Author: EVAI

Tesla is recalling its Cybertruck to fix accelerator pedals that could stick and cause vehicles to accelerate unintentionally. In the affected vehicles, a pad attached to the pedal may dislodge and become trapped by interior trim, preventing it from being released once pressed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…

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Tesla is recalling nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks over sticky accelerator pedals, after the NHTSA earlier this week said that it was already communicating with Tesla on the issue. 

Cybertruck pedals may become trapped in a depressed, “accelerate” position after a lot of pressure has been applied by the driver, explains documents filed with the federal government. 

The issue potentially affects 3,878 Cybertrucks made from November 13, 2023, through April 4, 2024—perhaps including those made for the production Tesla Cybertruck reveal, where the company delivered the first examples.

A “high force” on the pedal may trap the pedal below interior trim next to the pedal for a curious reason that appears to be related to assembly shortcuts rather than the engineering of the vehicle. According to Tesla, in vehicle assembly, soap was introduced as a method of getting the pad onto the pedal. The residue that had eased the assembly then prevented the pad from staying on the pedal.

Tesla Cybertruck

Fortunately, Tesla has provided multiple failsafes for such a condition, from an engineering standpoint. “Note that application of the brake pedal will cut drive torque, including when both brake and accelerator pedals are pressed, and continued application of the brake pedal will bring the vehicle to a stop as quickly as if the accelerator pedal was not pressed,” Tesla explained in these documents, also noting that the driver will also receive audible and visual alerts that both pedals are being pressed. 

As proven more than a decade ago in unintended-acceleration instances relating to the Toyota Prius, among other vehicles, even cut-and-dried cases of pedal misapplication can lead to sensational headlines and social-media posts, while few if any vehicles made in recent decades are capable of out-accelerating their brakes. This latest Cybertruck issue made the rounds in a TikTok video that has been widely misconstrued. 

There have been no known crashes or injuries due to this issue, which has escalated quickly relative to most other automotive recalls. The brake-pedal issue was first identified on March 31 with a customer claim, with engineering verifying simultaneous brake and accelerator inputs from data logs, and a recall was initiated after Tesla could recreate the condition.  

2025 Tesla Cybertruck – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla says it will “replace or rework” the accelerator pedal assembly in existing vehicles “to prevent the pad from dislodging,” and it noted that models in transit will also get the remedy. It’s already redesigned the component as of this week, so models made starting on April 17 shouldn’t have the concern. 

So far, the Cybertruck has ramped up on a niche-vehicle trajectory. As the market doesn’t shift away from EVs but shifts toward more affordable EVs, Ford has delayed its next-generation electric truck—a “Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people,” as Ford CEO Jim Farley put it—until 2026. Meanwhile Tesla CEO Elon Musk has pushed back against reports that its affordable Model 2 has been nixed in favor of an all-in Robotaxi project. 

The U.S. now has nearly 8,200 public DC fast-charging stations, filling in gaps on the route map, according to a new Bloomberg report.

The number of public fast chargers increased 7.6% in the first quarter of 2024, fueled by the Biden administration’s $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, according to the report, which found that this growth spurt means there is now one fast charger for every 15 U.S. gas stations.

GMC Hummer EV at Pilot travel center

Charging infrastructure is also expanding beyond the traditional coastal EV strongholds, according to the report. Indiana added 16 new fast-charging stations between January and April, while Missouri and Tennessee each added 13, and Alabama added 11. And Ohio claimed the first NEVI installation nationwide in December 2023.

The additional charging stations in flyover country is partly down to convenience stores like Buc-ee’s and Wawa getting involved in charging, Bloomberg notes. The two chains collectively added 19 new charging stations in the first three months of 2024.

Electrify America charging stations at Love’s Travel Stop

A study last year from the mapping-data firm HERE suggested that identifying the states that are leading or lagging on charging might not be as straightforward as it initially seems. Instead, it relates partly to the size of their EV fleets and where chargers are in relation to that and where they’re going. Further, the Department of Energy still has one of the best tools—its map of “Designated Alternative Fuel Corridors”—for anticipating where future EV fast chargers may fill out.

