The Tesla Model 3 continues to open up its lead over every other plug-in car on the US market. For all the hype about a slower than projected Model 3 production ramp up, it seems there isn’t another plug-in vehicle that comes within two laps of touching it. It sits at about triple the sales of the #2 Toyota Prius Prime (a plug-in hybrid) and nearly 4 × the sales of all 7 of BMW Group’s plug-in models combined.
A consortium of tech and automotive companies have launched a new blockchain initiative dubbed the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative, or MOBI amongst friends. The not-for-profit working group was pulled together to explore the uses of blockchain technology to improve mobility services.
After chatting with a few satisfied new owners of the Chevy Bolt this month, I thought, perhaps it is time to try for a test drive again. Last year, I gave up exploring diverse comparisons to my much appreciated all-electric 2015 Nissan LEAF. I had a hard time finding a variety of EVs at dealerships. The only companies really offering them seemed to be BMW, Nissan, Chevy, Porsche, and Tesla. So, the test drive experience was short — I tried the Volt and the Prius Prime. There simply were not other EVs available for test drives in Sarasota, Florida.
When consumers walk into a US car dealership and have a choice of buying either an electric or internal combustion engine (ICE) powered version of the same model, what percentage opt for the BEV or PHEV version? The short answer is 9.8% on average.
After the auto bailout, Ford, GM and Chrysler pledged to support stricter fuel standards. Now, they are working with President Trump to weaken those rules.
Our “What Changed … ?” feature tries to cut through the “noise” (that is, review articles, op-eds, superfluous analyses, announcements about the not-so-near future, fun anecdotes, etc.) in order to highlight significant news in the EV industry, solar energy industry, and energy storage industry each month. Here’s an update on what was actually new in the electric vehicle world in April.
Tesla’s robots seem to have evolved from super-powered X-Men, here to save the world, into pitchfork-wielding devils tormenting the lost souls condemned to Production Hell. As Elon Musk admits, that “excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake.” There are plenty of auto industry veterans ready to say “I told you so.”
The Netherlands had 963 registrations in April, up 170% compared to the same period last year. That pulls the year-to-date (YTD) count to 5,472 units (+129%), while placing the 2018 share at 3.2%. Fully electric cars (BEV) represent a whopping 87% of all plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales.
It’s been a rough few weeks for boosters of vehicle autonomy. In March, one of Uber’s pilot autonomous vehicles killed pedestrian Elaine Herzberg while she was crossing the street. A few days later, Walter Huang died when his Model X hit a highway barrier in California with the Autopilot system engaged. Mr. Huang was not the first Autopilot-related fatality: in 2016, Joshua Brown was killed in a crash while his Model S was in Autopilot mode (an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “did not identify any defects in the design or performance” of Autopilot).
General Motors is not the only carmaker suffering from manufacturing inefficiency and significant contributions to runaway pollution. But it is reported to have a plan that tackles both.
