Jameson Dow

We went to VW’s North American 3-row ID.Buzz reveal this week in Southern California, and while we didn’t see anything about VW’s upcoming California camper van, we did see a cool camper/kitchen conversion that’s already available for the European two-row ID.Buzz, and we’re hoping to see something similar for the three-row version.

VW has revealed the much-anticipated long wheelbase version of its ID. Buzz electric microbus, with an extra row of seats and starting deliveries next year in the US.

Update: we’ve added some more information we gathered today at the reveal event this morning in Huntington Beach, CA.

Monthly Norwegian auto sales numbers are in, showing once again how heavily dominant EVs are in the country, with one Norwegian outlet saying “the Tesla boom will never end.”

After starting production in March, Faraday Future has finally launched its FF91 EV, with an eye-watering $309K first-edition starting price with deliveries starting tomorrow, May 31.

Rivian has been working on its cheaper, smaller R2 platform for some time now, expected to be the “high volume” counterpart to its flagship R1T and R1S. And we just saw our first look at the R2S – albeit undercover.

Blue Bird has opened a new “Electric Vehicle Build-Up Center” on the grounds of its main manufacturing plant in Fort Valley, Georgia. The 40,000-square-foot facility will help the company reach production of 5,000 electric school buses per year.

The first customer dual-motor R1T, with Rivian’s in-house designed Enduro drive unit, rolled off the production line at the company’s factory in Normal, IL, today.

The Tesla Model Y was the world’s best-selling car in Q1 2023, marking the first time ever that an EV has achieved this feat, according to industry analyst JATO Dynamics.

Tesla is planning to finish the design and engineering of the next-generation Tesla Roadster by the end of this year and “hopefully” put the vehicle into production next year, according to CEO Elon Musk at Tesla’s shareholder meeting today.

Tesla continues to have the two top-selling vehicles in California, with the Tesla Model Y extending its No. 1 sales lead over the competition and the Model 3 holding strong at No. 2. But other manufacturers’ sales are picking up too, leading the state to a 23.2% market share for vehicles with plugs – 19.5% BEV and 3.7% PHEV.

A bill has been introduced in California which would require all EVs to have bidirectional charging capability starting in model year 2027.

ACT Expo, the largest advanced fleet expo, is happening this week, and the question on everyone’s lips is: how can we electrify our fleet quickly?

Range Energy thinks it has the best answer, and it doesn’t require any retrofitting of tractors or engines, just a new trailer.

Tesla has once again started taking orders on the Model 3 Long Range in the US, after it was missing for nearly nine months. And it might be using Lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO₄/LFP) battery cells, like the Model 3 Standard Range, or it might be a new chemistry, based off of LFP…

Ford will announce a larger extended-range battery option for their market-leading E-Transit electric van on May 11. The new battery will have an estimated 186 miles of range.

Tesla has increased Model Y and Model 3 prices in the US and China, after several price drops so far this year. But this time, the increase is pretty minor.

The E-Transit Type A school bus, which Ford showcased back in March, is now available for order from Collins Bus Corporation, one of the leading US school bus manufacturers.

The California Air Resources Board has voted unanimously to finalize its Advanced Clean Fleets rule, a massive new regulation on medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles that, among other things, requires all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold or registered in the state of California to be zero-emission come 2036.

Tesla has lowered the price of its seven-seat, third-row option for its popular Model Y SUV to $3,000, down from $4,000 previously. The change is the latest among several recent price changes for Tesla as inventory reaches a new high.

Prince Edward Island has enlisted the help of Lion Electric‘s electric school buses to provide power in the event of emergencies, to keep community disaster relief locations running when the power goes out.

Colorado is considering a regulation that would ban noisy, polluting gas-powered lawnmowers and leafblowers in the state as of 2025. It’s similar to a California rule which goes into place in 2024, but Colorado’s goes even further and would ban government and commercial use, along with sales.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Washington, D.C., today during a six-day visit to the US. The meeting was at Musk’s request to discuss the possibility of building a Tesla Gigafactory in Korea.

Formula E, the electric open-wheel racing series, has pushed back plans to introduce a mid-race 600 kW charging session until next year. The series had planned to have a short charging pit stop during races this year, but supply chain issues have delayed the implementation of the plan.

California has reached 1.5 million electric vehicle sales two years ahead of its planned 2025 target for the sales milestone, according to the California Energy Commission.

With EV demand soaring, California is not the first place to reach its EV sales goals early, and it won’t be the last.

Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, wants to create a plan to require state involvement in and control of any lithium contracts going forward in the country with the world’s largest lithium supply.

Boric says that the plan will protect biodiversity and indigenous rights and will help to distribute the gains from Chile’s mineral wealth more broadly among Chileans.