Category: General
Tesla recalls 27,185 Cybertrucks due to rearview camera image delay
The Tesla Cybertruck has been recalled, yet again.
The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted a recall campaign for the Tesla Cybertruck on Sept. 26. The recall encompasses 27,185 2024 Cybertrucks that have rearview cameras with image delay issues.
The recall notice posted by the NHTSA notes that the image transmitted by the rearview camera to the in-cabin display may be delayed. That delay violates federal law due to presenting safety issues.
The NHTSA said the issue stems from the system not completing its shutdown process before being commanded to boot back up. If a driver puts the electric truck in reverse and begins backing up before the system completes the shutdown and boot-up process, the proper image may not appear within the allotted two seconds of putting the vehicle in reverse. This falls under FMVSS 111, S6.23 standards.
Trucks with the issue may not display the image streamed by the rearview camera for up to six to eight seconds while in reverse. The display under these conditions would appear blank.
Trucks built between Nov. 13, 2023 and Sept. 14, 2024 that were or are operating with specific software logic for the low-voltage hardware are affected.
Tesla became aware of the issue on Sept. 12 and performed an internal assessment that concluded on Sept. 19. The automaker determined that the noncompliance exists and a recall would be performed. As of Sept. 25 Tesla is aware of 45 warranty claims and consumer-related issues regarding the issue, but no collisions or injuries have been reported.
Beginning Sept. 19 Tesla began rolling out an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will remedy the issue and ensure the rearview camera displays properly with a two-second response time.
Tesla will mail recall notifications to affected Cybertruck owners shortly after Sept. 30.
This issue marks the fifth recall for the Cybertruck, which has been on sale less than a year. Those recalled ranged from a busted wiper motor and loose trim to “trapped” accelerator pedals.
2024 Kia EV9 recalled for remote parking system issue
After quickly winning critical acclaim in its initial model year, the 2024 Kia EV9 has been recalled due to a software issue with the remote smart parking system in some of these EVs.
The recall affects 12,400 EV9 GT-Line and Land models that have the feature, which allows the SUV to be maneuvered in and out of spaces remotely, with the driver standing outside the car and holding a button on the key fob. In the affected vehicles, software may miscalculate stopping distances, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
2024 Kia EV9
This condition, which is due to a logic error in the vehicles’ integrated electronic brake control software, can occur after the parking assist system makes repeated stops at or less than approximately 2 mph, according to the NHTSA, which noted that increased stopping distances can increase the risk of collisions.
The remedy is a free software update of the integrated electronic brake software. While some automakers, particularly Tesla, have used over-the-air updates to address recalls, this one has to be done at a dealership.
2024 Kia EV9
Kia plans to mail owner notification letters instructing owners of when to schedule dealer appointments October 18. Owners can also contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542 for more information. Kia’s reference number for this recall is SC324.
The three-row Kia EV9 is a favorite for its roomy, versatile interior and especially speedy road-trip charging, while it tops 300 miles of range on less than 100 kwh of battery capacity—altogether a what helped it earn our Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2024 award. EV shoppers also seemed quite keen on the EV9 at its launch, which predictably led to price gouging by dealers.
Electric Mercedes supercar reportedly set as SLS EV replacement
- Mercedes-Benz is reportedly working on an electric AMG supercar
- The electric supercar would be the SLS AMG Electric Drive’s successor
- The 2023 Vision One-Eleven concept might have previewed the new supercar
Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance division is planning an electric supercar that could serve as a successor to the SLS AMG Electric Drive, reports Autocar.
Unveiled at the 2012 Paris auto show, the SLS AMG Electric Drive was a limited-production derivative of the gasoline SLS AMG sports car. It replaced the standard car’s 6.2-liter V-8 with four electric motors, which produced a combined 740 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque—much more than the gasoline version.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive
While it had impressive specs, the SLS AMG Electric Drive was more of an early electrification experiment than a fully-realized product. Mercedes originally planned to build 100 cars, but only nine were actually produced, according to a 2021 RM Sotheby’s auction listing for one of those cars.
