Kia on Wednesday, at the New York auto show, revealed a completely redesigned lineup of 2023 Niro models—including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and EV versions. Niro Hybrid models have a 1.6-liter inline-4 engine paired to a 32-kw electric motor that’s packaged with a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. That combination makes 139 hp… More…

The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept completed a 626-mile trip on a single charge, the automaker announced Wednesday in a press release. The car averaged energy consumption of 7.1 kwh per 62 miles over the trip from Sindelfingen, Germany, to Cassis, France, on the Côte d’Azur, according to Mercedes. At the end of the trip, the battery… More…

With the Ariya electric crossover almost here, last year Nissan gave the Nissan Leaf a price cut of more than $4,000—making it the cheapest electric vehicle on the U.S. market. Now it’s kept the 2023 Leaf on this same, more affordable trajectory, while giving the styling an update and cutting the number of models in the lineup to just… More…

Lucid on Tuesday unveiled the Air Grand Touring Performance, which takes over from the limited-volume Dream Edition Performance as the most powerful Air model. Lucid built 520 Dream Edition models, splitting them between Range and Performance versions. The Grand Touring Performance and its companion Grand Touring model don’t have limited… More…

Honda on Tuesday announced a planned investment of more than $40 billion in R&D over the next 10 years, with a focus on software and EV development. The automaker plans to launch 30 EVs globally by 2030, and aims to be producing around two million EVs annually at that point. Those plans include two electric sports cars, which Honda teased as… More…

The 2023 Toyota BZ4X electric crossover is charmingly offbeat, and it seems to over deliver in nearly every way that might matter both to Toyota owners and those who want a no-fuss urban EV with trail cues. The BZ4X, the first from a fully electric sub-brand around “beyond zero,” fits in a market sweet spot alongside the bestselling… More…

EV sales are rapidly accelerating, which could bring on an epochal shift in the auto industry over the next decade, according to a new report from the Environmental Defense Fund. The Electric Vehicle Market Update, the fifth in a series of reports tracking EV growth, notes that the electric vehicle sector has especially gained momentum in the past… More…

Jeep has updated its Magneto electric Wrangler concept, bringing it closer to the production EVs Jeep has said are in its future. Unveiled Friday ahead of the annual Easter Jeep Safari, scheduled for April 9-17 in Moab, Utah, the new version is straightforwardly dubbed Magneto 2.0. Output has been substantially increased compared to last year’s… More…

In Texas, at the official opening of Tesla’s gigantic Austin factory, CEO Elon Musk had a clear message Thursday night: It’s going big. “This year is all about scaling up, and next year there’s going to be a massive wave of new products,” summed Musk, who hit one boast point after another at Giga Texas. As for next… More…

High-power EVgo DC fast-charging stations are coming to Chase bank branches beginning this summer—some likely with solar power. Chase will add fast charging at 50 branch locations, potentially in California, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, according to an EVgo press release. Chase expects all sites to be available for… More…

The Biden administration held a meeting Wednesday with auto industry leaders to discuss electric vehicles and charging. A major topic of discussion was the administration’s goal of a national network of 500,000 EV charging stations, according to Automotive News (subscription required). The administration said in a statement that “there was broad… More…

Electric vehicles are far too often a polarizing tag. The idea gets sifted away into a particular ideological bin before some get the chance to grasp the freedom it enables. The same might be said of Hummer—the brand that was built on tactical charm and military heritage and then effectively dismissed by consumers over the trucks’… More…

Munich-based startup Sono Motors on Tuesday announced a change in manufacturing plans for its solar-supplemented Sion electric car. The startup announced in a press release that it was switching contract manufacturing partners to Valmet Automotive, which will build the Sion at its factory in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The start of production is… More…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is opening a review of defective batteries produced by LG Energy Solution that have been the cause of several large recalls, Reuters reported Tuesday. General Motors, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Volkswagen began issuing recalls related to LG batteries in 2020. The NHTSA review… More…

Lexus has already shown its upcoming fully electric crossover, the RZ 450e, in prototype form. Now it’s almost time for the production version to make an official debut for the U.S. market—with, as the brand teased Tuesday, a steering yoke. With a reveal date now set for 4/20 and the yoke apparently included for the U.S. version… More…

Fisker has confirmed 10-year/100,000-mile (whichever comes first) battery and powertrain warranties for its Ocean electric SUV, which is scheduled to start production in November. The battery warranty assures 75% of the battery’s original capacity, according to Fisker’s website. For reference, Tesla’s battery warranty is 8 years or 100,000 to… More…

DeLorean Motor Company on Monday confirmed an August 18 reveal date for its all-electric successor to the DeLorean DMC-12 sports car. The reveal will take place at the Awards Ramp at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance, and the prototype vehicle will be displayed at the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn on August 21, DeLorean said in a press release… More…

General Motors and Honda are expanding their partnership to include a line of affordable EVs for North America covering what the automakers say are the most popular vehicle segments. Scheduled to go on sale in 2027, these vehicles will be based on “a new global architecture using next-generation Ultium battery technology,” GM and Honda said in a… More…

The U.S. rental-car giant Hertz has made a strategic partnership with Sweden’s Polestar for the purchase of up to 65,000 Polestar EVs over five years, the companies jointly disclosed on Monday. Availability of the Chinese-produced Polestar 2 at Hertz is set to start this spring in Europe and late 2022 for North America and Australia. Hertz… More…

Chinese EV firm Nio is considering a line of smartphones in response to demand from tech-savvy customers, CEO William Li said in an interview with China-based news service Sina published Friday. Customers want a phone that connects better to Nio’s vehicles, Li said. He indicated that a Nio phone wouldn’t be about making money or competing directly… More…