synd-vehicle-history
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Now that it has finally delivered the first retail example of its I-Pace, Jaguar has released official range and MPGe estimates for this new luxurious electric crossover. As we reported on Monday, the I-Pace is rated at 234 miles of range, a little short of the 240 that Jaguar indicated it was aiming for in earlier press drives. For comparison, the base Tesla Model X, the closest competitor to the Jaguar I-Pace (though somewhat larger), has a similar range of 238 miles. DON'T MISS: 2019 Jaguar I-Pace real-world review It's not exactly apples-to-apples, though, as the Jaguar has a...
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Google Maps adds electric-car charging locations
In a banner day for electric-car drivers, Google announced on Wednesday that it will add electric-car charging stations to Google Maps. The app will now show Tesla Supercharging stations as well as ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, and SemaConnect networks in the U.S. as well as networks in Britain...
Eric C. Evarts -
BMW i4 will resemble 4-Series Grand Coupe–with big battery
BMW plans to launch perhaps its most mainstream electric car, the i4, in 2021, about a year after the iX3 electric crossover utility goes on sale. BMW chairman Harald Krüger told British auto magazine Auto Express that the long-awaited i4 will be treated as a variant of the company's 4-series...
Eric C. Evarts -
Documents: 60-kwh Nissan Leaf pricing aligned with Chevy Bolt EV
Even before the second-generation Leaf was introduced last year, it was an open secret that Nissan planned an extended-range, 60-kwh version of the Leaf. Now our friends CarsDirect have found some documents—U.S. order guides that dealerships plan their orders and marketing...
Bengt Halvorson -
Teslas to get new self-driving, Autopilot chip in spring 2019
Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk took to Twitter Tuesday to announce that owners will get a new Autopilot chip in about six months that will be much more powerful and enable the company's long-awaited Full-Self Driving Mode. In a series of tweets, Musk said that owners who have prepaid for...
Eric C. Evarts -
Jaguar delivers first I-Pace electric crossover in North America
Jaguar confirmed its first retail delivery of the I-Pace electric crossover Monday, a few weeks ahead of the company’s early November target for retail sales. The I-Pace isn’t late, but a vehicle like it has been a long time coming. It’s the first of what we can rightfully call a...
Bengt Halvorson -
Mercedes's new line of more capable plug-in hybrids will start with the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE plug-in hybrid that the company says has more electric driving range than previous efforts. It will arrive late next year and will be based on a redesigned version of the mid-size GLE SUV arriving with gas power next spring. The company didn't release many other details about the new model or its powertrain, but Daimler sales chief Ola Kaellenius told trade publication Automotive News (subscription required) that, "The GLE will be the first car with a 100-kilometer (62-mile) range on a plug-in...
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2017-2018 Kia Niro hybrid recall concerns extra heat in the back seat
Drive a 2017 Kia Niro (or a 2018) and find your back seat becoming a hot seat? It might be a good idea to stop driving it and call your dealership. In 2017 and some 2018 Kia Niro models, a main relay, within what’s called the power relay assembly, may not have adequate contact connections...
Bengt Halvorson -
British company resurrects classic MGB and Jaguar XKSS as electrics
First, it was the Porsche 911, then the Jaguar E-Type. Now it's the MGB. Converting classic old cars into electrics has become the rage across Europe. The latest comes from RBW Classic Electric Cars in the UK, which isn't taking classic MGBs and modifying them, but recreating new classic MGBs with...
Eric C. Evarts -
BMW recalls chargers for 2018, 2019 plug-in models
BMW issued a recall for the charge cords of virtually all the 2018 and 2019 plug-in vehicles it has built for sale in the U.S. According to the recall notice on the NHTSA's website, capacitors in the charge cords could fail, resulting in a shock hazard or a fire. DON'T MISS: Ford recalls Focus...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla sets Monday deadline for full tax credit
Tesla has given buyers a deadline of Monday to order a car if they want the full $7,500 federal tax credit. That's 2-1/2 months before the credit officially expires, but since most Teslas are built to order, the company needs some lead time for orders. A notice on Tesla's website reads: "All orders...
Eric C. Evarts -
Best deals on green cars for October 2018
One of the best ways to get people to buy green cars is the same way automakers get consumers to buy any car—by making deals. Looking at October sales, among plug in cars other than Teslas, the bestsellers were those that offer the best deals from month to month. This month, many of the same...
