Chevy e-COPO Camaro hints at 800-volt charging

Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro conceptChevrolet can't let Teslas win all the electric drag races. Monday night at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers' Association gathering in Las Vegas, Chevrolet revealed an electric concept version of its drag-race focused COPO Camaro. The company says the eCOPO Camaro should be able to cover the standing quarter mile in about 9 seconds with more...

Blink charging network joins interoperability push

ECOtality Blink DC fast charger plugged inBeginning in early 2019, all 135,000 users of the Blink charging network will soon be able to use other charging networks as part of their membership, while Blink’s chargers will be open to easy access by a wider range of drivers with other charging-network membership cards. The cross-compatibility, which was announced last week, comes via a...

GM EV1 exec leaves Faraday Future

Faraday Future completes first pre-production FF91 on August 28, 2018In the midst of the latest round of financial turmoil at the company, Faraday Future has lost a key executive, according to a report in the Verge. Peter Savagian was senior vice president at Faraday Future. And he was the chief engineer of General Motors' EV1, arguably the first mass-produced modern electric car. One anonymous source inside...

Sources: GM manufacturing revamp could signal faster lane-change to EVs

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV pre-productionLess than a week after speaking out in favor of a national electric vehicle mandate, and in the shadow of Tesla reporting a profitable quarter, General Motors might be on the verge of announcing a radical change to its plans for future electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the U.S. The automaker is anticipated to make a major business...

Fisker gets Caterpillar investment for solid-state battery tech

Fisker EMotionHenrik Fisker has been sketching out big plans—well beyond cars—for the solid-state battery technology being developed by a Fisker Inc. team. And now it appears that the heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar has given it some vote of confidence. On Oct. 22, both companies announced that a Caterpillar-owned venture group invested in the...

Hyundai unplugs its electric-car subscription plan

2019 Hyundai Ioniq ElectricHyundai’s “Unlimited+” electric-car subscription plan, which was only offered in Southern California but originally destined for wider rollout, won’t be coming back at all on the 2019 Hyundai Ioniq Electric, the automaker confirmed last week. When the program was first offered on initial 2017 Ioniq Electric models it...

Volkswagen XL1 eco halo already a sound investment?

2015 Volkswagen XL1  -  Silverstone Auctions sale, November 10, 2018It’s been less than five years since Volkswagen produced its limited run of just 250 XL1 plug-in diesel hybrid coupes, of which only 200 were sold to retail buyers. The Volkswagen XL1 has all the makings of an instant collectible, with its combination of low production volume (just 200 sold), advanced materials, futuristic design, exotic-car...

Tesla Model S loses spot on Consumer Reports’ recommended list

2018 Tesla Model SThe Tesla Model S has slipped back off Consumer Reports recommended list, due to a dip in reliability, as the consumer organization assesses it. Suspension problems are to blame, reported CR. In 2017 Tesla made its air suspension standard on the Model S, and all versions were dual-motor (all-wheel drive). DON’T MISS: Tesla tops Consumer...

BMW recalling 44,000 diesel vehicles for fire risk

2014 BMW 328dBMW has announced an expanded recall effort over the possibility of fire in recent-model-year vehicles equipped with a diesel engine. The issue, which now potentially affects 1.6 million vehicles worldwide, concerns an issue in which coolant (glycol) leakage from the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system cooler could combine with “typical...

Volvo goes off the grid, invests in mobile-charging experts Freewire

Volvo invests in FreewireVolvo Cars has announced an investment in Freewire Technologies, a company that emphasizes mobile charging solutions. Freewire earlier this year attracted a $5 million investment from the petro-giant BP, which will result in Freewire’s fast-charging systems being installed at some BP stations in the UK and Europe—effectively helping...