VW reimagines its iconic Microbus for the EV age—but is it moving too slowly? The ID Buzz EV isn’t coming to the US until 2024, leaving an opening for competitors like Ford to grab share in cargo and passenger segments.
ord, Volkswagen look to develop bidirectional charging to power homes in emergencies: An added advantage of EV tech is more efficient power sharing, which lets EVs give back to the grid.
Ford looks to become more competitive against Tesla: Ford creates a dedicated EV division while maintaining gas-powered cash cows, highlighting the need for massive changes in the automotive industry.
Ukraine conflict could bog down various supply chains: Russia and Ukraine are a significant source for materials and energy supplies, and continued conflict and Russian sanctions will lead to shortages.
California court lets Waymo keep AV tech secrets, setting pivotal industry precedent: A California court rules driverless car data filed with the DMV can stay private, but it isn’t a big win for business.
Volkswagen’s potential purchase of Huawei’s autonomous driving business could force competitors to accelerate AV development: A multibillion-euro investment could help standardize AV technology across VW’s range of models.
ES: Mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine could leave necessary chip components in short supply: The region produces neon and palladium, which could further choke chip supplies if unavailable.
Tesla recalls are mounting: Issues range from the dangerous to the absurd but expose quality-control issues traditional carmakers have long solved. What can the industry learn from the deepening integration of tech?
$5B allotted to build half a million EV charging stations: The Biden administration sets up the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to build an alternative fuel corridor in 50 states to help power the transition to EVs but will this be enough for the expected onslaught of EVs?
Nissan is all in on EVs—except in US: Stringent emissions standards and industry-wide push for EVs could leave future gas and diesel engine development in the dust.
US Army commits to EV transition to lower emissions: Challenges include charging infrastructure in the field, effect of battery weight on military vehicles, and lithium-ion’s inherent volatility.
The European Chips Act can wrangle $49B to accelerate chip production: The EC wants the ability to prioritize specific products during shortages, which could complicate negotiations with foreign chip manufacturers.
House passes $52B chip R&D and acceleration bill: Tech companies are clamoring for the infusion of funds, which can increase the US’ 12% share of global semiconductor production capacity.
Diversified EV offerings drive Ford forward in 2022: More than 275,000 orders for EVs help Ford grow 4x faster than the overall electrified segment, but can it overcome chip-related delays?
Tesla’s ship-now-fix-later approach to car production is bad news for car safety: A litany of EV recalls reveals passenger safety faults that are fixable by software as an afterthought.
Waymo fights to keep driverless crash data under wraps: Lawsuit against the California DMV could shape future autonomous vehicle testing efforts and slow down adoption.
Chip shortage caused, in part, by lack of manufacturing of older processors: Investors focusing on premium 16 nm chips or smaller results in shortages of cheaper but necessary silicon chips but could lead to continued scarcity of low-cost semiconductors.
Carmakers team up to pivot to EVs: Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi bet $25.8B on five new EV platforms shared across brands. This could yield EV standards as the world pivots to electric.
New Tesla batteries promise to boost EV range by 15%: Panasonic’s partnership with Tesla makes it a key EV battery producer for other companies making the electric shift.
Has Tesla’s Cybertruck missed its chance? Announced in 2019, the EV is now slated for a 2023 launch in what could be a very crowded EV truck space.