a precedence for other car crashes with active Tesla Autopilot in the defendant's corner, the driver-assist feature has been cleared of any wrongdoing. Driver negligence was deemed the cause of the crash, and the jurors were adamant that the Model S gave plenty of indications it is not a self-driving car.

The Tesla Model 3 is one of the company's most popular cars, but there are still plenty of issues with the vehicle. Common owner complaints include build quality issues and ridiculously long repair wait times. Not to mention the company's controversial CEO, anti-right-to-repair policies, or the many recalls that Tesla has had to issue over the years. Fortunately you don't have to buy a Tesla to enjoy electrification.

The first electric cars with sodium-ion battery from CATL will be made by Chery, as BYD also readies its own Na-ion cells for mass production this year, probably in the Seagull. The cheap and safe sodium-ion batteries offer much longer lifespan but also lower energy density than lithium batteries.

Segway is now selling the KickScooter GT2P in the EU. The electric scooter has 1WD or 2WD options, producing a top speed of 70 kph (~43 mph) and a 0 to 48 kph (~30 mph) time of under four seconds. You can travel up to 90 km (~56 miles) on a single charge and control various settings via an app.

Yadea asserts that its ElitePrime is the best alternative to sitting in traffic with a motor estimated to be 140% stronger, and a battery capacity 23% greater, than the "average" electric scooter. Accordingly, it is hyped to go further and possibly faster, even 30-degree hills, compared to its rivals on the market. It has been released to Indiegogo at early-bird prices that might be a significant discount on its eventual retail price.

Falling lithium prices may translate into lower Cybertruck price when it launches in September indeed. Tesla confirmed it will decrease the production cost of the Cybertruck's 4680 battery by building its own lithium refinery on the Gulf Coast, as well as its own cathode facility at Giga Austin.