Mark your calendars: Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested this afternoon that his electric automaker is going all-in on autonomous vehicle tech—and that Tesla’s robotaxi will be unveiled on August 8. The announcement, posted by Musk on X Friday afternoon, capped off a weird day of reports and counter-reports that sent …
Read More »Here Comes the Flood of Plug-In Hybrids
Last week, the Biden administration made it official: American cars are really going electric. The US Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule, long in the works, that will require automakers selling in the United States to dramatically boost the number of battery-powered vehicles sold this decade, putting a serious dent …
Read More »Don’t Let the Boeing Headlines Fool You. Air Travel Is Really Very Safe
What the hell is going on up there in the sky? The incidents feel like they started in January, when a door plug blew out of a midair Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines. Ensuing investigations have led to a series of revelations about a faltering safety …
Read More »How Rivian Is Pulling Off Its $45,000 R2 Electric SUV
Last week, the electric automaker Rivian unveiled the R2, its latest electric SUV. When the vehicle starts rolling off production lines—in the first half of 2026, Rivian says—the R2 will join the R1S SUV and the R1T pickup truck in the automaker’s lineup. Critically, Rivian pledges its newest entry will …
Read More »Rivian’s Three New Electric SUVs Mark a Make-or-Break Moment
The Rivian lineup is more than doubling, as the electric-auto maker announced three new models during an event in Laguna Beach, California, today. The R2, Rivian’s newest, smallest, and most affordable option thus far, will be released first. And though the truck may be more diminutive than Rivian’s other offerings, …
Read More »Waymo Will Bring Autonomous Taxis to Los Angeles—Its Biggest Challenge Yet
Paid autonomous vehicle service is coming to Los Angeles, thanks to a decision by California regulators today to allow Alphabet subsidiary Waymo to operate in the city. Under the new ruling, Waymo is also permitted to launch service in a large section of the San Francisco Peninsula. The decision by …
Read More »Tesla’s Charging Network is Now Open to Other EVs and Ford Is First In Line
Every six months, the automotive research company J. D. Power surveys some 5,000 US electric vehicle owners about their experiences driving their battery-powered cars. The latest edition of this survey, out this week, found that EV’s perennial bugbear is still bugbearing. In fact it has gotten worse: Drivers say they …
Read More »RIP Apple Car. This Is Why It Died
After a decade of rumors, secretive developments, executive entrances and exits, and pivots, Apple reportedly told employees yesterday that its car project, internally called “Project Titan,” is no more. Those working on the technology of some four-odd hype cycles ago—electric, autonomous vehicles—will reportedly now focus on the vaunted advancement of …
Read More »Some Hydrogen Car Owners Are Still Waiting for the Future to Arrive
Debra Snell thought she did her research. Before she and her husband signed the paperwork on their new red Toyota Mirai last March, they went to a hydrogen fueling station near their home in Grass Valley, California, northeast of Sacramento. There, on two consecutive weekends, they interviewed members of a …
Read More »The Switch to Electric Vehicles Was Always Going to Be a Slog
In hindsight, no one said it would be easy. This year’s headlines on electric vehicles have been a bummer. As the world races away from fossil fuels, which are driving up global temperatures and causing catastrophic climate change, EV manufacturers are still having a hard time getting drivers into greener …
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