Category: General

Electric vehicle startup Canoo has placed its remaining employees and what it calls a “mandatory unpaid break” through at least the end of the year, TechCrunch reports.

The report cites an email sent to employees, which said they would be locked out of Canoo’s systems at the end of the day Friday, and that benefits would last through the end of December.

Canoo in Oklahoma

This comes just a few days after Canoo announced that it was furloughing 82 employees and idling an assembly facility in Oklahoma due to lack of funding, TechCrunch notes. That facility hasn’t ramped up production; so far Canoo has only delivered small numbers of demonstration vehicles, including some for the U.S. Postal Service.

Canoo also earlier this year closed the Los Angeles office that originally served as its headquarters. In August the startup announced a move to Justin, Texas, where it’s maintained a corporate office since CEO Tony Aquila took over a few years ago.

Canoo Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle with Walmart logo

Canoo has lost many executives, including its CTO, CFO, and general counsel, meaning most of the original contingent that launched the startup in 2017 is now gone. That’s coincided with a change in direction under current CEO Aquila, who pivoted Canoo from its original plan of selling van-like EVs on a subscription basis toward commercial vehicles.

That pivot as attracted interest from Walmart and fleet-management company Zeeba, which announced orders for 4,500 and 3,000 Canoo electric vans, respectively, in 2022. In addition to the Postal Service, Canoo has also provided a handful of vans to NASA and an electric pickup truck prototype to the U.S. Army. But the startup hasn’t been able to convert this hype into revenue by ramping up vehicle production.

• Merger talks have begun between Honda and Nissan
• The merger will put the automakers under a joint holding company by August 2026
• EVs, hybrids, platforms, and software will be at the core of overlap
  

A potential strategic partnership between Honda and Nissan would ally them on intelligence, EVs, and more, the global automakers confirmed on Monday.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding as a first step toward merger talks, with Mitsubishi potentially joining as a third partner. Nissan already owns approximately 34% of Mitsubishi shares, and there has been some platform-sharing between the two automakers.

The plan is for the merged automakers to operate under a holding company with a delisting of both automakers on the Tokyo Stock Exchange at the end of July or August of 2026. The shares of both companies would then be transferred into he new holding company.

A report from Japanese news outlet Nikkei cited competition from Tesla and Chinese automakers in the EV segment as one of the main factors behind the merger.

2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce

This follows a March announcement by Honda and Nissan of a memorandum of understanding for a “strategic partnership in the fields of vehicle electrification and intelligence” expected to cover EVs, hybrids, and software. Mitsubishi was tipped to join that partnership in August. The current alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi, and French automaker has also collaborated with Honda in the past, most recently on the Altna battery-leasing joint venture.

Combined sales of Honda and Nissan in 2023 totaled more than 8 million vehicles. That would make the merged automaker the third largest by sales volume after Toyota and the Volkswagen Group, which sold 11.2 million and 9.2 million vehicles in 2023, respectively.

A full merger will likely be a needed lifeline for Nissan. The automaker in October announced plans to lay off approximately 9,000 employees, representing 6.7% of its global workforce, and cut production capacity by 20% due to declining sales, primarily in the U.S. and China.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid

Both automakers are in the midst of an EV reset, with Honda preparing to roll out its 0 Series starting in 2026 and Nissan preparing a next-generation Leaf, as well as larger models for assembly in Mississippi.

The automakers noted the merger would allow for optimization of manufacturing systems and facilities and standardization of vehicle platforms.

Hybrids could present more immediate opportunities for integration. Honda’s two-motor hybrid system could replace Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, which still hasn’t made it to the U.S. after years of discussion. Nissan, meanwhile, could take the lead in electrifying pickup trucks and SUVs—including the body-on-frame models Honda currently lacks.

This story was updated on Dec. 23 after the automakers confirmed the merger plans.

Rolls-Royce has always prided itself on the quietness of its luxury cars, hence its use of names like Phantom, Ghost, and Spectre. So a near-silent electric powertrain would seem like a good fit.

U.K.-based Evice certainly thinks so. It’s the latest in a crop of companies marketing electric conversions of classic cars, and its first project is a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow sedan. Known internally as XP1, it’s a prototype for a conversion package for both the Silver Shadow and Corniche convertible that Evice hopes to start offering to customers in Spring 2026.

The prototype has a 77-kwh battery pack providing an estimated range of over 200 miles, likely as measured on the more lenient WLTP testing cycle, along with an 800-volt electrical architecture.

Prototype Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow EV by Evice

Output is 400 hp—substantially more than the original gasoline V-8 engine. Evice also claims to have upgraded the brakes, while an active suspension aims to provide the same pillowy ride as the original hydra-pneumatic suspension (derived from Citroën tech) with a greater degree of handling sharpness.

The interior features modern climate control and audio systems, as well as heated and ventilated power-adjustable seats and a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and a rearview camera.

Several other companies are restoring classic electric cars with modern powertrains—including some vintage Rolls-Royces. Another U.K. firm, Lunaz, has done electric conversions of the 1956 Rolls-Royce Cloud and 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V, as well as Bentley and Jaguar models.

Rolls-Royce Silver Corniche EV by Evice

A few of these have also been undertaken by, or commissioned by, automakers looking to tie their heritage to current electrification plans. Yet another U.K. firm, Electrogenic, built a Kia Pride EV restomod to celebrate that automaker’s 80th anniversary. Apprentices recently turned an Audi A2—a European-market hatchback that was a paragon of fuel efficiency when new—into an EV.

