2024 Lexus RZ 300e arrives with 266-mile range, lower price

2024 Lexus RZLexus is adding a less-expensive, longer-range version of its RZ electric crossover for the 2024 model year. Called the RZ 300e, the new variant gets a single-motor front-wheel drive powertrain and 72.8-kwh CATL battery pack, versus the dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain and 71.4-kwh pack from Prime Planet Energy (a joint venture of Panasonic...

2025 Lexus UX 300h hybrid gets more power, higher mpg

2025 Lexus UX 300hThe Lexus UX hybrid crossover gets a boost in power and fuel economy for the 2025 model year, along with a change in badging from UX 250h to UX 300h. It's still fundamentally the same design that was introduced for the 2019 model year and refreshed for 2022, but now with some changes to the hybrid system. This is the same planetary system used in...

Toyota Crown PHEV aims for electric miles, home backup capability

Toyota Crown Sport PHEVThe Toyota Crown is getting an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid variant in Japan. Known as the Toyota Crown Sport PHEV, the new model was unveiled Monday. It's based on the Japanese-market Crown Sport crossover SUV unveiled in October. It's one of multiple Crown body styles, including the high-riding Toyota Crown hybrid sedan that's available now in...

Nio ET7 goes 650 miles on 150 kwh with semi-solid-state battery

Nio ET7A Nio ET7 with the automaker's new 150-kwh battery pack traveled 650 miles on a single charge, the company claims. This was achieved by a group of drivers, including Nio founder and CEO William Li, on a 14-hour trip between the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Xiamen, according to a company press release. Nio claims the trip used 97% of the car's...

Biden and VW back Tesla EV charging connector, now a standard

VW, Audi, Porsche, and Scout commit to NACSTesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) DC fast charging connector is now living up to its name, becoming a true standard rather than just a hardware design. SAE International on Tuesday released the technical information for standardization of the NACS connector. Known as SAE J3400, the finalized standard comes just six months after the...

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV is eligible for $1,000 Costco discount

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EVCostco members can get up to $1,000 off the purchase or lease of a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV through Jan. 2. According to CarsDirect, the Blazer EV was added to General Motors' year-end Costco rebate promotion last Friday. The program runs nationwide, but only for shoppers who have been Costco members since Oct. 31 of this year. The Blazer EV isn't...

Report: Canada set to reveal EV mandate for 2035

2024 Hyundai Kona ElectricOn Tuesday, Canada is set to unveil the framework for an EV mandate for 2035, local media outlets are reporting. The mandate, known as the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, will gradually step up the amount of "zero-emission vehicles" until they account for 100% of new-car sales in Canada, the Toronto Star reported Sunday. It reportedly...

DOE: Those with free EV fast-charging plug in for nearly twice as long

2023 Nissan Ariya at EVgo charging stationIt seems EV drivers who get free fast charging are taking full advantage of it. Those that fast charge for free stay plugged in nearly twice as long as those that pay, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Analysis of data from 2.4 million charging sessions over a three-year period, from Jun. 30, 2020, to Jun. 30, 2023, showed that the...

France looks local, excludes China with new EV incentive

2024 MG 4 XpowerFrance's revamped EV incentives favor European-made EVs and exclude those from China, a list of qualifying vehicles shows. Reuters reported Thursday that 65% of EVs sold in France will still qualify for a rebate of up to 7,000 euros (approximately $7,600) under new rules that went into effect Friday. The list includes the Tesla Model Y...

US EV sales are growing, but so is the gasoline fleet

Volkswagen ID.4 built at ChattanoogaU.S. EV sales are growing, but not enough to offset gasoline cars. That's because sales of those vehicles are growing faster, according to a new report. Experian's Automotive Market Trends report for the third quarter of 2023 showed that while electric cars now account for a larger share of the U.S. vehicle fleet than they did a few years ago, the...