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Tesla Model 3 in-depth video review answers all your questions
There's no shortage of Tesla Model 3 clips out there, but a detailed video review has been sorely missing -- until now, that is. The arrival of a brand-spanking new vid from the folks at the Model 3 Owners Club should tackle any lingering questions you may have about the car. The 70-minute clip is especially useful for anyone mulling a buy or (patiently) waiting for their purchase to arrive.
Daimler’s electric trucks start making deliveries in Japan and US
Most electric vehicle discussions revolve around passenger cars. Sometimes buses get thrown into the mix. We're laser-focused on how people will get from point A to point B and sometimes forget that our streets are also teeming with delivery trucks and vans. Daimler hasn't forgotten and neither has its light-truck brand Fuso.
Honda's Sports EV Concept puts an AI assistant in the passenger seat
If you thought Honda's Urban EV Concept was a clever mix of modern electric car technology with boxy retro style, you'd better brace yourself. The automaker has unveiled the Sports EV Concept, which adapts that new-and-old formula to a low-slung, nimble coupe -- we can see traces of the 1300 Coupe mixed in with other intriguing design cues (check out the B-pillar wrapping around the otherwise all-glass roof). Frankly, it's one of the better-looking EV concepts we've seen. Honda hasn't talked performance figures, but the real focus appears to be on the AI under the hood.
Tesla reportedly lands deal to build an EV factory in Shanghai
It's difficult for foreign car makers to crack the Chinese market. Unless they're willing to partner with a local brand (and thus give up both profits and technology), they have to pay for shipping vehicles and swallow a 25 percent import duty fee. That clearly won't cut it for Tesla, which has wanted a deeper presence in China but also doesn't want to give up its fierce independence. However, it looks like Elon Musk's outfit may have reached a compromise: Wall Street Journal sources claim that Tesla has a deal to build a factory in Shanghai's free trade zone. Tesla would still have to pay the 25 percent import duty, but it would retain full control and could likely offset the tariff with lower production and shipping costs.
Renault-Nissan bets its future on electric and hybrid cars
The Renault-Nissan alliance is no stranger to producing electric cars. Have heard of this little thing called the Leaf? However, its eco-friendly vehicles have tended to be odd ducks in the lineup. That's about to change: the Renault Group has unveiled a "Drive the Future" plan that will see the company field eight all-electric models and 12 hybrids by 2022. Simultaneously, it's trying to leave emissions scandals in the past by cutting its diesel range in half over the same period.
Ford creates 'Team Edison' to speed up EV development
There's little doubt at this point that electric cars are the future, but how do you get to that future as quickly as possible? To Ford, it's a matter of finding the right friends. In a Reuters interview, Ford's Sherif Marakby says the company has created "Team Edison," a group focused on speeding up the worldwide development of electric vehicles -- including by forming partnerships with suppliers and other companies. The aim is to "look holistically" at the EV space and "make quicker" decisions to keep pace with the development of EV technology.
Tesla switches from NVIDIA to Intel for its infotainment systems
Ever since Tesla took the wraps off the Model S, its electric cars have had NVIDIA hardware powering the infotainment system and the giant touchscreen that controls it. However, it's apparently breaking with tradition: Bloomberg sources hear that the automaker has switched to Intel. Reportedly, the Model 3 and new versions of other cars will be the first to make the leap. It's not certain what prompted the move (Intel, NVIDIA and Tesla have all declined to comment), but it's a huge coup if true.
Mercedes-Benz spends $1 billion to make EVs at Alabama plant
Like most auto makers these days, Mercedes-Benz is investing in electric vehicles in a big way. The Daimler-owned company is fast-tracking all of its models to an electric future by 2022. It has also been showing off a slate of EV models, like the Generation EQ concept car, slated for production in 2019, an art deco-inspired, 20-foot-long Cabriolet and an adorably small Smart Vision EQ. It's looking at infrastructure, too, giving money to help support quick-charging tech made by Israeli startup StoreDot. Now Mercedes-Benz' parent company, Daimler AG, has plans to invest an $1billion in an Alabama factory to make sure it can make fully electric vehicles and battery packs here in the US.
Starting in 2020, it’s going to be much easier to buy an EV
For the first time ever, buying an electric or hybrid car from most of the big automakers is a viable option. But these electrified vehicles are still a small part of the entire automotive world. At the Frankfurt auto show in Germany, many car companies either finally pledged or reiterated earlier promises to increase the number of electrified cars to their lineups by 2030.
