Solar tonneau cover charges electric pickups, provides portable power

Worksport TerraVis solar tonneau charging systemTonneau covers are already a popular option for pickup owners—allowing more secure, weather-protected storage, and perhaps even improved aerodynamics and highway efficiency. Adding solar panels to tonneau covers seems not only like a natural next step, but a natural complement to the numerous fully electric pickups arriving over the next...

Toyota Lunar Cruiser could take hydrogen fuel-cell tech to the moon

Toyota Lunar Rover conceptIn 2019, Toyota and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced plans for a hydrogen fuel-cell lunar rover, to launch later in the decade. Now the vehicle has a name—Toyota Lunar Cruiser. The name is a reference to the Toyota Land Cruiser SUV, which has built up a reputation over several decades for off-road prowess. The Lunar...

Matthew Dear song remixes Ford Mustang Mach-E electric car sounds

Musician Matthew Dear, with the Ford Mustang Mach-EThere are many, many songs that mention one of the icons of gasoline-swilling, open-road Americana: the Ford Mustang. Meanwhile, there are very few electric Ford Mustangs in the world, and even fewer songs about electric Ford Mustangs. Leave it to Ford to change those things—both of them. Later this year, the start of deliveries of the Ford...

Lordstown Motors ad shows electric trucks at work

Screenshot from Lordstown Endurance adLordstown Motors released the first ad for its Endurance electric pickup truck Thursday—even though first deliveries for the truck remain about a year away. The Endurance was designed primarily as a work vehicle aimed at fleet buyers, and the ad certainly shows that. Chock full of farmers and construction workers, the ad looks like it was...

Kandi electric car open to US orders August 18, with $20,499 starting price

Kandi K23 electric carWhen will electric vehicles be priced as low as comparable gasoline vehicles—or even lower than them? Those who closely follow EV adoption have been asking that question for years. And while most brands haven’t yet scaled up and cut battery costs to the point where they can reach that affordability point, a Chinese import called Kandi...

Is the eBussy modular electric van a Microbus for an urban future?

Electric Brands eBussyThe Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept hints that the classic Microbus is going to get bigger. For those who think that's the wrong direction, there's the eBussy, a modular electric van that also originates in Germany. The company behind it, Electric Brands, started out making electric scooters, and is now moving into cars. With its tiny proportions and...

Hyperion fuel-cell supercar: Hydrogen hype takes a very fast-looking form

Screenshot from Hyperion XP-1 teaser videoHydrogen fuel-cell powertrains have been demonstrated in sedans, SUVs, and commercial trucks, but a California-based company plans to use fuel cells for something a lot faster. The Hyperion XP-1 is a hydrogen fuel-cell supercar that has been in development since 2016—with the company itself nine years old. The car was due to be physically...

2022 Nissan Ariya revealed: 10 geeky details on 300-mile electric crossover

Nissan AriyaThe production-bound Ariya electric crossover that Nissan revealed Wednesday morning in Japan represents a bucketload of firsts for the brand. First and foremost to Nissan, the Ariya is at the leading edge of a Nissan Next strategy that involves all-new vehicles and a significant refresh for most of the automaker’s vehicles in the next...

2022 Nissan Ariya: 10 geeky details in 300-mile, $40,000 electric crossover

Nissan AriyaThe production-bound Ariya electric crossover that Nissan revealed Wednesday morning in Japan represents a bucketload of firsts for the brand. First and foremost to Nissan, the Ariya is at the leading edge of a Nissan Next strategy that involves all-new vehicles and a significant refresh for most of the automaker’s vehicles in the next...

Jay Leno drives Canoo’s subscription-only electric van

Canoo electric car on Jay Leno's GarageCanoo won't put its subscription-only electric van on the road for customers until sometime next year, if all goes well, but Jay Leno already got to drive it for a recent episode of his "Jay Leno's Garage" YouTube show. Leno also toured Canoo's Torrance, California headquarters. Founded as Evelozcity, and including some Faraday Future veterans...

Jay Leno drives Canoo’s subscription-only electric van

Canoo electric car on Jay Leno's GarageCanoo won't put its subscription-only electric van on the road for customers until sometime next year, if all goes well, but Jay Leno already got to drive it for a recent episode of his "Jay Leno's Garage" YouTube show. Leno also toured Canoo's Torrance, California headquarters. Founded as Evelozcity, and including some Faraday Future veterans...

Hyundai-Kia and LG Chem hope to woo battery-tech startups

2020 Hyundai Kona ElectricHyundai, sibling brand Kia, and battery maker LG Chem are launching a competition for battery-tech startups. The "EV & Battery Challenge" will select up to 10 battery startups for "potential investment and collaboration," Hyundai said in a press release Monday. Those startups will work with Hyundai, Kia, and LG Chem on "proof of concept...

Lightyear tests solar roof tech on a Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3 modified by Lightyear for solar roof testingDutch startup Lightyear plans to launch an electric car powered by a combination of solar panels and batteries. That car isn't quite ready for production yet, but Lightyear is testing its solar tech on modified Tesla Model 3 sedans. Lightyear has two of these Tesla research vehicles, numbered 005 and 006, as well as a solar-equipped Volkswagen...

Rimac C_Two electric supercar delivery delayed to 2021

Rimac C_TwoThe ongoing coronavirus pandemic has impacted the plans of automakers large and small—even those planning to make all-electric supercars. The list of delayed launches now includes the 1,914-horsepower Rimac C_Two. On Tuesday the company said it would begin deliveries in 2021, not 2020, as originally planned. Rimac recently resumed normal...

Pasadena claims to have the largest public EV fast-charging station in the US

Marengo Charging Plaza, Pasadena, CaliforniaMost places in the United States are lucky to have just one EV fast-charging outlet. Pasadena, California, isn't like most places. Located in the state with more electric cars than any other, Pasadena now claims to have the largest fast-charging station in the U.S. The Marengo Charging Plaza, in a downtown parking garage, boasts 44 charging plugs...

Super-flat REE skateboard EV platform will get suspension help from KYB

REE modular EV platformREE Automotive will get some help from a Tier 1 automotive supplier as it continues to push a skateboard EV platform toward production. The Israeli startup has arranged a partnership with KYB, a company that supplies suspension systems to automakers. KYB will apply its suspension expertise to REE’s skateboard platform, the companies said in a…