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Some aspects of modern electric vehicle ownership have not changed much from the first generation of EVs that were popular a century ago. Back then, as today, there was range anxiety. Part of that was borne out of the charging situation.

Back then there were three ways to charge electric car batteries:

1. The vehicle could be left at the dealership overnight.

2. The battery pack could be removed and replaced with a freshly charged pack.

3. The vehicle could be plugged into one of the few public charging stations.

Home charging also was possible, but it was not widespread. The charging equipment was expensive and not very user-friendly like today's chargers. Because of exposed wiring and mercury arc rectifiers, a battery charger could be dangerous to have in a home garage, where it may not be shielded well from moisture and could be damaged easily if something banged in to it.

A mercury arc recti…

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Tesla Inc. has introduced an option for some customers to subscribe to its advanced driver assistance software, dubbed "Full Self-Driving capability," for $199 per month, instead of paying $10,000 upfront.

"FSD capability subscriptions are currently available to eligible vehicles in the United States. Check your Tesla app for updates on availability in other regions," Tesla said Saturday on its website.

"The currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous," Tesla said, adding they "require a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment."

Tesla currently charges $10,000 for semi-automated driving features such as lane changing and parking assistance under its full self-driving package.

Tesla said the subscription service is available in vehicles equipped with "Full Self-Driving computer 3.0 or above." Tesla told customers that upgrading to the new hardware will…

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is reestablishing itself in the industry's largest segment, compact crossovers, after years of declining share with a pair of small utility vehicles aimed at different buyers: the Escape and Bronco Sport.

More than two-thirds of the Bronco Sport's 60,514 sales so far this year come from buyers new to Ford, the company says. The new offering hasn't cannibalized sales of the Escape, which rose about 1 percent to more than 85,000 in the first half of 2021 despite the ongoing chip shortage that is crimping production.

Combined, the two small utilities would rank fourth in the segment, behind the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center.

Ford is quickly gaining market share in the segment — up 3 percentage points to 11 percent through the first six months of 2021 — while Toyota and General Motors lose share and Honda's is flat, according to LMC Automotive data.

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School buses may be America's most ubiquitous and underappreciated transportation resource. From rural roads to urban centers, more than 10,000 school districts rely upon approximately 480,000 school buses to carry 24 million students twice a day. By comparison, that's more than eight times the number of domestic air passengers who fly each day.

Someday soon, school buses might serve a second purpose. In addition to transporting students, they may be a nationwide energy source.

"The school bus industry is almost at the tip of the spear when it comes to vehicle-to-grid technology," says Kevin Matthews, managing director, sustainability sector, for National Strategies, a Washington-based research and consulting firm that works with state and local governments. "The lightbulbs have gone off, especially with utilities, that yeah, we can figure out our vehicle-to-grid issues with school buses."

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology holds the possibility of trans…

For one of its most critical product launches in years, Infiniti is emphasizing star power, not horsepower.

Nissan Motor Co.'s luxury brand has enlisted entertainment and sports celebrities to create buzz around its second-generation QX60 midsize crossover for an influencer-themed launch campaign when it arrives this fall.

The three-row crossover is Infiniti's sales powerhouse, driving nearly 29 percent of its U.S. sales last year. The launch of the redesigned 2022 model is make-or-break for Infiniti, which is struggling to keep customers' attention thanks to a bare-bones product lineup.

Its U.S. sales have been in decline since 2017, slumping 32 percent last year — the largest annual drop in the brand's history. Infiniti reported 79,502 sales in 2020, its lowest total in two decades.

The planned marketing campaign for the QX60 eschews an emphasis on product specs, such as horsepower and torque. And the reason for that…

The U.S. is clashing with Mexico and Canada over rules for cars shipped across regional borders, with automakers and governments telling the Biden administration that it’s imperiling the success of their new trade pact.

The dispute focuses on how to calculate the percentage of a vehicle that comes collectively from the three countries under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because conversations are private. The deal took effect last July, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, but the new so-called rules of origin are designed to be phased in over several years.

The U.S. insists on a stricter way than Mexico and Canada believe they agreed to for counting the origin of certain core parts including engines, transmissions and steering systems in the overall calculation, the people said. That makes it harder for plants in Mexico and Canada to meet the new threshold of 75 …

A Pacific Northwest dealership group acquired a store with two brands, while a used-only dealership group bought its first franchised store in two deals that closed at the end of the second quarter.