Meeting the federal goals laid out by the program, which calls for stations at 50-mile intervals along major corridors, will require more than 1,100 fast-charging stations across the nation, according to a look by the Great Plains Institute last year. And that’s not considering other ambitious EV charging network efforts, like Ionna—or the growth of Tesla Supercharging.

AFG Cos. was unprepared for a ransomware attack last summer, for months had been unsure of the extent of the breach, and as of early this month hadn’t alerted automaker partners or the agents selling its coverage to dealerships, a whistleblower alleges.

New factories producing EVs and their batteries are bringing more jobs to the Southeast, but utilities are trying to meet the power demands of these factories with natural-gas power plants rather than renewable energy, reports Energy News Network.

Anticipated demand from the auto industry—as well as solar-panel manufacturing and data centers—is leading utilities to forecast single-digit percentage growth every year through the end of the decade in some regions, according to report.

That’s a big change considering that demand has stayed flat—or declined—in most of the U.S. for the past decade and a half.

Scout EV plant groundbreaking

In the Southeast, major utilities seem more focused on natural gas as the solution for meeting this anticipated demand. The Georgia Public Service Commission just this week approved utility Georgia Power’s plan to build three new methane and oil-burning plants, as well as to buy energy from sister company Mississippi power, delaying retirement of one of that company’s coal-fired plants, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Duke Energy recently added more gas-fired plants to supply power in North Carolina and South Carolina, and lawmakers in the latter state have fast-tracked construction of an additional new gas-fired plant, according to the report. And the federal Tennessee Valley Authority is reportedly developing a plan that could include new gas-fired power plants as replacements for coal plants.

Electricity from natural gas is broadly better than electricity from coal—or gasoline itself, in cars—but it still pollutes, producing sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and more. And of course there’s CO2, so it doesn’t provide the carbon gains of power from solar, wind, or hydro-electric sources. Even if electricity demand rises to meet projections and additional power-generation capacity is needed, the question remains whether continuing with natural gas is necessary, rather than adding renewables.

Kia EV manufacturing in Georgia

This reaches back to concerns voiced years ago when automakers started announcing new EV factories and battery facilities in places where cheap coal-based energy could be bought. The vast majority of EV and battery plants are being sited in Southern states eager for the jobs, but led by Republicans who paradoxically fight policy nurturing EV production but will generally gladly take credit for the manufacturing the incentives help bring.

Once EVs and their batteries are built, grid upgrades may also be needed to support charging, a 2020 report claimed. But various studies suggest that, eventually, EVs will drive the long-term cost of electricity down.

The midsize #5 will be Smart’s biggest model. It will launch in Europe in 2025.

From next year, Mustang fans will want to visit North Carolina’s Charlotte Motor Speedway, as the iconic motorsports location will also be home to what Ford calls the Mustang Experience Center. As Ford describes it, the new center will be the “destination for all things Mustang,” with visitors able to sample cars on the racetrack…

The 2025 Toyota Camry goes all-hybrid and does that matters to Camry shoppers a little bit better. Prius owners need to keep those doors locked. And is the U.S.-made three-row Toyota electric SUV a Highlander EV? It’s a variety pack of Toyota news today, here at Green Car Reports. 

In a first drive of the 2025 Toyota Camry hybrid, we found that the hybrid system blends into the background—just like the rest of the car, which has now appropriately gone all-hybrid. Available all-wheel drive, its ratings of up to 51 mpg combined, and a comfortable, spacious interior make it one of the most appealing Camry sedans yet. 

The 2023-2025 Toyota Prius is being recalled for an issue that might cause waterlogged electronic rear door latches to suddenly short-circuit and open. In the meantime, Toyota is advising Prius owners to lock those doors while driving. 

And that Kentucky-made three-row Toyota electric SUV that the automaker has been underscoring is on the way has taken on an intriguing twist with new info: that it’s reportedly a Toyota Highlander EV. According to the originating report, the Highlander will go all-electric, leaving room for a Grand Highlander offering various gasoline-fueled flavors. Plus, reportedly, Toyota’s “bZ” nomenclature might already be toast.

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