E-Mobility

By the time Tesla's Cybertruck launches, it may have a veritable onslaught of competition in the electric pickup category and not only by Ford or Rivian. Toyota just teased its first fully electric pickup truck, too, the Hilux Revo BEV.

Vehicles equipped with the affordable LFP batteries of the type Tesla uses in its standard range Model Y and Model 3 will be able to cover 500 miles on a charge with Svolt's new Dragon Armor battery packs. Employing cell-to-chassis technology, the packs are also much safer than traditional EV batteries.

The base Ford F-150 Lightning model now starts from US$56,000, in a second round of price increases for the last three months or so. Meanwhile, Tesla is offering a Model Y and Model 3 price discounts for cars in existing inventory sitting in its European warehouses.

Tesla's new 'automotive grade' in-car SSD does what other durable 1TB solid-state drives can do, but for the whopping price of US$350 when it launches in February. On the other hand, Tesla cut its home charging station prices both in its online store and over at Best Buy where the home charger recently went on sale, too.

The Tesla Model Y and Model X seem to be the best bet for the least amount of electric vehicle range drop in cold weather, study finds. The Model 3 is not too shabby, either, why for some like the Ford Mustang Mach-E the winter weather battery range drop could reach double what Tesla's electric SUVs manage.

Tesla's long-awaited 1MW+ Semi long-haul truck Megacharger stations are starting to pop up at more locations where Semis are being delivered to commercial customers. Those factory-installed Megachargers are seemingly drawing grid electricity still, though, a long way from the solar charging independence vision of Tesla.

Just when Sony and Honda announced they are partnering to bring the PlayStation 5 gaming and entertainment experience to their future electric cars, Tesla now made good on the promise to launch Steam in its vehicles. Well, in recent Model S and Model X units, at least.

STMicroelectronics has announced that the Hyundai Motor Group will use its silicon-carbide power module in various EVs. The Kia EV6 has been officially named as a model set to receive the new part, which could increase the range by up to 5%. The Hyundai Ioniq 5, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Genesis GV60 might also get the new module.

Stellantis may be going big on microtransactions to unlock various features that come standard on its future electric cars, as it tries to recoup some of the increased costs of EV making. Illinois State Senators are scrambling to save the Belvidere plant that Stellantis said will close due to the expenses involved in EV production.

"Plaintiff purchased a second Tesla Model 3, relying on advertisement from the company that all Tesla 3 models come with all the necessary hardware for self-driving," argued the judge, and awarded him a free FSD computer upgrade. Tesla also has to compensate the plaintiff for unwarranted upgrade that lost AM radio functionality.

Cowboy has announced the relaunch of its Circular bike refurbishment scheme. The company sells reconditioned models that have been returned or used for testing. Circular offers up to €500 (~US$527) off models like the Cowboy C4, which has a top assistance speed of 25 kph (~16 mph) and up to 70 km (~43 miles) of range.

Toyota is looking for ways to cut EV production costs and increase their performance in order to catch up with Tesla's profit-per-vehicle that outnumbers it eightfold. Honda, on the other hand, another latecomer to the electric car era, is now becoming CATL's second largest battery customer after Tesla.

MATE Bike has unveiled a new model, the SUV. The electric bicycle has three wheels to help it support larger loads with up to 210 L capacity. The 90 Nm motor can assist you at speeds up to 25 kph (~16 mph), and the battery allows up to 100 km (~62 miles) of assistance range. Plus, you can control the e-bike and view journey information in an accompanying app.

The relatively young American automaker, which made headlines with the good-looking and incredibly efficient Lucid Air, may not come out on top of the EV market according to Elon Musk, who once again reiterated that he does not think the company will stay afloat for much longer.

Rad Power Bikes has revealed the RadTrike 1, the company’s first electric tricycle. The e-trike can handle loads up to 415 lbs (~188 kg) and travel at speeds up to 14 mph (~22.5 kph). The US model will launch early next year with a half-twist throttle; a less powerful pedelec version could launch in Europe in 2024.

Tom Zhu is coming with a group of Chinese production engineers to advise Tesla's newest Giga Texas factory on its capacity expansion quest. The Tesla China CEO who practically lived in the Shanghai Gigafactory for two months during the worst of China's COVID lockdowns there and during the factory capacity retooling, may be anointed by Elon Musk as his successor at Tesla's helm.

Apple Car could have limited Full Self-Driving if the latest report from Bloomberg is accurate. Cupertino’s first EV, which was previously expected to debut in 2025, was thought of as being a completely autonomous vehicle. Moreover, Apple could also delay the car to 2026.

