E-Mobility

DiDi Global is one of the best-known sources of ride-hailing on Chinese streets. Now, it has announced its intention to give its service a next-gen overhaul by putting its own self-driving taxi on those roads in the near future. The vehicle's current concept integrates a lot of LiDAR, radar and cameras to deliver its autonomous functions.

In the final stage of testing before the Cybertruck launch in the summer, Tesla is going down to the minute details such as the performance of the giant single windshield wiper. The wiping monstrosity has been caught on video in a spray test against what looks like a small wind tunnel.

The rumored "Project Highland" Tesla Model 3 mid-cycle refresh test mule has been snapped uncovered, at least at the front. There are new more elegant headlights and some fresh body curves of what will reportedly be the cheapest for Tesla to produce Model 3.

From the EV company first to use CATL's 4680-beating Quilin battery pack, now comes a compact luxury SUV innovation called Zeekr X priced from just US$27,600. The first high-end electric crossover is powered by a performance battery and has features like electric rear seats for fitting your pets, face unlocking, and a mini fridge that can maintain subzero temps.

Volkswagen has unveiled the latest drive compatible with its MEB electric vehicle platform. It is rated to enable some next-gen ID family members to launch as rear-wheel drive e-cars with the potential for increased range and efficiency. The APP550 is also touted to deliver "significantly more" power and torque to boot.

The EPA just unveiled the most stringent federal emission standards in history that it says will save owners US$12,000 over the lifetime of a light-duty vehicle in fuel and maintenance costs. The mandates also include an 8-year, 80,000-miles electric car warranty.

An American Trucks-commissioned survey proved that BMW and Subaru have more recognizable logos than Tesla, while most of the respondents liked AI-generated car company art better than the original. Still, Tesla's brand value is now on top of legacy stalwarts like Toyota or Mercedes.

RunDeer will shortly launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the Starry Sky e-bike. The bicycle is powered by a 350 W motor with a 28 mph (~45 kph) top speed, and a Panasonic battery provides up to 62 miles (~100 km) of range. Plus, the bike has a carbon fiber frame and integrated display.

Some of the world's largest battery-grade lithium refineries are ceasing production in the hope that prices will rebound. The tag on a ton of lithium carbonate has seen a huge drop from its November peak with barely a day when the price didn't fall this year, which should translate into cheaper EV batteries.

Half of Americans don't want an electric car as their next vehicle, it turns out, despite the government's attempt to transition them from gas-powered engines in a decade or so. The chief reason is that electric cars are still too expensive, but also the charging infrastructure.

One of the world's top 10 EV battery manufacturers announced a breakthrough in cylindrical battery cell design which greatly increases the energy density of existing performance nickel or cheaper iron batteries. The secret is improving conductivity while the new structure allows for 6C charging speeds, too.

The sales of new electric vehicles in the US should reach 2/3 of the total by 2032 as per new EPA mandate of vehicle emissions. The government is gearing up to announce the new stringent regulation on gas-powered cars this week in order to spearhead EV sales more than tenfold compared to current levels.

'Sometimes size does matter,' said Tesla when announcing that the new V4 Supercharger cables are 'longer so everyone can plug in easily.' The first next-gen Supercharger V4 station of Tesla is now open to all electric vehicle brands and models to peruse at a slightly higher price than Tesla car owners.

The electric car brand Tesla also now sells a wireless charger that purports to rationalize its ultra-premium price through its ability to do what Apple could not with the scrapped AirPower project. The "Cybertruck-inspired" accessory's ODM has achieved this via a fascinating arrangement of coils and more, as revealed during a new online teardown.

Toyota's sales are down 9% in the US as a lot of electric vehicle converts now come from its ubiquitous gas-powered cars. Its new CEO just announced an electrification strategy that will see Toyota introduce 10 new EV models by 2026, including a 3-row SUV in the US, and nearly triple its hybrids' battery-only range.

ASYNC has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the A1 e-bike. The Pro model of the bicycle has a 1920 Wh battery, allowing you to travel up to 150 miles (~241 km) on a single charge. The electric bike has a top speed of 35 mph (~56 kph) and an integrated IPS dashboard with a linked app.

The RWD Tesla Model 3 will only partially lose the tax credit for new electric vehicles after April 17, as it will still get a US$3,750 subsidy deduction despite using CATL's LFP batteries. Furthermore, Tesla will somewhat compensate the loss by slashing the Model 3 price again.

