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
After promising an Infiniti electric car for nearly a decade, Infiniti unveiled plans last week for three new battery-powered models in the next few years. The vague plans prominently feature a technical design that Infiniti and its parent brand, Nissan, describe as an EV. But the so-called e-Power vehicles don’t offer a way to plug in.
This week’s announcement of a 50-50 merger between the PSA Groupe and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) could create the world’s fourth-largest automaker. A big winner in the marriage is vehicle electrification.
EV fans are accustomed to Henrik Fisker making plans for ground-breaking electric vehicles. We want Mr. Fisker to succeed. But there’s a telltale sign that the economic fundamentals of his new EV aren’t quite worked out: It’s offered only “in a flexible lease,” a scheme commonly described as a car subscription.
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Claims of a breakthrough EV battery seem to come every week or two. The reality is that it’s not so easy to bend the laws of physics. But the latest claim is offered by John Goodenough, co-inventor of the now ubiquitous lithium-ion battery and winner of a Nobel Prize in chemistry for that previous breakthrough.