Author: Sofia
Xiaomi has unveiled its first in-house chips dedicated to AI and self-driving. The automaker currently relies on Nvidia for its hardware, though that could change as early as next year. This makes Xiaomi the latest Chinese automaker to ditch U.S.-sourced chips in favor of self-produced silicon. Xiaomi’s next move in cars is happening somewhere you’ll never see it: buried deep inside the dashboard, under a heatsink, doing the ungodly amount of math required advanced driver-assistance features. On Monday, Xiaomi unveiled a family of in-house silicon, including the Xring D100 chip designed for “intelligent driving.” This makes Xiaomi the latest EV maker…
Tesla says it will officially inaugurate its new Semi factory in Nevada next month, marking the grand opening of the plant it has designed to build 50,000 electric trucks a year. The company announced the event through its Tesla Semi account, though the milestone comes roughly five months after Tesla already claimed that the factory started volume production of the truck. A grand opening after production already started “Inauguration of new Semi factory in Nevada next month,” the Tesla Semi account posted, with an image titled ‘Semi Rollout’ and a date: September 24th 2026. Tesla built the dedicated facility next…
You might think that with extra electrification the new Q7 would be far more economical than the old one. It pumps out less in the way of CO2 emissions than before at 202g/km compared to 217g/km, but the efficiency gains are marginal on paper at 36.6mpg, as opposed to 35.6mpg for the old 282bhp TDI V6. In the real world we found those figures even closer still, as around town we were lucky to get over 30mpg, with stretches of motorway and B-road increasing this to the mid-30s. The recently facelifted Mercedes GLE in 286bhp 350d diesel form beats the…
The Mercedes-Benz CLA is the company’s smallest and lowest-priced EV in North America. In a 70 mph range test, the four-door car blew way past its EPA-rated range of 312 miles. It managed to eke out 4.44 miles per kilowatt-hour from its 85-kWh pack. Mercedes-Benz’s littlest EV is actually one of its most impressive. The new 2027 Mercedes CLA-Class sedan absolutely crushed its EPA-rated range in Tom Moloughney’s latest 70 mph highway range test by going 385 miles between fill-ups. The CLA packs a decently big battery for being the smallest electric Merc on sale in North America: 85 kWh.…
I thought we believed in capitalism here in Murrica, don’t we? May the best cars (“best” being defined as “suitable to the market”) win, no? Suggested by Michael Smith This comment is at least seasoned with a little bit of sarcasm, but it’s increasingly clear that the U.S. government is actively picking winners and losers. We haven’t ever had a truly free market, but it’s becoming less free by the day. Terminal-stage capitalism symptoms. I honestly don’t see how American automakers survive this without partnering with Chinese automakers (like they are already doing). I live in a de-facto U.S. protectorate,…
Tesla’s “Robotaxi” service is racking up a wave of terrible rider experiences in Texas — and the complaints are increasingly coming from Tesla’s own fans and ambassadors. A self-described “Tesla Ambassador” says the service quoted him 66 minutes for a 2.3-mile trip and left him to call an Uber, while a four-time Tesla owner has logged a string of missed pickups and drop-offs left blocks — sometimes miles — from the destination. A 2.3-mile trip, estimated at 66 minutes Reggie Overton, who describes himself in his bio as a “Tesla Ambassador, MBA, AI/ML certified,” posted a detailed account of a…
The Port of San Diego has effectively green-lit the new Skycharger flagship solar + electric semi project on a 4.8 acre site near the National City Marine Terminal, promising to fleet electrification easier, more affordable, and more accessible to the area’s port and logistics fleets. The Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners has certified the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and has authorized issuance of a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the Tidelands Avenue Electric Truck Hub proposed by Skychargers, LLC (Skycharger), effectively giving the project a green light to push forward. As proposed, the new Skycharger facility would…
Polestar said the Department of Commerce has not yet explained its ban on selling cars in the U.S. It is arguing that Volvo was granted authorization to sell an EV with an identical software stack. The automaker has not appealed the Trump administration’s decision. Polestar has yet to get an explanation from the U.S. Department of Commerce for its decision to effectively force the automaker out of the American car market. The government denied the automaker, which is owned by China’s Geely Group, authorization to sell cars in the U.S. for model year 2027 onward. Its corporate cousin, Volvo, was…
I drove the Can-Am Pulse over several rides, including a 4-hour stretch mixing city streets and higher-speed roads, for a total 570 km. I had the opportunity to try it in the rain as well as on a very hot sunny day, day and night. Here is my review: Abstract The Can-Am Pulse is a compact, city-focused electric motorcycle that delivers on its promise: an agile, comfortable commuter that’s genuinely fun to ride, even for a taller rider like me. Over 570 km of mixed city and highway riding, in sun, rain, and after dark, the Pulse impressed with confident…
The West Coast’s largest utility is expanding its vehicle-to-everything bidirectional charging program. Owners of many new all-electric models can now participate, including those who own the Volvo EX90 and the Chevy Bolt. PG&E’s initiative allows EV drivers to lower their energy bills and support the grid. More electric vehicle owners in California can now use their cars’ batteries to share electricity with the grid and get paid for doing it. Pacific Gas & Electric said Monday that it is expanding its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) program to include EVs from Nissan, Volvo, Polestar and Kia, along with more General Motors models like…