Author: Stephen Edelstein

Tesla tumbled down Consumer Reports' latest automotive brand rankings, while the Ford Mustang Mach-E replaced the Model 3 as CR's top-rated EV. Tesla fell seven spots to 23rd overall in the 2022 CR automotive brand rankings released Thursday. CR said that was mainly due to the new steering yoke in the Model S and Model X, which lowered their...

The 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE sedan was unveiled Tuesday as the second volume-produced all-electric model from Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance division. AMG already launched a sportier version of the Mercedes-Benz EQS, so now it's moving on to the smaller EQE sedan, which is due this spring as a 2023 model. The AMG version, formally titled...

Corn-based ethanol is mixed with United States gasoline supplies to lower transportation-related emissions, but a new study suggests ethanol may be worse for the environment than straight gasoline. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, contradicts previous research commissioned by the U.S. Department of...

Fisker on Tuesday announced that it is accepting reservations for its Pear electric car, despite not having actually shown said car yet. The company said this five-passenger "agile urban EV" will have a $29,900 starting price, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2024. Customers can pay $250 now for one reservation, and $100 for each additional...

Lexus on Monday released new photos of its electric sports car, sedan, and SUV concepts, as well as the 2023 Lexus RZ 450h electric crossover destined for the United States. The Toyota luxury brand revealed its BEV Sport, BEV Sedan, and BEV SUV concepts in December 2021, referring to them as the Electrified Sport, Electrified Sedan, and...

The moment for hydrogen fuel-cell passenger cars to play a major fuel in transportation has passed, and the window of opportunity is closing for heavy-duty trucks as well, according to a new study published as "comment" in Nature Electronics (via Charged EVs). The study's author, from Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research and...

Ford is planning electric versions of all of its Lincoln luxury brand's current SUVs, Reuters reported Thursday. The plan includes battery-electric models that could replace or supplement the current Lincoln Corsair, Nautilus, Aviator, and Navigator, according to the report, which cited three anonymous people familiar with the matter. The first of...

Tesla has issued a recall to partly deactivate its Boombox feature originally added in late 2020, because it interferes with federally mandated pedestrian warning sounds. Released in December 2020 as part of a software update, Boombox mode allows drivers to play sounds outside their cars. Instead of a normal car horn, it includes options like a...

Global EV sales took a giant leap in both volume and market share in 2021, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Automakers sold 6.6 million plug-in vehicles in 2021, more than double the 3 million sold in 2020, and more than triple the 2.2 million sold in 2019, according to the IEA. The broader definition of EVs as...

Volvo is revamping its largest factory to produce next-generation electric cars more efficiently. The roughly $1 billion investment in Volvo's Torslanda, Sweden, plant includes a new battery assembly facility, fully refurbished paint and final assembly shops, and the introduction of a "mega casting" method for aluminum parts, Volvo said Tuesday in...

Faraday Future's second EV will be manufactured by South Korean auto-parts supplier Myoung Shin, Faraday announced Wednesday in a press release. Production is scheduled to start in 2024, with a "high volume production" target later that same year. This new model, the Faraday Future FF 81, will be a "luxury mass-market electric vehicle" aimed at a...

A right to repair has been introduced in the House of Representatives, which could help more independent shops work on electric cars and hybrids. Introduced by Representative Bobby L. Rush, the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act (H.R. 6570) would grant vehicle owners and independent shops equal access to tools...

The "blue" states that President Biden won in the 2020 election carried 76% of 2021 United States EV sales, according to a new Bloomberg report. That's mainly down to a large urban/rural divide in EV adoption, driven by limited vehicle choices, underdeveloped charging in infrastructure in rural areas, and fewer incentives in the "red" states where...

The Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV will get continual incremental updates instead of the industry-standard mid-cycle refresh, CEO Jim Farley said Thursday during the automaker's quarterly earnings call. Automakers generally save improvements for mid-cycle refreshes, so named because they're timed at the midway point between redesigns. But Ford...