Prototype test drive: Lucid Gravity might defy segments

Lucid Gravity prototypeIs that a minivan? Is that a wagon? Is that an SUV? The answer to these questions in order is no, kind of, and yes. The Lucid Gravity is the startup automaker’s upcoming crossover SUV, but in many ways it redefines the genre in terms of packaging, design, and how it drives. Here’s what I learned after an ever-so-brief stint behind the...

EV market share sags in California, though EV sales are up

2024 Mercedes-Benz EQEIt's a complicated time for the nation's largest EV market. California EV sales increased in the first quarter of 2024, but market share still fell, according to a new quarterly report from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA). The absolute number of EVs sold in California grew from 89,741 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 90,296 in...

Toyota “hydrogen headquarters” will develop US fuel-cell products

Toyota Hydrogen HQ opening  -  May 2024Toyota has big hopes for hydrogen, and it’s backing that up with a braintrust. The automaker announced Wednesday that it’s giving its research and development office in Gardena, California, a new name and focus. Set to be called Toyota’s North American Hydrogen Headquarters, the facility will, from here on, lead efforts on this...

2025 Lexus UX 300h AWD hybrid earns 42 mpg, starts around $40,000

2025 Lexus UX 300hThe updated 2025 Lexus UX 300h has been given official EPA ratings, and for the popular all-wheel-drive version they’re a bit better than what Toyota estimated months ago. Although this U.S. version of the UX looks mostly the same as it did for 2024 and in previous model years, it’s now a hybrid-only model. And as such, it gets new...

Report: Top-selling used EVs cost up to $5,000 less than last year

2021 Nissan LeafThe average price of the most popular used EVs has dropped by up to $5,000 compared to last year, according to retailer CarMax. Sales data from September 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024, showed that the top EVs at CarMax were the Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, and Nissan Leaf. They were also the top-sellers in a previous CarMax report published in...

Report: Top-selling used EVs cost up to $5,000 less than last year

2021 Nissan LeafThe average price of the most popular used EVs has dropped by up to $5,000 compared to last year, according to retailer CarMax. Sales data from September 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024, showed that the top EVs at CarMax were the Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, and Nissan Leaf. They were also the top-sellers in a previous CarMax report published in...

Matchbox marks Mercedes’ electric G-wagen with a sustainable twist

Matchbox Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology premium die-castThe first-ever electric version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class—also known as the "Gelandewagen" or "G-wagen"—is getting the Matchbox treatment—with a sustainable twist to match its electric powertrain. Formally known as the Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology (a name that might prove difficult to fit on the packaging), the...

Polestar reports drivable EV with 10-minute 10-80% charging

Polestar 5 prototypePolestar has announced that prototype cells fitted to a version of its upcoming Polestar 5 flagship EV have been able to do a 10-80% charge in just 10 minutes. Polestar said last year that it would place the tech in a prototype Polestar 5 gaining 100 miles in 5 minutes—this project—by 2024, and it appears to have exceeded the original...

Hyundai confirms dedicated US EV plant will make hybrids too

2022 Hyundai Tucson HybridHyundai will add production of hybrid models at its Georgia Metaplant scheduled to open later this year, CFO Lee Seung Jo said during a recent earnings call. "We are investing in facilities to produce hybrid cars at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America,” Lee told the Korea Economic Daily and other media on the call, adding that Hyundai...

Report: EV Electra aims to make Swedish-engineered Emily GT in Italy

NEVS Emily GT prototype - Photo credit: ProteanThe Emily GT, an electric sedan prototype created by former Saab engineers in Sweden with Chinese funding, may see production in Italy under the auspices of a Canadian startup, reports Autocar. The startup in question is called EV Electra, and it has just had an offer to buy an Italian factory approved, CEO Jihad Mohammad said in a LinkedIn post...

Flexible controls could boost EV charging station reliability

Ionity charging in FranceEVs and charging stations have aspired to provide EV drivers with something that rivals the turnaround time of gas stations. While charge rates are important, reliability and simply being able to get a charge, ultimately, are perhaps more important points that some charging networks seem to have glossed over in the process. According to a 2023...