Author: Casper Benedict

Volkswagen ID.7 electric sedan makes debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The production version of the ID.Aero concept will be available in the second quarter of 2023. The ID.7 closely resembles the ID.Aero concept from June 2022, featuring an aerodynamic silhouette with a few modifications for production, such as simpler LED lighting, larger mirror caps, redesigned bumpers, and smaller wheels. Inside the car, a large 15-inch touchscreen serves as the infotainment system, accompanied by a digital instrument cluster and Volkswagen’s augmented reality head-up display. Climate and volume control are managed via touch sliders beneath the screen, now…

Tesla has had a rocky start to the new year of 2023. Despite posting record sales, the company failed to meet analysts’ expectations. In addition to this, Tesla’s newly appointed second-in-command, Tom Zhu, has faced criticism. To top it off, the company has now been fined $2.2 million by South Korea’s antitrust authority for alleged violations of advertising laws. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has fined Tesla $2.2 million for deceptive advertising practices in South Korea. The KFTC claims that since August 2019, Tesla has misled consumers about the driving range, fuel efficiency, and performance of its Superchargers on…

Volkswagen Group of America has made its return to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas after a six-year absence, debuting a close-to-production version of its first fully electric sedan. This new member of the ID. family was previewed by the Volkswagen ID. Aero concept, shown in June. The sedan has been officially named the Volkswagen ID.7, leading to speculation that the estate version may be called the ID.7 Tourer. Although the ID.7 is being shown at CES in camouflage, Volkswagen has stated that the series production version will be unveiled in the second quarter of 2023. “With the…

The Volvo EX90, a brand new electric SUV, has arrived in North America for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This event starts on January 4 with a press day. The EX90 is not only significant as Volvo’s latest electric SUV, but also because it will be produced at the company’s South Carolina manufacturing plant beginning later in the year. Pre-orders for the EX90 are now open in the United States, and those interested can configure their vehicles for delivery in early 2024. Priority will be given to those who place their orders in…

According to Loup Ventures, Tesla is expected to unveil the Model 2 in 2024. While few details about the vehicle have been released, it is believed to be either a compact or subcompact car and is targeted to have a price of $25,000, making it Tesla’s most affordable model yet. “Tesla will wait until 2024 to announce Model 2,” stated Loup Ventures in its 2022 Predictions letter. “If the company announces the lower-price[d] car too early, they risk slowing sales of Model 3 while ramping capacity during what is likely to be a broader auto recession,” Loup Ventures explained.  The…

In the fourth quarter of 2022, Tesla delivered a record-breaking 405,000 electric vehicles (EVs). This brings the total number of EVs delivered by the company in 2022 to over 1.3 million. The significant increase in deliveries was largely due to ramped up production at Gigafactory Texas, Berlin, Fremont Factory, and Gigafactory Shanghai. There had been some concerns about Tesla’s ability to meet demand in the quarter, as the company began offering discounts in December and faced potential demand issues. Analyst expectations for Q4 2022 deliveries ranged from 400,000 to 430,000 vehicles. In addition to the over 405,000 vehicles delivered, Tesla…

MINOR FIXES This release contains minor bug fixes and improvements. FULL SELF-DRIVING (BETA) SUSPENSION For maximum safety and accountability, use of Full Self-Driving (Beta) will be suspended if improper usage is detected. Improper usage is when you, or another driver of your vehicle, receive five ‘Forced Autopilot Disengagements’. A disengagement is when the Autopilot system disengages for the remainder of a trip after the driver receives several audio and visual warnings for inattentiveness. Driver-initiated disengagements do not count as improper usage and are expected from the driver. Keep your hands on the wheel and remain attentive at all times. Use…

The Kia Niro EV and the Chevrolet Bolt are two electric vehicles (EVs) that offer an environmentally-friendly alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. Both vehicles offer similar range and performance, but they differ in a few key areas. Here is a comparison of the Kia Niro EV and the Chevrolet Bolt: Size: The Kia Niro EV is a compact crossover SUV, while the Chevrolet Bolt is a small hatchback. The Niro is slightly larger, with a length of 171.5 inches and a width of 72 inches, compared to the Bolt’s length of 164.0 inches and width of 69.5 inches. The Niro also…

Nikola Energy and E.ON Hydrogen, confirmed their goal of making hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) cost competitive to diesel trucks, in terms of total cost of ownership. This is an important step on the road to decarbonizing heavy-duty transport. Nikola Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikola Corporation (Nasdaq: NKLA), a global leader in zero-emission transportation and energy infrastructure solutions. E.ON Hydrogen is a wholly-owned subsidiary of E.ON SE, one of Europe’s largest operators of energy networks and energy infrastructure and a provider of innovative customer solutions. Combining their expertise in energy, infrastructure and transportation, Nikola and E.ON will offer customers…

Specialist double cabling car and truck manufacturer Ram have finally come up with the name for their first electrified truck. Reported by CarBuzz, found a trademark for the name “Ram 1500 REV” filed by FCA US LLC with the USPTO. This could be the name of an upcoming concept that will be shown at SEMA, or maybe a production truck. While it’s still uncertain, double-cabin lovers won’t have to wait long, as Ram plans to introduce its first EV truck concept next month in Las Vegas. Initially, the name Ram Revolution had become a name that was widely mentioned. But…

