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Honda E first drive: Futuristic and incredibly fun to drive
It's a miracle the Honda E is even here, considering how much Honda seemed to hate electric cars. And yet, here I am in Valencia, Spain, ready to drive this adorable EV, which is slated to go on sale in summer 2020 in Europe and Japan only. Until recently, Honda (along with Toyota) has focused on hybrid and hydrogen cars, while ceding the EV market to Tesla and others. However, a maverick gang of Honda engineers convinced management to build the Honda E. They even kept the design pretty close to the Urban E concept it's based on, right down to the wild futuristic interior. And it paid off. The compact EV's retro-cute je ne sais quoi has grabbed the attention of car buyers and EV fans of all stripes. Now, all that remains is to see if it's as fun to be in and drive as it looks.
Lime exits 12 cities and lays off 100 employees in search of profit
In its ongoing quest to become profitable, Lime says it will exit 12 markets across the globe. In the US, the company will shutter operations in four cities: Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego and San Antonio. It will also leave Linz, Austria, as well as Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Lima, Puerto Vallarta, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Latin America.
BlackBerry and Amazon team up to make connected cars more secure
The more connected cars get, the more we'll need to depend on high-quality security -- especially when dealing with the cloud. BlackBerry, which is more into cars than smartphones these days, is addressing that issue with a new connected vehicle software platform based on its QNX operating system. By tapping Internet of Things tech from Amazon Web Services, it'll let car manufactures build AI apps and access vehicle sensor data for connected, electric and autonomous cars.
Bosch will use tiny explosions to make EVs safer in a crash
Electric vehicles have obvious benefits, but they also pose new risks. In the event of a crash, there's a chance that damaged wiring could allow current to leak from the EV's battery into the metal frame, posing a risk to occupants, rescue workers and first responders. Electric vehicles automatically turn off when a crash is detected, but to go a step further, Bosch has created an explosive device that automatically cuts off the high-voltage battery.
EVgo is installing fast chargers at Chevron filling stations
EV infrastructure company EVgo has teamed up with Chevron to install fast chargers at select filling stations in California. The chargers, with up to 100 kW of capacity, are now running at Menlo Park and under construction at other locations in Los Angeles and Bay Area communities including Aliso Viejo, Manhattan Beach and Venice. "EVgo is helping everyone -- including traditional fueling stations -- take advantage of the benefits of EV adoption," EVgo CEO Cathy Zoi said in a statement.
Tesla begins selling a Model 3 tow hitch in Europe
Good news for aspiring Tesla Model 3 owners: the promised official tow hitch has arrived on the Tesla site, at least in Europe.
Tesla drops annual servicing for 'as needed' repair model
Tesla has quietly changed its EV maintenance policy, going from regularly scheduled service to an "as-needed" model, according to its "Car Maintenance" page. Before, it called for "recommended" service every 12 months and 12,500 for the Model S and X, and 24 months or 25,000 miles for the Model 3. Now, however, it simply says "your Tesla does not require annual maintenance and regular fluid changes," and instead recommends periodic servicing of things like brake fluid, air conditioning and filters.
'Semi-solid state' batteries could lead to cheaper, longer-range EVs
The race to create cheaper, longer-lasting batteries just got more interesting. 24M, a US Department of Energy-funded startup, announced that it has delivered semi-solid state lithium-ion batteries with energy density levels of 250 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg). That roughly matches Tesla's 2170 cells used in the Model 3, considered to be the most efficient cells around. The company thinks it could do even better, making EVs longer lasting, lighter and cheaper.
Lyft adds the option to request EVs or hybrids
After committing last year to making rides and the company itself totally carbon neutral, Lyft plans to add thousands more electric vehicles to its network in 2019. What's more, you can specifically request an EV or hybrid when hailing a ride through the new green mode.
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.
See the stylish and confusing vehicles from the Paris Auto Show
The Paris Auto Show 2018 may have been devoid of big vehicle launches, but that doesn't mean it was boring. We saw a mix of cool (the Peugeot E-Legend), weird (Renault's EZ-ULTIMO), quick (Infiniti's Project Black S) and long-range (the Kia e-Niro). Other vehicles appeared in public for the first time, like Bugatti's 1,500 horsepower, $5.8 million, 236 mph W16 Divo, and Mercedes EQC 400 SUV launching in 2020. Mercedes incredible electric supercar, the EQ Silver Arrow concept (above), also made its car show debut. Here's a petite sampling of the most interesting cars from the show.
