Author: EVAI

What kind of car is the Lucid Air? What does it compare to? Lucid’s flagship sedan is the longest-range electric car on the U.S. market and one of the quickest-accelerating sedans—or vehicles of any kind. Providing varying amounts of performance and efficiency, with leading-edge propulsion tech, it challenges the likes of the Tesla…

Airstream on Saturday unveiled its first all-electric travel trailer, which can use battery power to operate off the grid.

Called the Airstream Basecamp 20Xe, the trailer includes a 10.3-kwh battery pack and 3,000-watt inverter powering a 30-amp electrical system, providing onboard power for charging devices from built-in outlets, as well as running an optional air-conditioning system or microwave. A standard induction cooktop powered by a 110-volt outlet can be used inside or outside the trailer.

A 600-watt rooftop solar array provides supplementary power. The trailer also comes pre-wired for an additional 300 watts of solar-generating capacity, and includes a 20-pound propane tank that can be used for interior heating and hot water, as well as outdoor grilling. Heating can be done using only electricity, only propane, or a combination of the two.

An optional composting toilet helps conserve water, as does a recirculating feature that redirects cold water from the heater into the freshwater tank until it reaches the proper temperature. 

The trailer’s 20-foot floorpan includes a dedicated sleeping space at the back and a convertible dinette up front. It’s also equipped with standard 3-inch lift, chunky tires, and stone guards for off-road use, as well as storage space within its teardrop shroud bodywork.

Airstream eStream electric camping trailer

Missing from Airstream’s announcement, however: There is no mention of using the battery pack to help propel the trailer and reduce the range loss of electric tow vehicles, or improve the fuel economy of internal-combustion tow vehicles, as with eStream concept Airstream unveiled in 2022. That idea has been taken up by startups Pebble and Lightship for use in their luxury travel trailers, both of which are scheduled to start production later this year.

Ford is recalling a small number of recent Mustang models a second time to address a steering issue because the remedy from a previous recall may not have been applied correctly. The recall of just 332 vehicles from model years 2022 and 2023 addresses an improperly calibrated secondary steering torque sensor, which could cause the steering wheel…

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 20,339 S-Class luxury sedans because of front brake hoses that could rupture and leak fluid, rendering the brakes less effective. Based on a disclosure Monday from the NHTSA, the recall includes the following versions of Mercedes’ flagship sedan: 2021-2022 S 500 2021-2022 Maybach S 580 4Matic 2021-2023 S 580 4Matic 2022…

The 2025 Ford E-Transit—an all-electric version of the automaker’s Transit van—receives some new options while holding steady on pricing.

An E-Transit cargo van costs $51,000 before destination—about the same as a 2024 model. Ford also offers chassis cab and cutaway versions priced at $46,200 and $45,700 before destination, respectively.

2025 Ford E-Transit

New for 2025 are four option packages aimed at specific trades. These include electrician ($4,370) HVAC ($4,440), and general contractor ($2,900) packages, as well as a $3,300 folding-shelving package with large shelves intended for delivery services.

Ford introduced the E-Transit for the 2022 model year, and upgraded it with a bigger battery pack for 2024. Those changes carry over for 2025, meaning the E-Transit continues with an 89-kwh pack affording up to 159 miles of EPA-cycle range. That pack powers a single electric motor, which sends 266 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels.

2025 Ford E-Transit

Expect unchanged peak DC fast-charging power of up to 176 kw, allowing the E-Transit to replenish 67 miles of range in 15 minutes, using a 180-kw charger. The E-Transit can also make use of an 80-amp Level 2 AC wallbox for a 6-hour, 11-minute, full recharge, as well as export up to 2.4 kw with its Pro Power Onboard system, shared with the F-150 Lightning EV as well as hybrid versions of the F-150 truck.

The E-Transit competes against electric versions of some of the same vans the standard Ford Transit fights with for fleet sales, including the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter and Ram ProMaster EV. Rivian also recently opened up sales of its electric van, originally designed for Amazon, to all fleets. And General Motors leverages its EV architecture for the BrightDrop electric vans, which were recently folded into the Chevrolet brand.

Costco members who lease a 2025 Volvo EX90 electric SUV can now take advantage of the biggest discount offered by the retailer’s auto program.

Fellow Internet Brands site CarsDirect found a potential $10,000 in savings for Costco members who are also current Volvo customers, and are planning to lease a new EX90 between now and Apr. 30.

2025 Volvo EX90

This starts with $2,000 just for being a Costco Executive member, or $1,500 for Gold Star and Business members. Lower incentives of $1,250 for Executive members and $1,000 for Gold Star and Business members are also currently available for several General Motors EVs, according to the Costco website. Those eligible models include the Chevrolet Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and Silverado EV, as well as the GMC Hummer EV and Sierra EV.

