Electric Vehicles

Now, if you want your new Tesla to steer itself—while you pay attention to the road—you will have to pay for FSD. Until the middle of February, that can be done for a one-time fee of $8,000. But starting on February 14, that option goes away, too, and the sole choice will be a $99/month FSD subscription. But probably not for very long. Last night, Musk revealed on his social media platform that “the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve.

I don't own a Tesla, but a $99 monthly subscription feels like quite a hefty price tag.

According to a Reuters report on this topic, this change affects only Canada and the US.

Experimental cells have reportedly reached energy densities of around 400 Wh/kg

The report confirms that Geely’s solid-state battery project will reach Pack completion and vehicle-installation validation in 2026

https://archive.is/huSyw

Mazda Motor is changing its global electric vehicle strategy to put a greater emphasis on models made in China as the U.S. and Europe reduce policies meant to quicken the EV transition.

Mazda will delay the start of Japanese production of its first global EV based on a custom platform until 2029, pushing back its sales date. Both production and sales had been slated to begin next year.

The company will expand exports of EVs produced by Changan Mazda, a joint venture with Changan, at its Nanjing plant in China.

In East Africa, the vast majority of cars are imported from other countries. But a group of engineers in Kenya is working to change that by developing the country’s first-ever locally-assembled electric vehicle.

BYD controls roughly 70% of Mexico’s EV market, with cheap vehicles attracting middle-class buyers seeking alternatives to rising gasoline costs and traditional electric cars.

(Renault CEO) François admitted that Renault can quickly achieve the production and deployment of new energy vehicles with enhanced cost effectiveness by sharing Geely’s electrification technology

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/45981222

The head of Thuringia's Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Stephan Kramer, warns of data-protection risks from electric cars from China. "The espionage risk posed by Chinese electric cars is real," he told Handelsblatt. However, what is meant is less traditional espionage and more "data harvesting on a large scale." How dangerous that is depends heavily on where and by whom the vehicles are used.

[...]

For security-relevant areas such as the Bundeswehr (Germany's armed forces), police, critical infrastructure, and the government sector, Kramer thus rates the risk as "high." Even the transmission of location data to external IT systems in the cloud is problematic. For companies with sensitive research and development, Kramer sees a "medium to high risk." This applies especially when vehicles regularly visit research sites, are used by executives, or serve as a "mobile meeting room".

It's not just about Chinese electric cars

According to Kramer, electric cars fundamentally pose a spying risk, not only Chinese ones. "Modern electric cars are rolling computers," he said. The vehicles collected and transmitted a large amount of information. These included location and movement data, in-cabin data from microphones or cameras, phone and contact data from the connection with smartphones, information on driving behavior, as well as data from the surroundings via driver-assistance systems.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior wants to monitor the situation. "Because of the rising market shares of Chinese car manufacturers in the European market, the geopolitical situation and China's power ambitions, there is a need to keep a close eye on possible risks posed by Chinese vehicles," a spokesman told Handelsblatt. He noted that Chinese vehicles "have highly complex, networked systems that generate, store and transmit large amounts of data."

[...]

Under EU type-approval law, manufacturers are obliged to protect vehicles adequately against cyberattacks and to prevent unauthorized access to vehicle data. The exact scope of the data generated and their transmission is, however, often opaque to customers.

[...]

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Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare said the government had signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Shenzhen New Jekyll to establish an EV assembly plant in Ghana.

Transport remains a major source of emissions in Ghana’s urban centres, and policymakers see EV adoption as a way to reduce fuel imports, cut emissions, and build local industrial capacity.

I still struggle to see this competing with BMW iX3 as a value proposition

The range starts at 229,900,000 rupiah (USD $13,600)

The EV4, Kia’s first electric sedan, will arrive in showrooms this month with the first customer deliveries set to begin by the end of January.

It will be based on the same 400-volt front-wheel-drive (FWD) version of Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, with the same battery pack options as the popular EV3.

The 2026 EV4 is available in Australia in three trims: Air, Earth, and GT-Line, with prices starting at AUD $49,990 (about $33,500 US Dollars), before on-road costs.

The base “Air” model is powered by a 58.3 kWh lithium-ion nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) battery, providing a WLTP driving range of 456 km (283 miles). Upgrading to the Earth and GT-Line grades gains a larger 81.4 kWh battery, rated with 612 km (380 miles) WLTP driving range.

With prices starting at AUD $49,990, the Kia EV4 is cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 in Australia. The Tesla Model 3 RWD starts at AUD $54,900, or AUD $4,910 more than the EV4.

To be fair, the Model 3 RWD beats Kia’s electric sedan on range, offering up to 520 km (323 miles). The Model 3 Long Range provides up to 750 km (466 miles) WLTP range.

While the EV4 undercuts the Model 3, BYD still has Kia beat on prices. BYD’s electric sedan, the Seal, starts at just AUD ($46,990), or AUD $3,000 less than the EV4, but it also has less driving range, rated at 570 km (354 miles).

More in the article.

The decision is a major boon for affordable Chinese automakers like BYD that are steadily gaining ground in the European market.

EV charging provider EVgo has committed to a massive deployment of EV charging sites at Kroger Family of Stores locations across the US. The company plans to build at least 150 fast charging stalls per year through 2035 at the company’s sites, which operate under various brands, including Kroger Foods, Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food Stores, Harris Teeter, King Soopers and Smith’s Food and Drug.

Each of the sites will include up to 16 DC fast charging stalls, featuring high-power EVgo chargers that can deliver a full charge in as little as 15 minutes—an ideal fit for grocery locations where shoppers tend to spend less than an hour.

The first charging site of the expanded program is now operational in Salt Lake City. Additional deployments are slated for Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Washington and other states.

(Slightly) more in the article.

The SC01 tips the scales at less than 3,086 pounds (1,400 kilograms), which is very low for a battery-powered car. In fact, it’s at least 220 lbs (100 kg) lighter than a Porsche 911.

The battery is expected to come from Chery’s Rhino S solid-state battery, with an energy density reaching 600 Wh/kg. Currently, polymer, oxide, and sulfide are the three main stream alternative electrolytes for solid-state battery development. Chery is betting on the oxide route.