California utility expands bidirectional EV charging pilots

Ford Intelligent Backup Power  -  F-150 LightningCalifornia utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is expanding public testing of bidirectional EV charging with three new pilot programs encompassing up to 1,000 residential electricity customers and hundreds of commercial customers. Each program will offer incentives to customers for participation, with "additional benefits" for those in...

Report: Tesla adds swiveling screen to yoke-equipped Model S

2021 Tesla Model SThe Tesla Model S is leaving the factory with swiveling central touchscreens, according to multiple owner reports. Tesla recently gave the Model S (and Model X) a significant interior update that included a steering yoke, but it hasn't confirmed the swiveling screen. Owners have reported seeing the screen and claim it's original equipment...

Entire US Volvo lineup for 2023 is mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or EV

2023 Volvo XC40 B4The entire 2023 Volvo lineup in the United States will be mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or all-electric, the automaker confirmed Wednesday in a press release. Volvo sees it as a step toward offering only pure electric vehicles by 2030 and being carbon-neutral by 2040. With the XC40 and XC90 crossover SUVs and V60 Cross Country station wagon getting...

Stellantis buys Share Now car-sharing venture from BMW and Mercedes

Free2Move and Share Now car-sharing services to combineStellantis will buy the Share Now car-sharing joint venture from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, incorporating it into Stellantis' own Free2Move service. The companies didn't disclose a selling price, but Bloomberg reported that it could have been around $260 million. Share Now was formed by BMW and Mercedes in 2019 from car-sharing services the two German...

DOE: $3.1 billion for EV battery supply chain, $45 million for development

Mercedes-Benz battery factoryThe United States Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced new funding from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for domestic EV battery production and development. The DOE on Monday announced $3.16 billion for the domestic battery supply chain. Part of more than $7 billion the infrastructure law has designated for battery...