Porsche's Mission E pricing might give Tesla buyers pause
Porsche boss Oliver Blume has dropped some details about the Porsche Mission E that should perk up the ears of EV and sports car fans. The all-electric vehicle will look much like the dramatically-styled concept that first appeared in 2015 and get to an 80 percent charge in just 15 minutes. It will also go on sale in 2019 and have a (relatively) reasonable price of an "entry-level Panamera," which is around $80,000-$90,000, he told Car Magazine at the Frankfurt Auto Show.
Electric car prototype is built for Africa's rural roads
With a few exceptions, most electric cars are delicate, expensive creatures designed for paved streets and well-heeled early adopters. And that makes them ill-suited to rural Africa -- many roads away from the cities aren't paved at all, and just about any EV would be out of reach. That's where the Technical University of Munich comes into play. It recently revealed a prototype electric vehicle, the aCar, that's designed for both the conditions and uses of rural Africa.
Mini shows off its pure-electric concept car
We've seen the fancy 3D renders; now here it is in real life: the Mini Electric Concept. Shown off on the first day of the Frankfurt auto show, the small EV is expected to hit production in 2019.
Jaguar plans a production EV racing series for 2018
To date, watching a full-fledged EV racing series has meant watching custom-built Formula E race cars. They're great to watch, but not exactly reflective of what you can drive on the road. Jaguar aims to fix that. It's launching the first production-based electric vehicle race series, the I-Pace eTrophy, as a support series for Formula E in late 2018. It'll run on the same tracks as Formula E, but it'll rely on (what else?) a track-optimized version of the upcoming I-Pace SUV. Up to 20 drivers will take part in each race in an "arrive and drive" package -- they'll need an international racing license, but Jaguar and the FIA will take care of vehicles and support.
Volkswagen wants 300 EV models by 2030
Volkswagen announced today that it will spend over $24 billion producing electric vehicles by 2030 and will have a zero emissions version of each of its models, just like Mercedes-Benz. While it's only the latest automaker to jump on the EV bandwagon, VW's likely investing so much to get out from under the shadow of its diesel scandal.
Mercedes puts Formula One tech in an electric hypercar
More and more supercars from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche are using electric motors to juice their torque. Mercedes-Benz wasn't about to be left out. It's just introduced the 1,000-horsepower AMG Project One ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show. The vehicle was built with the cooperation of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula One team.
Tesla extends range on cars to help owners avoid Hurricane Irma
Tesla may have software-limited the battery capacities of some cars to upsell owners to pricier trim levels, but it's now clear that the company is willing to lift that limit during a crisis. The EV maker has confirmed to Electrek that it temporarily unlocked the full battery capacity on 60kWh Model S and Model X cars in Florida to give them the full 75kWh and help them escape Hurricane Irma. As you might guess, the extra range (about 30 to 40 miles) could be vital -- in one case, it helped an owner in a mandatory evacuation area optimize his escape route and get out in a timely fashion.
BMW shows off its all-electric Mini concept
The all-electric Mini could blow the bloody doors off the EV landscape, simply by making plug-in power more accessible. That's why the prospect of a 3-door electric version of the iconic car is so exciting. And now, we're finally being treated to a decent look at the car itself -- well a concept, anyway.
Why BMW bets on versatility over pure EVs
Behind the wheel of the BMW 330e you almost forget it's a hybrid. Then you floor it on an uphill climb while in electric mode and the car automatically switches to the gas engine -- with a warning you've outstripped the electric motor's capabilities. The $43,700 (about $10,000 more than a regular 3 Series) version of BMW's iPerformance brand is a near seamless integration of the automaker's past, present and future.
VW's electric microbus will become a reality in 2022
When Volkswagen unveiled the ID Buzz, the assumption was that it would meet the same fate as many concept cars: it'd look good at an auto show, and promptly disappear when cold economic realities set in. Thankfully, the Buzz won't suffer that fate. VW has announced that it will put the Microbus-inspired EV into production, with a launch expected by 2022. We wouldn't expect everything about the Buzz to remain intact (those large wheels are likely the first things to go), but the '60s-inspired styling, semi-autonomous driving and all-wheel drive option will carry over. VW is even teasing a cargo variant, so couriers may have a clean (and slightly kitschy) alternative to the usual vans.
Mercedes uses art deco inspiration for electric car concept
Luxury vehicles from the 1930s were nearly aircraft carrier-long. It was the art deco era dominated by seemingly never ending clean lines. So it's no surprise that the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet is over six meters long (about 20 feet) and has a single line that runs the length of the vehicle. Hell, the back the car is inspired by yachts and called a "boat tail." In other words, it's going impossible to find parking for it.
