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Even bicycles have Alexa now
When I first clapped eyes on the Cybic E-Legend, I thought: "A bicycle with Alexa? What's the point?" It felt like an utterly pointless addition to a pedal-powered two-wheeler, electric or otherwise. But as I waddled around the bike at CES, I started to appreciate the concept. It can offer directions in a pinch, turn the heating on before you get home, or send a message to your family when you get stuck in traffic. Heck, you could even use it to order UberEats while you're wrapping up a weekend ride.
Wattpark is Airbnb for electric vehicle charging stations
The folks behind Wattpark see an opportunity to bring the gig economy to electric vehicles. They envision a future where people purchase reasonably affordable EV charging ports and install them at home, a business or anywhere they have access to a legal power source, really. Then, the fun begins -- whoever owns the charging station can add it to a network called Book and Plug, and then make it available for other people to use, pricing it however they'd like.
Chevy’s upcoming Bolt app will show real-time charging station status
EVs like the Bolt are surging in popularity, but the US charging grid is still kind of a mess. GM has announced that it's doing something about it, collaborating with charging networks EVgo, ChargePoint and Greenlots. It'll gather data from the companies to use in a new version of its myChevrolet app, with the aim of showing Bolt drivers real-time info on more than 31,000 charging stations.
Nissan unveils its longest-range Leaf EV yet
Even though it's one of the oldest EVs on the market, the Nissan Leaf has only been available with just 150 miles of range -- far less than its newer rivals. Nissan has finally rectified that at CES 2019 by unveiling the 2019 Leaf e+. It packs a 62 kWh battery pack that can propel it about 226 miles, approaching the range of Chevy's Bolt and the Tesla 3 base version.
Harley-Davidson's first electric motorcycle arrives in August for $30K
After years of talk, Harley-Davidson is finally ready to put its LiveWire electric motorcycle up for sale -- and not surprisingly, it'll cost you. The green two-wheeler is now available for pre-order ahead of its August debut for a hefty $29,799. That's a lot to shell out, but Harley is betting that performance and connectivity will seal the deal.
Byton adds an additional touchscreen to its upcoming SUV
Concept cars always undergo changes before they become production vehicles. Maybe the styling is adjusted or a crazy pie-in-the-sky tech feature is removed. Even the yet-to-be-produced wares of automotive startups end up with something being adjusted, removed or added. At CES 2018, Byton showed off its first vehicle, the pure-electric M-Byte. In a change from last year, the SUV's 40-inch "Shared Experience" display is getting another, smaller sidekick.
Hyundai imagines a future where EVs can charge themselves
Automakers and other companies are planning to ramp up charger installations to keep up with the increasing interest in electric vehicles. But if they can't keep up with growing EV sales, overcrowding at public charging stations could become an enormous problem -- especially since (as CNET noted) people tend to leave their cars plugged in while they wander off instead of monitoring them and unplugging as soon as they're done. Hyundai and Kia believe the solution to that problem is a system that can automatically guide an EV to a wireless charging station and then drive it away as soon as it's fully charged.
While we were looking at 3D TVs, CES morphed into an auto show
CES has been held in Las Vegas since the beginning of time (actually since 1978 and it started in Chicago way back in 1967) and over those years, many a tech trend has come and gone. Remember the year of IOT (that's every year since 2013, apparently)? TVs, audio players, robots and blinking lights are always a mainstay, but in the past few years, something else has been creeping into the hallowed halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center: cars.
GM's EV tax credit might shrink soon
If you were thinking about buying a Chevy Bolt in the US, you might want to hop on that shortly. A Reuters source claims that GM managed to sell a lifetime total of 200,000 electric cars by the end of 2018, triggering the EV tax credit phase-out that recently affected Tesla. If accurate, you'll see the credit cut in half to $3,750 this April, drop again to $1,875 in October and disappear entirely in April 2020.
Tesla slashes EV prices by $2,000 to offset reduced tax credits
Now that Tesla's federal EV tax credit has been cut in half, it's determined to keep sales humming with a price cut. The automaker has slashed the price of the Model 3, Model S and Model X by $2,000 in the US to soften the blow of the reduced tax incentive. You still won't save as much as you would if you'd snagged the full $7,500 credit, but it could make the financial hit easier to bear. As it stands, Tesla may need this price drop -- its deliveries didn't meet market expectations.
Faraday Future comes crawling back to its main investor
Faraday Future is ending its very tumultuous year on a positive note... in a manner of speaking. The electric car startup has reached a restructuring deal with its main investor, Evergrande Health's Season Smart, that will put legal battles in the past and potentially keep the money flowing. The two sides have dropped their earlier contract, and Faraday has pulled litigation that tried to force Evergrande to cough up cash. The pact both lifts a hold on the EV maker's assets and removes limitations on its equity financing, theoretically freeing it to take on financing that just wasn't an option before.