Sono Motors announced on 24 December, that the company has received more than 1,000 full deposits for the solar electric vehicle Sion. The 50-day #savesion campaign was launched on 8 December and aims at raising approx. €100m gross from deposits, which equals 3,500 fully paid reservations for the Sion. The company will only withdraw the money from the crowd investors if it reaches the campaign goal. This sum is intended to cover a large part of the investments up to pre-series production of the Sion in 2023 and trigger a positive domino effect as the first step in a far-reaching financing…

Nikola announced that it has received a California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) Zero Emission Powertrain (“ZEP”) Executive Order that is a requirement for Nikola’s Tre hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (“FCEV”) to be eligible for CARB’s Hybrid and Zero Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (“HVIP”) program. Following receipt of this Executive Order, Nikola has submitted an application for eligibility of the Nikola Tre FCEV as an authorized vehicle under the HVIP program for a base incentive amount valued at $240,000 per FCEV truck. CARB’s ZEP Executive Order is a certificate of compliance with CARB regulations for zero-emission powertrains…

DS-TEC Energy announced master agreement with amperio GmbH for the expansion of fast-charging infrastructure in Germany. Slate Asset Management (“Slate“), a global alternative investment platform targeting real assets, will provide the financing for the agreement. Amperio will initially be installing 101 ADS-TEC Energy ChargePost systems, starting in 2023. To mark the start of the collaboration, the two companies are today installing and commissioning the first ADS-TEC Energy ChargePost charging system in Limburg an der Lahn. The charging station—installed in the public parking garage at the Limburg-Süd ICE station—will enable ultra-fast charging of e-vehicles for the “LahnStar” on-demand shuttle service, part…

Ryvid, a California-based manufacturer, launched an electric motorcycle with a minimalist frame design inspired by space vehicles. Ryvid electric motorcycles pack a lot of power with very low power consumption per mile. Ryvid goes beyond the main benefits of electric vehicles such as cost savings and environmental friendliness. They have applied the same planning and design principles that took up the spacecraft theme. Ryvid’s electric motorcycle, called the Anthem, is lightweight and can reach a top speed of 75 miles/hour (120 km/h) with a maximum range of 75 miles (120 km) on a single charge. Easily adjustable seat position ergo…

Renesas Electronics Corporation and Fixstars Corporation announced the joint development of a suite of tools that allows optimization and fast simulation of software for autonomous driving (AD) systems and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) specifically designed for the R-Car system-on-chip (SoC) devices from Renesas. These tools make it possible to rapidly develop network models with highly accurate object recognition from the initial stage of software development that take advantage of the performance of the R-Car. This reduces post-development rework and thereby helps shorten development cycles. “Renesas continues to create integrated development environments that enable customers to adopt the ‘software-first’ approach,” said…

Ford Motor Company has confirmed to media outlets that it has added a third F-150 Lightning production shift at its Rouge assembly plant near Detroit, Michigan. A total of 250 new jobs have been created as a result. Now there are a total of 750 employees in the factory. This will allow the automaker to reach full production capacity of 150,000 EV trucks by next fall. Ford did this because demand for the F-150 Lightning continued to grow, and they didn’t want customers waiting longer than necessary for delivery. Ford confirmed the plant, which received a major investment last year,…

Hyundai received three awards in this year’s Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards. The IONIQ 5 took home two categories, winning the Electric Vehicle segment and the New Model segment, this year’s highest honor. The Santa Fe won in the Two-Row Midsize SUV segment. The Best Buy Awards are the culmination of expert vehicle evaluation and testing of nearly every new vehicle available. The comprehensive process includes an analysis of vehicle-related data, including vehicle transaction prices, 5-Year Cost-to-Own data, consumer reviews, ratings, and retail sales information. This year, Kelley Blue Book partnered with NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger. Breidinger joined Kelley…

Goodyear announced the appointment of Christina Zamarro to the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Richard J. Kramer. In this role, Zamarro will lead Goodyear’s Global Finance organization and oversee all aspects of the company’s corporate finances, including Treasury, Investor Relations, Accounting, Audit and Financial Planning & Analysis, as well as its business unit Finance teams in the Americas; Asia Pacific; and Europe, Middle East and Africa. Zamarro will succeed Darren R. Wells, who will become Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Both appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2023. “I have worked closely with Christina for many years, and…

In February, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said they were working on bringing Steam to their vehicles. Today, Tesla officially rolled out the Steam integration for the latest Model S and Model X as part of the Holiday Update. The video shared by the Twitter account @Tesla shows the infotainment system on Tesla cars running Steam Beta and even graphics-demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077. Steam is a video game platform from Valve that provides thousands of titles including AAA games such as God of War, Far Cry 6, Battlefield. Not all Tesla cars can play Steam games. Steam is only available…

On December 14, the first Audi Q8 e-tron drives off the production line at the Brussels plant. It marks the beginning of an era for the new top model in Audi’s electric SUV range. The plant has been a role model for sustainable production since the production of the Audi e-tron began. Around 160,000 units of Audi’s first electric model have been delivered since 2018. Audi board member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker underlines the importance of the brand’s new top model: “With its increased efficiency and range, as well as its sharpened design, the new Audi Q8 e-tron is a strong statement for electromobility.” Walker…