News

Rivian Automotive has reached an agreement to access Tesla's Supercharger network starting next year and to incorporate Tesla's charging port design into its future electric vehicles, following in the footsteps of Ford and General Motors, which cut similar fast-charge deals with Tesla over the last month.

Rivian said it will provide a charging adapter as early as spring 2024 for its current vehicles next year so they can access 12,000 Superchargers contemplated in the deal. Rivian currently uses the Combined Charging System port while Tesla uses its own North American Charging Standard.

"We're excited to work with Tesla and to see collaborations like this help advance the world toward carbon neutrality," said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe in a statement Tuesday. "The adoption of the North American Charging Standard will enable our existing and future customers to leverage Tesla's expansive Supercharger network while we continue to build out our Rivian Adventure Netwo…

Cadillac plans to introduce the electric version of its Escalade full-size SUV on Aug. 9 in New York.

General Motors' luxury brand on Tuesday confirmed the reveal date in a news release and teaser video for the Escalade IQ, which it said will be built at the automaker's Factory Zero electric vehicle assembly plant in Detroit.

Automotive News has reported that the Escalade IQ is expected to go on sale in 2024. Cadillac did not share details Tuesday on the production launch.

The brand called the Escalade IQ "the reinvention of Cadillac's most iconic nameplate." The gasoline-powered Escalade has been Cadillac's top-selling U.S. model for the past two years, as the brand focused on production of more profitable vehicles during the microchip shortage.

Cadillac is working to electrify its lineup in North America by 2030. The Escalade IQ will follow the Lyriq midsize electric crossover, which is on sale now, and the Celestiq, a hand-built, $300,000-plus …

WASHINGTON — Trade groups representing franchised car dealers and automakers are asking the U.S. Treasury Department to tie battery sourcing requirements in the electric vehicle tax credit to when the vehicle was manufactured instead of when it was delivered to the buyer.

Under a proposed rule issued in March, Treasury defined "placed in service" as the date the customer takes delivery of the EV. However, the groups argue the interpretation hinders compliance with the credit and diminishes its use now that increasingly stringent critical mineral and battery component requirements are in effect.

In joint comments submitted Friday, the National Automobile Dealers Association and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation asked Treasury to clarify in its final rule that EVs manufactured in a calendar year in conformance with the battery content requirements remain eligible for a credit even if they are delivered to a customer in a subsequent year with higher content …

Four U.S. lawmakers will travel to Detroit Tuesday to press the CEOs of Ford Motor Co. and General Motors to cut their supply chains’ reliance on China, especially in EV batteries.

The trip highlights the domestic pressures the administration faces as it tries to patch up frayed ties with China. Earlier Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported some progress in those efforts after a two-day visit to Beijing.

The four lawmakers, who all sit who sit on a newly formed House of Representatives China Select Committee, will raise concerns about Ford’s partnership with Chinese auto battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., and auto companies’ dependence on China more broadly, a person familiar with the matter said. The legislators plan to meet Ford CEO Jim Farley and GM CEO Mary Barra, among other officials.

The companies didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ford is planning to build a battery plant in Michi…

General Motors plans to spend $920 million to expand its DMAX engine operation near Dayton, Ohio, and prepare for future production of internal combustion powertrain products for heavy-duty trucks.

The automaker said it will expand the existing 250,000-square-foot Brookville, Ohio, site by building a 1.1 million-square-foot addition and bring in new equipment and technology. GM did not disclose details or timing for the future products.

"This investment furthers our commitment to HD truck market dominance with the Duramax power under the hood that customers love so much," Mike Trevorrow, GM's vice president of North America manufacturing, said in a statement. "Additionally, it is truly a testament to the hard work and dedication of our DMAX team members in the state of Ohio who build world-class powertrain products."

DMAX opened as a joint venture between GM and Isuzu Diesel Services of America in 1999 in nearby Moraine, Ohio, building Duramax diesel e…

Striking workers at a Constellium aluminum parts plant near Detroit and a Clarios battery plant near Toledo have both ratified new contract agreements. Lithia makes its first U.S. deal of the year, and it’s a big one. Plus, TeraWatt CEO and co-founder Neha Palmer talks about the startup's plans to charge EV fleets across America.

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German powertrain supplier Vitesco Technologies said Monday it signed an agreement with Japanese microchip maker Rohm Co., securing more than $1 billion in silicon carbide semiconductors through 2030.

