Author: Bengt Halvorson

Multiple arms of the federal government are reportedly preparing to scrutinize Tesla—and perhaps its CEO, Elon Musk—over various statements made about its driver-assistance system, building from its Autopilot system and relating to its extra-cost Full Self-Driving functionality. On Wednesday Reuters reported that Tesla faces a criminal...

With the 2023 Ioniq 5 hatchback arriving this fall and the upcoming 2023 Ioniq 6 sedan arriving early next year, Hyundai is introducing a battery preconditioning feature that will help set drivers up for a more consistent experience at DC fast-charging stations. The long-range versions of the Ioniq 5 and the closely related Kia EV6 have already...

With Hyundai breaking ground on its mammoth $5.5 billion “Metaplant” near Savannah, Georgia, Kia confirmed on Tuesday that it too will have upcoming electric vehicles made at the facility. That was always a fair assumption, but now it’s a confirmation. As Hyundai announced in May, it plans to make up to 300,000 EVs annually at...

Honda on Tuesday teased its completely redesigned 2023 Accord sedan, noting that the upcoming, 11th-generation version of this longtime top-seller will “bring excitement back.” While that sounds like an odd barb at its own current product, it might be a matter of where you see that excitement. Honda promises “improved hybrid...

Toyota this morning has announced pricing and confirmed EPA fuel economy figures for its upcoming 2023 Crown sedan. The short of it: The 2023 Toyota Crown is more expensive and less fuel-efficient than the outgoing Toyota Avalon Hybrid. But like the Venza crossover introduced for 2021, all versions of the Crown are all-wheel-drive hybrids. And the...

Ford has announced a refreshed and revamped 2023 Escape lineup that maintains plug-in hybrid and hybrid models, with the latter among the versions that can be had in a sportier-looking ST-Line guise. As the automaker positions it, the move is a natural extension of what it started with the introduction of the Bronco Sport for 2021—when it...

Ford has announced a refreshed and revamped 2023 Escape lineup that maintains plug-in hybrid and hybrid models, with the latter among the versions that can be had in a sportier-looking ST-Line guise. As the automaker positions it, the move is a natural extension of what it started with the introduction of the Bronco Sport for 2021—when it...

GM is recalling most of the GMC Hummer EV SUVs and BrightDrop EV600 electric vans it’s built so far, over an issue that could allow water into the battery pack of the big off-roaders or delivery vehicles. It underscores that in any clean-slate tech and manufacturing approach, there may be some basic manufacturing hurdles to get past first...

An assembly issue has led to the recall of 13,722 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid vehicles from the 2022 and 2023 model years, according to recall documents posted by the federal government. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe, which can go 21 EPA-rated miles all-electric and makes the most of its electric propulsion to benefit off-road capability, is the...

The upcoming Volvo EX90 electric SUV will offer bidirectional charging capability and be able to serve as a power bank for powering appliances on a camping trip, charging other EVs, or perhaps even powering the home as a backup, Volvo recently confirmed. While full details on the EX90 aren’t due until November 9, when the EX90 makes an...

Tesla earlier this week officially confirmed that it is developing a next-generation vehicle platform focused around affordability and potentially at about half the cost of the platform that underpins the top-selling Model Y and Model 3. “This is the primary focus of our new vehicle development team, obviously,” said Musk, suggesting...