Ford aims to capture more EV newbies with three-row electric SUV

Ford Explorer electric crossover for EuropeFord’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup has managed to capture a high rate of customers who hadn’t considered an electric vehicle before, with EV newbies making up nearly 80% of reservation-holders. And as Ford CEO Jim Farley underscored this week in a quarterly financial call, there’s room to do that again in the near future with...

White House: Toyota “fully committed” to electrifying US fleet

Toyota bZ Compact SUV ConceptToyota "has been the laggard" on electrifying its U.S. lineup, but is now "fully committed," White House senior advisor John Podesta said in an interview with Reuters published Tuesday. Podesta said he met with senior officials from the automaker, including chief scientist Gill Pratt, who is one of the executives who even around the time of...

Redesigned 2025 Mini Cooper Electric adds driving range, space

2025 Mini Cooper prototypeThe next-generation electric Mini will add more space, and potentially more driving range, in an upcoming redesign, the brand revealed Thursday. The redesigned Mini Cooper Electric, as it's referred to in a press release from Mini parent BMW, is expected to arrive for the 2025 model year. In addition to a replacement for the current Mini Cooper...

Fisker plans to bring swappable batteries to Ocean EV by 2024

2023 Fisker OceanThe Fisker Ocean electric SUV will get swappable batteries from startup Ample by 2024, Fisker announced Tuesday. But the partnership will target fleets initially. "With today’s announcement drivers can now look forward to a combination of award-winning design and affordability in the Fisker Ocean," a company release said, "powered by the...

Ford Mach-E with LFP battery: 250 miles, starting at $44,795

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E previewFord has already promised that it will be ramping up production rates for its Mustang Mach-E electric car. But earlier this week it delivered an added perk that wasn’t already anticipated: another price cut. With it, pricing drops on all of the Mustang Mach-E electric cars by as much as $3,700—factoring in a mandatory destination fee...

CarMax: Owners trading in Civic for Model 3, Prius for Leaf

2022 Tesla Model 3Consumer interest in used EVs is on the rise, with some of the most popular gasoline cars getting traded in for EVs, according to data compiled by retailer CarMax. Search traffic for terms containing "electric" on CarMax's website doubled between February 2022 and February 2023, with a peak 5.6% of searches containing "electric," in October 2022...

2023-2024 XC40 Recharge, C40 EVs get $2,500 Costco discount

2023 Volvo XC40 RechargeCostco is offering members a $2,500 discount on the Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge—the Swedish automaker's two all-electric models. The discount is available on 2023 and 2024 models between May 2 and July 31, according to a company press release. A $1,000 incentive is also available for all other 2023 and 2024 Volvo models. The...

Hyundai Ioniq 5 goes sideways with e-Corner tech, in-wheel motors

Hyundai Mobis e-CornerHyundai’s affiliate technology supplier, Hyundai Mobis, has shown its e-Corner modular steering and propulsion system for EVs in real-world testing, and it’s just released a bit more about what the system will allow dynamically. Put simply, it could dramatically change the maneuverability of electrified urban vehicles, driven or not...

Survey: Growing portion of US shoppers are rejecting EVs

2023 Ford F-150 LightningDespite strong EV sales growth, the ratio of U.S. car shoppers uninterested in buying an EV is increasing, according to a new J.D. Power survey. "Top-line metrics on overall EV market share, availability and affordability have been on a long-term upward trend," J.D. Power said in a statement, "but beneath those headline numbers we are starting to...

Lordstown indicates Foxconn may be backing out of deal

Lordstown EnduranceLordstown Motors on Monday warned that Taiwan's Foxconn may be looking to back out of a crucial funding deal that would keep the electric truck maker running—and that it might go bankrupt if the issue isn't resolved. In a regulatory filing first reported by CNBC, Lordstown said it received a letter from Foxconn on April 21 alleging that the...

2023 Honda Accord Hybrid achieves Top Safety Pick+ distinction

2023 Honda Accord HybridThe 2023 Honda Accord lineup—including the Accord Hybrid—has achieved top crash-test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the agency revealed on Friday. Improved side-impact protection, part of the redesign the Accord lineup received for 2023, is partly to credit for the top showing. It now achieves a...

Daimler plans $650M US charging and hydrogen network for big rigs

Rendering of proposed Daimler Trucks Greenlane charging and hydrogen fueling site.Daimler Truck North America announced a $650 million joint venture to develop charging and hydrogen-fueling infrastructure for medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial trucks. Called Greenlane, the joint venture was started in 2022 by Daimler, utility NextEra Energy Resources, and investment firm BlackRock Alternatives. It plans to add charging...