Will the extra weight of EVs vs. ICE vehicles worsen road safety?

2022 GMC Hummer EVCurrent EVs generally weigh hundreds if not thousands more pounds than comparable internal-combustion vehicles due to heavy battery packs, and that might compromise road safety. So argues a recent Slate piece that suggests some of the latest EVs might pose more of a threat especially beyond the driver's seat, to other vehicles and other users of...

Buick offers dealer buyouts in advance of EV remake for GM brand

Buick Wildcat EV conceptGeneral Motors will offer buyouts to U.S. Buick dealers uninterested in remaining with the brand for its EV remake, the head of Buick said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday. All of Buick's roughly 2,000 U.S. dealers will be given the opportunity to take a buyout, Global Buick boss Duncan Aldred said in the interview. He...

BMW starts making fuel-cell stacks for iX5 Hydrogen

BMW hydrogen-electric powertrainBMW has started manufacturing fuel-cell stacks for its iX5 Hydrogen SUV, which is expected to start low-volume production before the end of the year. First seen at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show as the i Hydrogen Next, the iX5 Hydrogen is essentially a BMW X5 crossover SUV that swaps out the internal-combustion engine with a fuel-cell stack that...

Bosch plans to make fuel cells for electrified semis in South Carolina

Bosch facility in Anderson, South CarolinaBosch on Wednesday announced a $200 million investment to build hydrogen fuel-cell stacks for Class 8 semi trucks at its Anderson, South Carolina, facility. Production is scheduled to start in 2026, and work has already begun on upgrades that include adding an estimated 147,000 square feet of floor space for fuel-cell manufacturing and related...

Toyota’s accelerated battery plan suggests future US-built EVs

Site of planned Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC) battery plantToyota on Wednesday announced a $2.5 billion expansion of a planned North Carolina battery factory to add manufacturing capacity for EV batteries. Last October Toyota announced that it would make batteries in the United States by 2025. Then in December it announced a North Carolina battery plant that it said would make hybrid batteries but would...

2022 is the year of the 300-mile EV, EPA data highlights

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5The 300-mile EV is finally becoming a mainstream commodity, with no fewer than 14 vehicles achieving that benchmark for the 2022 model year, according to the EPA. As the United States Department of Energy points out, in model year 2016 there was a single model—the Tesla Model S—that achieved a 300-mile range. Back then a 300-mile range...

Tesla, Genesis top study of in-vehicle tech experience

2022 Tesla Model 3Tesla was the highest-scoring brand in J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study, which evaluates advanced-tech features in new cars. The study ranks brands by problems per 100 vehicles, the same metric used in J.D. Power's annual Initial Quality Study, which is considered an industry benchmark. Included for the first time, Tesla achieved...

California puts 2035 end date for new ICE vehicle sales into policy

Lucid Air range test video  -  Golden Gate BridgeCalifornia is taking a big step toward a goal of ending new internal-combustion vehicle sales by enshrining the planned 2035 end date as policy. Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in September 2020 calling for a ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2035. On Thursday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the...

VW and Mercedes look to Canada for North American EV battery supply chain

2021 Volkswagen ID.4Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are looking to Canada for supplies of battery raw materials, which should help the automakers meet new eligibility requirements for the United States EV tax credit. The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) lays out stipulations on critical minerals, battery sourcing, domestic-content thresholds, and vehicle...