In both gasoline and electric forms, the SLS featured gullwing doors as an homage to the classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL of the 1950s. According to Autocar, the new electric supercar could take the retro theme even further, taking design inspiration from the Vision One-Eleven, an EV concept unveiled in 2023 as a modern tribute to the Mercedes-Benz C111 series of prototypes from the 1970s.
Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven concept
The Vision One Eleven served as a showcase for axial-flux motors developed by Yasa, a U.K. company Mercedes acquired in 2021. They’ll likely be used in the production supercar as well, according to Autocar, although configuration and output are still unclear. Yasa previously said one motor could deliver 489 hp.
Autocar also reports that the supercar will have cylindrical battery cells with silicon-anode battery tech from U.S. firm Sila. The company, which counts Mercedes as an investor, claimed a 20% range boost from its silicon anodes in 2023. Mercedes previously confirmed plans to use Sila’s silicon anodes in a longer-range version of the electric G-Class SUV, due later in the decade.
Prototype for first EV fully developed by Mercedes-Benz AMG
The supercar will use the EV-specific modular platform dubbed AMG.EA that will debut in an upcoming electric replacement for today’s AMG GT 4-Door, according to the report. Based on the Vision AMG concept revealed in 2022, the four-door is expected to arrive in 2025 or later.
AMG has already produced more powerful versions of existing Mercedes EVs. But an all-electric supercar will help prove that this combustion-engine brand can truly master performance EVs.
Volvo CEO wants Europe to ban new gas car sales still
Volvo is holding off on plans to make its lineup all-electric by the end of this decade, but the automaker’s boss still supports Europe’s planned phaseout of new internal-combustion vehicle sales halfway through the next decade.
Volvo and 49 companies recently signed a declaration urging the European Union not to change its current timeline, which would see new cars with gasoline or diesel engines effectively banned in member countries by 2035. That plan does include a loophole for synthetic fuels, however, so internal-combustion vehicles could still be sold if those fuels can be produced at scale and meet emissions targets.
2025 Volvo EX40 (Europe spec)
“Electrification is the single biggest action our industry can take to cut its carbon footprint,” Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan said regarding the EU plan. Rivian also signed the declaration, but other major automakers did not, according to Bloomberg, which noted that other signatories included companies outside of auto manufacturing like Ikea and Uber.
The EU plan has been repeatedly challenged since it was first announced in 2021. Germany successfully lobbied for the synthetic fuels loophole in 2023, and Italian officials recently called the plan “absurd,” claiming the tightening of emissions standards leading up to the internal-combustion ban should be slowed down to address changing market conditions.
2025 Volvo EX30 electric SUV (dual-motor, Vapor Grey)
Last month Volvo backtracked on a goal, announced in 2021, to become an all-electric brand by 2030. Volvo now expects 90% of its cars to be EVs or plug-in hybrids by that time, with the remaining 10% having mild-hybrid powertrains.
Volvo COO Björn Annwall told Green Car Reports that the automaker is prepared to end sales of gasoline models even if some demand still exists, and that plug-in hybrids will evolve to offer more electric range with smaller engines.
Last remaining UK coal power plant has closed
- The U.K. powered down the final coal power plant
- In 2017 the U.K. set a goal of 2025 for the end of coal use
- The U.S. is working on increasing the use of renewable resources
The U.K. has closed its last coal-fired power plant, according to a report by energy think tank Ember marking an important step in the transition toward cleaner energy.
The shuttering of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire ends an era that began in 1882, when the world’s first coal plant opened in London. Coal still supplied 39% of U.K. electricity as recently as 2012, according to the report, although its share dropped significantly after that, hovering at around 2% since 2019.
