Combustion-vehicle sales peaked in 2017, peak oil due in 2027

Nissan Leaf confuses gas station staffThe global market for internal-combustion vehicles peaked in 2017 and is now in "structural decline," Bloomberg New Energy Finance declared in a recent report. Combustion-vehicle sales in 2022 were down almost 20% from the 2017 peak, according to BNEF. In 2017, 86 million internal combustion passenger vehicles were sold globally—including...

BMW Neue Klasse EVs will debut with panoramic head-up display

BMW Panoramic Vision head-up displayThe BMW Neue Klasse family of EVs debuting in 2025 will feature a panoramic head-up display. BMW showed the display, dubbed Panoramic Vision, Wednesday during its annual business conference. In what the company claims is an industry first, the display will span the windshield and show information to both the driver and front passenger, unlike...

7-Eleven wants its EV charging network to be among the largest

7-Eleven 7Charge EV fast-charging stationConvenience store chain 7-Eleven has ambitious plans for EV charging. The company on Thursday announced 7Charge, an EV charging network that it aims to make one of the largest in North America. The plan includes DC fast-charging stations at 7-Eleven locations in the U.S. and, eventually, Canada, with access via a proprietary app. While light on...

Electricity price hikes are souring home EV charging satisfaction

Electrify America HomeStationEV owners are much less satisfied with their home charging experience than at the same time last year, according to new results from the survey giant J.D. Power. The reason, it’s suggested, is satisfaction with the cost of charging, which declined versus the same study last year by about 30 points. Much as satisfaction with gasoline vehicles...

Tesla owners sue over parts-and-service monopoly

Tesla SuperchargerTesla is being sued by customers who claim the automaker has unlawfully monopolized replacement parts and repair services. Two class action lawsuits (via Transport Topics) were filed Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco on behalf of two California residents who own Model S EVs. The plaintiffs allege that Tesla has violated antitrust laws by...

Volkswagen ID.2all concept previews affordable compact EV

Volkswagen ID.2all conceptVolkswagen on Wednesday unveiled a concept car providing the first real look at a promised affordable EV due to be unveiled for the European market in 2025. The Volkswagen ID.2all concept previews a future production model that will have a base price of 25,000 euros (about $26,500 at today's exchange rates) and will utilize a new variant of the...

Biden administration opens $2.5B community EV charging program

Electric Avenue rededication, Portland, July 2015The Biden administration on Tuesday opened applications for the first round of $2.5 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure under a community grant program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in November 2021 includes $7.5 billion to help fund a national EV charging network, with the goal of building 500,000 EV charging stations...

Biden administration opens $2.5B community EV charging program

Electric Avenue rededication, Portland, July 2015The Biden administration on Tuesday opened applications for the first round of $2.5 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure under a community grant program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in November 2021 includes $7.5 billion to help fund a national EV charging network, with the goal of building 500,000 EV charging stations...

Fires aren’t an EV safety concern but their weight is, warns IIHS

2022 Ford F-150 LightningEV fires tend to get a lot of attention, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) warns that EVs' added weight—and the damage it can inflict on other road users—is the real safety concern. "Fifty-five EV crash tests and zero fires later, I’m still worried about these batteries, but for a more mundane reason than...

2024 Kia EV9 3-row electric SUV squares off with luxury makes

2024 Kia EV9Kia revealed images of the 2024 Kia EV9 three-row electric crossover SUV on Tuesday, setting the stage for a new flagship that mirrors the concept that debuted two years ago at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show. The tall, boxy crossover SUV takes the handsome look of the Kia Telluride into the future. The vertical ends defy aerodynamics with a new...

2024 GMC Hummer EV truck and SUV can charge other EVs at 6 kw

2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV V2V chargerThe 2024 GMC Hummer EV can charge an electric vehicle quicker than the standard 120-volt outlet found in most garages, GMC revealed last week at a demonstration for the SUV variant of GM's flagship electric vehicle. Both the 2024 Hummer EV truck (SUT) and the new Hummer EV SUV benefit from a new 19.2-kw onboard charger and portable charge cord...

VW picks Canada for first American PowerCo EV battery plant

2023 Volkswagen Golf R 20th Anniversary EditionVolkswagen has chosen a Canadian site for the first EV battery factory of its new PowerCo business unit outside Europe. Located in St. Thomas, Ontario, the factory is expected to start producing battery cells in 2027, according to a VW press release. It will be the third PowerCo battery plant globally, along with plants in Salzgitter, Germany, and...