Lucid Motors gets $1 billion to help build its EV
Lucid Motors, a struggling electric car startup, has just won itself a reprieve. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund invested $1 billion in the Tesla competitor; the money will be put towards the company's first production vehicle, the Lucid Air, which is due out in 2020.
Investment in renewable energy drops as fossil fuel use rises
Global investment in renewable energy is on the decline, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The energy watchdog says there's a significant contradiction between the statements governments make regarding their attitudes to renewables, and the tangible action being taken. Investment fell by seven percent to $318bn last year.
US regulators delay noise mandate for EVs and hybrids (again)
Electric cars are considerably quieter than their gasoline-powered counterparts, but that's not always a good thing. Pedestrians, especially those who have visual impairments, often rely on audible cues to signal an approaching vehicle. That's why a law was proposed in 2013 to add noise to electric vehicles and hybrids traveling under 18.6 miles per hour. It was supposed to go into effect in late 2015, but it was delayed. Now, it's been delayed again.
Renault's 'smart island' runs on wind power and recycled batteries
Renault has launched a "smart island" in Portugal that uses its Zoe electric vehicle, home batteries, smart charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2E) energy storage to run without fossil fuels. The idea is to make the Madeira island of Porto Santo energy independent and stimulate renewable energy production. "[We want] to build a model that can be carried over to other islands and cities," Renault Electric Vehicle Director Eric Feunteun told Engadget.
Existing EV batteries could be recharged five times faster
Lithium-ion batteries have massively improved in the last half-decade, but there are still issues. The biggest, especially for EVs, is that charging takes too long to make them as useful as regular cars for highway driving. Researchers from the University of Warwick (WMG) have discovered that we may not need to be so patient, though. They developed a new type of sensor that measures internal battery temperatures and discovered that we can probably recharge them up to five times quicker without overheating problems.
Dyson's debut EV might not showcase its next-gen battery tech
Though it had been rumored for some time prior, it was still somewhat surprising when Dyson formally revealed it was getting into the EV game. Even for a company that takes research and development to an excessive level to make some of the best vacuum cleaners (and more recently, hairdryers) around, a car is a different league of machine. The Financial Times has learned a little more about Dyson's progress from several anonymous sources -- namely that the current roadmap consists of not one, but three cars. Crucially, little birdies also said the company was considering using a lithium-ion battery to power its first EV, the same tech every automaker uses in their electric cars now. In other words, not particularly innovative for an EV set to hit the road several years from now.
Renault-Nissan and Didi plan self-driving ride service in China
Didi, the company that purchased the rights to Uber in China, plans to build an electric, autonomous ride-sharing service with Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and other automakers. The two companies are currently in the exploration stages, but Renault said it will launch "robo-vehicle ride-hailing services" with Didi as part of its Alliance 2022 strategic plan.
All-Tesla EV racing series could hit the track this year
Tesla's electric race car series has been in the planning stages for awhile, and now it has been approved by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the organization that oversees Formula One. Eventually, the plan is to put together an all-electric series of racing events around the world. But because others' electric racing vehicles aren't ready yet, the Electric Car Production Series is starting with the Tesla Model S P100D. It was previously called the Electric GT Wold Series.
LG will build Europe's biggest EV battery factory next year
As the auto industry fatefully moves into electric vehicles, Europe's major car-makers need high capacity batteries. Until now, companies like VW, Volvo and BMW have had to import batteries from Asia. LG's forthcoming car battery factory in Poland, the first in Europe, hopes to fulfil that growing demand. "The company has chosen Poland as the most competitive location for production to satisfy the needs of European and global car producers," said Chang-Beom Kang, vice president at LG Chem. The facility will cost $1.63 million, based in the city of Wroclaw which is close to the country's border with Germany. (In case you didn't know, Germany is a major car manufacturing country.)
