Electric Vehicles

Warnings about another wave of massive job losses at Volkswagen have been circulating for a few weeks, but now a new report says the company will cut one-fifth of its administrative staff. But it is hoping to soften the blow by offering early retirements as opposed to all-out firings, for now at least.  

A new breed of electric vehicles is drawing inspiration from Japanese kei cars, tiny cubes-on-wheels that are highway-legal but not likely to pass muster with US or EU safety standards. But what if we loosened up those standards to help lower prices, enabling broader adoption of EVs to people who don’t have 30 grand or more to spend on a car? That is, at least, one of the ideas that French automaker Renault’s head Luca de Meo has put on the table. 

For years, Chinese EV maker Nio has essentially done it all, delving into high-end EV manufacturing, in-house batteries, autonomous driving, and chips, as well as innovative battery-swapping tech and even making smartphones, all while pulling in huge investments and talent to make that happen. Now, according to a new report, it’s looking to lighten the load.

Year-to-date US EV sales have surpassed 1 million – the first time EV sales exceeded that threshold in a single sales year.

The US government has released guidance that will make it harder for EVs to qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit if their batteries contain Chinese components or minerals.

Despite predictions of a major slump in automatic sales around the globe, the European auto industry predicts that this will spark a huge uptick in EV sales in the EU – and that’s thanks to a flood of new, cheap models hitting the market. 

Almost 4,000 car dealerships in the US banded together in a new lobbying effort to ask the government to slow down the adoption of electric vehicles.

They even falsely claim to be “the voice of customers” in this Luddite effort.

A new report gives us a glimpse of what our world could look like if there weren’t so many big, hulking SUVs cruising around. Because of the rise in electric vehicles, carbon emissions from automobiles could have dropped by more than 30% over the past 10 years, except they haven’t – and that’s because of our global appetite for jumbo cars, the report authors say.

McDonald’s, or “McDo” as the French say, is installing 2,000 new fast charging points across 700 car parks in France by 2025. Each McDonald’s charging station will offer 150-200 kilowatts of power, so you can recharge your car in about the time it takes to inhale a Big Mac and extra-large frites.

DC fast charging network EVgo has announced a new deal with rental car company Hertz that offers drivers renting an electric car from any Hertz location in the US with discounts on charging for a year, with no subscription or session fees. EVgo is also following in Tesla’s footsteps and building prefabricated models for its charging sites.

French automaker Renault is looking to investors, including China’s Geely, to funnel some cash into its Alpine racing and sports car brand. Alpine, best known for its A110 sports coupe, is looking to reinvent itself as an all-around player in the EV space with a line of all-electric hatchbacks, SUVs, and crossovers. The brand says it will launch in the US in 2027.

Fresh on the heels of its ban on shared rental e-scooters, Paris is now targeting “auto-besity” by enforcing substantially higher parking fees for SUVs, and that includes large electric and hybrid ones too.

After referring to its upcoming tiny city EV as the “Legend,” French automaker Renault has officially unveiled what is now the all-electric Twingo and released some photos. And from the looks of it, this sweet little teal number, set to be released in 2026, takes a heap of inspiration from its original ’90s hatchback.

Charging speed can be a big part of buying an electric vehicle. Are you wondering which EVs charge the fastest? A new Edmunds EV charging test shows Hyundai, Kia, and Porsche electric cars top the list. Check out the full list below.

Cheap, small, and made in Europe ­– Renault has hit the sweet spot with the latest announcement of its new electric city car, set to replace the popular yet quirky little Twingo e-Tech. Today the French automaker’s subsidiary Ampere released a few more details about its third upcoming affordable electric car, the Legend, which will be priced under €20,000, or less than $22,000. That is, if market realities don’t spoil all the fun.

German automaker BMW has finally called it a wrap on the production of internal combustion engines, in its own country at least. Now its main Bavarian plant will be converted for the production of EVs only, while the company relocates its ICE production to the UK and Austria. 

The European Union is not fooling around, and European countries are under pressure to adhere to ambitious plans to get their roadways up and ready for the total phaseout of fossil fuels in the years ahead. To this end, both France and Denmark have just announced huge investments in building out their electric vehicle charging infrastructure to adhere to new EU regulations announced this summer. France will put €200 million into expanding fast charging stations within the country, and Denmark has earmarked €91.5 million to focus on charging for heavy-transport vehicles.

Global EV sales continued building momentum last month despite claims of a cooling market. Sales of electric vehicles grew by double digits in the top markets globally. China, the world’s largest EV market, continues to break sales records despite ending subsidies.

California-based electric automaker Fisker saw its shares plummet 14% yesterday after reporting big losses and lower sales than expected. Now, the American startup expects to slash its production forecast for this year by as much as 30% of initial expectations.

EV charger locator app PlugShare just got a new home screen, quick filters, and “enhanced location details,” so I set up a “road trip” in my VW ID.4 to test it out.

In a big hopeful move to catch up to Tesla and Chinese manufacturers, French automaker Renault has officially separated its newly formed EV unit Ampere from the rest of the business. The company has announced its executive team, launched a new logo, and set up some highly ambitious goals as it readies its IPO – although tough market conditions won’t make this an easy affair.