Image data labelers who work for Tesla can pinpoint the location where media was recorded by the EV cameras in a 'massive violation of privacy.' Former Tesla employees also confirmed that images and videos with sensitive car owner items or situations are being shared internally to gain popularity.

Since US drivers commute 41 miles a day on average, the 44 miles of battery-only range that Toyota picked for its new Prius Prime will practically allow the car to serve them as an electric vehicle. The 2023 Prius Prime has a 13 kWh battery pack, 6.6 seconds acceleration, and a gas-engine that consumes just 52 miles a gallon.

The newly announced Master Plan 3 is all about ditching fossil fuels and Tesla claims this would cost less than the expenditures for their extraction in the same period. Tucked in it are Tesla's forecasts for the battery size of 700 million affordable compact electric cars like the upcoming Model 2, but also the eventual Cybertruck battery capacity.

Powered using Valeo Cyclee mid-drive motors coupled with a 7-speed automatic gearbox that features predictive shifting, the Flluid-2 and Flluid-3 e-bikes can reach up to 225/110 miles on a full charge. The first 50 units will sell for US$3999 and US$3699 (Flluid-2 and Flluid-3). Shipments will start in June/July (USA/EU).

Volkswagen has announced that it is nearly ready to unveil its new flagship electric vehicle, the ID.7, to its target markets such as Europe and North America. The marque has revealed more of the sedan's potential advantages and upgrades ahead of its mid-April 2023 "World Premiere". They include the new internals touted to deliver an improved maximum range and charging rate.

Researchers at University of Texas at Austin have managed to crack the code of a solid-state electric vehicle battery without the traditional electrode pair. Their new copper foil coating allows for 95% higher volumetric density than traditional batteries.

Eunorau has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for its Flash e-bike series. The electric bicycle can have a 2,808 Wh battery, providing up to 220 miles (~350 km) assistance range between charges. Other features include fat tires, hydraulic lockout suspension and a 150 Lux headlight.

Production of Tesla's cheapest Model 2 electric vehicle will reportedly be split between North America, Shanghai, and Giga Berlin, with initial preparation for 4 million units. The Model 2 may be similar to Model Y in design, claim insiders, just much smaller, and could cost 150,000 RMB (US$21,800).

Tesla keeps outing Cybertruck-themed merchandise and gadgets. The latest installment in the series comes from China where it revealed that the teased CyberVault is actually a... US$799 home charging service package with Cybertruck design elements.

Most electric vehicles from General Motors, save for the expensive Hummer, will now qualify for the full US$7,500 federal tax credit amount. GM also said that will replace Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in its EVs with Android Automotive and 8 years of free Google Maps and Assistant.

Hyundai and Lexus may now qualify, though, as the Treasury Department finally released the EV battery tax credit eligibility requirements that will be used to determine which electric car will get government subsidy. The guidelines reiterate the original battery material sourcing and component points, and the base Tesla Model 3 will only qualify until April 18.

Tesla's beer conforms to the 500-years old German brew law and the bottles have glow-in-the-dark design with a Giga logo. Tesla says the sleeves' design is reminiscent of the Cybertruck's streamlined body, while the taste of the lager beers in the gift pack comes from an exclusive strain of Cyberhops.

The White House's new EV and battery subsidies may cost taxpayers $575 billion more than budgeted as eligible models and factory plans proliferate. The latest example is Tesla probing the White House to build Texas cell factory together with China's CATL in order to keep the tax credit for the base Model 3 and Model Y .

The 4680 battery packs that Tesla now places in its Model Y are only halfway to the stated goal of a 50% cost reduction compared to conventional batteries. Tesla is yet to master mass dry electrode production to hit the full 4680 cell potential, and it has now hired a solid-state battery specialist dedicated to the issue.

NIO plans to build a thousand new electric car battery swap stations this year, of which more than 900 will be of its latest third generation. The newest battery swap station model allows to change a depleted battery with a freshly charged one in 2 minutes and 30 seconds now.

With a total weight of just 33.7 lbs, the electric MTB from Germany has a full suspension and should be a joy to ride. Unfortunately, prospective buyers of the Rotwild R.X275 Pro or Ultra should also be mentally prepared for the five-figure price tag of these high-end e-bikes.