The microchips will be integrated into inverters for electric vehicle powertrains starting as early as 2024, Vitesco said in a news release. The company said it had two customers for the inverters but did not name them.

The agreement comes as automakers and suppliers race to lock in long-term sources of semiconductors, especially as EV adoption ramps up and vehicles become more software-driven. The microchip shortage, which has significantly reduced vehicle output over the past few years, has also driven home the need for auto companies to actively secure semiconductor supplies.

"The supply partnership agreement with Rohm is an important building block for securing Vitesco Technologies' [silicon carbide] capacities in the years ahead," Vitesco CEO Andreas W…

BorgWarner Inc. plans to acquire an Italy-based manufacturer of electric vehicle charging components in a deal valued at about $80 million that would build up the electric portfolio of the automotive supplier.

BorgWarner entered a share purchase agreement with Eldor Corp. that would result in the acquisition of its electric hybrid systems segment, the supplier said Monday in a statement.

The deal improves BorgWarner's capability in producing 400V and 800V on-board chargers compatible with various regional electric grid variations, while also bringing high-frequency DC/DC converter technology to its offerings. On-board chargers convert AC power from sources such as home plug outlets into DC power that can charge EV battery packs.

The acquisition target is expected to generate about $27 million in revenue this year, and BorgWarner expects to grow sales to $273 million by 2027.

"Eldor's technologies are a great complement to BorgWarner's ePropulsio…

Tesla Inc. has stepped up its U.S. sales incentives to move new inventory of its high-end Model S sedan and Model X crossover, with discounts reaching $7,500 plus free use of its Supercharging network for three years, according to the company's website.

The EV maker typically rolls out incentives in the last month of each quarter. Tesla also slashed sticker prices in January across its four-vehicle lineup amid slowing sales. CEO Elon Musk has said he's willing to trade profit for volume with a global target of 50 percent sales growth.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, where Tesla's Fremont factory is located, a base Model S with all-wheel drive was available on Sunday for $84,380 with shipping, compared with the full price of $91,880 with shipping. Deliveries must take place by June 30, Tesla said.

Websites tracking Tesla's constantly changing prices, such as InsideEVs, noted that inventory of the Model S and Model X already had incentives of $5,000 from a…

WASHINGTON — The nation's top auto safety regulator has opened an investigation into the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 after receiving more than two dozen consumer complaints alleging loss of motive power in the electric compact crossover.

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation said it received 30 complaints about the problem from U.S. vehicle owners, many of which reported a "loud pop noise followed by a warning displayed in their dashboard" and immediately experienced a reduced or total loss of motive power.

NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation to assess the scope and severity of the potential safety defect, which could affect more than 39,500 Ioniq 5 EVs.

In a report made public this month, Hyundai told NHTSA investigators that the issue is related to the Integrated Control Charging Unit that powers the vehicle batteries. An initial review indicated that overcurrent within the charging unit can damage transistors, preventing the 12-volt battery from rec…

Åsa Borg remembers her first meeting with Polestar CEO and design guru Thomas Ingenlath to talk about a position at the new electric vehicle company.

 “It was a chance to see the beautiful cars the brand had coming,” Borg said. “The cars are just amazing. It felt like a great challenge to work on such a relevant brand. It was not only the beautiful design but the whole sustainability aspect —Polestar was so different. It felt very important to me personally.”

But it was also June of 2020. Borg took the job as Polestar’s chief marketing officer, aware of the challenges that faced her: “It was a big journey,” she said. “We were introducing a brand and product in the middle of COVID-19, with a war in Europe and an energy crisis, while all working remotely.”

The all-electric Polestar 2 performance vehicle has been a hit with car aficionados and European buyers—and an ad in the 2023 Super Bowl telecast piqued interest in the U.S., where the brand has been e…

Deciphering the levels of automated driving

The SAE Levels of Driving Automation have been a standard that automakers and tech providers use to describe and categorize the capabilities and limitations of automated driving systems. They help clarify who or what is responsible for driving at a given time. Here are those levels and examples of some systems.

Level 0: A human is driving at all times. Features are limited to warnings and momentary active assistance, such as automated emergency braking. Level 1: A human is driving at all times. Features support steering, braking or throttle inputs. Adaptive cruise control is an example. Level 2: A human is responsible for driving, even if the system is sustaining active control of the vehicle. Features provide steering and throttle control, such as lane-centering and adaptive cruise control, at the same time. General Motors' Super Cruise system and Tesla's Autopilot are in this category. Level 3: An automated system dr…