News Opinion

Opinion on auto industry news. Opinion on cars and new vehicles.
Silver 2023 Toyota Prius

Hybrids That Don't Plug In Have A Murky Future In The US

Standard, “self-charging” hybrid vehicle sales are higher than they have ever been in the US. Automakers are planning on making many more of them, branching out to include new pickup, SUV and minivan hybrid offerings in recent years. But there’s a big problem brewing for hybrid vehicle sales in the US: several states have already committed to selling only new plug-in vehicles by 2035.
Tesla Model Y

Tesla Model Y Becomes Best-Selling SUV In China Out Competing Both ICE & Electric Vehicles

According to data released by China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), in the month of February, the Model Y has become the best-selling SUV in China. And even more impressively, the Model Y was able to beat not only battery-electric vehicles but also internal-combustion vehicles with a significantly lower starting price.
Red Kia EV6 at sunset

Kia EV6 Seems Like It Is Headed Toward Compliance Car Status

What is a compliance car you ask? I’ll link to a definition later in this article but basically it is an alternative fuel vehicle that is either designed or intended for limited sales. The Kia EV6 electric crossover almost certainly is not intended to be a compliance vehicle, however its sales in the US are beginning to make it look more and more like one.
Tesla Giga Shanghai

Indonesian Official Confirms Talks With Tesla Are Ongoing, Says Giga Mexico Doesn’t Change Tesla’s Asia Plans

Tesla, in the last 2 months has announced it will be building 2 new factories - one adjacent to Giga Nevada, and another in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. However, despite the already aggressive expansion plans, an Indonesian official has confirmed talks to build an EV plant are ongoing and that Giga Mexico doesn't change Tesla's plant to build a factory in Asia.
Tesla Model Y

Tesla Issues A Rare Physical Recall For A Model Y Back Seat Issue

Although by now it might seem that Tesla is issuing a recall for its vehicles every other week, most recalls are benign software issues addressed by an over-the-air software update. However, today, Tesla has issued a rare physical recall for improperly torqued bolts fastening the second-row seat back of the Model Y.
Image of Toyota Prius parked next to a Supercharger by John Goreham

Powering a Bolt With A Tesla Supercharger Costs Double that of Fueling a Prius With Gas

Non-Tesla owners of affordable EVs are posting up the cost per kWh and how much they get in terms of range per dollar spent when charging at U.S. Superchargers. The quick math shows that conventional gas-powered cars cost less to power. Hybrids are dramatically less expensive per mile to operate on gas than powering a non-Tesla at a Supercharger.
Chevrolet Silverado EV and Ford F-150 Lightning EV

All Electric Pickups Are Awesome, But They're Going To Slow EV Adoption

There, I said it. I am a die hard electric vehicle (EV) nerd, yet I am pretty sure full size all electric pickups will throttle the expansion of the EV market. I believe this is true for multiple reasons, but the foremost reason is that they use a lot more batteries than a compact or midsize EV pickup or SUV would, or a smaller crossover, never mind a sedan or hatchback. Simply put, more EV pickups translates into fewer batteries being available to electrify a larger number of other vehicles.
Tesla Giga Shanghai

Tesla China Produces Record 74k Vehicles In February Despite Model 3 Production Shutdown

Tesla China has just posted a record delivery number for the month of February producing and selling 74,402 vehicles. This number is even more impressive when we take into account that Tesla has shut down the Giga Shanghai Model 3 production line for half of the month.
Tesla Model Y

Toyota Executive Calls Refreshed 4680 Tesla Model Y “Truly A Work Of Art” Following Tear down

A Toyota executive who took part in the Model Y teardown spoke with Automotive News in conditions of anonymity and said about the all-electric crossover “taking the skin off the Model Y, it was truly a work of art. It’s unbelievable.”
Tesla Giga Berlin

Tesla Reveals Giga Berlin Has Already Reached Production Rate Of 200,000 Model Ys A Year

Tesla officially inaugurated Giga Berlin only 11 months ago. However, today, the EV maker has announced that the plant has reached a Model Y production rate of 4000 vehicles a week. This gives Giga Berlin an annualized production rate of 200,000 vehicles per year.

Elon Musk Tempers Cybertruck Sales Expectations Saying “Ramping Production Will Be The Challenge, Not Demand”

In response to a tweet by Whole Mars Catalog, who wrote “I can’t wait to see people’s stunned reactions as Cybertruck climbs the sales charts,” Musk responded by tempering expectations saying “ramping production will be the challenge, not demand.”
Tesla Cybertruck

Tesla Releases More Detail Regarding The Cybertruck’s 30X Cold-Rolled Stainless Steel Alloy

In a new Tesla patent application, we get our first details regarding Cybertruck’s exoskeleton. In the patent application, Tesla details the superior anticorrosive and strength properties of the 30X cold-rolled stainless steel alloy the Cybertruck will be built out of.

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