Electrek

I want to preface this story with a caveat: Lemons exist (and I don’t mean the fruit). Sometimes, you just get a bad car. And generally speaking, I have a very empathetic view toward the job of vehicle software engineers. The functions that customers expect their vehicles to perform have grown immensely in the past 10 years, going from basic command and control interfaces to fully featured smartphone operating systems with multiple applications and always-on internet connectivity. Building that into a product as complex and long-lived as a car isn’t easy!

VanMoof’s epic fall from grace and eventual bankruptcy was one of the most talked about electric bike stories of the year. But as it turns out, we’re far from the final chapter. New management has a plan to resurrect the company and do right by its enormous customer base.

Global e-scooter company Bird, an early pioneer of shared micromobility, has seen better days – it has confirmed that it is filing for bankruptcy for its service in the US, while keeping its Canadian and European operations intact for the time being.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Volkswagen’s EV woes in China continue. After launching last week, the brand’s flagship ID.7 electric sedan received only 300 orders in three days.

Tesla has been partnering with major new home builders all over the US to deploy solar and Powerwalls, and it now claims to have deployed “over 600 solar neighborhoods.”

The Federal Highway Administration announced today that it will seek feedback on how government rules should be updated to account for the new NACS/J3400 charging standard, potentially unlocking $7.5 billion in federal subsidies for the Tesla-developed charging connector.

Red means stop, green means go – and turquoise now means automated driving: Mercedes-Benz is the first automaker permitted to use exterior marker lights, which means automated driving is activated, in California and Nevada.

Lexus is already updating its first all-electric model. The 2024 Lexus RZ lineup is gaining a new RZ 300e model with more range and a cheaper starting price.

VW, Audi, and Porsche have all committed to using the Tesla-developed NACS connector starting in 2025. It’s one of the last dominos to fall towards universal adoption of the connector.

Rivian (RIVN) is taking another big step toward opening its second manufacturing facility. The EV startup revealed it had chosen Clayco as its partner to build the massive $5 billion EV plant.

Some of our favorite e-bikes here at Electrek is on sale for one of its best prices yet. Aventon’s models now start from $600 to go alongside the Juiced Bikes RipRacer dropping down to $1,049. There’s also a chance to save on this mini Jackery Explorer power station at $99, as well as assortment of deals on e-bikes and all of the other best Green Deals.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Reno, Nevada-based startup World4Solar‘s freestanding modular solar canopy can be installed in less than a day.

A new study based on insurance claims shows that Tesla drivers have the highest accident rate of any brand in the auto industry. That’s despite Tesla claiming that its Autopilot safety features result in a much lower crash rate than the industry average.

Who is lying?

The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV has already scored its first Costco deal. Costco members are eligible for an exclusive Holiday limited-time incentive on Chevy’s newest electric SUV.

Audi says it is now pulling back on what was a fairly ambitious rollout of upcoming electric vehicles in response to what its newly appointed CEO says is the EV “slowdown” and to “avoid burdening” factories and dealers.

As we navigate the final half of the last month of 2023, there’s a genuine chance that Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) will take the crown from Tesla as the leader in global BEV market share. A global technology research firm thinks so based on BYD’s continued growth that led to it catching Tesla in Q3.

NIO’s ET7 electric car has over 1,000 km CLTC range with its new 150 kWh battery. To put its new ultra-long-range battery to the test, NIO’s CEO William Li drove the ET7 for over 14 hours, covering 1,044 km (~650 miles) with some charge left to spare.

Advanced air mobility startup Overair is celebrating a significant milestone this morning, completing its first full-scale Butterfly eVTOL prototype ahead of flight testing in 2024. With its unique rotor design compared to many other eVTOLs, Overair’s electric aircraft looks to achieve commercial operations in multiple countries.

In a strange reversal of plan, it looks like Volkswagen is revising its interior design. After a slew of complaints about its touchscreen-heavy interiors, the German brand is bringing back more good, old-fashioned physical buttons, according to Autocar.

The German government announced that it will abruptly end its subsidy program for electric vehicles on December 31, which has dealt a blow to automakers in one of its biggest European markets. But Tesla and Mercedes-Benz say that they will compensate for it, covering the full price of the subsidy for German buyers, with other automakers joining in.

EV conversion specialist Everrati Automotive has introduced a fifth electrified Porsche 911, now offering a cutting-edge version of the ultra-rare 1993 Type 964 RSR 3.8. By implementing an all-electric powertrain, this classic gets better acceleration than the original but still boasts most of the design elements that make it an RSR.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla plans to offer a “mod package” that is going to turn the Cybertruck into a boat – at least to traverse 100 meters of water.