Tesla is being sued by customers who claim the automaker has unlawfully monopolized replacement parts and repair services. Two class action lawsuits (via Transport Topics) were filed Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco on behalf of two California residents who own Model S EVs. The plaintiffs allege that Tesla has violated antitrust laws by… More…

Volkswagen on Wednesday unveiled a concept car providing the first real look at a promised affordable EV due to be unveiled for the European market in 2025. The Volkswagen ID.2all concept previews a future production model that will have a base price of 25,000 euros (about $26,500 at today’s exchange rates) and will utilize a new variant of the… More…

The Biden administration on Tuesday opened applications for the first round of $2.5 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure under a community grant program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in November 2021 includes $7.5 billion to help fund a national EV charging network, with the goal of building 500,000 EV charging stations… More…

EV fires tend to get a lot of attention, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) warns that EVs’ added weight—and the damage it can inflict on other road users—is the real safety concern. “Fifty-five EV crash tests and zero fires later, I’m still worried about these batteries, but for a more mundane reason than… More…

Volkswagen has chosen a Canadian site for the first EV battery factory of its new PowerCo business unit outside Europe. Located in St. Thomas, Ontario, the factory is expected to start producing battery cells in 2027, according to a VW press release. It will be the third PowerCo battery plant globally, along with plants in Salzgitter, Germany, and… More…

The Porsche Cayenne will get an all-electric variant, with a new flagship electric SUV positioned above it, Porsche confirmed Monday in its 2022 financial results presentation. The electric Cayenne will be included in a redesign marking the model’s fourth generation. Porsche did not discuss specific launch timing, but it said the next-generation… More…

Hertz this week announced plans to nearly triple its EV rental fleet in the heart of America’s oil industry. The rental giant plans to bring 2,100 EVs to Houston, as well as an “EV fast-charging hub” at Houston Hobby airport that will serve both ride-hailing drivers and the general public, according to a company press release. This adds to Hertz’s… More…

Mitsubishi on Friday announced a medium-term product plan that will see the automaker launch 16 vehicles globally over the next five years, nine of which will be electrified. Among those models will be an electric pickup truck. The automaker sees the 2023 to 2025 period as a “turning point to a major transition era,” with an increased focus on… More…

The 2023 Lexus RZ electric crossover competes not just against rivals ranging from Nissan through the automotive alphabet to Mercedes, but to electric vehicle startups such as Lucid, Rivian, and Tesla that have raised the bar for electric luxury. So how are Lexus and parent company Toyota positioning the RZ 450e to compete? In a word… More…

Seven states and the District of Columbia led the nation in plug-in car registrations in 2022, each with more than 10 per thousand people, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Along with D.C., the seven states with the most plug-in car registrations were California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Vermont, Colorado, and Nevada. That’s… More…

Ford figured out the issue that led to the battery pack catching fire on a 2023 F-150 Lightning electric pickup’s battery pack. On Friday, Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg told Green Car Reports the automaker will recall 18 2023 Ford F-150 Lightnings and replace their high-voltage battery pack. This story is developing and will be updated… More…

Just before 6:30 a.m. on a February morning, my phone lit up with a notification: The Ford F-150 Lighting in my driveway had stopped charging. “That’s not good,” I said to my wife Karen, noting that the truck was plugged in and not yet fully charged. By the way, it was about 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. I’ll get back… More…

EV owners are much less satisfied with dealership service than owners of internal combustion cars, according to a new J.D. Power study. Results were based on a survey of 64,248 U.S. owners or lessees of 2020-2022 model year vehicles, asking them to rate the service at franchised dealers or equivalent aftermarket facilities. Customer satisfaction… More…

Nissan on Wednesday revealed a new approach to developing the core components for its EV and e-Power series hybrid models—leading to what Nissan believes to be price parity with non-hybrid internal combustion models around 2026. Under the so-called X-in-1 philosophy, core components of both battery electric and e-Power powertrains (3 for EV… More…

Minnesota electrical utility Xcel Energy aims to build a large EV charging network financed by rate hikes, potentially including for customers who don’t own an EV. As reported by KSTP.com, Xcel Energy in August sent a proposal to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to build, own, and operate its own network of 730 charging sites by 2026. The… More…

A U.S. startup called Lightship aims to become the Tesla of RV makers with a battery-powered travel trailer. Founded in 2020, Lightship on Wednesday unveiled the L1, a trailer with an 80-kwh battery pack, which can not only power appliances, but also help propel the trailer. This propulsion system means EVs towing it won’t lose range, and… More…

Airstream has revealed a concept travel trailer designed with Studio F.A. Porsche and looking ahead to a time when many more travel trailers will be towed behind EVs. According to the two companies, the Airstream Studio F.A. Porsche Concept Trailer, due to be shown next week at South by Southwest in Austin in scale form, is the result of a… More…

Mercedes-Benz will soon have three fully electric SUVs for sale in the U.S. market. And Wednesday, with the smaller EQB and larger EQS SUV models already on sale, it priced the middle model, the 2023 Mercedes EQE SUV. The EQE SUV has all the makings of a made-in-America EV. It’s due to be built in Alabama, with cells for its 108-kwh battery… More…

Mercedes-Benz will soon have three fully electric SUVs for sale in the U.S., including the smaller EQB and larger EQS SUV models already on sale. On Wednesday, it released prices for the middle model, the 2023 Mercedes EQE SUV. The EQE SUV has all the makings of a made-in-America EV. It’s due to be built in Alabama, with its 108-kwh battery… More…

It’s no yoke. The Tesla Model Y is being investigated for instances of steering wheels falling off while the vehicles were in motion. Two recent reports made to the safety agency reported “complete detachment of the steering wheel from the steering column while driving,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)… More…