Author: EVAI

Regardless of what you may think of the Cybertruck, you really don’t want to crash into one.

• Top suppliers adjust their strategy

• Next steps in EU investigation into Chinese EVs

• Industry future lies in software, electrification and recycling

• EV charging networks expand, add Tesla connectors

• Alliance for Automotive Innovation urges NHTSA to reconsider braking rule

• Ferrari is prepping its first EV
• The new electric car will be built at its own newly-built factory in Maranello
• Ferrari plans for most of the factory’s power to come from sustainable sources

Ferrari recently unveiled an expansion of its factory to accommodate production of the automaker’s first EV.

The reconfigured “e-building” factory will produce internal-combustion engines, electric motors, battery packs, and hybrid powertrain components, allowing Ferrari to adjust the mix of traditional gasoline cars, hybrids, and EVs depending on demand, the automaker said in a press release.

Ferrari e-building

The goal is for the building to be powered entirely by renewable energy from both external and internal sources, the latter including more than 3,000 solar panels on the roof that generate a combined 1.3 megawatts of power, according to Ferrari. More than 60% of the energy used in battery and motor testing can also be recovered for other uses, the automaker claims.

The facility also incorporates rainwater-capture hardware to cut down on freshwater usage and is minimally disruptive to the surrounding area, Ferrari claims. It’s situated just north of the existing Ferrari campus in Maranello, Italy, on redeveloped land, replacing older industrial structures.

Ferrari e-building

It was only a decade ago that Ferrari was vehemently against launching an EV, but it’s now slated to do exactly that in 2025. A recent report put the price tag at $500,000 or more. That would put Ferrari’s first EV at the higher end of the automaker’s pricing spectrum, above the current SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid and Purosangue SUV.

Similar to its approach with gasoline engines, Ferrari intends to develop its own electric motors, inverters, and batteries. In the latter area, though, Ferrari is also working with battery supplier SK On. The two already have a deal for supply of batteries for Ferrari’s existing plug-in hybrids, and in March announced a collaboration on advanced battery-cell development.

• California residents can qualify for an incentive of up to $14,000 for EVs and charging hardware
• Some incentives depend on scrapping an older vehicle
• The state wants all new vehicles sold there to have charge ports by 2035

California is introducing a new EV incentive program to give up to $14,000 to low-income shoppers.

First spotted by CarsDirect, the Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP) is available for California residents with income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level and have not previously participated in other incentive programs. Like those other programs, DCAP is overseen by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the regulatory agency also responsible for California’s emissions standards.

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric

DCAP offers a maximum purchase or lease incentive of $12,000 for shoppers who live in disadvantaged communities and also plan to scrap an older vehicle when trading in, plus a $2,000 charging incentive. Shoppers must apply for the program before purchasing or leasing an EV, however.

Those not living in disadvantaged communities qualify for a $10,000 purchase incentive, while those not scrapping an older vehicle can get up to $7,500. The $2,000 charging incentive remains the same in both cases, though.

2025 Volkswagen ID.4

California has been working to pivot EV incentive to lower-income drivers since last year, when it expanded the Clean Cars 4 All program statewide as a replacement for the previous Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP). Clean Cars 4 All incorporates incentives for hybrids and plug-in hybrids as well as EVs, but includes more restrictive limits than the DCAP program, according to CarsDirect.

As of 2023, one of four new vehicles in California was an EV or plug-in hybrid. That puts California well ahead of other states, but still means it has a long way to go to meet a goal of making all new vehicles have charge ports by 2035. Incentives aimed at low-income drivers will likely be part of the solution, and so might incentives targeting so-called “gasoline superusers,” who burn an outsized amount of fuel.

It looks like it doesn’t take much to take out a Cybertruck

• Tesla recalls 11,688 Cybertrucks for a faulty windshield wiper motor
• Tesla recalls 11,383 Cybertrucks for a loose trim piece in the bed
• The recalls affect nearly every Cybertruck manufactured through June 6

Tesla issued two separate recalls covering nearly unit of the 2024 Cybertruck, the NHTSA disclosed Tuesday. A piece of trim on the trunk bed frame can loosen and detach, creating a road hazard for other drivers. Separately, the motor powering the massive front windshield wiper can fail. 

