Pop-up EV charging hubs deemed a success in UK trial

Urban Electric pop-up street-side charging hubs in BritainA trial of pop-up EV charging stations in the United Kingdom has proven successful, showing a possible way to expand urban charging infrastructure without adding clutter. A British company called Urban Electric announced the trial last year, placing prototype pop-up charging "hubs" along streets in Oxford, England. Activated by an app, the...

Nissan electric ambulance curbs the tailpipe emissions

Nissan NV400 electric ambulanceIn a lung-related pandemic, maybe we should be thinking a little more about how many of our existing emergency vehicles—ambulances specifically—have tailpipes and big diesel engines. Working with the Tokyo Fire Department, Nissan converted an ambulance to electric power. It's not the first electric ambulance, but Nissan claims it is...

Lucid Air electric car: Fleet of 40 prototypes temporarily parked

Lucid Air prototypes parkedLucid has temporarily parked a fleet of 40 prototypes for its Air electric sedan and, apparently trying to make the most of the situation, it's released a short video showing the whole fleet of cars parked together. The Air was originally scheduled to appear in production-ready form at the 2020 New York Auto Show, but the event was cancelled due...

Tesla’s battery approach vs. others: Teardown video breaks it down

Tesla Model 3 battery pack teardown, from YouTube video by Sandy Munro, May 2020As other automakers have launched competing electric cars, Tesla has managed to maintain an advantage in several key areas, including batteries. This teardown video provides a glimpse at how Tesla's battery approach differs from that of rivals. Sandy Munro, of Munro & Associates, has been conducting a teardown of a Tesla Model Y. This time, he...

Lordstown Motors tours former GM plant where they’ll build electric pickups

GM Lordstown, Ohio, factoryLordstown Motors was created to build electric pickup trucks at a former General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio. While work to launch the truck, named Endurance, is on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lordstown released a short video tour of the factory. GM built cars in Lordstown for 53 years, and the current factory was capable of...

Tesla Model Y teardown: Smart cost-cutting, but no hidden V2G potential

Tesla Model YJust as widely expected, the Tesla Model Y battery pack is virtually identical to that of the Model 3. That's a top-level conclusion of Sandy Munro, of Munro & Associates, who has been conducting a teardown of the Model Y, with running commentary comparing the electric crossover to its sedan sibling. In a video comparing the Model Y and Model...

Tesla Roadster was a giant leap for EVs, Jay Leno’s 2008 drive reminds us

Jay Leno drives a 2008 Tesla RoadsterThe original Tesla Roadster marked a milestone for electric cars. It proved that electric cars could be sporty and desirable, paving the way for Tesla's later, higher-volume models. Given Tesla's later successes, it is easy to forget how surprising the first-generation Roadster was when it first went on sale in 2008. Jay Leno's test drive from...

Lucid teases dynamic testing for Air sedan, updates on Arizona factory

Lucid Air cold-weather dynamic testingLucid has just teased something that’s utterly essential in a luxury sedan with 1,000 horsepower on tap: finesse. In a video released today, Lucid presents a short tease of the Lucid Air’s dynamic cold-weather testing, conducted several months ago in Northern Minnesota. The Air is seen on a circle track, getting into both sustained...