Tesla may soon offer in-app upgrade for basic Autopilot in early Model 3

Tesla Model 3 dashboard in Autopilot testing with IIHS [CREDIT: IIHS]Owners of an early-build Tesla Model 3 variant may soon be able to add a basic version of Autopilot via an in-app upgrade. Typically for Tesla, this announcement was made by CEO Elon Musk on Twitter. When a Twitter user asked Musk if owners of the discontinued rear-wheel drive Model 3 Long Range variant would ever be able to purchase Autopilot...

Gas prices continue to drop with demand, amid uncertainty over oil supply

Gas pumpAs the COVID-19 pandemic flared in some U.S. cities and stay-at-home orders applied to the vast majority of the nation last week, it’s not surprising that a lack of demand and a glut of supply continued to drive gas prices downward. On a national basis, regular-grade gas prices Monday stand at $1.92, according to AAA. Wisconsin has the...

Future Hyundai electric cars might clean the air while they charge

Hyundai Prophecy conceptElectric cars produce no "tailpipe" emissions, but what if they could also help clean up existing air pollution? The Hyundai Prophecy concept shows a way for future electric cars to gain that ability. In a press release offering more details on the recently revealed Prophecy, Hyundai said the car features a filtration system that cleans air both...

Lordstown Endurance electric pickup prototype: In-wheel motor goes off-road

Lordstown Endurance wheel hub motorLordstown Motors released a handful of updates on its efforts to get an electric pickup truck into production at a discarded General Motors factory, including a statement on the company's response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The company released the first of what it said will be a series of videos showing CEO Steve Burns testing a...

BYD and Toyota detail electric-vehicle joint venture for China

BYD Han EVToyota and BYD have released more details of an electric-vehicle joint venture for the Chinese market, which was announced in November 2019. The two automakers will invest 50-50 in a new company—BYD Toyota EV Technology Co. Ltd—with operations scheduled to start in May. Engineers from Toyota and BYD will work together under the same...

Karma boasts its extended-range EV platform is very, very flexible

Karma E-Flex extended-range EV platformKarma Automotive is touting its new platform for extended-range electric vehicles, which the California-based company claims can be used for a variety of different vehicle types. The E-Flex platform is flexible enough to underpin everything from autonomous delivery vans to "high-performance supercars," a Karma press release said. "There are up to...

Report: Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV still on schedule for fall arrival

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E First EditionDespite the global coronavirus pandemic, Ford is still aiming to launch its Mustang Mach-E electric SUV on schedule this fall, according to the Detroit News. Some development work remains to be done on the Mach-E, which was unveiled in November 2019 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. That's been complicated by social distancing measures put in place to...