Porsche's most premium EV will cost over $130,000
Porsche's Taycan will apparently come in three variants -- and the top-of-the-line model will set you back as much as $130,000. The automaker opened a deposit option program for its first all-electric vehicle, formerly known as Mission E, in mid-2018. After The Drive editor-at-large Alex Roy signed up to place a deposit, a local brand ambassador told him in an email that Porsche will build three models, namely a base Taycan, a four-wheel drive model called the Taycan 4s and its most premium one called the Taycan Turbo.
VW's mobile quick charging station is a juice pack for your EV
Volkswagen wants to ensure you'll always have enough range to drive an electric car home after a big game or concert. The company has offered a peek at a mobile station whose 360kWh charging capacity and 100kW DC quick charging can top up as many as 15 EVs (including, of course, VW's ID cars) with an average time of 17 minutes. Instead of having to find a dedicated station after an event, you could recharge in the parking lot -- think of it as a battery bank for your car instead of your phone. And if it runs low? The organizers just have to swap it out for a fresh one.
Tesla's Supercharger network will cover all of Europe in 2019
Elon Musk has revealed on Twitter that Tesla is planning a Supercharger expansion that will cover "100 percent of Europe" next year. "From Ireland to Kiev (Ukraine), from Norway to Turkey," he added, in response to a tweet that some parts of Ireland are badly in need of Superchargers. The automaker started preparing the Model 3 for European markets back in November, displaying it in showrooms in various countries across the continent. That time, the company also said that the vehicle's European version will come equipped with Combined Charging System (CCS) fast charging-compatible ports. In addition, Tesla said it will upgrade its existing Superchargers in the continent with CCS plugs before Model 3 arrives.
Daimler is testing electric delivery trucks on the west coast
At an event in Southern California today, Daimler Trucks of North America (DTNA) handed the keys to a Freightliner eM2 electric delivery truck to Penske Truck Leasing. The vehicle has been in development for a few years, but in the past nine months, the two companies have worked together to create something that fits nicely into Penske's business.
Nio unveils lower-cost ES6 electric SUV
Nio is already preparing to launch its second electric SUV mere months after releasing its first. The Chinese automaker has unveiled the ES6, a lower-priced SUV that will start at the equivalent of $52,000 -- a sizeable $14,000 less than the ES8. While Nio didn't outline all the differences, the new model won't exactly be a slouch. The starting model can reach 62MPH in a brisk 5.6 seconds, and should have a range of 255 miles on Europe's NEDC testing cycle thanks to a 70kWh battery (there's also an 84kWh option with a 298-mile range). Move up to the higher-end trims and you'll hit that 62MPH mark in 4.7 seconds, with ranges between 267 miles and 317 miles depending on your battery choice.
Driving Audi’s beautiful E-Tron GT concept car
If an automaker unveils a concept car, the chances that anyone has the opportunity to set foot in that vehicle and drive it on the street within a year is slim to nil. If it's a design study don't expect to see anyone ever drive it. If it's a concept of a production car; maybe, maybe a few months after the introduction journalists will get some seat time. But Audi went in a different direction and let me drive the all-electric Audi E-Tron GT concept car that'll launch in 2021 less than a week after it was unveiled at the LA Auto Show.
Tesla puts more cars on sale to maximize $7,500 EV tax credit
Tesla really, really wants to be sure buyers can make the most of the full $7,500 EV tax credit before it's cut in half for the company in 2019. Elon Musk has announced that the automaker is now selling "all" cars where the original customer can't take delivery before the end of 2018. If you're quick on the draw, you could get the full credit even if you're placing an order for the first time.
Hyundai Kona EV could cost you less than $30,000
Turns out Hyundai's Kona EV is one of the most affordable electric vehicles you'll be able to buy in the near future. The automaker has revealed that the electric version of its Kona model has a starting price of $36,450 before federal tax incentives. If you can get the $7,500 maximum tax incentive, the crossover will only set you back $29,995 -- that's $28,950 in base price plus delivery. The Kona EV, Hyundai's first electric crossover for the US market, will be manufactured in Korea and will start shipping in California in early 2019. It will eventually make its way to western and northeastern states part of the zero emission vehicle program, though the automaker didn't announce a concrete timeline for them.
Infiniti to unveil its first fully-electric crossover concept in January
Nissan's Infiniti will mark its 30th birthday next month by unveiling its first all-electric crossover at the place where it all began for the luxury car brand: the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The crossover will give the world the first look at Infiniti's design framework for future EVs in line with its plans to electrify its entire portfolio from 2021 onwards.