Friday marked exactly two years since Tesla announced that every one of its cars was being produced with the hardware needed for Full Self-Driving. Friday was also the first full day that Tesla removed the option from its configurator—at the same…
Author: Bengt Halvorson
Lower-cost Tesla Model 3: Does 260 miles, $46K before incentives split the difference? [Updated]
UPDATE: Tesla originally rolled out the Model 3 Mid Range at a base price of $45,000 on 10/18. Less than six days later it’s raised the price $1,000, and we’ve adjusted the numbers in this piece to reflect that. “We made a slight adjustment to ou…
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…
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&rsqu…
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…
2019 Hyundai Kona Electric: first drive of affordable 258-mile crossover
Our first test-drive time with the Hyundai Kona Electric included plenty of what’s very familiar to Los Angelenos: plodding along to the next stoplight on wide boulevards, waiting another few minutes, and repeating—with occasional squirts i…
UN’s climate catastrophe, Trump’s ethanol, Tesla’s Q3 sales surge: The Week in Reverse
Will some very intriguing products from Bollinger Motors and Faraday Future make it to market? And electric-vehicle sales surged to new levels in the third quarter of the year, thanks to Tesla. Will it push even harder to meet a tax-credit deadline? Th…
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 aim…
Report: Audi e-tron GT electric sport coupe will fast-charge in 12 minutes
Audi revealed last month that its e-tron GT, which is described as a “highly dynamic coupe,” will make its debut at the Los Angeles auto show in November. Although that model isn’t likely to be produced until 2020, at the earliest, it…
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…
