Scooter Doll

The latest prototype of the Lightyear One solar electric vehicle (SEV) has recently delivered tremendous range, all packed into a ~60 kWh battery pack. This full cycle driving test, conducted on a test track in Germany, has given the Lightyear team great insights and validation as it looks to deliver its Lightyear One SEV next year.

NIO’s expansion overseas has officially begun as superchargers and swap stations have begun their journey to Norway and are expected to arrive next month. According to the Chinese automaker, home chargers and superchargers will be officially available to Norwegian customers beginning in September, while the first rollout of four battery swap stations will become available before year’s end.

As Polestar makes continued efforts to bring its previously announced Precept concept EV to full production, the Swedish automaker has decided to document the whole process. The first installment of Precept: from Concept to Car has debuted on YouTube, with several more installations to follow throughout the entire development phase.

A previously uncertain future for Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port UK manufacturing factory has found new life in producing battery electric vehicles. This electric conversion comes off a recent announcement from parent company Stellantis promising a £100 million investment with the aid of the British government. By the end of 2022, the revamped factory will produce both passenger and commercial electric vans for Vauxhall, Opel, Citroën, and Peugeot.

The Spirit of Innovation, a Rolls-Royce all-electric airplane, is scheduled to take flight for the first time soon, and will be towed around the tarmac by a Jaguar I-Pace as a support vehicle. Rolls-Royce plans to attempt a world record flight with the Spirit of Innovation by reaching a target flight speed of over 300 mph.

Porsche looks to advance its efforts against CO2 emissions by calling upon its nearly 1,300 suppliers to only use renewable energy in manufacturing components for its vehicles. Currently, the sports car manufacturer’s supply chain contributes about 20% of its total greenhouse gas emissions.

Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, and the TRATON GROUP have signed a non-binding agreement to implement and operate a high-performance public charging network for electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks throughout Europe. The agreement was signed to accelerate the growth of charging infrastructure and support the EU’s shift toward climate-neutral transportation.

Thanks to some quick images captured by a Canoo deposit holder, we have a glimpse of an upcoming electric vehicle from Canoo. This “sport vehicle” has previously been teased on Canoo’s website and in company presentations, but these images offer some of the first glimpses of the upcoming EV in real life.

General Motors (GM) has announced a strategic investment and commercial collaboration with Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) to secure lower-cost lithium in the US for the development of its next generation of EV batteries. The legacy automaker hopes this collaboration will garner more environmentally friendly methods of obtaining precious lithium while simultaneously help lower the price of its EVs.

Ford’s all-electric Mustang Mach-E continues to grow its sales for 2021. In the legacy automaker’s June report, the Mach-E saw a 27% increase in sales compared to May. Ford has boasted increased EV numbers all around, but the all-electric Mustang tells a bigger story of its current EV sales status.

China continues to grow its EV presence as automakers (and Tesla competitors) NIO and Xiaopeng Motors (XPeng) have reported delivery records for June, as well as Q2 of 2021. This is a continued trend for the Chinese automakers, who have both seen tremendous month-over-month growth and even more growth year-over-year.

To represent its paradigm shift in design and commitment to selling 100% electric vehicles by 2030, Volvo has shared its Concept Recharge as what the automaker is calling “a manifesto” for its next generation of EVs. The Volvo Concept Recharge introduces new design language and technologies that will be present on production EVs from the Swedish automaker moving forward.

UK-based EV startup Volta Trucks has just unveiled its first running prototype chassis that will offer the framework of its upcoming purpose-built, 16-ton electric truck. The newly announced Volta Zero Truck prototype chassis was designed and built to include the production specification frame and drivetrain components consumers will eventually see in the finished vehicle. With big goals set for 2025, this announcement brings Volta Trucks one step closer to providing inner-city logistics to the masses.

In a tweet today, EV manufacturer Canoo unveiled a one-minute video showing computer-generated renderings of what its future manufacturing campus may look like in Oklahoma. This “mega microfactory,” as Canoo is calling it, is scheduled to open in 2023 and will bring more than 2,000 jobs to the Tulsa area.

Renewable energy provider Core Development Group has announced a contract to design, implement, and maintain over 15,000 EV chargers throughout the US. The portfolio of this new agreement promises 100 to 500 chargers per site.

Sin City is going solar, thanks to MGM Resorts International ($MGM), who just launched a new 100-megawatt (MW) solar array capable of offering up to 90% of daytime power to the company’s 13 resorts scattered across the Las Vegas Strip. This includes hotels like Aria, MGM Grand, and The Mirage. The solar array will support the hospitality company’s climate-conscious goals set for 2030.

Volvo has announced that its forthcoming XC90 electric SUV will reach consumers in 2022 with Lidar as a standard safety feature for all models. With the state-of-the-art Lidar sensors developed by Luminar, Volvo hopes to set a new standard in automobile safety. Volvo also plans to include other safety features to avoid future collisions, as well as pave the way for potential autonomous driving capabilities.

Once again, members on Rivian Forums have found new details hinting at what the EV automaker has in store next. According to a list of job locations for planning engineers, there are several potential spots picked out in Northern and Central California for the Rivian Adventure Network. Rivian has previously shared a map of its 3,500+ DC fast chargers coming in the next two years, but the public has not seen many specific addresses of those locations.

Solar Electric Vehicle (SEV) manufacturer Sono Motors has announced an upgrade to the battery of its upcoming Sion vehicle. The new 54 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery promises to increase both the range and charging rate on the Sion, a preference more than 90% of existing reservation holders voted for.

The European Commission (EC) and the Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) have announced a memorandum of understanding to research and develop battery technologies for production in Europe. The co-programmed partnership is being called BATT4EU, and it’s aimed at bringing value and competitiveness to the EU’s battery chain.

One of the US’s largest energy companies, Con Edison, has announced a contract with Centrica Business Solutions to transform a lot in Brooklyn, New York, into an energy hub complete with 18 350kW EV chargers and a battery energy storage system (ESS). Con Edison claims this will be the first hub in New York City that combines both energy storage and EV charging.

In a recent announcement, Fisker and Magna International Inc. have finalized a long-term manufacturing agreement. The binding agreement coincides with previous agreements between both parties regarding EV platform sharing and ADAS systems. As part of the latest agreement, Magna will produce Fisker’s upcoming electric Ocean SUV in November 2022.

One lucky person has a neighbor that works at Rivian. Better still, their Rivian neighbor was generous enough to allow them to go for a spin in an R1T and capture some footage from their phone of the interior, including the upcoming EVs User Interface (UI) and other controls.

If you blink, you might miss it, though, as the videographer must have been so giddy with excitement experiencing the Rivian R1T that they couldn’t hold the camera still.

As business and national attractions begin to finally open their doors to the public and even allow full capacity, the long-overdue list of activities to do this summer and beyond is miles long. A key factor in experiencing many of these ventures requires some time in your car, and hopefully, it’s an EV — perhaps even a Tesla. Below is a detailed breakdown of what EVs garner the lowest cost per mile, as well as a list of the most (and least) affordable states to charge and drive your Tesla.