Here's a quick look at the transactions involving domestic- and import-brand stores.

Kendall Automotive Group on June 30 purchased a Subaru-Chevrolet dealership in Marysville, Wash., near Seattle.

Kendall, with about 40 locations in four Western states and a Ford store already in Marysville, bought Roy Robinson Subaru-Chevrolet from the Bjorg family.

Terms of the deal weren't released. The store has been renamed Kendall Subaru-Chevrolet of Marysville.

Kendall has stores in Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and sells more than 20 brands, including Toyota, Lexus, Volkswagen, Honda, Kia, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, according to its website.

The family-owned group was founded in 1937 as Merrill Kendall became part of a Ford dealersh…

Rivian is delaying the first deliveries of its R1T battery electric pickup until September, CEO RJ Scaringe said Friday in a letter to customers who expected their trucks this month.

"We know you can't wait to get behind the wheel of your vehicle. Earlier this summer, we announced that deliveries would begin in July; however, the timing for the first deliveries of the R1T has shifted to September, with the R1S shortly thereafter in the fall. I wanted to be sure you heard this from me directly," Scaringe wrote.

Rivian owners have been griping in online forums about the lack of communication from the company in recent weeks as anticipation for the Launch Edition of the R1T grew.

Scaringe, in his letter, placed much of the blame for the latest delay on the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing chip shortage and the difficulty of producing three new vehicles in a new plant.

He wrote: "The cascading impacts of the pandemic have had a compounding effect great…

Ford Motor Co. said it is recalling nearly 775,000 Explorer large crossovers for an issue with the cross-axis ball joint that may cause a fractured rear suspension toe link, which could affect steering control and increase the risk of a crash.

The recalled Ford Explorers are from the 2013-17 model years and affect approximately 676,152 vehicles in North America, 59,935 in China, 13,162 in Europe, 190 in South America and 25,257 in other international markets.

Ford said Friday it is aware of six allegations of injury related to this defect in North America.

"Affected vehicles may experience a clunk noise, unusual handling or a misaligned rear wheel," Ford said in a statement. "Fracture of a rear toe link significantly diminishes steering control, increasing the risk of a crash."

To fix the issue, dealers will inspect and replace the cross-axis ball joint as necessary and replace the toe links with an updated design part.

A Ford spokesman did…

Genesis sales boss Ted Mengiste says new models and healthy inventory levels are positioning Hyundai's luxury brand to "grow faster" in the second half of 2021.

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TOKYO – Honda Motor Co. CEO Toshihiro Mibe repeated the go-it-alone automaker’s message Friday that, when it comes to joining the race to electric vehicles, Honda is ready to rely on partners.

It is a sea change for the fiercely independent Japanese carmaker, and Mibe, who took the CEO job in April, wants to make sure the industry knows that Honda is now open for outside alliances.

"If through an alliance Honda can accomplish early what it should aim to be, then we'd be willing to form an alliance," Mibe told a press briefing.

Honda and General Motors now plan to introduce two jointly developed large-sized EV models in 2024 in North America using GM's Ultium batteries and Honda will launch a series of new models built on a dedicated platform called  "e:Architecture."

The two companies also are collaborating on autonomous vehicles and fuel-cell vehicle technology, and are exploring more ways to expand their alliance.

Mibe's new message…

STOCKHOLM -- Sweden's Autoliv, the world's largest producer of airbags and seatbelts, swung to a strong operating profit during the second quarter, but scaled back its full-year guidance as component shortages crimped car production.

Autoliv on Friday reported an operating profit of $164 million compared with a $234 million operating loss in the year-ago quarter when many automakers idled several weeks of production due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Total sales surged 93 percent to $2.0 billion. The company generated net income of $105 million compared with a $174 million loss a year ago.

Airbag revenue doubled to $1.3 billion while seatbelt business grew 81 percent to $712 million.

Autoliv is the first major global auto supplier to post its second-quarter results, with several more scheduled to report over the next few weeks.

While the demand recovery from the market plunge in the early months of the pandemic has been strong, a global shor…