A former Tesla manager who ran the company’s “Full Self-Driving” test fleet in Houston says the operation was so understaffed that its cars became “rolling hazards on public streets,” according to a lawsuit. Read more…
Author: electrek.co
Vermont’s largest energy source is now a virtual power plant
Green Mountain Power’s virtual power plant (VPP) – the state’s largest energy source – cut an estimated $6 million from all customers’ peak electricity costs during Vermont’s early July heat wave. Read more…
BYD launches the ‘world’s first’ SDV kei EV, starting at just $13,000
The Racco went on sale as the “world’s first SDV-based” light EV, BYD said, with a low starting price of around $13,000. Read more…
Tesla buys 90% of a 509 MW Arizona solar and storage project
Tesla has signed a long-term deal to buy 90% of the output of Project Sterling, a big solar and battery plant going up in Arizona. Read more…
BMW ramps up iX3 output as orders near 100,000
The new BMW iX3 has already received nearly 100,000 orders. Now, BMW is ramping up production at a record pace to meet the strong demand. Read more…
Volkswagen launches the cheaper ID. Polo EV after securing 25,000 orders in weeks
Volkswagen opened pre-orders for the ID. Polo with the smaller 37 kWh battery, starting at under $30,000. The lower-priced model arrives after Volkswagen’s new EV received 25,000 orders weeks after it went on sale. Read more…
E-quipment highlight: SANY SKT145Ei cabless, autonomous haul truck [video]
It’s not just capable of driverless operation, the SANY SKT145Ei doesn’t even have a place for the driver to sit! The company’s latest all-electric heavy haul truck ditches the driver’s cab in favor of a millimeter-wave radar-guided sensor suite on a purpose-built architecture that hints at the future of zero emission mining. Read more…
Tesla sues Cybertruck supplier amid standoff keeping production hostage
Tesla is asking a federal judge for emergency access to a supplier’s plant in Troy, Texas, so it can haul out the tooling it needs to keep building the Cybertruck. Read more…
Tesla buys the entire output of a new 140 MW Texas solar farm
Tesla has signed a long-term power purchase agreement to buy the entire output of a 140-MWac solar farm being built in northeast Texas. Read more…
Yamaha is preparing to launch another electric scooter, design filings show
Yamaha may not have found runaway success with its previous electric scooters, but new design filings suggest the company isn’t giving up on battery-powered two-wheelers just yet. Read more…
BMW is finally making the electric convertible we’ve been waiting for
BMW is planning an all-electric i4 Convertible for 2028, according to a new report from BMWBLOG citing sources close to the automaker. Read more…
Forget what you read on Facebook: 94% of EV drivers won’t go back to gas
On today’s episode of Quick Charge, the audio is sketchy but the math is absolutely rock solid with 94% of current EV owners saying they’ll NEVER go back to driving an antiquated gas guzzler. CDK’s David Thomas walks us through the findings. Read more…
BYD’s new flagship EV breaks cover for the first time with over 1,000 km of range [Video]
BYD confirmed its new flagship electric sedan will offer a range of 1,008 km on a single charge. Ahead of its official debut next month, the new EV was spotted in public for the first time. Read more…
Meta is backing 10 gas plants to power data centers – and just quit a global renewables pledge
Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has quit RE100, the global corporate initiative whose members commit to using 100% renewable electricity. That’s because Meta is bankrolling a fleet of new gas-fired power plants to fuel its expanding AI data centers. Read more…
Kia’s next electric van is hard to miss on the road [Video]
The PV5 has turned into a bigger hit than even Kia expected. Now Kia’s next electric van, the PV7, is almost ready to make its “big” debut. Read more…
E-bike bans in schools highlight the growing debate over freedom vs. safety
Across the US, school districts are increasingly finding themselves caught in the middle of an uncomfortable question: Should they embrace e-bikes and e-scooters as tools that give students greater transportation independence, or restrict them because of growing safety concerns?. Read more…
Tesla partly settles racism lawsuit as hundreds of workers press on
Tesla has confidentially settled with three of the five named plaintiffs in the racism lawsuit that has been hanging over its Fremont factory since 2017. Read more…
BMW iX5 LWB debuts with a range of over 620 miles and a huge Theater Screen [Images]
BMW introduced the new iX5 Long Wheelbase in China with a CLTC driving range of over 620 miles (1,000 km) and plenty of digital screens. Read more…
Rivian R2 uses up to 26% more energy than Model Y in real-world test
Out of Spec Reviews put a Rivian R2 Performance and a Tesla Model Y Performance on the same roads on the same afternoon. The R2 used 18% to 26% more energy at every single speed they tested. Read more…
Kalmar Ottawa electric yard truck gets to work in Canada
Kalmar Ottawa has been a leader in diesel-powered yard trucks for decades, but as global logistics fleets move to reduce costs and insulate themselves from volatile diesel prices, the company is making that shift, too – and they’re out to prove their new, battery-electric T2 EV can deliver the same durability and productivity that’s made the original T2 a fixture at ports for years. Read more…
