Author: EVAI

Mazda has been spotted testing prototypes for a third-generation CX-5 The new CX-5 is expected to debut later this year, likely as a 2026 model for the U.S. Mazda has confirmed a hybrid option is in the works Mazda’s top-selling CX-5 compact crossover is about to be redesigned, and a prototype has been spotted for the first time. The new…

Struggling electric vehicle startup Canoo has filed for bankruptcy and ceased all operations.

The startup announced its filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Jan. 17 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Delaware. This will result in the federal appointment of a trustee to oversee the liquidation of Canoo’s assets and distribution of proceeds to creditors, the startup confirmed in a press release.

Canoo attributed the decision to declare bankruptcy to unsuccessful efforts to secure additional funding from a Department of Energy loan program and foreign investors. Canoo went public four years ago, raising an estimated $600 million, but the cash-intensive process of developing and manufacturing new vehicles left it looking for other funding sources.

Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle

Canoo has claimed to have substantial numbers of orders from customers like Walmart, but has only managed to deliver small numbers of demonstration vehicles, including to NASA, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Postal Service. It’s mainly focused on electric vans built atop a skateboard chassis, but it also produced two pickup-truck designs, the latter intended for military use and only produced in prototype form.

As first reported by TechCrunch, Canoo’s bankruptcy filing reveals the startup owes approximately $164 million to creditors while holding assets valued at $126 million.

Canoo in December furloughed 82 employees and idled an assembly facility in Oklahoma, then quickly placed the remaining employees on what it called a “mandatory unpaid break.” Earlier in the year, it purchased equipment from defunct U.K. startup Arrival for use at the Oklahoma facility.

Canoo American Bulldog

In 2017, the company was started as Evelozcity by several former Faraday Future executives, although most of the contingent that launched it left some time ago. That’s coincided with a change in direction under current CEO Tony Aquila, who pivoted Canoo from its original plan of selling van-like EVs on a subscription basis toward commercial vehicles and government contracts.

While the broad-strokes plan to manufacture commercial vehicles has remained the same under Aquila’s leadership, the details have changed. Canoo revealed production plans with the Netherlands’ VDL, then canceled them, with a following corporate move to Arkansas and then Texas.

Lewis Hamilton has made the switch from Mercedes-Benz AMG to Ferrari The 40-year-old F1 veteran will be chasing his eighth title On his first day, he was greeted by an F40, his favorite supercar according to Ferrari Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has officially begun his tenure at Ferrari, one year after making the shock announcement that he…

The Michigan State Police (MSP) has acquired its first electric patrol vehicle, joining a growing number of police departments utilizing electric vehicles.

A 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E modified for police use has been assigned to the MSP’s State Security Operations Section to be used by properties security officers at state-owned and leased facilities around Michigan’s capital of Lansing, according to a Jan. 13 press release.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E police pilot vehicle

The Michigan State Police is known for conducting through testing of all new police vehicles, and has been testing EVs since 2022. But until now its only deviation from traditional internal-combustion has been with hybrid police cars.

Police departments in other parts of the country are ahead of Michigan in that regard. Ford has been pitching the Mustang Mach-E as a police car since 2021, and the New York Police Department (NYPD) has since acquired a few. Ford also offers a police version of the F-150 Lightning pickup truck, and has said it’s considering “purpose-built electric police vehicles” as well.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E police pilot vehicle

Given the state’s leadership in EV sales for civilians, several California police departments operate electric cars—with at least one municipality boasting an all-electric fleet. These tend to be Tesla Model 3 and Model Y crossovers modified by aftermarket companies, which some police departments have said are less than ideal for the job.

Police departments still don’t have many other choices for electric cars, though. It’s unclear whether the Tesla Cybertruck will prove more suitable for police work than the automaker’s smaller vehicles. But Stellantis has teased a possible police version of the all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona, which could make for a more reasonable replacement for previous-generation gasoline Charger sedans as they cycle out of service.

The 2025 BMW i7—an all-electric version of the automaker’s flagship 7-Series—carries over to the new model year unchanged.

Listed pricing even remains the same, although an increase of the mandatory destination charge from $995 to $1,175 somewhat bumps up the effective cost of an i7. The three-tier lineup still starts with the single-motor rear-wheel-drive i7 eDrive50, which now costs $106,875 with the higher destination charge.

