Sometimes it seems automakers will try any powertrain technology in order to avoid selling battery-electric vehicles. First diesels, then hydrogen, were touted as ways to reduce CO2 emissions while still maintaining the fill-er-up-with-fossil-fuel business model (and continuing to crank out the colossal SUVs that carmakers claim consumers crave). Many electric purists have long suspected that… Read more »
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GM changes course, no longer backs Trump’s crusade against California emissions rules
Elections have consequences. GM has announced it will reverse course, and no longer back the Trump administration’s effort to bar California from setting its own emissions rules. GM CEO Mary Barra said in a letter to environmental groups that the company is “immediately withdrawing from the preemption litigation and inviting other automakers to join us.”… Read more »
Tesla’s success is “a combination of thousands of heroic feats that no one knows about” (book excerpt)
A new excerpt from Tesla: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Remade the Automotive and Energy Industries, Edition 4.1. An inside look at the early days David Havasi was a car guy from birth. He grew up near Auburn Hills, and his dad worked in the auto industry. “My childhood was… Read more »
Fiat Chrysler CEO talks about electric pickup
Fiat Chrysler has long been a favorite whipping boy for EV journalists. Of the US Big Three, it’s been the proudest defender of the gas-powered status quo, joining GM in the fight against US emissions standards, and agreeing to pay Tesla hundreds of millions of euros in order to avoid producing EVs in Europe. However,… Read more »
Consumer Reports: Popular EV models cost less to own than comparable legacy vehicles
Surprise, surprise! An analysis by Consumer Reports has confirmed what EV boosters have been saying for a few years now: opting for a plug-in vehicle will save you thousands of dollars compared to owning a gas-powered vehicle. Savings on fuel and maintenance more than offset the higher purchase prices of EVs and PHEVs over the… Read more »
Considerations for selecting automotive-grade multilayer ceramic capacitors in EVs
Sponsored by Knowles Precision Devices The worldwide electric vehicle (EV) market is exploding in demand and mainstream adoption as governments push for fuel economy improvements and automotive companies look for new market opportunities. According to Forbes, “by 2020, EVs are likely to cost the same as conventional fuel powered equivalents.” Major manufacturers – like General Motors, Toyota,… Read more »
Volkswagen ID.4 and Nissan Ariya bring EV drive to compact crossovers…chasing Tesla Model Y
Can new electric entries in a hugely popular segment convince US buyers to buy EVs from Nissan and VW as family vehicles? Two new battery-electric models from major global car brands are about to bring electric cars into a category where they’ve been notably absent: family crossover utility vehicles. The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 and 2022… Read more »
New study reaffirms carbon emissions of EVs lower than ICEs, lists flaws in long-tailpipe arguments
Journalists sometimes have to write the same articles over and over, like teachers repeating the same lecture for a new class each semester. The myth of the “long tailpipe”—the notion that EVs generate just as much carbon emissions as ICE vehicles do—has been debunked by dozens of scientific studies (see below for a partial list)…. Read more »
Teardown expert Sandy Munro compares 10 leading EV motors in new video
Auto manufacturing expert Sandy Munro knows what makes cars tick. For years, he and his company have performed teardowns, taking new cars apart and analyzing every little bracket and screw—what it’s made of, who made it, and how much it cost. This week at the Charged Virtual Conference on EV Engineering, Sandy compared an assortment… Read more »
Elon Musk offers to let automakers license Tesla’s tech (again)
Tesla’s mission has always been to advance the transition to electromobility, and Elon Musk has said many times that he’s open to licensing deals that would allow other automakers to use the company’s technology. As far as we know, only two major brands have ever taken Tesla up on the offer: back in the 2010s,… Read more »