The South Korean automaker Kia has a brand-new electric compact SUV on the way. The Kia EV3 is the fourth of the brand's EV models, a high-range SUV that slots into Kia’s lineup below the flagship Kia EV9. No starting price has been announced for the EV3 just yet, but …
Read More »Biden’s New Import Rules Will Hit Ebike Batteries Too
Last week, the Biden administration announced it would levy dramatic new tariffs on electric vehicles, electric vehicle batteries, and battery components imported into the United States from China. The move kicked off another round of global debate on how best to push the transportation industry toward an emissions-free future, and …
Read More »Tesla’s Controversial Factory Expansion Is Approved
The controversial expansion of Tesla’s only European Gigafactory was approved on Thursday, as the local council in the German municipality of Grünheide voted in favor of the carmaker’s plans to grow its facility near Berlin. The majority of 19 council representatives supported Tesla’s plans to expand the factory. Eleven councilors …
Read More »These Electric School Buses Are on Their Way to Save the Grid
The big yellow school bus is a US icon, but perhaps not one that future Americans will remember fondly. Chugging through neighborhoods, idling in front of kids’ houses, the vehicles spew both noise and fossil-fuel pollution all across town. In a city like Oakland, California, that significantly worsens air quality, …
Read More »Biden Is Trying to Buy EVs Time With New Tariffs on China. It Might Not Work
Today, the Biden administration announced a near-unprecedented 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, a move the White House said would protect the American industry from “unfairly priced Chinese imports.” Previously, tariffs on Chinese EVs sat at 25 percent. Electric vehicle batteries and battery components will also be subject to …
Read More »An Innovative EV Motor Used by Lamborghini, McLaren, and Ferrari Is Being Mass-Produced by Mercedes
Car enthusiasts mourn the commoditization of propulsion. Once petrolheads would have chosen a BMW for its sonorous straight-six or a Mercedes-AMG for its thunderous V8. Now many believe that distinctiveness is rapidly diminishing. Electric cars might provide mad, silent thrust, but a common complaint is they are mostly indistinguishable for …
Read More »Climate Protesters Storm Tesla’s Gigafactory in Europe
German climate protesters clashed with police as they attempted to break into Tesla’s factory site near Berlin on Friday, during a five-day demonstration against the carmaker’s local expansion plans. Footage on social media showed crowds of black-clad protesters running toward Tesla premises. German media reported injuries among police and protesters, …
Read More »Tesla Temporarily Shuts Factory Down as Environmentalists Call the Company a Sham
Mara is sick. The 24-year-old has been living in a mosquito-infested forest near Tesla’s German gigafactory since March, and despite the 78 degrees Fahrenheit heat, a cold is spreading through the camp. Sitting on a makeshift bench, she tells me how she left Berlin to live among the pine trees, …
Read More »As Elon Musk Abandons the $25K Tesla, This EV Costs Just $4,400
As Elon Musk steps away, yet again, from the idea of a $25,000 Tesla, let’s take this opportunity to zoom out and appreciate what a truly affordable EV can be. For this we need to ignore the Nissan Leaf—currently the cheapest EV in the US at $29,280—and skip over Europe, …
Read More »Everything You Need to Know About Hybrid Cars
Have you heard? The hybrids are coming. As sales growth falters for electric vehicles, particularly in the United States, automakers have started to turn their gaze toward the EV’s less-charged-up cousins. Some may see hybrids as less sexy, or less worthy, than full-electric cars. But global government emissions rules, along …
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