Toyota Lunar Cruiser could take hydrogen fuel-cell tech to the moon

Toyota Lunar Rover conceptIn 2019, Toyota and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced plans for a hydrogen fuel-cell lunar rover, to launch later in the decade. Now the vehicle has a name—Toyota Lunar Cruiser. The name is a reference to the Toyota Land Cruiser SUV, which has built up a reputation over several decades for off-road prowess. The Lunar...

EVs and hybrids get an extension to meet US noise-making requirements

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-EAutomakers will get at least six more months to meet new federal requirements for noise-making devices on electric cars and hybrids, Reuters reported Friday. The extension is being granted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These so-called "quiet car" rule requires electrified vehicles to emit noises at speeds up to 18.6 mph as a warning to...

Amazon will buy 1,800 Mercedes electric vans for Europe

Mercedes-Benz eSprinter Amazon delivery vanAmazon will buy more than 1,800 Mercedes-Benz electric vans for use in Europe, the two companies announced Friday. The order includes 600 medium-size eVito vans and more than 1,200 larger eSprinter vans, Mercedes said. Both models are electric versions of existing internal-combustion vans (which Amazon has also bought). Mercedes has not announced...

Used BMW i3 police cars offered up in LA: Electric-car deal or not?

Los Angeles takes delivery of BMW i3 BEVs for LAPD use  -  2016It’s been a long time since Los Angeles has provided any update on its push to use more electric cars—including 200 BMW i3 EVs—in its police fleets. Now many of them have ended up listed at New Century BMW, a dealership in Alhambra, in the greater Los Angeles area, as first reported last week by The Current Review. New Century...

Matthew Dear song remixes Ford Mustang Mach-E electric car sounds

Musician Matthew Dear, with the Ford Mustang Mach-EThere are many, many songs that mention one of the icons of gasoline-swilling, open-road Americana: the Ford Mustang. Meanwhile, there are very few electric Ford Mustangs in the world, and even fewer songs about electric Ford Mustangs. Leave it to Ford to change those things—both of them. Later this year, the start of deliveries of the Ford...

Chevy Corvette engineers moved to EV team at GM

2020 Chevrolet CorvetteGeneral Motors is moving engineers from its Chevrolet Corvette development team to its electric-vehicle program, InsideEVs reported Thursday. Specifically, GM moved the engineers from its Global Products Programs group to the Autonomous and Electric Vehicles group, according to the report. The current head of the Corvette team, Tadge Juechter...

India’s Mahindra announces it will use REE platform for commercial EVs

REE modular EV platformIndian automaker Mahindra plans to launch commercial electric vehicles using a platform from Israeli startup REE Automotive, the two companies announced via press release Wednesday. REE has developed a skateboard EV platform with virtually all mechanical equipment, apart from the battery pack and its associated cooling and power distribution...

Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid detailed for Europe, arriving in early 2021

2021 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridThe Kia Sorento crossover is getting a plug-in hybrid powertrain option for the first time. Kia released specifications for European-market models Wednesday, but hasn't said whether it will offer the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid in the United States. The powertrain consists of a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic...