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Lotus' first electric car might be a 1,000HP monster
Lotus won't be the first British car manufacturer to go electric, but it might make waves when it does. Autocar sources claim Lotus' first EV will be a 1,000BHP (about 1,013HP) hypercar costing about £2 million, or roughly $2.5 million. It'd compete with the likes of the Bugatti Chiron and McLaren P1 where current models like the Evora are aimed more at 'ordinary' sports cars.
Tesla tests Autopilot navigation for traffic lights and roundabouts
Tesla has teased that Navigate on Autopilot will gradually handle more and more driving responsibilities, but those aren't just fanciful long-term plans -- they're very much on the roadmap for the near future. In the midst of a public pitch for Navigate on Autopilot, Elon Musk mentioned that Tesla is currently testing "traffic lights, stop signs & roundabouts" in pre-release software. It's hard not to be a bit skeptical of Musk's claim that you'll soon travel to work with "no driver input at all," but this is promising if the very thought of entering a busy roundabout makes you nervous.
Electrify America installs California's first 350kW EV chargers
Californians now have access to some of the fastest electric vehicle chargers on the planet... even if people can't really use those chargers yet. VW's Electrify America has installed California's first publicly available 350kW EV chargers at Simon's San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore Valley, 40 miles from San Francisco proper. The shopping location now has two of the extra-fast stations in addition to eight new chargers that muster 'only' 150kW. If you plug in a compatible car, the 350kW units should deliver 200 miles of range in about 10 minutes -- enough to be sure you get home.
Audi’s E-Tron blends luxury with cutting-edge tech
We've already seen the first pure-electric Audi in teaser images, under QR-code camoflauge and even unveiled under a barrage of lights accompanied by a DJ set from Diplo. But no amount of pomp and circumstance, sly marketing or famous DJs matter until you get behind the wheel. Good news then, that I finally had the chance to drive the Audi E-Tron in a barren desert, about as far as you can get from a well-orchestrated launch party.
Tesla shoots down leaked Model Y production schedule
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said its notorious Model 3 manufacturing issues almost bled the company dry. So it's no wonder everyone is interested in whether it's learned from past mistakes ahead of the launch of its new EV, the Model Y. The latest news suggests that as recently as October, Tesla was pursuing an aggressive production schedule for the crossover SUV.
UK supermarket Tesco teams with VW to install 2,500 EV chargers
The UK's EV charging infrastructure is getting a huge boost courtesy of a new partnership between the country's biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, and Volkswagen. They're joining forces to install 2,500 charging bays at 600 Tesco stores by 2020. Customers will be able to charge their electric cars using a standard 7kW fast charger for free, or pay to use the 50kW charger. The charging bays will be installed by the UK's largest independent public charging network operator, Pod Point.
BMW considers electric-only mode for hybrids in zero-emissions areas
BMW has a problem: with cities planning to either create zero-emissions zones or even ban gas-powered cars entirely, how does it keep its vehicles on the road? By turning them into ad hoc electric cars, apparently. In a conversation at the LA Auto Show, board member Klaus Froehlich told Reuters that BMW could make its hybrid cars run in an electric-only mode in polluted city centers where EVs might become the only option. The machines would use their connected technology and navigation to "automatically" disable conventional engines in these areas, Froehlich said.
Up close with Kia's 2020 Niro and Soul EVs
Kia was not messing around at its LA Auto Show press conference on Wednesday, rolling out vehicle updates and new models left and right.
Ural’s electric motorcycle with a sidecar is weird but fun
Electric motors are extremely compact compared to their combustion-engine counterparts. As long as you have room for batteries and a controller, you can pretty much put them anywhere. That's what sidecar-motorcycle maker Ural did for its electric concept vehicle based on its C-T bike. It's a one-off curiosity that blends the latest in powertrains with a design that's been around since before World War I.
Audi’s pure electric E-Tron GT is beautiful and fast
Audi's electrified E-Tron lineup just got a bit more crowded. The automaker's new impressive-looking E-Tron GT is sure to become an instant favorite for not only Audi fans but also anyone who's interested in a sporty coupe that just happens to look amazing.
BMW officially unveils its Vision iNext concept SAV
Remember BMW's vision of the future that we previewed this past September at an SFO airfield? Well, now everybody knows about it, because BMW revealed the Vision iNext to the world on Tuesday, ahead of the official start of the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Up close with Rivian’s R1T electric adventure truck
After nine years of design and development, automotive startup Rivian unveiled not one but two new electric vehicles (each with Level 3 autonomy, no less) on Tuesday at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. The R1T is a pickup built specifically for off-road adventuring while the swanky R1S is competing with Range Rover's line of upscale SUVs in both looks and amenities.
New York spurs EV sales with fast chargers and lower power rates
Federal electric car tax credits might disappear (if just due to strong sales), but that isn't preventing individual states from stepping up. New York has unveiled a string of programs that it hopes will incentivize EV purchases in the state. In addition to an existing Drive Clean Rebate knocking as much as $2,000 off EV purchases, the state is deploying as many as 200 150kW fast chargers in "more than two dozen" locations around major traffic corridors, JFK International Airport and five large cities outside of NYC (Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers). In theory, you can buy an EV knowing you'll always have enough battery life for an upstate jaunt.
Vauxhall's GTX concept teases the future of mass-market EVs
Vauxhall and Opel, the Anglo-German car maker, joins a number of companies suddenly rushing to embrace electrification. As part of a wider shift away from gas-powered vehicles, it has built the GTX, an all-electric concept that serves as a mission statement for its EVs. You won't see this car popping up in showrooms, but this is the shape, broadly, of things to come.
British Columbia aims to end fossil fuel car sales by 2040
The efforts to phase out fossil fuel cars are spreading in North America. British Columbia Premier John Horgan said his government would introduce a bill in 2019 that would require sales of emissions-free "light-duty" cars and trucks in the Canadian province by 2040. The percentages would ramp up, starting with a 10 percent requirement by 2025 and climbing to 30 percent by 2030.
Will Tesla open up its Supercharger network in Europe?
Yesterday, Tesla announced that its mass-market Model 3 will use a Combined Charging System (CCS) port for slow and rapid charging in Europe. That's different from the modified Type 2 plug that has shipped on Model 3 cars in America and both the Model S and Model X worldwide. In addition, Tesla revealed that it will be retrofitting Superchargers in Europe with "dual charge" cables that support both the Model 3 and older vehicles. This is a pretty big deal.
Tesla will bring the Model 3 to Europe with a CCS port
It looks like Tesla has already started preparing for the Model 3's launch in European markets. The automaker will start displaying its relatively affordable electric vehicle in European showrooms this week, and it has already sent out invitations to reservation holders. In addition, Tesla's head of global charging infrastructure, Drew Bennett, has confirmed to AutoExpress that the European version of Model 3 will come with CCS (Combined Charging System) fast charging-compatible ports when it arrives in the market in 2019.
Tesla, GM and Nissan will fight to maintain EV tax credits together
Tesla, GM and Nissan have teamed up on a new lobbying initiative to extend the $7,500 per vehicle tax credit for EVs. The "EV Drive Coalition" -- which also counts industry giant ABB and non-profit Plug In America as its members -- launched on Tuesday to spur lawmakers into passing reformative legislation that "works better for more consumers for a longer time frame."
BBC will broadcast every Formula E race this season
The BBC may have lost Formula 1 coverage years ago due to budget limits, but it's making up for that in style. The broadcaster has reached a deal to air every race of Formula E's 2018-2019 season in the UK, starting with the December 15th race in Saudi Arabia. In other words, it'll be very easy to follow the electric racing league if you live in the country. This is also important for exposure -- availability on a free-to-air TV network could introduce Formula E to people who otherwise wouldn't know it exists.
Tesla raises prices, cuts options to simplify its EV lineup (updated)
Tesla has made good on its plan to cull options for its electric cars, and the changes are... mixed. Electrek has learned that Tesla has raised the prices of the Model S 75D and Model X 75D by $1,000 to $78,000 and $84,000 respectively, albeit with $500 price drops for their 100D counterparts (now $96,000 and $99,000). However, you now get the black Premium interior standard, with cream and white interiors costing $1,500 instead of the earlier $3,300. And it's what you don't see that may matter the most -- Tesla has scrapped a number of choices, including some drivers might like.