French company makes EV conversions easy for old clunkers

Transition-One electric Renault Twingo II conversionOff-the-shelf EV conversions aren't just for classic cars like Prince Harry's Jaguar anymore. French startup Transition One plans to make it easy to convert a wide variety of average old cars in the country to electric power by building a standard conversion kit. The company says the kit will fit several top-selling models in Europe, including the...

Nio looks to shed other businesses to keep building cars

Nio ES8 high-performance electric SUVAfter laying off 70 workers and closing an office in the U.S., Chinese automaker Nio is searching its cupboards for cash. EV sales have foundered in China this year after generous subsidies expired. and several companies have delayed or abandoned expansion plans. Nio seems to be no exception, except that it has other resources it can look to cash...

Hybrid tech could bring more power and safety to IndyCar racing for 2022

IndyCars (Source: IndyCar)When it comes to auto racing, hybrid technology isn't just about cutting emissions and fuel consumption. New hybrid powertrains planned for Indy racers are expected not only to boost horsepower, but also to make racing safer by diminishing or eliminating stalls on the track, which now require a safety crew to respond to restart the car. IndyCar...

Tesla faces lawsuit over software that cut range from some cars

2013 Tesla Model S, in July 2017   [photo: David Noland]What over-the-air-updates give, they can also take away. That’s part of what's at the root of a new lawsuit against Tesla on Thursday from a California man who says that a recent software update to his 2014 Model S cut 40 miles off the maximum range of his car, and it has lost about 8 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity. Since Tesla prices...

Nikola wins DOE fuel-cell development grant

Nikola TwoStartup truckmaker Nikola, which plans to build fuel-cell-powered semi trucks in Arizona, won a $1.7 million grant to research improved techniques to assemble fuel-cell membranes, the company announced on Wednesday. The company will partner with Department of Energy scientists from Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, and Georgia...

Report: Next-generation Minis to go all electric

MINI Rocketman Concept MkIIAs the next-generation of Mini models goes on sale, they may all be electric. According to a Tuesday report from Automobile, Mini's overseers at BMW have may have nixed all future gas engines for the brand and simultaneously pared its future lineup to just three models. The remaining models, to come in 2023 or later, will include a replacement for...

Tesla hiking prices for “Full Self-Driving” by $1,000 for some owners.

Consumer Reports Tesla Model 3 testing Navigate on Autopilot [CREDIT: Consumer Reports]Tesla announced in an email to owners on Wednesday that it will boost the price of its "Full Self-Driving Capability" suite of driver-assistance features starting Aug. 16. The increase applies over-the-air upgrades for existing Tesla owners who already have some of those features in the Enhanced Autopilot package. The move is the first step in...