Tesla is looking to introduce radar back to its vehicles at some form, starting this coming January, according to its own filing with the Federal Communications Commission. It's not clear if it will be a LiDAR for the self-driving suite, or one for the cabin, but the filing says it will be a high definition one.

Tesla car buyers are often getting surprised to discover that the EV maker has removed the parking sensors in its new vehicle batches without providing an alternative first. Tesla does warn that its transition to camera-only autonomous driving and parking assist will take time, but there's yet to be a fix.

Volkswagen has announced a new ID.3 EV concept will be officially unveiled early next year, with the first vehicles scheduled for release in Q4. The electric car will have a larger 12-in (~30.5 cm) infotainment display and more boot space. Software improvements will boost performance, and OTA updates for the ID.3 will be available.

The Toyota bZ Compact SUV Concept has been revealed at an event in Europe. The BEV is smaller than the bZ4X, the first model released from the Beyond Zero series. The C-SUV features a large infotainment system and an octagonal steering wheel. Toyota confirmed that the concept would be one of six cars in the bZ lineup by 2026.

Tesla’s redesigned Model 3, scheduled to appear in the summer of 2023, could be hiding in plain sight, as a previously unseen version was spotted in a Californian parking lot. The car was heavily camouflaged, as can be expected from an engineering prototype.

With a lower suspension setting and other more or less discreet visual changes, AC Schnitzer has transformed the BMW i4 into an attractive patrol car for the German police. However, the customized concept car will not be able to outperform the production model of the sporty electric sedan from Bavaria.

Scott has launched the new Lumen eRide Bike series. The bicycles have a 50 Nm motor and come as standard with a 360 Wh battery stored in the downtube. The range-topping model, the Scott Lumen eRide 900 SL bike, has an SRAM derailleur with a wireless electronic shift system and weighs just 15.5 kg (~34.2 lbs).

The first factory for sodium-ion batteries has started production with an initial 1 GWh capacity that is scheduled to increase from 3 GWh to 5 GWh in 2023. The price of lithium has shot up seven times in the past two years, making batteries with more affordable raw materials a viable alternative.

Winora has revealed the Yucatan X12 Pro trekking e-bike. The bicycle has a 750 Wh InTube battery and 250 W Yamaha motor, delivering up to 85 Nm of torque. Fat Schwalbe tires and a RockShox fork provide a comfortable ride, and a built-in rear rack helps you to transport luggage.

An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is now live for the BUXUS Eva, a motorcycle-style e-bike. The bicycle has a top speed of 30 mph (~48 kph) and provides pedal assistance for up to 64 miles (~103 km) on a single charge. Plus, you can use an eSIM to enable features like keyless entry.

Instead of waiting for the Inflation Reduction Act's new EV purchase subsidies to kick in, Tesla is offering those on the sidelines a US$3,750 'credit' towards a December delivery of a Model 3 or Model Y. Granted, Tesla resorted to hidden incentives before a direct price cut in China, but in the US that may not be the case.

Future owners of Tesla's Cybertruck electric pickup will feel like drivers of its Semi that has a Megacharger system on board allowing Megawatt-class charging input. The Cybertruck will be able to top up quickly at Tesla's new V4 Superchargers with liquid-cooled cables that support 1000V charging as they become available in 2023.

The final Cybertruck version will actually be smaller than what's been shown so far in terms of prototypes, according to Tesla's head of design Franz von Holzhausen, but apparently not by much. He clarified in an interview that the utilitarian shape of the Cybertruck was borne out of the choice of steel as the body material.

LG has a chance to wiggle into the Apple Car supply chain next year as it is pivoting to the production of EV charging stations, cables, and connectors. LG has been retooling its former phone factory for the task, while it is already the world's second largest EV battery maker as it supplies cells to Tesla and many others.

Tesla keeps expanding the availability of the North American Charging Standard that it recently created by open-sourcing its proprietary EV charging system. Both the US$400 Tesla Wall Connector and the more universal US$550 J1772 Wall Connector are now available at Best Buy for the first time.

In a double whammy of concerning news about future demand for Tesla vehicles, both their market share and their owners' brand loyalty have started to go down. The share of Tesla owners who expressed satisfaction with their car and will order from the brand again, for instance, went below the industry average for the first time.

The launch of the Tesla Semi somehow coincides with the passing of the new Inflation Reduction Act that includes up to US$40,000 subsidy for commercial electric trucks. The first batch of 15 trucks that is going to Pepsi is part of a US$30 million zero-emission project for its Modesto, California factory, half of which was fronted by the Golden State's taxpayers.

