Lab-grown hides, shrooms, bamboo promise lower CO2 vs leather

Cadillac Sollei conceptLeather alternatives could play a large role on lowering CO2 Plant-based materials are being investigated as leather alternatives The leather industry is pushing back on sustainable alternatives Leather alternatives could have a lower environmental impact than traditional leather made from animal hides, but may still require some development work...

VW recalling certain 2003-2024 ID.4s due to air bag inflator

2024 Volkswagen ID.4Volkswagen is recalling a small number of ID.4 electric vehicles that may have improperly installed airbag inflators. The recall includes just 837 vehicles from model years 2023 and 2024. In these vehicles, nuts securing the primary inflator of the passenger front airbag may have been left loose at the factory. This could cause airbags to inflate...

Waymo reportedly talking with Hyundai about Ioniq 5 self-driving taxis

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5The Hyundai Ioniq 5 could become Waymo's next self-driving taxi, deploying a new generation of the Google spinoff's Waymo Driver autonomous-driving system, Reuters reports. Officials from Wayne and Hyundai have met more than three times to discuss use of the Ioniq 5 in Waymo's self-driving tax service, according to the report, which also states...

Redwood Materials will help BMW recycle EV batteries

BMW Vision Neue Klasse X conceptBMW will turn to Redwood Materials for recycling of batteries from its EVs, plug-in hybrids, and mild hybrids in the U.S., the automaker announced Thursday. The agreement, which covers the BMW, Rolls-Royce, and Mini brands, as well as BMW's motorcycles, will see Redwood work directly with BMW dealerships, distribution centers, and other U.S...

Over 50% of Honda Accord sales are now hybrids

2025 Honda Accord hybridHybrids now account for over 50% of U.S. Honda Accord sales, the automaker said Monday while detailing pricing for the 2025 Accord. The Accord introduced Honda's two-motor hybrid system for the 2014 model year, and was offered as a hybrid intermittently before that, but Honda got more serious about growing hybrid sales with the mid-size sedan's...

GM opens Tesla Supercharger access, makes customers pay for adapters

Chevrolet EVs at a Tesla Supercharger stationGM EVs can now charge at over 17,800 Tesla Superchargers Most Superchargers will require an adapter Unlike Ford and Rivian, GM charges $225 for the adapter General Motors on Wednesday announced that it will begin shipping North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapters that will give its EV owners access to more than 17,800 Tesla Supercharger DC...

Tesla patents wireless charging system

2024 Tesla Model 3Tesla has patented a wireless EV charging system, indicating that the company is preparing to commercialize tech that's been hinting at for years as a possible addition to its electric vehicles. A patent filing was spotted by Twitter (now known as X) user SETI Park. It was filed by Tesla Feb. 2 and published by the World Intellectual Property...