Author: Miguel Garcia

Nissan’s electric vehicles are set to gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger Network, according to an update on Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) page. Nissan, the first Japanese automaker to adopt NACS, announced its commitment to the standard last year. Tesla’s NACS page lists automakers whose non-Tesla vehicles will soon have access to the Supercharger Network. Nissan has now been added to the “Coming Soon” list, joining General Motors, Volvo, Polestar, and Mercedes-Benz. Ford and Rivian electric vehicles are already supported, according to the site. Tesla operates over 15,000 NACS-compatible Supercharger stalls across the United States and Canada, offering a…

Ford has received approval from the European Commission to deploy its BlueCruise driver-assist system in 15 European countries. The announcement was made by Ford CEO Jim Farley on the social media platform X. “BlueCruise road trips across Europe just got easier. With the European Commission’s approval, Ford’s BlueCruise is now available in 15 European countries (17 countries globally, including the U.S. & Canada). That means customers can access more than 82,744 miles of designated highways across Europe. Proud of the work our global ADAS and BlueCruise team have done to make this possible!” Farley wrote. https://twitter.com/jimfarley98/status/1818640355518018002 In a press release,…

Luminar Technologies, a Nasdaq-listed manufacturer of lidar sensors for self-driving cars, has acquired the optoelectronic components and laser modules business of Britain’s Gooch & Housego (GHH.L) to enhance its semiconductor operations, CEO Austin Russell said. Luminar Semi, the company’s semiconductor arm launched last year, will further diversify into aerospace and defense following the acquisition of G&H’s EM4 unit, according to Russell. “We have now over 100 active customers and programs across the board for Luminar Semiconductor,” the 29-year-old founder told Reuters. https://evmagz.com/luminar-unveils-autonomous-driving-software-suite-sentinel-for-automakers/ The acquisition builds on Luminar’s previous purchases of laser manufacturer Freedom Photonics, custom chip design house Black Forest…

Stellantis has confirmed that it has no plans to sell its luxury vehicle brand Maserati or merge it with other Italian luxury automotive groups. The announcement was made by the company on Tuesday. “Stellantis restates unwavering commitment to Maserati’s bright future as the unique luxury brand of the 14 Stellantis brands,” the automaker said in a statement. The company also reiterated its dedication to its entire portfolio. https://evmagz.com/maserati-reveals-electric-vehicle-roadmap-quattroporte-folgore-set-for-2028-release/ This statement follows recent remarks by Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, who indicated that loss-making brands within the company could face closure if they do not achieve profitability. Tavares’s comments came after…

The South Pasadena Police Department (SPPD) has announced that it is the only law enforcement agency in the United States to transition its entire fleet to electric vehicles. The department has installed the necessary charging infrastructure to support this change. All 20 Tesla vehicles in the police fleet can now be charged at the 34 EV chargers installed at South Pasadena City Hall. The capacity of the chargers was not specified, but the department mentioned that “under its Charge Ready program, Southern California Edison upgraded its local distribution system to supply the higher level of power needed to energize the…

Automotive chemical manufacturer Prestone is developing a low-conductivity electric vehicle (EV) coolant aimed at increasing EV efficiency. The company has significantly boosted its research and development budget to explore less conductive cooling fluids, according to a report from Automotive News on Friday. “Essentially, EVs are borrowing the internal combustion engine fluid,” said Prestone EV Director Tom Corrigan. “We are going to see a shift in that in the next one to two years.” Prestone has been testing its low-conductivity EV coolants in Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles at its tech center in Danbury, Connecticut. While the initial products, expected to be…

LG Energy Solution (LGES) and General Motors (GM) have decided to decelerate the construction of their joint battery plant in Michigan, originally slated for a $7 billion investment. Formed in 2022, the joint venture aimed to develop a facility capable of producing Ultium cells for electric vehicles (EVs) and electric pickup trucks. The plant was projected to commence production in early 2025, with plans for five assembly lines. However, only two lines have been equipped to date, with progress on the remaining lines temporarily halted. LG Energy Solution confirmed to Bloomberg that it is “adjusting the speed of overall investment”…

BYD, known for its affordable electric vehicles, is venturing into the luxury market with its first electric supercar, the Yangwang U9. Production of the U9 has commenced, with deliveries expected to start later this summer. Launched in January 2023 as part of BYD’s new premium brand, Yangwang, the U9 was unveiled alongside the U8 SUV, a competitor to the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The U9, which has been showcased with various features and capabilities, officially launched in February with a starting price of $233,000 (1.68 million yuan). The Yangwang U9 boasts four advanced electric motors generating nearly 1,300 horsepower, allowing it to…

Mytra, a robotics startup founded by former Tesla engineers, has launched with $78 million in funding to advance warehouse logistics through automation. The Series A funding round was led by Greenoaks, with contributions from Eclipse, 515 Ventures, and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan. Mytra plans to use the funds to expand its team and enhance its technology to meet rising demand from major corporations. “Material flow makes up the lion’s share of the work in a warehouse but is still largely done the same way it was a century ago,” said Chris Walti, Mytra’s co-founder and CEO. “This is because…

Xpeng has had the interior of its new Mona M03 model revealed through spy photos, which show a design similar to Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model 3. The photos, circulating on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, highlight the Mona M03’s minimalist interior. The Mona M03 features a large horizontal center screen, similar to the Model 3, and lacks physical buttons apart from two scroll balls on the steering wheel. A small screen beneath the steering wheel appears to display core driving information, akin to current Li Auto models. This design contrasts with Xpeng’s other models, which have two screens at the…

Renault CEO Luca De Meo has raised concerns about the pace of transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe, emphasizing the need to reduce costs to achieve the company’s EV objectives. Speaking to business daily Les Echos, De Meo highlighted the significant role of the transition in reducing global carbon emissions and its impact on the automotive industry and environment. The recent EU elections, which occurred amidst weak demand for EVs, have intensified discussions on the EU’s 2035 ban on sales of diesel and petrol cars, scheduled for review in 2026. De Meo, who also chairs the European car lobby…

Pascal Wehrlein was crowned Formula E world champion following a dramatic season finale in London, where he secured victory on Saturday and finished second on Sunday. The championship win came as his main rivals from the Jaguar works team faced unexpected challenges. Entering the decisive weekend, Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy led the championship with 167 points, ahead of Mitch Evans and Wehrlein, both at 155 points. Evans held second place due to superior individual results. Cassidy’s weekend started poorly as he failed to advance past the initial qualifying phase on Saturday, starting from 17th place. He managed to climb to 7th…