2025 BMW i7

The dual-motor all-wheel-drive i7 xDrive60 increases output from the rear-wheel-drive model’s 449 hp to 536 hp at a cost of $125,375. This is the version we initially drove when the i7 launched as a 2023 model, and we found it shockingly good considering that it shares so much with gasoline 7-Series sedans.

For 2024, BMW added a sportier dual-motor i7 M70 with 650 hp, which the automaker claims will get this version of the i7 from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. It returns for 2025 with a $169,675 sticker price, once destination is factored in.

2025 BMW i7

All i7 models use a 101.7-kwh battery pack that delivers a maximum 314 miles of EPA range in eDrive50 models with 19-inch wheels (the smallest available). The xDrive60 and M70 max out at 311 miles and 285 miles, respectively. Again, that’s dependent on wheel choice. The i7 has an 11-kw onboard charger and can DC fast-charge at up to 195 kw—allowing it to gain 80 miles of range in 10 minutes, according to BMW.

The i7 represents one of multiple course corrections BMW has made with its EV plans. After relatively slow sales of the i3 hatchback, BMW refocused on EVs based on combustion models, yielding the i7 and other current models like the i4 and i5. But BMW is returning to dedicated EVs with its Neue Klasse models, the first of which is now in pre-production, for the European market, ahead of a planned launch there later this year.

Southern California shoppers might get up to 70% off hydrogen fuel-cell Mirai Bay Area customers can get discounts too Sales have slowed, and the price of hydrogen has soared If you live in Southern California, you can buy a new Toyota for about the cost of the cheapest subcompact car—with $15,000 of free fuel. That car is the 2024 Toyota…

Alfa Romeo is adding a second special series across its three-vehicle lineup for the 2025 model year. After announcing the Tributo Italiano special series in late 2023, Alfa Romeo announced the follow-up series, dubbed Intensa, at the 2025 Brussels auto show. Like the Tributo Italiano series, the Intensa series brings unique cosmetic touches to…

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe could make a comeback as the automaker looks to move further upmarket. First spotted by Car and Driver, a pair of trademark filings with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) show coupe versions of the current-generation S-Class, known internally as the W223. Mercedes discontinued the coupe body…

Battery supplier SK On recently gave an update on its research into solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, claiming “breakthroughs” that could bring these batteries closer to production-readiness.

In a press release, SK On said it’s developing two types of solid-state batteries: one with a sulfide-based electrolyte, and one with an oxide-based electrolyte, with “commercial prototypes” expected by 2027 and 2029, respectively. The company aims to complete a solid-state battery pilot plant at its research center in Daejeon, South Korea, later this year.

This timeline will be made possible in part by the aforementioned breakthroughs, which SK On claims will allow a longer life cycle for solid-state batteries in the near future. They come from separate studies into methods for improving the robustness of both solid-state chemistries it plans to commercialize.

BlueOvalSK Battery Park – rendering, September 2021

In one study, SK On claims to have gotten encouraging results from photonic sintering of oxide-based electrolyte materials, a process the company says could address the brittleness of material produced using current methods, while potentially reducing costs. Testing was done with a hybrid solid-state battery cell that used a gel electrolyte, but SK On appears to believe that the results extend to all-solid-state batteries as well.

Researchers also tested lithium- and manganese-rich layered oxide (LMRO) cathodes for sulfide-based solid-state batteries. With a special coating applied to prevent oxidization of the sulfide electrolyte, SK On claims to have reached a satisfactory life cycle for these cells.

BlueOvalSK Battery Park – rendering, September 2021

It’s not unusual for startups to hype their achievements in the name of survival, but SK On is a large, established battery manufacturer that’s generally more conservative. So a declaration of breakthroughs from this company—which has automotive customers like Ford, Ferrari, and Hyundai—is a big deal.

The race to develop commercially-viable solid-state batteries has attracted a field of competitors ranging from startups and established firms like SK On to automakers themselves. Both Honda and Toyota are planning to produce solid-state batteries in-house, albeit likely on a small scale, by the end of the decade. Other automakers, such as Stellantis and Volkswagen, are allying with startups for access to the tech.

In-wheel motors are now a much-discussed topic for performance electric vehicles, but Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the Porsche engineering company and father to Ferry Porsche, the founder of the Porsche sports car brand, worked on them over 100 years ago. At the turn of the 20th century, electric cars gave internal combustion a run for its…