Eric C. Evarts -
Faraday's Future has hit another snag, in a dispute with the company's latest investors. The development of the luxury electric Faraday Future FF91, has been a roller-coaster ride of winning financing, running into disputes, delaying the car, and finding new investors. DON'T MISS: Faraday Future gets a $2 billion lifeline to build expensive crossover The latest round of $2 billion in financing announced in June by a Hong Kong investment company, allowed the company to produce its first production prototype of the FF91 luxury electric SUV. Now that financing is in doubt after Faraday filed an...
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Mercedes-Benz plans to expand lineup of more capable plug-in hybrids
Mercedes-Benz announced plans Wednesday improve the range and capability of its plug-in hybrids and to bring the flexible powertrain to more models. It also introduced a new brand name to designate its plug-in hybrid models: EQ Power. The EQ Power designation will appear alongside the company's new...
Eric C. Evarts -
Subsidy's swansong: Canadian plug-in sales take a dip
After generous tax credits expired in Canada’s largest province of Ontario, September, not April, turned out to be the coldest month for electric-car sales North of the Border. The tax credit was worth up to $10,000 ($14,000 Canadian.) British Columbia was a bright spot, with the provincial...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Tesla again claims higher safety rating than NTHSA gives
Tesla took a page out of its Model S playbook over the weekend and announced that its Model 3 is the safest car that NHTSA has tested. Only Tesla isn't NHTSA. In a blog post Sunday night, Tesla said it based its findings on NHTSA data, just as it did with the Model S in 2013. "The agency’s...
Eric C. Evarts -
Trump expected to lift E15 ban limiting ethanol in summer gasoline
President Donald Trump is expected Tuesday to direct the EPA to lift the seasonal ban on higher-ethanol E15 blends of pump gasoline linked to summer smog issues. The move has been anticipated for months. This timing for it, according to Reuters, is aimed at helping Republican candidates in...
Bengt Halvorson -
Nothing comes close to Tesla: 2018 Q3 plug-in sales
Even with solid increases, other electric-car sales paled in comparison with numbers from Tesla in September and for the third quarter of 2018. The next highest sellers, were the Chevrolet Bolt EV, with 3,949 sales from July to September, and the Nissan Leaf just behind with 3,767 for the quarter...
Eric C. Evarts -
Jeep said Monday that it laid the groundwork to begin production of a plug-in hybrid version of its small Renegade at the factory in southern Italy where it's produced alongside the Fiat 500X. The model is expected to go on sale in early 2020, though it's not clear whether it is intended for the U.S. Jeep did not immediately respond for comment on where the Renegade would be sold. Few technical details are available about the model, such as its battery size or potential electric range. This year, Jeep added an available 1.3-liter turbo-4 to the Renegade's powertrain menu. It's not clear if...
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How will VW price its next-generation electric vehicles? Think TDI
Volkswagen says that it aims to make “electric vehicles for millions, not millionaires” with its next-generation EVs. While that’s a clever tagline, what ultimately will matter to many households who want a new electric vehicle in the driveway is whether they can afford one of...
Bengt Halvorson -
Circular economy: Magnets from old hard drives could wind up in EV motors
As some of the world’s largest automakers ramp up production for a generation of electric vehicles, the supply of one of the most important ingredients—rare-earth elements—is surely a cause for concern. Rare-earth elements—especially neodymium—are in short supply...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla rolls out new Version 9 software–without full-self-driving features
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk on Friday announced that the company released its long-awaited Version 9 software update, but without the full-self-driving features that he promised back in June. Instead, the new software now rolling out to all Model 3's, Model S's, and Model X's makes improvements...
Eric C. Evarts -
One size won't fit all for future Kia EVs
For an automaker that’s pitching itself toward the fun side of the Hyundai Motor Group, the tone for the automaker’s sizable electric push soon sounds altogether like pants. “It’s all about what fits,” said Michael Winkler, director of powertrains for Kia in Europe. By...
Aaron Cole -
VW confirms it’s planning for solid-state batteries by 2025
Solid-state batteries sometimes sound a bit like the missing link that would punt electric vehicles soundly into mainstream acceptance. The list of potential virtues for solid-state tech, which would replace the polymer/gel electrolyte commonly used in lithium-ion cells with a solid one, is...
Bengt Halvorson