1+ week, 3+ day ago (327+ words) Autonomy, the smartphone app that offers all-in-one subscriptions for EVs, will add 1,250 Polestar and Volvo electric cars to its fleet, as well as additional Tesla models. The company, which currently operates an all-Tesla fleet in several American states, secured a $25 million loan from Fincity Corporation through SR Alternative Credit. The company said customers can expect to see the Polestar 2 and facelifted Tesla Model 3 and Model Y in the app soon, with additional vehicles from Volvo and other automakers set to join the fleet. Autonomy did not detail what other models would be available in the future. Tesla Model 3 EVs available as long-term rentals through Autonomy Back in 2023, the startup had roughly 1,300 cars in its fleet, but was forced to cut back on its initial goal of acquiring 23,000 EVs from no fewer than 17 automakers due to the plummeting value of EVs....

3+ day, 3+ hour ago (384+ words) Last July, I leased a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV LT2. I got a stunning lease deal, leaving me conflicted about the car. I love my Blazer EV, but I wouldn't have paid its $52,000 sticker price. The good news is, I didn't, and you don't have to, either. Used Blazer EVs are shockingly cheap. The best price I've seen so far is $21,499 at used car retailer CarBravo, for a Radiant Red LT2 with 14,000 miles. But while that price is an outlier, it is exceedingly easy to find examples for under $25,000. Most of them have very few miles, and all appear to be in good condition. Of course, if you've been following the Blazer EV story, you may know why these are cheap. The Blazer got off to a rough start, with software problems that were bad enough to strand our own Kevin Williams. That…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (328+ words) Ford is now selling certified pre-owned vehicles on Amazon Autos, the American e-commerce giant's car sales platform. The move effectively puts local dealers' inventory on Amazon's website, allowing customers to browse what's available, finance their next vehicle and prepare some of the paperwork before scheduling a pick-up date at the dealership. The two companies said that all of the certified pre-owned cars that are now up for sale on Amazon Autos are backed by Ford's Blue Advantage warranties, which include roadside assistance. Customers can also check out the full service history online, as well as the final price. The third category is reserved for "Blue Certified" vehicles, which are sold by Ford dealers but may include vehicles for other brands, not just the blue oval automaker'think trade-ins. These cars come with just a 90-day or 4,000-mile limited warranty. Whatever the…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (543+ words) Next year is a pivotal one for Rivian. The electric-vehicle startup has seen strong critical success with its R1S and R1T, but long-term viability depends on its more affordable R2 being a huge hit with a wider audience, just like the Tesla Model Y once was. Maybe that's why the first Rivian R2 to debut won't be its most expensive configuration." On tonight's third-quarter earnings call, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe offered a few new details about the R2 when it goes on sale in 2026." "We're going to limit the number of variants that we're building, and so we have a launch edition for the R2," Scaringe said. "And this is a classic challenge, because there's thousands and thousands of people who are excited for R2. Some will want the most base version, the lowest-price version. Others are going to want the highest-end version." The goal for the…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (405+ words) Rivian's joint venture with the Volkswagen Group isn't just developing the underlying tech for upcoming Rivians, Audis and Porsches. The firm sees a future in selling its electrical architectures to other car companies." "We're solving a problem not only for Rivian and VW, but we're solving a problem for the larger automotive industry," Wassym Bensaid, Rivian's chief software officer and a co-head of the joint venture, told reporters on Wednesday. "And that could become basically an opportunity for a standard technology stack that others can use as well." These systems of high-powered computers and the software that ties everything together should allow for richer software features and better software updates. But everything besides the foundational systems'like autonomous driving features or user interfaces'will need to be added on by each brand." The JV's leaders think other manufacturers will line up for…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (339+ words) The Tesla Semi has to be the only vehicle that we know of that received a mid-lifecycle facelift without technically being in production'only a handful have been built so far. However, that's exactly what happened as Tesla quietly unveiled an updated Semi yesterday, which it has redesigned to receive the new family face, as well as a series of technical improvements. Tesla revealed the Semi in 2017 with plans to start building it in 2019, but it has kept pushing back its production start date. During yesterday's annual shareholder meeting, Elon Musk reaffirmed the company's plan to begin volume Semi production next year, promising to put an end to what has proven to be a painfully slow rollout. The lower part of the vehicle is obscured, so there may be some additional visual changes hiding there, like redesigned aero wheels. It may…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (953+ words) It's hard to argue that Toyota isn't operating from a position of strength right now. As global electric vehicle sales remain uneven, the Japanese automaker continues to generate robust profits from its broad hybrid lineup and has managed the U.S. tariff challenges more effectively than many of its competitors. What about what comes next? It's similarly hard to argue that Toyota is some kind of industry leader on software and autonomous vehicles'both of which are experiencing a boom right now. But being the world's largest automaker by volume has its perks, and that includes the scale and capital needed to build a whole city devoted to testing next-generation mobility technology. Almost six years after it was first announced at CES 2020, Toyota's Woven City is open for business. Or living. Or a mix of both. It's one of the more bold and…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (281+ words) Volvo needs a smaller electric crossover to slot under the large and quite expensive EX90, and one is on the way. It will be called the EX60, so it will become the electric equivalent of the XC60, but even though it's an EV, it won't cost more than its combustion-powered brother. It will be similarly priced to the XC60 plug-in hybrid, which currently starts at $62,445, including destination. The EX60 is also seen as the natural next car for today's XC60 owners who are ready to go fully electric. But it's also aimed squarely at the biggest players in the segment, such as the Tesla Model Y or the Hyundai Ioniq 5, both of which have achieved global success. Volvo EX60 Taillight Teaser Getting the EX60 right is really important for Volvo. The design will stick close to what we already know, so it won't alienate potential buyers by completely…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (464+ words) It seems crazy to me how some journalists are still making jokes about the fact that BYD is Chinese, suggesting that it can never be as good as the Western car brands that we all grew up looking up to (at least here in Europe). BYD is a global Goliath with over 100,000 engineers on its payroll, giving it the largest research and development workforce of any automaker in the world. It shows. If you haven't been paying attention to the rise of BYD, it's not too late. If you live in Europe, you can go test drive one of its cars to rid yourself of your bias. I will admit that, like any European car journalist, I once looked down on Chinese cars. However, as I've had the chance to drive more of them in the last few years, I…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (457+ words) A new player in the recreational vehicle market has emerged out of stealth mode and promises to deliver "the world's first power-generating RV trailer." After securing $16 million in Pre-A funding, California-based Evotrex is eyeing next year's CES show in Las Vegas to reveal its first product, a rugged camping trailer that can allegedly keep the lights on without a grid connection. That sounds interesting, but it's worth noting that we've seen self-sustaining RV trailers before, with the Lightship AE.1 and Pebble Flow immediately coming to mind. Both have solar panels and batteries, so they can power appliances even without a grid connection, as long as there is juice in the battery. What makes Evotrex's trailer a bit different, however, is the gas engine that's used to generate electricity when the sun doesn't shine. Generators are not something new in the…...