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Bradley Berman

bradberman

Bradley writes about electric cars, autonomous vehicles, smart homes, and other tech that’s transforming society. He contributes to The New York Times, SAE International, Via Magazine, Popular Mechanics, MIT Technology Review, and others. https://twitter.com/bradberman

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First drive of Polestar 2, the electric sedan for buyers wanting European style

Polestar

This week, I took the new all-electric Polestar 2 for a 145-mile drive from San Francisco, down coastal Highway 1, and through the twisty mountainous roads west of Silicon Valley. The taut, sporty, and long-range Polestar 2 sedan was an absolute delight to drive. The most enjoyable aspect of the Polestar EV is not what it offers, which is plenty, but what it lacks: virtue signaling.

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GM to add 2,700 EVgo chargers in 5 years, a bet on fast-charging while shopping

General Motors and EVgo announced today that they plan to add more than 2,700 new fast chargers at grocery stores, retail outlets, and entertainment centers in 40 metropolitan areas. The project, which will take five years to complete, is an effort to convince renters and condo dwellers that EVs are practical. The message is to fast-charge in a half-hour while you’re completing errands.

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First German buyers of ID.3 EV are young ‘techie’ males and first time VW owners

The Volkswagen ID.3 EV briefly became VW’s top-selling retail car in Germany last week when customers began placing orders at dealerships. The orders came more than a year after Volkswagen started taking deposits for its first purpose-built electric car. The company revealed who is buying the EV: mostly young “techie” men who had not previously purchased a VW.

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Charging hundreds of EVs parked at a condo is a solvable problem, here’s how

Skeptics like to point out that most EV drivers live in single-family homes that make charging easy. And they point to the current lack of charging stations at condos as an impenetrable obstacle to EV adoption. But this viewpoint reflects a lack of understanding of how daily EV charging works.

I recently chatted with Jason Appelbaum, chief executive of EverCharge — the biggest EV charging network you never heard of. He explained several hundred electric cars, all parked in the same condo garage, can easily get their daily dose of electricity.


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Ford unveils one-off 1,400-HP Mach-E, a driftable SUV with 7 electric motors

What’s better than an EV with 2 motors? 7 motors. Duh. That’s how many motors that Ford packed into a one-off Mustang Mach-E – yielding an SUV with 1,400 horsepower. The vehicle was produced in collaboration with RTR, the Ford-based motorsports aftermarket outfit, and Ford Performance. Head below for the details and some intense RPM video…


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Exclusive: First photo of Cadillac Lyriq EV’s nearly 3-foot monster display

Cadillac Lyriq Display - Detail

Large dashboard displays have become synonymous with electric vehicles. We spoke with Bill Thompson, the senior design manager for UI at General Motors, about how the Cadillac Lyriq’s display will signal how the company handles digital dashboards for all its upcoming EVs. GM shared the first photo of the Lyriq’s screen, revealing a single 33-inch piece of curved glass in front of the driver.


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Nissan unveils 300-mile Ariya electric SUV with liquid-cooled battery, 130kW CCS charging, starts at $40k

A decade after the introduction of its Leaf compact EV, Nissan tonight officially unveiled the Ariya electric SUV. The Ariya promises to shake up the EV market with an attractive all-electric crossover providing up to 300 miles on a charge — with a base model starting at $40,000. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go on sale until well into 2021.


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BMW unveils electric iX3 SUV, with big claims about more power, range, and space

The all-electric BMW iX3 SUV is not coming to the United States. But the company is still trumpeting the iX3 as the beginning of its major EV campaign – and the debut of a more capable EV drive system. The production of the version of the iX3 was unveiled today. If nothing else, it provides new images for the best glimpse yet of the model.


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European press heaps praise on Polestar 2, rekindling ‘Tesla Killer’ label

The first driving reviews of the all-electric Polestar 2 have been streaming in from Europe. It will be another month before we get time behind the wheel. The Polestar 2 is the first sporty, long-range, luxury-oriented, EV sedan (not an SUV) to stack up against the Tesla Model 3. Agree with that assessment or not, European reviewers couldn’t resist the comparisons.


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GM kills Chevy Sonic, making room for Bolt EUV at company’s second all-EV plant

chevy bolt production

General Motors confirmed that it plans to end production of its Chevrolet Sonic small gas car in October. With the Sonic’s demise, gas cars will no longer be produced at GM’s Orion Township Assembly Plant near Detroit. Orion will become an all-EV plant, where the Bolt compact and Bolt EUV will be manufactured.


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Dodge debuts 710-horsepower V8 SUV but says Hellcat engines are doomed

Fiat Chrysler has demonstrated nearly no interest in making electric cars. Meanwhile, just in time for the July 4 holiday, its Dodge brand has introduced a fire-breathing, supercharged, gas-guzzling 710-horsepower full-size SUV. It can seat seven, tow nearly 9,000 pounds, and hit 180 miles per hour. And it could be the last hurrah for the Hellcat engine.
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Nissan to premiere electric Ariya crossover on July 15, taking on Tesla Model Y

Nissan Ariya Concept

Nissan will hold a global, digital unveiling of its new all-electric SUV on July 15. Few details about the Ariya have been announced since its unveiling at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The new Nissan EV is expected to offer nearly 300 miles of range, 0-60 acceleration in less than 5 seconds, and a mainstream price of around $40,000. Hopefully, we’ll get confirmed details and a look at the production design two weeks from now.


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Summer EV deals: huge $15K discounts off Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Audi, more

EV deals

With inventory backed up as a result of the pandemic, traditional July 4 deals are on steroids this year. Combine that with a need to find new EV buyers and move remaining 2019 models off the lot. The result: Those so-called premiums on electric cars are being replaced with discounts of up to $15,000 on popular, affordable models like the Chevrolet Bolt and Nissan Leaf, according to Electrek’s Best EV deals price survey. Remember, even if you don’t live near a dealer listed, you can often use these prices to negotiate down prices at local dealers.


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Cadillac will hold virtual debut of all-electric Lyriq SUV on August 6

A couple of weeks ago, GM CEO Barra promised that the canceled GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq unveilings would happen “in the not too distant future.” The date for the first of those two events was announced today: the virtual debut of the Lyriq will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2020, at 7 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on the Cadillac media website.


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Union workers are strong allies for electric vehicles, as Canada’s Unifor demonstrates

Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, wants the Canadian government to build an aggressive plan to produce and sell more electric vehicles. The union’s proposals come as it prepares to negotiate with the Detroit Three – and as the Canadian government makes plans for a post-pandemic economic recovery.


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