The unofficial render image depicts a quite attractive electric SUV, whose subcompact dimensions should also be suitable for city driving. However, Volkswagen's electric crossover probably won't be as affordable as the actual counterpart to the Tesla Model 2, the regular VW ID.2.

New details about the Kia EV9 have been announced. The electric SUV has a WLTP-certified range of up to 541 km (~336 miles) and can gain up to 239 km (~149 miles) of range in 15 minutes with 800V charging. The AWD dual motor model delivers up to 600 Nm torque and can accelerate to 100 kph (~60 mph) in 6.0 seconds.

Most electric cars lose less than 20 miles of range on a charge by the time they hit the typical 100,000 miles warranty mark, according to a new study of long-term battery health. This non-linear battery degradation and the fact that non-recall replacements are only 1.5% demonstrate that fears to buy a used electric car may be unfounded.

Teslas with made-in-Japan batteries may qualify for tax credit as US signs pilot EV agreement over critical minerals. Both countries won't levy export taxes on battery materials and Japanese electric cars may now qualify for the IRA's new EV subsidies, too.

Fiido has introduced its latest e-bike as a 'city' model that comes in either step-through or step-over frame types. They are called the C21 Pro and C22 Pro respectively, and come with the same 250W rear hub motor and torque sensor. They are also both rated for top speeds of 32 kilometers per hour (km/h, or 19.9mph) and ranges of up to 80km, and come with early-bird offers such as US$200 off their RRP and a free smartwatch that unlocks its paired bike automatically.

The M3P technology replaces the iron in the base Model 3's LFP battery with a combination of manganese and other metals to offer higher energy density at a comparable price. CATL has also started production of its 4680-style cells that offer better longevity and higher density than what's in the Model Y.

New financial analysis claims that the government may have lowballed the 10-year cost of the green energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act by a factor of three. Not only could the electric car tax credits be US$379 billion more than planned, but the battery production subsidies would pile US$196 billion more than the advertised spending.

LG confirmed a launch date for the mass production of its own LFP batteries like the ones used in the standard range Model 3 and Model Y which are supplied by China's CATL. It also said it will finalize a battery agreement with Tesla this year, as well as start a partnership with Toyota over EV cells.

Lucid may have new EV models in its pipeline as it is gearing up to order new dual-stack OLED display size from LG. Samsung's Chairman is also meeting with Lucid on the sidelines of a South Korea-US business meeting to discuss cylindrical battery supply for its electric vehicles.

The current placement and low-light camera abilities on Tesla cars may be preventing its new Park Assist update from performing on par with the same feature on older Teslas with ultrasonic sensors. Tesla removed those to save costs, but the wider camera-only parking assistance update unearthed visibility challenges.

Due to a pretty unhealthy noise, the all-electric Mercedes G-Class had to discontinue its test drive and was consequently examined by Mercedes engineers after a considerate Land Rover driver was not able to help the stranded EQG prototype

Ford unveiled a new financial reporting strategy that separates its legacy Ford Blue automotive business from the Model E EV and batteries division. Ford lost more than US$2 billion on electric cars last year, but the loss was offset by $10 billion in profits from legacy vehicles.

The Treasury Department has to issue its final guidance on the made-in-America new EV tax credit requirements by the end of March, and Tesla warns that the Model 3 may no longer qualify then. Used Model 3 car prices may stop the slump caused by their record drop in the past six months.

The 2024 Model 3 refresh that Tesla is releasing later this year will bring new looks at the front with headlights and bumper shape overhaul. The so-called Project Highland will do away with the temperature sensor to save costs, but add 3 extra FSD cameras, including one in the front bumper.

Tesla's driver assist Autopilot system was not engaged at the time of a fatal Model S crash that killed all three occupants of the electric vehicle, investigators found. According to data from the onboard computer, the driver had the control of the vehicle as they crashed into construction equipment.

Teslas are the most expensive EVs and the second priciest car brand to insure with only the maker of Dodge Charger commanding higher premiums. It costs 74% more to insure a Tesla than the US national average since insurers often write the whole EV off as damaged rather than deal with impossible battery repairs.

The Tesla-induced EV price war has put other electric car makers in a bind as their production costs are higher than Tesla's. The softening demand, however, resulted in an accelerating drop in lithium prices which would help bring gross margins relief to every EV manufacturer, including Tesla that doesn't need it.