Aptera confirms Tesla charge port for its solar EV

Design for new Aptera electric car, Aug 2019Aptera this week confirmed that its solar-supplemented three-wheel production EV will offer a Tesla connector and corresponding charging equipment, both produced by the charging-hardware maker Lectron. The California startup's adoption of the Tesla standard, now called NACS, was already all but a given. The company had made earlier assertions it...

Study: Toyota and Honda owners are defecting to Tesla

2023 Toyota CamryTesla is siphoning customers away from Honda and Toyota, according to a new study released this week by S&P Global Mobility. Among EV makers, Tesla remains in another league when it comes to attracting and keeping new customers. The Tesla Model Y has a 60.5% brand loyalty rate in the U.S., and nearly 74% of buyers are coveted conquest sales...

Lightyear 0 made in Finland, claims to be the first solar car

Lightyear 0 production at Valmet Automotive in FinlandThe Lightyear 0 solar-assisted EV has started production at contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive's facility in Finland, Lightyear confirmed Wednesday in a press release. The Dutch startup said Valmet will initially produce just one car per week, gradually scaling up production in the first quarter of 2023. The 0 will never be a mass-market...

Honda sees a future for hydrogen fuel-cell tech—in the CR-V

2022 Honda CR-V HybridHonda announced Wednesday that it is planning to use the latest CR-V crossover as the basis for its next hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle—one that, for the first time, will include home-charging capability. Production of the CR-V Fuel Cell—if Honda opts to keep the nomenclature it used for its last such vehicle using the tech, the Clarity...

Report: VW in talks with Foxconn to make Scout electric SUVs

Teaser for Scout SUV conceptVolkswagen is in talks with Foxconn to build electric pickup trucks and SUVs for its Scout brand, according to a recent Reuters report. VW said in May that it would reintroduce the Scout name, which originated with the classic International Harvester Scout, one of the earliest SUVs. While that first Scout was just one model, VW envisions an entire...

Hyundai, battery supplier SK ally to meet US EV sourcing rules

Hyundai N Vision 74 ConceptHyundai and battery supplier SK On are partnering to meet the new battery sourcing requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA continues the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, but to qualify for the full amount, it stipulates that EVs and their battery packs must be assembled in North America, and certain minerals used in batteries must...

Ford has made 150,000 Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs

150,000th Ford Mustang Mach-E builtFord on Wednesday confirmed that it’s already produced 150,000 of its Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers. The milestone highlights how much Ford has already accelerated production of the popular electric vehicle, which executives originally suggested was bound for 25,000 to 30,000 U.S. sales annually—with a total achievable volume of...

Mercedes electric vans may raise the efficiency bar, test suggests

Mercedes-Benz eSprinter range and efficiency testMercedes-Benz has revealed some very encouraging efficiency news for its upcoming eSprinter electric vans, set to be built in South Carolina later in 2023—and for the carbon footprint of the companies they’ll be serving. The automaker recently conducted a real-life cargo-delivery-van range and efficiency run with the eSprinter, and it...