That discount can be combined with a $500 loyalty discount for returning customers and a $7,500 EV lease incentive from Volvo, likely an application of the EV leasing loophole that allows manufacturers with captive leasing arms to take a $7,500 credit and pass the savings on to a customer.

2025 Volvo EX90

The EX90 might qualify for a lease credit, but it doesn’t yet qualify for the $7,500 purchase credit. The EX90 is U.S. built, and is priced just under the ceiling for the credit, meeting some qualifications, but not all of them.

Costco has offered its discount EV program for some time, but it only in recent months jumped back into EV charging. Costco was one of the first big-box retailers to offer charging, installing Level 2 chargers at some California locations in the 1990s. It pulled the plug on those stations in 2011 and 2012, but last year resumed installing DC fast chargers while keeping its profitable gas pumps.

Mercedes-Benz design chief Gordon Wagener predicts AI will dominate car design within 10 years Wagener said Mercedes is already using AI in car design Wagener said digital screens aren’t luxury and that Mercedes will shift focus is craftsmanship and sophistication Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener believes artificial intelligence will play…

Winches are a vital off-road accessory. And while they’re typically powered by a vehicle’s 12-volt electrical system, Stellantis is looking at an alternative power source for them in hybrids and electric vehicles.

In a patent filing published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jan. 21, 2025, and submitted by the automaker about a year prior, Stellantis discusses running a winch not off a battery pack but with a gearbox connected to one of the vehicle’s electric drive motors.

Stellantis patent image of a winch geared to an electric motor

As described in the document, the winch would be mounted on a vehicle’s front bumper in the conventional fashion. But instead of having its own built-in electric motor to spool and unspool a cable (which is then connected to an anchor point to pull the vehicle out of trouble spots), the winch would be connected to a planetary gearbox and then to drive modules like the ones Stellantis plans to manufacture in Indiana.

The gearbox would in turn be connected to the differential on the front axle, allowing an electric motor normally used to propel the vehicle to turn the winch’s spool instead of the wheels. A winch mode would disconnect the front wheels, as well as activate the parking brake to lock the rear wheels for maximum stability, according to the filing.

Stellantis patent image of a winch geared to an electric motor

The main benefit of such an arrangement would likely be the ease of integrating winches into vehicles from the factory. Eliminating the dedicated motor for winches would make them more compact, and potentially easier to place behind a bumper where they wouldn’t be a source of aerodynamic drag. Not that current buyers of off-road vehicles have any problem fitting aftermarket winches, though.

Integrated winches could be used on future Stellantis electric off-roaders like the Jeep Recon, a Wrangler-like SUV announced in 2022, and recently teased again in a Super Bowl ad, or perhaps a more off-road-focused version of the Ram 1500 Ramcharger plug-in hybrid or Ram 1500 REV EV. The latter has been pushed back once again, to late 2026, while Ramcharger is due to arrive later this year.

Polestar on Friday announced additional funding as the automaker looks to continue building out its lineup of electric vehicles.

In a press release, Polestar said it had secured a 12-month loan facility of up to $450 million, following an $800 million 12-month facility locked in by the automaker in December. Polestar is also renewing a European Green Trade Finance Facility (TFF) for 480 million euros, or approximately $499 million at current exchange rates. It didn’t specify exactly where the new funding is coming from and whether its global parent Geely has a role—although it emphasized it received funding in 2022 from “a syndicate of leading global banks.”

2025 Polestar 3

Additional funding was expected, but it’s still good news as Polestar looks to stabilize itself. Polestar shares have trended downward since the automaker went public in 2022 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), and the automaker missed reduced 2023 delivery targets. Its 2024 financial results will be published in April.

Polestar describes itself as “born in Sweden,” although the EV maker produces most of its vehicles in China. It hasn’t manufactured a car in Sweden yet but leans on Volvo for development facilities. Thomas Ingenlath unexpectedly resigned as CEO of Polestar last year after leading the brand since its separation from Volvo, which had previously used the Polestar name for performance models, parts, and racing. Ingenlath was replaced in August of last year by Michael Lohscheller, who had previously served as CEO of Vinfast, Opel, and Nikola.

2025 Polestar 4

In what will likely help expand the brand’s reach, the Polestar 3 electric SUV went on sale last year, with U.S.-market vehicles manufactured in South Carolina. It likely has broader appeal than the Polestar 2 compact, or the segment-defying Polestar 4 that followed it to global showrooms.

The automaker reaffirmed in January that the Polestar 5 fastback would be the next model to arrive, reaching showrooms at some point later this year. It will be followed by a small SUV dubbed the Polestar 7, which will leapfrog the Polestar 6 convertible that’s also still in the queue.

BMW operates an official museum as part of its headquarters in Munich, Germany. However, for armchair travelers, the automaker has launched an online museum of sorts, offering detailed information and photos of models dating back to 1928, when BMW began building its first cars. The online museum, which BMW refers to as a product catalog, currently…