US Choice Hotels will soon add thousands of Tesla chargers

Tesla chargingThe Choice Hotels chain plans to add Tesla EV chargers at locations across the U.S. The company, which runs Radisson, Cambria, Comfort, Country Inn & Suites, and Quality Inn hotels, said in a press release Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with Tesla to add four or more of the automaker's Universal Wall Connector Level 2 chargers at...

Toyota ups investment in Kentucky plant set to make 3-row electric SUV

Toyota Motor Manufacturing KentuckyToyota on Tuesday announced an additional $1.3 billion investment in its Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly plant to prepare for production of a 3-row electric SUV. This additional money, which brings the plant's total investment to nearly $10 billion, "supports the previously announced future BEV assembly at Toyota Kentucky," according to a company...

Waffle House hosts federal EV fast-chargers, bucks gas-station trend

Rendering of EnviroSpark EV chargers at at Waffle HouseThe first new EV charging site in Tennessee funded through the Biden administration's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program bucks the trend of co-locating chargers with gas pumps. Installed by Atlanta-based charging infrastructure firm EnviroSpark, the new chargers are being hosted by a Waffle House restaurant in Lakeland...

Aptera claims enough crowdfunding to make solar EV

Aptera Sol alpha prototypeAptera claims to have raised enough money in a recent crowdfunding campaign to start production of its solar-assisted three-wheeled EV, but the company is still far from assured of success. The company on Friday announced the completion of its Accelerator Program, which allowed those investors contributing $10,000 or more to secure one of the...

NADA aims to turn car dealers into EV experts in 90 minutes

2024 Cadillac LyriqThe National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has launched a certification program it claims can turn car salespeople into EV experts in just 90 minutes. Called ElectrifIQ, the program aims to prepare dealers to address common consumer questions, relating to things like charging times and costs, total cost of ownership, and available...

Survey: Dealers think Biden is moving too fast on EVs

2024 Kia EV6 GTDealers think the Biden administration's EV policies are forcing the auto industry to move ahead of market demand, according to a new Automotive News survey. The publication's 2024 Dealer Outlook Survey compiled responses from 208 U.S. car dealers and dealership managers. Nearly 83% of those surveyed said the federal government was pushing too...

Volvo ends Polestar funding, as EV startup struggles

2024 Polestar 3 prototypeVolvo will stop funding Polestar and is considering a move that could give parent Geely greater control of the EV brand, Reuters reported Thursday. The news comes after Polestar announced that it missed already-reduced 2023 delivery targets. The brand's shares are also down 83% since it went public in June 2022 via a merger with a special purpose...

US plug-in hybrid sales hit a record high in 2023

2023 Toyota Prius PrimePlug-in hybrids reached record sales in 2023, with more than 250,000 vehicles sold, or about 20% of total plug-in vehicle sales, according to the Department of Energy. Last year saw strong sales for EVs as well, which surpassed one million units for the first time. The combined market share of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs rose to 16.3% of...

Daimler, Navistar, Volvo ally for heavy-duty truck charging

Volvo VNR Electric semi truckThree of the largest commercial truck manufacturers have joined forces on charging infrastructure. Daimler Trucks North America, Navistar, and Volvo Group North America on Wednesday announced Powering America's Commercial Transportation (PACT), described in a joint press release as a "coalition focused on education and advocacy for accelerating...

EV sales near 8% of US new vehicle market

2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5EV sales will reach 8.0% of the total U.S. new vehicle market this month, S&P Global Mobility has predicted. The market share of EVs won't increase dramatically over the previous month, as automakers, dealers, and consumers digest new federal tax credit rules brought on by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that went into effect with the start...