Sandy Munro, the auto manufacturing expert who delivered some detailed insights about Tesla’s manufacturing strengths and weaknesses after tearing down a Tesla Model 3, recently made some comments about the upcoming Cybertruck. Of course, Munro hasn’t gotten his hands on an actual Cybertruck (as far as we know, Jay Leno is the first non-employee to… Read more »
Ford and parts supplier Webasto have revealed the Mustang Lithium, a one-off high-performance electric Mustang fastback prototype that boasts more than 1,000 ft-lbs of torque and more than 900 hp. With the unveiling, Ford says it hopes to gauge customer interest in electric sports cars. It is also using the vehicle as a test bed… Read more »
In show business, when you don’t like an act, but you don’t want to say anything negative, you say it’s “interesting.” Well, the word “interesting” is getting a lot of use today, after Tesla unveiled what is definitely its most radical-looking vehicle, and perhaps the most radical-looking production vehicle in automotive history. I think the… Read more »
As the federal government struggles to wrest control of emissions standards from state governments, two more states have announced plans to join the 13 that already enforce their own more stringent standards. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will begin the process of setting vehicle emission standards for automakers this… Read more »
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology plans to establish an international center to develop solid-state batteries. Associate Professor Alevtina Smirnova says the solid-state batteries developed at the new Center for Green Solid-State Electric Power Generation and Storage (CEPS) will be ideal for portable and medical applications, electric grids and the automotive industry. The… Read more »
If there’s anything the EV world badly needs, it’s more electric SUVs and crossovers. So the plug-in press is greedily devouring Ford’s new photos showing a prototype of the automaker’s promised electric crossover. The new “Mustang-inspired” model will be Ford’s first native electric vehicle. The crossover is expected to have a range of 300 miles,… Read more »
The American automakers’ plug-in programs may seem to have stalled, but both GM and Ford have exciting things bubbling beneath the surface, which are expected to burst forth sometime in the next couple of years. Ford has said it plans to invest $11.5 billion to introduce 40 electrified vehicles by 2022, of which 16 will… Read more »
Rivian, which caught the EV world’s attention with a prototype SUV and pickup truck, has secured an equity investment of $500 million from Ford. Rivian will remain an independent company, and Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s President of Automotive, will join Rivian’s seven-member board. The two companies will also work together to develop a new Ford EV,… Read more »
XL, a Boston-based manufacturer of electric fleet vehicles, unveiled a plug-in hybrid Ford Super Duty F-250 pickup truck at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. This hybrid F-250 joins XL’s XLP Ford F-150 that the company began shipping in 2018. XL reports that, on initial assessment, the XLP F-250 truck provides up to a… Read more »
The Geneva International Motor Show may have lost some of its former glamor – several major brands are not attending this year – but it remains a good place to get a feel for the state of the European auto industry. And the Europeans are talking electrification – the New York Times caught the electric… Read more »