Author: EVAI

The U.K.’s Ineos continues to showcase the versatility of its Grenadier off-roader with the reveal on Wednesday of the Grenadier Quartermaster Kaiju, a wild overlander built to conquer Australia’s harsh terrain. The Grenadier Quartermaster is the pickup sibling to the Grenadier SUV, and the new Kaiju version—its name derived from the…

The Tesla Cybertruck is being recalled again, this time because its tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) light may not stay on, preventing drivers from seeing warnings of low tire pressure.

This recall includes not only the 2024 Cybertruck but also 2017-2025 Tesla Model 3 sedans and 2020-2025 Tesla Model Y SUVs, for a total of 694,304 vehicles. A software update pushed to these vehicles inadvertently reset the TPMS warning light so that it does not reappear after the car is cycled off and back on again, according to the NHTSA.

Tesla Cybertruck

Driving with improperly inflated tires increases the risk of a crash, which is why TPMS is federally mandated. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138 requires that TPMS warning lights stay illuminated whenever the vehicle is on until the tire-pressure issue that triggers them is corrected.

Tesla estimates that all recalled vehicles have this issue, and it’s aware of 76 related warranty claims. However, the automaker is not aware of any collisions, injuries, or fatalities connected to the issue.

Tesla Cybertruck

Tesla released an over-the-air update to correct the problem around Nov. 12, so owners don’t have to take their cars to service centers for recall work. The automaker will also follow up with owner notification letters, which are due to be mailed Feb. 15, 2025. Owners can also contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s reference number for this recall is SB-24-00-018.

This is the seventh recall of the Cybertruck since deliveries began, and not all have involved software fixes. The last recall, for loss of drive power, required replacement of inverters in the affected trucks. Other recalls have addressed busted windshield wiper motors, accelerator pedals that became “trapped” by trim pieces, and rearview cameras with image delay issues.

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid costs $29,745—$425 more than last year Corolla Cross Hybrid comes standard with all-wheel drive EPA fuel economy ratings should hit 42 mpg combined The 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is unchanged for the new model year save for a small price bump. The base S grade now costs $29,745, which is $425 more than…

Subaru’s Forester has won our Best Car To Buy twice in the past This year’s new Forester focuses on rugged looks and a refined interior It’s now more than $31,000 for a base Forester—and more than $41,000 for a top-end model It’s that time of year at The Car Connection, when we select one new car, SUV, pickup, or minivan that hits the sweet…

The modern Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is now in production The sultry supercar will be built in a run of only 33 cars Power comes from a twin-turbocharged V-6 as standard but buyers can request an electric powertrain The first customer example of the modern Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale has been completed, a little more than a year after the sultry supercar…

A pair of California-based companies plan to unveil a prototype electric RV at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month.

The vehicle, officially styled as an “AI Transformable Home” (AI-TH), was announced at CES 2024 this past January by startup AC Future. That firm has since partnered with Hydra Design Labs which, says it specializes in design, fabrication and prototyping for the auto industry to move the idea closer to production readiness.

Rendering of AC Future AI-TH electric RV

The vehicle is designed to provide 400 square feet of living space with a slide-out section similar to conventional RVs, along with “complete off-grid capabilities, including solar charging, water generation, and internet connectivity,” the AC Future said.

The prototype being shown at CES 2025, which was built by Hydra Design Labs, will be a more refined version of the initial concept that debuted at the 2024 show, according to AC Future. But the startup still hasn’t confirmed a production timeline.

Rendering of AC Future AI-TH electric RV

Other companies are working on electric RVs. RollAway, for example, aims to rent out luxury RVs made from General Motors BrightDrop electric vans. But RVs also face steeper range and charging challenges than electric cars, due to both the need to extract lots of range from an inefficient package and the lack of high-power charging infrastructure at campsites and RV parks.

Plug-in hybrids might be a better solution, something Airstream’s parent company Thor Industries is already investigating. Battery-powered travel trailers that can help propel themselves, such as the Lightship AE.1 Cosmos Edition due to start production in mid-2025, can also help make zero-emission camping more practical, albeit with the need for a tow vehicle.

Toyota is due to receive $4.5 million in federal funding for research into automating the teardown and rebuilding of used electric vehicle battery packs for eventual reuse.

The funding comes from the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), under the Catalyzing Innovative Research for Circular Use of Long-lived Advanced Rechargeables (CIRCULAR). That project aims to help foster a domestic circular supply chain around EV batteries, according to Toyota.

Circularity in supply chains emphasizes reuse and recycling of materials wherever possible. When it comes to EV batteries, Toyota claims the primary bottleneck for reuse is a slow process of battery pack disassembly and sorting of materials, including classifying battery cells by degree of degradation.

2025 Toyota bZ4x

With this research project, which will be overseen by the automaker’s Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), Toyota aims to create an automated pack disassembly process, diagnostic tools to classify recovered cells and modules, and a re-fabrication process that will turn those components into “new energy systems.”

Toyota is one of 13 recipients of CIRCULAR funding, and one of several seeking to automate the process. Others include the University of Colorado, which received $1.8 million to test the use of humanoid robots and robot arms to disassemble battery packs, and BMW, which was awarded $4.4 million to develop a battery pack “designed for rapid, robotic disassembly” without compromising structural integrity or energy density.

Getting batteries out to reuse in second-life uses before they need to be recycled for materials will help lower the CO2 footprint of products and potentially cut the environmental and dollar cost of everything along the way. Batteries from everything from Nissan Leafs to Porsche Taycans are already being sent to secondary uses.

2024 Lexus RZ

Toyota’s partnership with Redwood Materials is part of this push, too. And it’s resulted in a coordinated effort to help recycle Prius batteries through automotive recyclers—junkyards or salvage yards—around the country.

Redwood itself is receiving a massive $2 billion Energy Department loan, making this Toyota effort look a bit small—but necessary—clerical work. If this project makes for easier-to disassemble future EV battery packs, it could benefit both reuse and recycling.

The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 lives up to expectations by setting new performance benchmarks, including the quickest-ever 0-60 mph time for a production Corvette. The new ZR1 will reach 60 mph from a standstill in 2.3 seconds, and run the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds, both with the optional ZTK Performance Package, Chevy confirmed Thursday in a…

What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Nissan Murano? What does it compare to? The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize crossover seats five passengers and sits in the middle ground of the crossover SUV segment, neither large nor small, neither premium nor mainstream. It rivals other midsizers such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Mazda CX-70. Is…

The Honda Prelude has been out of production for more than two decades, but a new generation is coming and was confirmed by Honda on Tuesday for launch in the U.S. by late 2025. The timing points to it arriving as a 2026 model. The exterior design of the new Prelude was previewed by a concept at the 2023 Tokyo auto show, and camouflaged prototypes…