EVs still cost much more than gas cars to insure—even hybrids

2019 Tesla Model 3Electric vehicles continue to be vastly more expensive to insure than gasoline models, on average—hybrids included. According to Consumer Reports, citing national-average data from The Zebra, an insurance comparison tool, the Chevrolet Bolt EV costs slightly more to insure than the Toyota Prius or Hyundai Ioniq Blue hybrids. The Tesla Model...

Report: Michelin airless EV tires fit autonomy, law enforcement

GM, Michelin Uptis airless tire prototypeMichelin has been testing airless tires for years with an eye toward EV use. While they still aren't ready for production, executives believe they could be a good fit for autonomous vehicles and law enforcement. European police forces have expressed interest in airless tires because, unlike conventional pneumatic tires, they can't be shot out...

$2.5B boost may keep Vinfast moving despite IPO status

VinFast VF 8 PrototypeVinfast has secured additional funding pledges worth $2.5 billion, the company confirmed Wednesday. That may allow it to keep it moving smoothly ahead of its planned U.S. stock-market listing and past that timeframe. Of the new funding pledges, $1 billion will be provided as a non-refundable grant—the language used by the...

Costco has no plans to add EV charging as a traffic-driver

CostcoCostco was one of the first retail chains to offer EV charging, but it has no plans to bring it back. "It's not happening in the next few years," Costco CFO Richard Galanti said during a recent company earnings call, as cited by The Street, after being asked if he was concerned that EV mandates might make Costco's lucrative gas stations obsolete...

Tesla data: Model S/X go 88% of original range at 200,000 miles

2023 Tesla Model S  -  Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.On average, the Tesla Model S and Model X lose less than 12% of range after 200,000 miles. That figure comes from a slide in the automaker's just-released 2022 Impact Report, where Tesla also noted that it estimates most of its U.S.-market vehicles get scrapped when they reach that amount of mileage. In Europe, Tesla estimates most of its cars are...

US-bound Honda-developed EV due in 2025, ahead of schedule

Afeela electric sedan prototypeThe timeline has been pulled earlier for Honda’s first dedicated electric vehicle engineered in-house for high-volume production. That yet-unnamed mid- to large-sized EV built on “Honda’s original dedicated EV platform” will go on sale in 2025 for North America—stepped up from a targeted 2026—top Honda...

$3B GM-Samsung battery plant might enable electric Corvette, Camaro

Possible electric Chevrolet Camaro in GM Ultium teaser videoGM and Samsung SDI announced Tuesday that they will form a joint venture for battery production. In a release, the companies made clear that this joint venture, starting with more than $3 billion, won’t initially be making batteries that directly replace or augment the brand’s Ultium cell strategy developed with LG. The new plant will...

Study: EV policy around gasoline superusers could help the most

2009 Kia BorregoEV policy will achieve the greatest climate benefit by prioritizing those that use the most gasoline, according to the advocacy group Coltura. The group recently released a new study building on findings published in 2021 which found that one in 10 drivers burn nearly a third of U.S. gasoline. Coltura coined the term gasoline "superusers" to...

Lucid Gravity electric SUV is being road-tested, official debut soon

Lucid Gravity testingCalifornia’s Lucid Motors today revealed a couple of first photos of its upcoming Gravity electric SUV undergoing testing—in camouflaged form—on U.S. public roads. The Gravity is due for a production start in 2024, with an official detail, specification details, and an opening of the reservation queue all expected soon this...

GM to discontinue Chevy Bolt EV, Bolt EUV at end of 2023

2022 Chevrolet Bolt EVGM will discontinue the Chevrolet Bolt EV hatchback and Bolt EUV small crossover at the end of the year, GM CEO Mary Barra told investors on Tuesday. The Orion Assembly plant used to make the Bolt EV will shift production to electric trucks such as the Silverado EV that use GM's more sophisticated Ultium propulsion system. That marks the end of...

Reminder: EPA range for EVs isn’t a highway number

2023 Chevrolet Bolt EVEPA fuel-economy ratings have city, highway, and combined categories, but range ratings for EVs only include the latter. There's a reason for that. A new paper published by SAE International and co-authored by Car and Driver testing director Dave VanderWerp emphasizes that the EPA combined EV range rating isn't a number reflective of highway...

California hits 1.5 million plug-in vehicles

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-ECalifornia is farther ahead on the road to electric vehicle adoption than it anticipated a decade ago. Governor Gavin Newsom last week announced that the state had passed a cumulative 1.5 million cumulative plug-in vehicle sales. That’s two years ahead of a goal set by previous California Governor Jerry Brown, aiming to hit that number by...