Author: ECar
Which EVs got improvements to ride and handling delivered over the air this week? Which automaker showed an electric scooter that folds up suitcase-sized? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending September 15, 2023. Based on some brief first driving impressions of the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric, we can verify that once again it’s the best-driving of the lineup, providing an experience that’s more refined in every way. Only with final pricing not yet disclosed for the U.S., we’ve yet to see how it factors in with respect to…
One of the best parts of scouring the depths of Alibaba is finding all of these fun-looking electric vehicles that no one seems to build in the West. And while this is normally an adventure in window-shopping, this week’s find for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week really makes me want to own one of these electric battle tanks. Realistically speaking, at just $3,000, how can I afford not to own my own electric tank? Sure, it is technically listed as “kid-friendly”, but that doesn’t mean it’s adult-hostile. At least not if you’re standing on this side…
Tesla production at Gigafactory Texas (Source: Tesla) Tesla has added factory tours, a perk it used to offer to all owners long ago, as a new award in its owner referral program. After an extended pause, Tesla relaunched its owner’s referral program earlier this year. Referrers and buyers earn credits when referring buyers and buyers using referral links. Those Tesla credits can be redeemed for free Supercharger miles, items in its online store, and entries in a Cybertruck raffle. Over the last few months, Tesla has adjusted the rewards on both sides. It used the program to offer more discounts…
Elon Musk pushed to use Tesla’s internal driver monitoring camera to record video of drivers’ behavior, primarily for Tesla to use this video as evidence to defend itself from investigations in the event of a crash, according to Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the Tesla CEO. Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk is out, resulting in several revelations about Tesla’s past, present, and future. One of these revelations is a potential use for the Tesla internal driver monitoring camera that is included on current Teslas. Many cars have a camera like this to monitor driver attentiveness and warn a driver…
Porsche-owned Fazua has made lots of strides in the e-bike world in recent years. Its super lightweight and compact e-bike drive is popular not only among weight weenies, but performance-oriented riders, as well. Being the driver of technology that it is, Fazua has released a recent update for its Ride 60 system that unlocks improved performance and efficiency. Dubbed Update Bundle 009, Fazua is rolling it out for the Ride 60 system even if it’s still a relatively new e-bike drive, having debuted just a year ago. To start things off, the new update ensures that gear changes of hub…
Tesla has removed the Texas-built, entry-level Model Y AWD trim from its online configurator in the United States. As usual when something like this happens, the company hasn’t provided an explanation for the move. Known simply as the Model Y AWD or the Model Y from Texas – not Standard Range or Long Range – it was also the cheapest Model Y available with a starting MSRP of $49,130 (including $1,390 destination fee), before options and incentives. Now, Tesla’s US configurator shows only the Model Y Long Range and Model Y Performance, which are both made at the Fremont Factory…
The Tibet region of China is home to the tallest mountains in the world, and Porsche just climbed one. No, there isn’t a 911 conquering Mount Everest, but a Taycan Cross Turismo did recently plant a Porsche crest at the top of Hongtu Daban in Tibet, cresting at 17,569 feet. According to Porsche, it’s enough to claim a Guinness World Record for the greatest altitude change by an electric car. We need to emphasize altitude change here. While 17,569 feet is mighty impressive (and high) for any vehicle to reach, the Taycan Cross Turismo’s journey is the real milestone. The…
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News! Buildings are responsible for 40% of total energy use in the United States, including 75% of all electricity use and 35% of the nation’s carbon emissions. Although today’s decarbonization efforts often focus on renewable electricity or electric vehicles, decarbonizing the building stock is also essential. To facilitate decarbonization of the U.S. building stock, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have created a new, meticulously researched data set that details how buildings do — and could — use energy.…
Tesla owners are very loyal to the brand. Thinner battery packs and solid-state tech are in the future for Toyota EVs. And California is looking to subsidize fast-chargers for low-income communities. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Despite its relatively few EVs available now, Toyota has big plans to make several big developments in battery tech the core of its upcoming EVs. In an update this week, Toyota laid out the timeline for solid-state batteries, and emphasized that to maximize range and efficiency in future EVs, battery packs will be thinner. California this week announced the opening of…
Tesla has strong brand loyalty, but Rivian and Lucid are beginning to lure some Tesla owners away, according to a new study from S&P Global Mobility. Most Tesla owners stay with the brand, the study found. A whopping 72.8% of Model 3 owners replace their cars with another Tesla, as do 59.9% of Model S owners. Among Model S owners that don’t stay with Tesla, though, the Lucid Air was the most popular replacement, at 3.4%, followed by the Rivian R1T (1.8%), Mercedes-Benz EQS (1.6%), and Rivian R1S (1.2%). The R1T pickup was also the most popular non-Tesla replacement for…