Like many new cars, the Cybertruck has had a rough rollout into the real world. The recalls include all Cybertrucks built since Nov. 13, 2023 through the end of May or early June. Together, these mark the third and fourth recall since the Cybertruck went on sale late last year, including a recall for unintended acceleration in April that covered virtually every Cybertruck made up until that point. 

Tesla Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck windshield wiper motor recall 

The Cybertruck’s futuristic design includes a steeply raked front windshield that’s so long it reaches above the front axle. Instead of equipping it with two wipers as in most traditional passenger vehicles (the GMC Hummer EV SUV has three small wipers because the front windshield is so squat), the Cybertruck uses one long wiper that measures about four feet long.

The motor powering that long blade may not work due to “electrical overstress to the gate driver component,” according to the NHTSA’s filing. Tesla found the wiper motor supplier used excessive current in testing that may have damaged it. Late in May, the supplier performed tests successfully on the motor with a lower current.  

The recall of 11,688 Cybertrucks built from Nov. 13, 2023 through June 6, 2024, will be remedied by a new windshield wiper motor installed at Tesla stores and service centers at no cost to owners. Owners can expect notification and instructions by mail as early as Aug. 18.  

Tesla Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck loose bed trim recall

The second recall involves 11,383 Cybertrucks built from Nov. 13, 2023 to May 26, 2024 for a loose piece of trim on the bed frame that can lose its adhesion and separate from the vehicle. The “sail applique” are on either side of the bed frame rail on the top sides of the truck. Owners may notice a flapping noise in the cabin, or may see it come loose.  

Tesla said it will replace or rework the sail applique with appropriate adhesion. Owners can expect notification and instructions by mail as early as Aug. 18, to take their Cybertruck into a service center at no cost. 

For more information on either recall, contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752 or visit Tesla’s recall portal. 

• The CEO of McLaren wants the U.K. government to help create a battery supply chain
• The new supply chain would lead to power-dense battery cell manufacturing
• This would all lead to future McLaren electric supercars being produced in the U.K.

McLaren Automotive CEO Michael Leiters is calling on the U.K. government to invest in the country’s battery supply chain to pave the way for electric supercars.

“We have an opportunity to invest in next-generation, high power-dense battery cell manufacturing and ensure the U.K. is at the forefront of future performance car powertrain technology,” Leiters said in a statement.

McLaren Artura Spider

The U.K. is no stranger to EV manufacturing. Nissan’s Sunderland factory has built over 500,000 Leafs, for example. But Leiters believes the supply chain isn’t ready for all-electric versions of McLaren’s supercars. The McLaren Artura plug-in hybrid boasts 64% U.K. content, but that would be only 13% if it was an EV, he said, adding that smaller automakers like McLaren need government help to “de-risk” investments in electrification.

“The costs of this technological shift are astronomical, especially for low-volume, highly-specialized suppliers,” Leiters said. He also says customer demand for electric supercars “remains extremely low” but that this could change as battery technology continues to develop. Once that happens, Leiters believes a McLaren electric supercar “could help drive the transition towards pure electrification among mass-market customers.”

McLaren Artura Spider

It’s unclear when we’ll see an all-electric McLaren, though. Last year the company’s McLaren Applied Technologies division announced a partnership with Elaphe to marry its racing tech with the latter’s in-wheel motors. But the applied-technologies division is run separately from the road-car division within the company.

McLaren currently exports more than 90% of its cars, according to Leiters, and thus may need to introduce an EV depending on the state of emissions standards in its main markets. The U.K. itself has moved to end sales of new internal-combustion vehicles, but has delayed the ban by five years to 2035.

The RS Q8 performance SUV returns to the U.S. for the 2025 model year The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 returns as well, tuned to 591 hp or 630 hp in the RS Q8 Performance Audi estimates a 0-62 mph time of 3.6 seconds The Audi Q8 received a mid-cycle update for 2024, but the high-performance RS Q8 variant was notably absent from the lineup. Audi…

Victims of ransomware attacks deal with complex circumstances when considering whether to pay criminals the money they seek.

The new 2025 Kia Carnival hybrid costs $2,000 more than a similarly equipped Carnival LXS The 2025 Kia Carnival hybrid costs between $41,895 and $53,395 The hybrid joins the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica, leaving only the Honda Odyssey without a hybrid The redesigned 2025 Kia Carnival minivan arrives with a new look, fresh tech, a first-ever…