What is the next big innovation in electric car charging?

What element is a major battery manufacturer trying to remove from its electric car batteries?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending June 8, 2018.

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo concept

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo concept

Friday, we learned the new name for the concept that Porsche had been calling the Mission E. The production car will be called the Taycan, pronounced "tie-con." We suppose that goes with Macan, but it sounds as much like a stablemate to VW's Tiguan.

We also reported on a new process that scientists from Harvard are developing to pull CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it back into hydrocarbon fuels.

2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Plugged into L1 in Corte Madera, Calif.

2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Plugged into L1 in Corte Madera, Calif.

Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report about the fatal, March 23 crash of a Tesla Model X using Autopilot. Not only did the car not slow down before hitting the a broken road-safety device, it sped up as it steered into the barrier.

GM and Honda announced a new partnership to develop and build better batteries for the next generation of electric cars.

Chargeway electric-car charging schematic

Chargeway electric-car charging schematic

Wednesday we heard the results of Tesla's annual shareholders' meeting, where CEO Elon Musk indicated that production of the long-awaited Model 3 would reach 5,000 cars a week by the end of June, and that the new Tesla Model Y and Semi truck are on track for 2020.

We also learned that electric-car charging startup Chargeway has partnered up with dealerships, utilities, and a non-profit to proliferate its simpler labeling system for electric car chargers.

Tesla gigafactory, March 2016, shown in drone footage posted to YouTube by Above Reno

Tesla gigafactory, March 2016, shown in drone footage posted to YouTube by Above Reno

Tuesday, we covered a Nature magazine study that showed just how much cheaper it is to mitigate the effects of global warming than it will be to adapt to it.

Panasonic also announced that it will try to reduce the amount of cobalt required for its batteries down to zero. The element is in short supply and prices have spiked amid reports of humanitarian and child-labor abuses at mines.

2017 Toyota Prius Prime, Dallas, Texas

2017 Toyota Prius Prime, Dallas, Texas

Monday, we learned that Tesla has refunded 23 percent of deposits on its Model 3 cars. It's still sitting on more than 400,000 of them.

The Toyota Prius Prime also won an award for creating the lowest social and environmental impact of any new car buyers can choose.