It’s not every day you get the chance to go for a few hot laps in a funky new electric mini-car. But when fate calls, you answer. And that’s just what I did recently on a trip to Milan when the Eli team nervously let me borrow their only prototype vehicle. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the Eli ZERO, but I came away excited about the future of these fun little runabouts.

Tesla has officially expanded its pilot program to open Superchargers to electric vehicles from other manufacturers in Norway and France.

Elon Musk gave an update on his expected timeline for Tesla achieving Full Self-Driving capability, and he now says that he would be “shocked” if Tesla does not achieve “Full Self-Driving safer than human this year.”

We have heard that before.

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.

This week on Electrek’s new Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This week that includes high-speed electric bikes from VanMoof, e-bike copies from Fiido, partnerships between Yamaha/Gogoro, Swedish electric motorcycles coming to the US and lots more…

When it comes to snowmobiles, there’s kind of a set way to do things. They’re effectively trikes with a pair of skis up front and a single wide track in the back. But this new take on old-school snowsports seems to have reinvented the idea of just what a snowmobile can be. And it’s just wild enough to earn itself a coveted spot in this week’s edition of the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week series.

Solar Electric Vehicle (SEV) startup Lightyear has updated the public on the progress of its flagship vehicle, the Lightyear One by sharing recent test footage. The tests took place at Bridgestone’s European Proving Ground (EUPG) in Aprilia, Italy, where the Lightyear One was tested in aerodynamics, tire performance, and efficiency at high speeds. The results were quite encouraging.

I recently had an exclusive opportunity to visit Lucid Motors’ powertrain manufacturing and AMP-1 facilities and test drive a Lucid Air Dream Edition (Performance). Inside and out of my detailed tours full of manic note scribbling, I had tons of time to mingle with members of the Lucid team, from manufacturing employees at AMP-1, to Lucid’s CEO himself. What I discovered was a company-wide focus on teamwork, efficiency, and the utmost quality – an ethos that is apparent when you view the Lucid Air sedan up close.

Update January 28th: Lucid Motors clearly feels strongly about the culture it has created and the talented individuals it employs, as the automaker has shared a new, five-part series showcasing five different employees. The new series, titled “Driving Ambition,” is now available to view on Lucid’s website and YouTube. You can also check out episode one below.

North American railroad Union Pacific announced it has purchased ten FLXDrive battery-electric locomotives from manufacturer Wabtec. The purchase marks the largest number of FLXDrives placed in a single order for Wabtec, as well as the largest investment in battery-electric locomotives by a North American railroad (Union Pacific).

This week on the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy, including Tesla’s Q4 earnings and product roadmap update, new Cybertruck prototype, and more.

Remember to also subscribe to Electrek Quick Charge Podcast hosted by Mikey G and Electrek’s new Wheel-E 2-wheel podcast with Micah and Seth.

After a production run of nine years and more than 250,000 units sold, the BMW i3, BMW’s first “i” brand EV, will cease production later this summer. Even so, the quirky little compact can go out with its head held high, because the electric future it predicted is finally here.

Electrek‘s Michelle Lewis spoke with head of Enel North America Enrico Viale about why clean energy is better and cheaper than fossil fuels, and why modernizing the grid and battery storage are vital for EV charging and renewables implementation.

Land Rover confirmed prices and opened orders for its new Extended-Range Plug-in Hybrid model and exclusive Range Rover SV, which should be good for up to 48 miles of all-electric, über-fashionable roving down Rodeo Drive.

Chinese mobility manufacturer BYD has introduced its new “Type A” electric school bus to transport up to thirty US students at a time. Furthermore, the new zero-emission bus is ADA capable up to 800 lbs and can travel 140 miles on a single charge. What may be most appealing to school districts, however, is the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities BYD’s Type A school bus will provide.

Tesla gave an update on the status of its in-house production of the 4680 battery cell. The company didn’t want to confirm a production capacity, but it did say that it doesn’t expect to have supply constraints from it this year.

Tesla has launched a new product: a microphone called ‘TeslaMic’ designed for its in-car karaoke system.

It’s only available in China for now.

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.

When Colorado-based electric motorcycle startup Zaiser first claimed last summer to be working on an all-wheel-drive electric motorcycle with 300 miles (482 km) of range, it sounded a bit out there.

Maersk Supply Service, a subsidiary of Danish shipping giant Maersk, is launching Stillstrom – an offshore vessel-charging venture to support the decarbonization of the maritime industry by eliminating idle emissions. 

Ford has developed a spy-themed concept game that allows Mustang Mach-E owners to turn their EVs into an “escape room” – or escape car, rather. The interactive game functions through the Mach-E’s center touchscreen, using functions within the EV to guide the driver and its passenger(s) on a secret mission to deliver a package.

AutoFlight has grown one step closer to passenger flights in its eVTOL air taxi by introducing a proof of concept version called “Prosperity I,” alongside a first look at the eVTOL in the air. Additionally, AutoFlight has posted teaser footage of “Prosperity I” transitioning from vertical takeoff rotors to horizontal flight while in the air.

Nissan plans to manufacture its all-new, all-electric successor to the compact Nissan Micra at the Renault ElectriCity center in France, where the retro-styled hatchback will serve to kick off the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance 2030 roadmap, its planned 23 billion Euro investment in EVs, and the group’s push for solid-state batteries.