The sleek electric car from the Michigan-based manufacturer is supposed to compete against the extremely successful Tesla Model Y and Model 3, but it has now lost the recommendation of the influential US publication Consumer Reports due to its allegedly lacking reliability.

The Orbea Wild 2023 enduro electric bicycle has been revealed. The various bike models come with either a Bosch CX or Bosch CX-R motor and 625 Wh or 750 Wh batteries. Other customizable elements of the e-bike, which comes with a full suspension system, include the tires and display.

Kellys has unveiled two new e-bike series, the Tygon and Tayen. All models come with a 90 Nm motor and a 725 Wh battery. You can view your speed or step-by-step navigation using a Bluetooth colour display. Plus, you can use the display to turn on your lights or switch between assistance modes.

Dubbed Project Highland, the Model 3 production simplicity push by Elon Musk would cast away many unneeded parts or functions, as well as introduce a new look and redesigned interior. Tesla may model the 2024 revamp of its bestselling sedan after what it did for the Model S, hopefully without the yoke steering.

After suing a driver who claimed Tesla brake failure was behind his multi-vehicle accident and winning, now Tesla can again feel somewhat vindicated as an MG6 owner with a sticker mocking Tesla's brake troubles myth in China was faulted for causing an accident with a Model 3. The funniest part is that the Tesla driver also had a similar sticker sense of humor.

With much lower rolling resistance than its model for gas-powered cars, the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV is the first all-season tire designed to meet the higher torque and weight specifications of electric vehicles. The dedicated EV tire sports a 'carefully optimized blend of polymers,' lower weight, and grooves redesigned for higher cornering loads.

While Pepsi is setting up its Megacharger station to accept its first Tesla Semi batch on December 1, Coca-Cola is already doing deliveries in battery-powered trucks as of today. Renault Trucks previously mocked Elon Musk about the Semi's release promises and now beat Tesla to the long-haul EV game by a week.

Abarth has gone full electric with the latest version of its classic 500e. Nevertheless, the Fiat-owned brand asserts that the new battery-powered 2-door car beats its nearest gas-powered counterpart in certain areas of performance and acceleration. The new 500e is also rated for fast charging, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features and a "Scorpionissima" theme to its design.

Self-driving Volkswagens will become a usual sighting in 2030, according to the carmaker's CEO, as VW is investing a lot in the driving autonomy technology right now. The electric car with all its cameras, sensors and computers will have become the 'biggest data collection device' there is by then.

Weeks or days away from the most significant Tesla autonomous driving software update ever - FSD Beta V11 - Elon Musk made the current version available to anyone in the US and Canada who has paid for it. No pesky Safety Score shenanigans, but those on the 2022.40 update will have to wait for V11 to hit their branch.

Tesla is now looking at more than US$100 billion of potential revenue from its current Cybertruck preorder numbers. Those just surpassed the 1.5 million mark, and Tesla will be delivering its electric pickup with an exoskeleton made of the space-grade cold-rolled steel material also used in SpaceX's Starship exterior.

Tesla said that its electric pickup truck's release has been postponed for 2023, most likely for next summer, and its chief competitor BYD may be prepping an answer to the Cybertruck to be launched around that time, too. BYD's pickup has already been spotted testing in camouflaged mode.

Tesla may be readying another method to effectively cut the Model 3 and Model Y prices in its most productive vehicle market as it currently faces the biggest gap between manufacturing capacity and actual orders in China. While Tesla EV demand is tapering off there, competition is increasing, and subsidies expire by year's end.

Nireeka is currently crowdfunding for its Revenant e-bike on Indiegogo. The bicycle comes with a 250 W motor as standard, which you can upgrade to a 1,000 W model for a 35 mph (~56 kph) top speed and up to 85 Nm of torque. Plus, the bike has built-in ABS, fat tires and a full suspension system.

Tesla has reportedly placed a large order with the Taiwanese chip foundry TSMC for next-gen 4nm/5nm processors that will help bring its Full Self-Driving Beta system to the next level of autonomy. Tesla is the first electric vehicle client of TSMC and immediately went into its top 10 customer list.

The creator of Sony's Aibo robot dog and the PlayStation 3 console will aim to set the Honda-Sony EV joint venture apart by providing support for the PlayStation 5 content platform in its electric vehicles that should hit the US market in 2024. The move is largely targeting Tesla which 'is not providing any content services...'