Author: Floyd Hawkins

Swarco Smart Charging, a leading charging infrastructure provider in the UK, has announced its plan to launch an ultra-fast charging network across England, Scotland, and Wales. Named PoGo, the network will comprise over 2,000 high-powered charging stations located at public facilities such as grocery shops and cafés over the next four years. The company aims to promote the spread of electric vehicles through PoGo’s increased availability and reliability. PoGo stands for “Power and Go,” emphasizing the short charging times at the fast chargers. The charging stations will be strategically located for drivers’ convenience with easy access to public amenities such…

Tesla has announced that its vehicles will soon be capable of bidirectional charging, which allows cars to send power back to power devices, homes, or even the grid. This announcement came during the Q&A portion of Tesla’s Investor Day event, where Tesla’s Senior VP of Powertrain and Energy Engineering, Drew Baglino, stated that Tesla could bring bidirectional charging to its vehicles within the next two years. Historically, Tesla has opposed bidirectional charging systems on its vehicles, with only a few cars having the capability, and it’s often limited. However, with improved power electronics units, Tesla has found ways to reduce…

As the electric vehicle market becomes more crowded, car buyers are increasingly relying on the opinions and experiences of recent customers to make informed purchasing decisions. In response, J.D. Power has released its Electric Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Survey, which compiles customer feedback and data to determine the best new electric vehicles to own. According to the survey, the Rivian R1T and the MINI Cooper Electric emerged as the clear winners, leading the premium and mass market segments, respectively. The Rivian R1T earned the highest score in the premium segment with 794 points, followed closely by the Tesla Model 3 with…

Honda and LG Energy Solutions have broken ground on their $3.5 billion electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio. The joint venture aims to start mass production in 2025 and has committed to manufacturing pouch-type batteries to be supplied to Honda’s plants for future EVs. The plant will play a central role in Honda’s EV strategy in the US and is part of the automakers’ plans to turn Ohio into its “EV hub”. In addition to the battery plant, Honda is investing $700 million to retool three plants in the state for EV production. The company expects the…

Xiaomi, the Chinese electronics giant, has added another impressive product to its portfolio by launching the Electric Scooter 4 Ultra. This e-scooter boasts a powerful 500 W motor with 940 W peak power, enabling riders to reach a top speed of 25 kph (~16 mph). Moreover, the scooter offers four ride modes, including a Pedestrian mode that limits speed to 6 kph (~4 mph), catering to a diverse range of users. One of the most significant advantages of the Electric Scooter 4 Ultra is its ability to tackle inclines up to 25%, making it a versatile and capable ride for…

Bank of America has launched a new program that allows electric vehicle (EV) buyers to finance their home EV chargers alongside their auto loans. The program aims to streamline the process of purchasing an EV and make it easier for buyers to switch to electric vehicles. With the demand for zero-emission electric vehicles rising rapidly, Bank of America anticipates the trend will only strengthen as we move towards a more sustainable future. As more buyers turn to electric vehicles, the demand for at-home charging units is also expected to rise significantly over the next few years. According to Statista, demand…

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released its annual list of vehicles that qualified for its Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards, and among the winners is the Tesla Model Y. The IIHS updated its standards this year, making them more stringent, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of winners. Only 48 models were able to qualify for the 2023 awards, with 28 earning a Top Safety Pick+ rating and 20 receiving a Top Safety Pick rating. This is a stark contrast to last year’s awards, where there were 101 winners, including 65 Top…

General Motors has revised the driving range for the rear-wheel-drive 2024 Cadillac Lyriq to 308 miles, a slightly shorter range rating than the previous model-year vehicle with the same drivetrain configuration. The RWD 2023 Cadillac Lyriq was rated to travel an estimated maximum of 312 miles on a single charge. On the other hand, the all-wheel-drive configuration of the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq has been rated with a per-charge range of 307 miles. However, neither the EPA nor Cadillac itself has published a range estimate for the AWD 2023 Lyriq at this time, and it is uncertain if any 2023 model-year…

Tesla’s “Project Highland” is reportedly underway, and it’s expected to bring about an updated version of the popular Model 3 electric vehicle. With sightings of camouflaged Model 3’s on the road, it seems that Tesla is making strides in the development and testing of its updated EV. The latest sighting, captured by The Kilowatts, shows the refreshed Model 3 with new wheels. One of the primary objectives of Project Highland is to reduce costs, and it’s rumored that Tesla may be implementing the Gigacasting method used for Model Y production to achieve this goal. This could potentially pave the way…

Lucid Motors, the luxury electric vehicle manufacturer, has released its financial results for Q4 2022 and the full year, disappointing Wall Street with lower-than-expected revenue. Despite exceeding its slashed production guidance, the automaker reported a loss of $0.28 per share for the year. However, Lucid remains optimistic, announcing plans to double production in 2023. In Q4 2022, Lucid’s revenue was $257.7 million, falling short of the $303 million expected by analysts, resulting in an annual revenue of $608.2 million. Despite these lower-than-expected numbers, Lucid ended the year with $4.4 billion in cash reserves, an increase from the previous quarter, thanks…

Tesla has paused plans to produce entire batteries in Brandenburg, Germany, and will instead carry out some production steps in the United States, where tax incentives are more favorable, according to the Brandenburg economy ministry. “Tesla has started its battery system production in Gruenheide and is preparing to manufacture battery cell components. The company has prioritized further production steps in the USA because tax incentives make business conditions more favorable there,” the Brandenburg economy ministry said in a statement. The move comes after the US government offered electric vehicle makers tax breaks and consumer discounts for sourcing batteries from within…

Oshkosh Corporation, a company known for its purpose-built vehicles and equipment, has announced the production of the first fully integrated, electric refuse collection vehicle in North America. This innovation marks a significant milestone in the refuse industry as traditional refuse vehicles require a separate mounting of a refuse collection body to a third-party chassis. The new Oshkosh integrated refuse collector offers a single original equipment manufacturer (OEM) electric vehicle (EV) solution, eliminating the need for chassis selection and integration for buyers. The company’s deep heritage in the design and manufacture of purpose-built, heavy-duty trucks combined with field-proven refuse body technology…