Solar panels on a Walmart store
U.K. officials announced plans to end coal use by 2025 in 2017, and the country even experienced its first day without coal-generated electricity since 1882 that same year. Ember attributes the early announcement of the 2025 goal is major factor in the phaseout of coal, along with carbon pricing, investments in offshore wind energy and grid infrastructure, and market reforms to encourage renewable energy.
Coal was primarily replaced with wind and solar energy, according to the report, which estimates that the rapid decrease in coal use since 2012 avoided roughly 970 million tons of carbon emissions and saved about $3.8 million. The U.K. is now targeting a fully decarbonized grid by 2030.
Volvo EX30 charging
A shift toward wind and solar power like the one undertaken by the U.K. lowers the carbon emissions of the electricity grid, which in turn reduces the carbon footprint of EVs charged from it. Use of these renewable sources is also on the rise in the U.S., where wind and solar together accounted for 16% of total electricity generation in 2023, up from 14% in 2022 and 8% in 2018, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
In the short term, though, increased energy demands from factories building electric vehicles and batteries, as well as other industries, may be leading utilities to dirtier decisions, a report published earlier this year by the Energy News Network found. Many Southeastern utilities are looking to address anticipated higher demand with natural gas rather than wind and solar, according to the report.
Bridgestone’s latest tires have 55% recycled and renewable materials
Bridgestone is now producing a tire with 55% recycled and renewable materials, to be used on the Audi E-Tron GT, the automaker’s current flagship performance EV.
The tire in question is a variant of the Bridgestone Potenza Sport summer performance tire, in this case tailored specifically to the E-Tron GT, according Bridgestone. The company noted it received an International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) for the tire’s recycled and renewable-material content.
2025 Audi E-Tron GT
The specific breakdown is 35% renewable material, including natural rubber and bio-attributed polymers, and 20% recycled materials, including ground rubber and carbon black recovered from used tires, as well as rice husks and ash silica, according to Bridgestone. The tire will also be manufactured at a plant in Rome powered by renewable energy, the company adds.
Bridgestone aims to achieve carbon neutrality and use 100% sustainable materials in its tires by 2050. The company previously made small batches of IndyCar race tires with natural rubber from an American southwest crop called guayule, but this marks the first manifestation of its sustainability push in mass-produced tires for road cars.
Firestone Firehawk IndyCar race tires made with guayule rubber
With no “tailpipe” emissions to speak of, emissions from the manufacturing of tires and other components make up a bigger part of EVs’ carbon footprint. That’s led other tire makers and automakers, such as Michelin and Hyundai, to look at ways of making EV tires more environmentally friendly.
Goodyear in 2022 unveiled a prototype tire made from 70% sustainable materials, although it wasn’t commercially available. The following year it revealed greener tires for the Tesla Model 3 made with carbon black that didn’t require the combustion of fossil fuels to generate.
Fiat 500e production halted due to weak demand
The Fiat 500e isn’t selling well.
Stellantis paused production of the pint-sized electric car on Sept. 12 noting sluggish demand. Reuters reported on Tuesday that production is not scheduled to resume until Nov. 1.
The original production halt was only slated to last four weeks with a restart date set for Oct. 11.
Stellantis, Fiat’s parent company, slowed production operations at the Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy in February noting it was a response to weak market demand for the electric Fiat 500e. The slowdown was set to have the plant operating at a single reduced eight-hour shift schedule. Previously the plant was running two shifts.
2024 Fiat 500e
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares will meet with the Italian parliamentary committee next week to discuss the automaker’s Italian production, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported that despite the production stop Stellantis recommitted to its plan of investing 100 million euros ($111 million) into assembly of an improved battery pack and to produce a new 500 Hybrid model in early 2026.
In September Italian officials told the European Union that it needed to review the plan to end sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2035.
“The ban must be changed,” Italian energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said. The government official called the ban “absurd” and that it’s being dictated by an “ideological vision.”
The 2024 Fiat 500e costs $34,095 and has 149 miles of EPA-rated range. Green Car Reports said it “charms city drivers” when we drove it in April.