Electric

Gas Engines, and the People Behind Them, Are Cast Aside for Electric Vehicles

By Veronica Tan 4 days ago

Steven Penkevich spent 36 years at Ford Motor Co. as part of an army of Detroit engineers who perfected the internal combustion engine, a technology dating back to the dawn of the automobile era. He developed gasoline engines for family sedans as well as thunderous Nascar racing machines.

By last year, though, the excitement was gone. His projects were no longer about advancing the engine, just nursing along existing technology. All the buzz had shifted to electric vehicles. In December, Mr. Penkevich took early retirement at age 59.

“It got to feel like you’re on a maintenance crew,” he said.

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Tesla (TSLA) leads 95% increase in electric car sales in the US

By Veronica Tan 2 weeks ago

According to new registration data, Tesla (TSLA) is leading a 95% increase in electric car sales in the US.

However, the automaker’s market shares are sliding, but that’s something that was expected.

As we previously reported, Tesla’s market share of the electric vehicle market in the US is quite ridiculous.

For the entire year of 2020, Tesla vehicles accounted for 79% of new electric vehicles registered in the US.

During that period, the automaker was leading an 11% increase in electric vehicle sales in the market.

It didn’t sound like much, but the results were impressive considering that broader car

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Rivian Cooks Up a Built-In Camp Kitchen for Its R1T Electric Pickup

By Veronica Tan 3 weeks ago
  • Automakers are packing their upcoming electric pickup trucks with all kinds of useful and unexpected features, like the Hummer’s Crabwalk and the Ford F-150 Lightning’s offboard power setup.
  • In a new Twitter video, Rivian’s CEO reminds us that the upcoming R1T will feature a Camp Kitchen in the vehicle’s modifiable Gear Tunnel.
  • Two cooking elements, a four-gallon sink, and a 30-piece equipment set are part of the deal. And, really, when was the last time you bought a new car that came with a teakettle?

    UPDATE 7/6/2021: This story was updated to include more detailed R1T delivery information.

    Rivian

    The

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    Why Do Electric Cars Look The Way They Do? Because They Can

    By Veronica Tan 3 weeks ago

    Illustration by Clark MillsCar and Driver

    ev of the year

    What should the cars of the future look like? How smooth, how tall, how spacious should they be? For more than a century, most automotive designers have had to work around an internal-combustion engine and transmission. Gas, diesel, and hybrid powertrains need room to spin and breathe—sometimes to the detriment of passengers. We’re so used to stumbling over the hump of a driveshaft tunnel and giving up kneeroom for the sake of a set-back engine that it never occurred to most of us that anything could be different. But in the future, especially

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    It’s a new era: Ferrari 296 GTB powered by V6 engine with 122kW electric motor

    By Veronica Tan 1 month ago

    • Ferrari unveiled the 296 GTB, its new mid-rear-engined berlinetta sports car.

    • The new Ferrari V6 hybrid powertrain is capable of delivering up to 610kW.

    • The 296 GTB is also available with the extreme high-performance Assetto Fiorano package.

    • For more motoring stories, go to Wheels24

    Ferrari flipped the script with the unveiling of its latest sports car. Called the 296 GTB, the car is the next chapter in the Prancing Horse’s history as it is the first mid-rear-engined two-seater to be powered by a six-cylinder petrol engine. Yes, a six-cylinder!

    The engine supplements the familiar V8 and

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    Tesla Model 3 first electric car to top Cars.com American-Made Index

    By Veronica Tan 1 month ago

    The Tesla Model 3 reached the number one spot in Cars.com’s 2021 American-Made Index (AMI), making it the first all-electric vehicle to top the list in its 16-year history.

    The annual survey results, released Wednesday, “ranks new vehicles that contribute most to the U.S. economy” based on U.S. factory jobs, manufacturing plants and sourcing of parts, according to the Cars.com. 

    Tesla’s all-electric vehicles hadn’t made their way onto the list until 2020 when the Model 3 took the No. 4 spot and the Model S placed at No. 3. Tesla Model X was also No. 9 last year. 

    In 2021,

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    Curious about EVs? Here are answers to common questions about electric cars

    By Veronica Tan 1 month ago

    Buying an electric car can be a big decision. Many car buyers think they want one, but they have a lot of questions before they buy. Below we have answered the top 36 questions people are asking.

    An electric car is a vehicle that uses an electric motor to drive its wheels. The electricity is stored in a battery pack that drivers can charge by plugging the car into a power source via a charging station or a wall in your home, just as you would a lamp or appliance.

    What is EV charging?

    EV charging refers to powering up

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    Apple hires BMW veteran in latest sign of electric car push

    By Veronica Tan 1 month ago

    This photo, taken in March 2019, shows Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.

    felixmizioznikov | iStock Editorial | Getty Images

    Apple has hired Ulrich Kranz, a former senior executive at BMW who focused on electric cars, Apple confirmed to CNBC’s Phil LeBeau on Thursday.

    The hire is the latest sign that Apple is serious about building an electric car to compete with automakers such as Tesla.

    Hyundai said earlier this year it was in talks with Apple to manufacture its car before walking its comments back and confirming it was no longer in discussions.

    Apple has never confirmed it is building

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    How Gasoline Engines Can Survive in an Electric Car Future

    By Veronica Tan 1 month ago

    Combustion engines won’t completely disappear any time soon, if ever. Certain transportation tasks or operating environments simply don’t lend themselves to battery– or hydrogen-powered electric propulsion. A century and a half of research and development has greatly increased the efficiency of combustion engines, and engineers have loads of additional tricks up their sleeves that promise to extract even more work from a molecule of fuel while producing even fewer harmful emissions. Here are but a few we’re keeping our eyes on, listed in order of complexity and cost to implement. 

    A 98-Octane Fuel Standard

    Simply being able to design

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