China’s Gotion will make EV-bound LFP batteries in Illinois

Gotion battery cellsChinese battery maker Gotion will build a $2 billion EV battery factory in Manteno, Illinois, with plans to begin production in 2024. The battery plant was announced September 8 by Gotion and the State of Illinois, which provided a $536 million incentive package to land the project. Under the terms of the deal, Gotion is also eligible to receive...

Review: 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric outshines gasoline versions

2024 Hyundai Kona ElectricThe 2024 Hyundai Kona is already reaching dealerships, while the Kona Electric version, Hyundai says, won’t arrive until late fall. You should wait, because the EV version of Hyundai’s small utility vehicle is hands-down the best of the bunch. We had two brief stints in a prototype Kona Electric in the rolling Maryland horse country...

2025 Lotus Emeya EV will face off with Taycan, Model S Plaid

Lotus EmeyaLotus will take on the Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S Plaid, and Lucid Air Sapphire with its own high-performance electric sedan. Due sometime next year as a 2025 model, the Lotus Emeya is the automaker's second EV, following the Eletre SUV. It's also latest in a set of premium, flagship sedans or fastbacks that emphasize performance, perhaps at...

Report: Mercedes might use BYD battery for Model 3 rival in China

Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA-ClassMercedes-Benz could use Chinese battery supplier BYD's Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in future Chinese-market EVs, according to a new report. The source here is Chinese publication CBEA, which on Friday reported that Mercedes will start production of EVs with BYD batteries in 2025, citing an anonymous official of the automaker. As...

Which US states are falling short on public EV chargers?

Tesla SuperchargerWhich states are doing the best in terms of providing the right number of public chargers—and the right type of public chargers—for the growing fleet of electric vehicles? The answer might not be as simple as one metric, suggests a study looking to assess the state of EV demand and infrastructure readiness. But it does attempt to...

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally EV vies for a dirt-track date

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E RallyFord is a long history in rallying with cars like the Escort, Focus, and RS200, and now it's applying that to the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV. Unveiled Thursday, the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally is a new performance model designed for dirt-road driving. Changes start with unique exterior styling, including 19-inch white rally-style wheels, a...

Hilton hotels’ 20,000 Tesla chargers offer EVs an overnight charge

Hilton hotels add Tesla chargingHilton on Thursday announced plans to install up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connector EV chargers at 2,000 hotels in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Hilton plans to begin installing chargers in early 2024, with at least six chargers at each location, according to a company press release. The company indicated this is in response to growing...

Ford adds Apple Maps EV routing to F-150 Lightning

Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning getting CATL LFP batteriesDrivers of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck will soon be able to choose to navigate with Apple Maps, if that’s what they prefer, and receive guidance on where to charge along the way. The news comes via CarsDirect, which noticed the feature mentioned in a Ford dealer communication sent out this week, disclosing that all Lightning...

Honda sets timeline for adopting Tesla NACS charging

Afeela electric sedan prototypeHonda on Thursday announced that it’s formalized an agreement with Tesla for the adoption of Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) in future U.S. EVs—and what it appears to highlight is that dealerships will need to juggle two different charging standards during the arrival of its upcoming EVs. Although Honda confirmed...

Toyota reveals hydrogen fuel-cell electric pickup truck

Toyota Hilux hydrogen fuel-cell prototypeToyota on Tuesday revealed a prototype hydrogen fuel-cell pickup truck, but it's unclear if the project will progress to a production vehicle. Based on the overseas-market Hilux, the prototype was developed by Toyota Motor Manufacturing U.K. and a handful of partner companies, with U.K. government funding. The Hilux was chosen because it has a...

US EV adoption is becoming more polarized by state

Tesla SuperchargerU.S. EV adoption rates continue to rise overall, but vary significantly by state, according to a new J.D. Power study. On a nationwide basis, EV adoption is rising steadily in the U.S., with EV sales now representing 8.6% of U.S. new-car sales, according to the study, which is based on data collected through August 2023. However, the U.S. is being...