#evs

Croatian hypercar manufacturer Rimac Automobili has thrown the world a bit of a curveball. The business is reportedly in the middle of a plot to develop robotaxi services for Europe and making some decent headway at that.

Building cars is hard, and it turns out that building electric cars may be even harder. According to number posted by eggheads at tony consulting firm PwC, roughly a third of new vehicles had their launches skewered in 2023 – with EVs not helping matters in the slightest.

It may have been cuter than a first-generation Civic but Honda’s entirely electric supermini didn’t last very long. Introduced in 2020, the Honda e is being pulled from the European market just one year after it was discontinued in its native Japan.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has frequently mentioned his desire to see the region pivot to all-electric buses as quickly as possible. The Golden State already has a couple thousand on hand and leadership has issued a mandate that all newly purchased school buses need to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. However, the plan hasn’t gone over well with rural communities and some are starting to make a lot of noise.

China has reportedly decided to place restrictions on exports of graphite, which could spell trouble for American EV manufacturers. Starting this month, the Chinese government requires permits for certain graphite products being exported. This includes synthetic and natural graphite meeting the necessary thresholds to be used on electric vehicle batteries. 

Despite being pulled from our market in 2019, the Fiat 500e is coming back. Stellantis announced the model’s return in 2022 and has recently shared its specifications and pricing.

The vehicle remains a pint-sized runabout best suited for urban environments and short trips. But it is more useful than its predecessor with the 42-kWh battery pack yielding 149 miles between charges using the EPA’s testing protocols. That’s superior to the Mini Cooper SE and matches the Nissan Leaf S. Though the Fiat has additional tricks up its sleeve by way of faster charging options and liquid-cooled batteries that should (in theory) result in more consistent performance.

Detroit now has a quarter-mile length of roadway with the ability to charge properly equipped electric vehicles as they drive. While similar programs have been pioneered in Europe, Detroit is the first and only city to do so in the United States. Governor Gretchen Whitmer offered her support when the plan was announced in 2021. 

Roughly 4,000 U.S. dealerships are asking President Joe Biden to reconsider proposed federal regulations they’ve alleged would mandate an unrealistic national shift toward battery-electric vehicles consumers simply aren’t buying.

Tesla has revealed the maximum towing capabilities for the long-anticipated Cybertruck by including it in display materials located at some of the brand’s physical locations. As the company lacks a dedicated PR department, the information comes by way of social media accounts and dedicated forums. While this means Tesla hasn’t confirmed the figures, there is sufficient coverage to deem the number plausible. Until the manufacturer says otherwise, Cybertruck will be capable of towing 11,000 pounds.

Ford has said it will restart construction on the electric vehicle battery facility it’s building in Marshall, Michigan, after pausing work when the UAW strike kicked off a couple months ago. But the company has also announced that it would be “re-timing and resizing some investments.”

Despite years of talk that Apple would eventually start building all-electric vehicles, China’s Xiaomi looks to have beaten the American brand to the punch by previewing the first production EV designed by an established consumer technology company. Though designed might be the wrong word to use as the front of the SU7 sedan appears to have been lifted off the McLaren 750 S while the back is pure Porsche Panamera.

BMW has announced it is expanding its ChargeForward incentive program to drivers of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles living in the contiguous United States. The proclamation coincides with the launch of the brand’s all-electric i5 and is supposed to incentivize customers into “aligning their vehicle charging with times when renewable energy is highest on the grid.”

That’s progressive-corporate speak for charging vehicles when the demand for electricity is lower to ensure less energy is wasted. One of the biggest obstacles presented by EVs is that widespread usage would result in explosive energy demand many electrical grids may not be able to accommodate. BMW believes this can be mitigated with ChargeForward by ensuring user charging times are carefully monitored and scheduled. 

A recent opinion survey has attempted to break down the public interest in all-electric vehicles based on key demographics. While the results were largely predictable, there were some novel takeaways that could be of interest to automakers hoping to market the vehicles. The data also shows how trends may be shifting, with the prognosis being less than ideal for EVs.

The Toyota FT-Se Concept that debuted at the Japan Mobility Show recently probably isn’t going to be the MR2 successor everyone has been hoping it would be. But there is reason to believe it actually might evolve into a production model you may someday drive.

Following news that production of the Chevrolet Silverado EV would be delayed, General Motors has announced that the Chevy Equinox EV would likewise be arriving behind schedule.

The postponement was announced as part of GM’s earnings report, with CEO Mary Barra citing improvements the company would like to make to the product as well as some market challenges. Some of that revolves around using the time to better manage capital investment related to EV demand (or lack thereof) while the rest seems to apply to engineering changes that might make the vehicles more profitable.