ID.Buzz electric van is the face of VW’s US autonomous test fleet

VW ID.Buzz autonomous test vehicle in AustinSome of the first sightings of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz electric van in the U.S. will be right around Tesla’s base of Austin, Texas. Starting this month VW will be sending out 10 ID.Buzz electric vans there as part of a test program for a platform developed by the VW Group with Mobileye. Those sightings will be unicorns of a sort, as...

Bespoke, electric: How the first Rolls-Royce EV took form

2024 Rolls-Royce SpectreThe prestige luxury brand Rolls-Royce announced in 2021 that it would be going fully electric by 2030. That seemed a particularly bold assertion for a brand that up until then hadn’t ever offered an EV. But now the first of the fully electric Rolls-Royce, the Spectre coupe, is headed for first deliveries late this year, and the brand’s...

Will Tesla Supercharger reliability extend to other brands’ EVs?

Tesla SuperchargerA shift to Tesla’s NACS connector in future EVs, and Tesla Supercharger compatibility even sooner, has now been announced by enough automakers to declare it the majority charging standard for EVs in North America for the foreseeable future. And while automaker press releases and statements have pointed primarily to the number of charge...

Report: Ford and GM EV strategies solid, but Tesla will stay top seller

Tesla SuperchargerTesla may be on a downward trajectory in its share of the U.S. EV market. But even by the time the 2027 model year rolls around, the U.S. maker of exclusively EVs will stay on top, according to the annual Car Wars study released last week from Bank of America. The strategies of Ford and GM “both appear relatively solid,” despite being...

Polestar EVs get Tesla charge port in 2025, Supercharger access in 2024

2024 Polestar 3The electric vehicle brand Polestar announced on Thursday that it plans to adopt the Tesla charge port. The change will go into effect in 2025, with all new Polestar vehicles sold in North America from that time forward getting the Tesla port, called North American Charging Standard (NACS). In mid-2024, Polestar drivers will also gain...

Volvo EVs will adopt Tesla charge port, get Supercharger access

2025 Volvo EX30Volvo is the first foreign automaker to announce the adoption of Tesla’s NACS EV charging standard. With a Tuesday confirmation, Volvo said that future Volvo models, starting in 2025, will get the NACS connector for North America. Volvo appeared to indicate that the upcoming $35,000 EX30 EV and U.S.-made EX90, which are both due to arrive...

Stellantis commits to aggregated EV charging, smart route planning

2025 Ram 1500 REVAhead of several high-profile electric vehicle launches planned for Jeep, Ram, and Dodge this year and next, parent company Stellantis on Tuesday announced that it’s moving the charging experience and energy management under a single business—one that will include a sophisticated route-planning app and toolkit. Free2Move Charge will be...

Lucid EV tech may power upcoming electric Aston Martin

Aston Martin DB12Aston Martin on Monday announced a supply agreement and long-term strategic partnership with California’s Lucid Group, through which Lucid will provide the U.K. performance-car maker with “select powertrain components” for upcoming electric vehicles. Aston said that it will continue to look to Mercedes-Benz AG for internal...

Tesla’s NACS EV fast-charging standard lags in locations vs. CCS

Tesla SuperchargerFord and GM recently both announced plans to install the Tesla NACS port in future vehicles, and together, this could mark the start of a more effective electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the U.S. But things may look even more uncertain before they get better. Ironically, the shift to NACS means GM and Ford both abandoning a standard that...

Pickups aside, Tesla Model Y is the top-selling US vehicle

2023 Tesla Model Y  -  Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.Spurred by Tesla price cuts earlier this year, the Model Y is surging once again in U.S. sales, as indicated by registration-based data out this week from Experian. According to the firm, as cited by Automotive News, registrations of the Tesla Model Y very nearly doubled (up 99%) for January through April 2023, versus the same period in 2022...

Nearly half of shoppers see public charging as an EV dealbreaker

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 fast-charging  -  Lacey, WAElectric vehicles are no longer limited to a few body styles or price points, and more companies than just Tesla are poised to ramp up production to meet the backlog of demand. But as one major shopping survey and resulting study have found, at least ahead of the bulk of the federal EV charging network buildout starting this year, there’s...