Jo Borrás

A 9,000-plus lb., 1000 hp, three-motor, all-wheel drive mechanical monster, the new GMC Hummer EV defies most people’s understanding and expectations of what a car can do. Astonishingly, this nearly five-ton beast can rocket from 0–60 mph in 3.0 seconds in production trim – which is impressive enough, until you find out that the prototypes could do wheelies!

Leading RV manufacturer Thor Industries, the parent company of the iconic Airstream brand, announced that it had signed a binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with German auto supplier ZF to give Thor companies exclusive rights to ZF’s eTrailer System in a travel trailer RV. The goal is a new kind of camper that would maintain – and possibly extend – the nominal range of an electric vehicle while towing.

Chinese company EHang has opened a new, 5G enabled, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vertiport and maintenance facility in Guangzhou, China – it’s just the latest new project in China’s “official” urban air mobility (UAM) test city.

Just days after revealing the new Chrysler Airflow Concept electric crossover at CES and promising to go 100% electric by 2028, Stellantis began to take steps toward meeting that goal by reducing the engine options for its European Citroën Berlingo, Opel Combo Life, and Peugeot Rifter models down to one. And it’s electric!

Daymak revealed the first “production-look” prototype of its 85 mph, light-electric three-wheeler, the Daymak Spiritus, back in October. At the time, it was thought to be a static display piece – but now? It’s a runner, and we’ve got video.

Everywhere you look, you can see signs of an automotive market that’s been hit hard by a silicon “chip shortage.” Everywhere that is, except Tesla, where a more flexible, software-focused approach and sturdier grip on its critical parts supplies have allowed the company to nearly double its deliveries from the year before. Over in China, Geely and Foxconn have taken notice.

Kenworth’s latest, production-ready T680E electric semi truck made its debut earlier this week at the PACCAR CES display in Las Vegas. Make no mistake, this K Whopper is ready to work with 670 hp and an absolutely massive battery to give it 150 mi. of range – but that’s just the headline, and it gets more impressive from there. Read on!

You could argue that the quietest business week in the Western world is that week between Christmas and New Year’s, and into that nebulous, boozy, cheese-filled week of relative silence was lobbed news that China has lifted its decades-old ban on foreign ownership of Chinese car factories. Tesla already owned their Chinese factory, so it seemed like business as usual – until Honda announced plans to build a massive EV factory in China.

Volvo Cars has announced plans to launch its new Ride Pilot unsupervised autonomous driving feature to customers in the state of California, and it will make its debut in an all-new, all-electric flagship SUV set to make its debut later this year.

The ’72 Plymouth Satellite is a bit more obscure than the ’69 Dodge Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard or Kowalski’s white ’70 Challenger from Vanishing Point, but it’s still one of the most desirable pre-emission Mopars out there. The owner of this particular Satellite loved the looks of the car, but Hemi muscle isn’t what it used to be. So, he went searching for a way to keep the car relevant 50 years after its original build date. Thanks to a Tesla Model S Ludicrous rear drive unit and 100 kWh battery pack, it looks like he found one!

Pure Watercraft has unveiled the first fruits of its collaboration with General Motors at CES 2022, and it’s a Pure-branded, “affordable luxury” electric pontoon boat that offers silent running, smooth acceleration, and dramatically reduced maintenance – without exhaust gas and oil leaks ruining the water for everyone. Is it enough to to make a splash in the recreational boat market, and why did GM buy 25 percent of the company back in November? Read on.

Doosan Bobcat launched its new, all-electric Bobcat T7X compact track loader at CES this week, calling it the first fully electric machine of this kind to reach the market. Even better news for Bobcat fans: they’ve already sold a whole bunch of ’em.

But wait, there are already electric loaders on the market, aren’t there? What makes this Bobcat a “world’s first”? Read on.

Electric boats have been around for a long time, mainly in applications where the expectations for range and speed are lower than large powerboats. Now, companies like Taiga Motors and Nautique are leveraging electric motors’ low-end torque to enhance the water powersport experience – but bigger boats carry bigger expectations. Brunswick’s ACES strategy, revealed this week at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, aims to meet those expectations head-on.

Porsche just released its 2021 sales figures, and you’d never know there was any kind of supply problems from looking at them. Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) had its best year ever in 2021, up 22 percent from the pandemic-stained 2020 and 14 percent above the record set in 2019.

Even bigger news? It was Porsche’s electrified lineup that led the charge in 2021.

It’s a good day for GM as the company’s BrightDrop brand announces new deals with retail giant Walmart and FedEx. The news comes less than a month after FedEx took delivery of its first batch of BrightDrop EV600 electric vans in Inglewood, California.

Chrysler today officially revealed its new Airflow Concept at CES 2022 – a name invoking the legendary streamlined Chrysler from the 1930s – promising “Level 3” autonomous driving capabilities, more than 350 miles of range, and a fully battery-electric portfolio by 2028. The only real question left is: will they build it?

The lithium-ion batteries found in most modern EVs and hybrids tend to lose energy capacity as they cycle (get charged, get spent, and get re-charged). That happens because small bits of lithium can be cut off from the battery’s electrodes during the charging process. But, a team of DOE and Stanford scientists say they’ve been able to make this “dead” li-ion reconnect, partially reversing the unwanted loss of energy capacity and extending lithium battery life by 30%.

John Deere revealed its first fully autonomous tractor today at CES 2022, building off of what it says are 20 years of AI development – and it’s not a concept. The self-driving John Deere is already up and running on select farms and available for sale.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she wants to “make flying green” in an ambitious New Year’s speech that included a commitment by Denmark’s government to make domestic flights fossil fuel free by 2030 – how the country will achieve that goal is still in question.

Volvo Cars announced to day that Jim Rowan would be taking the helm as CEO & President, but it’s Jim’s background in EVs and autonomous driving tech that should make the rest of the industry sit up and take notice: Volvo is serious about self-driving cars.

In a management buyout from Polaris that closed December 31, the newly established Waev, Inc. will take over the manufacturing and operations of both the GEM neighborhood EV and Taylor-Dunn commercial vehicles, officially moving both brands’ headquarters to Anaheim, California. What does this mean for the two EV brands?

Indigdo Technologies promises “a new class” of purpose-built electric vehicles that it says are smooth, spacious, sustainable, and aimed at the meaty middle of the rideshare and delivery markets. They’re also promising in-wheel electric motors, active suspension systems, wireless high-speed charging, and revolutionary battery management software at a competitive price.

Is the Indigo too good to be true?

You know Geely as the Chinese money behind Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus – but they’re a lot bigger than that. Geely has its own brand, is backing an electric Smart revival, and recently invested billions in Mercedes’ parent company, Daimler, to become a top shareholder. Geely means business, in other words, and the CEO of their newest premium EV brand, Zeekr, has eyes on America.

This month, GM will begin sending “Chevrolet Certified” window clings to Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV owners who have had their EVs serviced under the sweeping recall that covers more than 140,000 electric cars between the 2017 and 2022 model years.