It’s also now possible to buy a new electric Rolls-Royce from the factory—the Spectre coupe. The storied brand is looking to shake its traditional reputation for portly vehicles and gas-guzzling V-12 engines by going all-electric before the end of the decade.

General Motors is recalling certain 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EVs because their federally mandated pedestrian warning systems may not be loud enough.

The recall includes 7,606 vehicles, which may have incorrect software and thus not produce warning sounds at sufficient volume to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 141, according to the NHTSA.

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV

So-called “quiet car” rules that require electric vehicles and hybrids to emit warning noises at low speeds were first proposed in 2010 over concerns that a lack of engine noise would make vehicles too difficult for pedestrians to hear at these speeds. The rules weren’t finalized until 2018, however, and multiple delays and extensions meant they weren’t actually implemented until 2021.

A software update for the affected vehicles’ body control modules will make them compliant with these rules. However, despite being purely a software issue, the fix can’t be done via an over-the-air update and will require a visit to a dealership, where technicians will perform the work free of charge.

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV

GM expects to mail owner notification letters Jan. 27, 2025, and has assigned reference number N242479760 to this recall. Owners can also contact Chevy customer service at 1-800-222-1020 for more information.

The Equinox EV arrived for the 2024 model year, but those earlier vehicles are not included in this recall. For 2025, GM finally fulfilled the this model’s value promise by launching a $34,995 version with 319 miles of EPA range. That value proposition, along with good first impressions of the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV, netted the Equinox EV a spot as a Green Car Reports Best Car to Buy 2025 finalist.

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.

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.

General Motors and ChargePoint on Wednesday announced plans to deploy up to 500 DC fast chargers before the end of 2025.

Using GM Energy branding, the chargers will be supplied by ChargePoint, according to the companies. Many of the chargers will use ChargePoint’s Omni Port to allow electric vehicles with Combined Charging Standard (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports to charge at the same station without any adapter.

ChargePoint Omni Port

GM and ChargePoint promise power rates of up to 500 kw, surpassing those of the automaker’s current partnership with EVgo, which goes back to 2020 when GM announced that it would help fund the expansion of EVgo’s network, which is made up exclusively of fast chargers.

In 2021, GM and EVgo doubled down on that partnership, adding 500 more chargers to the original target of 2,750 by 2025, with an emphasis on urban locations and support for electric ride hailing. And earlier this year, the two companies announced 400 chargers in major U.S. metropolitan areas, to come online beginning in 2025. These will charge at up to 350 kw and will feature a gas-station-like pull-through configuration.

GM and EVgo flagship charging station

GM and EVgo also began collaborating on a coast-to-coast charging network in 2022, with 350-kw fast-chargers installed at Pilot and Flying J travel centers catering to road trippers rather than urban dwellers. The first of those locations opened in late 2023.

The additional charging partnership comes as GM plans to reset its battery strategy. Earlier this month the automaker announced that it would sell its stake in a Michigan battery factory to LG, while also partnering with that company on prismatic battery cells as a potential alternative to the pouch cells used in current GM EVs.

• One waiver allows California to set stricter rules for new vehicles—progressively mandating EVs
• A second EPA waiver green-lights the state’s heavy-duty vehicle emissions rules
• Trump may attempt to withdraw the waiver, continuing the regulatory ping-pong

The EPA on Wednesday granted two requests from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to implement and enforce the state’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) that set a course for ending sales of most new gasoline cars by 2035.

California drafted these rules, which would ban all new vehicles with combustion engines except for plug-in hybrids with substantial electric range, under its Clean Air Act waiver, which lets the state enact emissions rules stricter than the federal standards. Several states follow California’s emissions rules and are expected to do the same with ACC II—if California’s emissions authority survives likely attempts by the incoming Trump Administration to reverse it.

For now, the EPA has acknowledged California’s independence regarding the ACC II standards, which cover light-duty and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2026 to 2035. The second waiver granted by the EPA relates to California’s “Omnibus” regulations for heavy-duty vehicle emissions which, like ACC II, set stricter targets than those of the federal government.

Marengo Charging Plaza, Pasadena, California

The move received predictable praise from environmental groups, including the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors. Together, the California-emissions states represent 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population, according to the organization.

“This action means cleaner air in our communities, lower costs and expanded choice for consumers, and more good-paying jobs and investment in manufacturing across America,” U.S. Climate Alliance executive director Casey Katmins said in a statement.

In addition to California, Oregon, Washington State, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont have adopted ACC II starting with the 2026 model year, while Colorado, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Mexico and Maryland have signed on for the 2027 model year. These states represent a significant portion of new-car sales.

Marengo Charging Plaza, Pasadena, California

As noted by The Washington Post, industry trade group the Alliance for Automotive Innovation said in a memo last week that the states following California’s lead here are part of an “unaccountable, unachievable regulatory wormhole.” That’s less because of the legitimacy of California’s regulatory move because of where those states rules might stand in another likely challenge to California’s emissions authority by the second Trump Administration.

Under the previous Trump administration, the EPA was headed by a former coal lobbyist and aimed to withdraw the waiver enabling California’s emissions authority in 2019. Under the Biden Administration, the EPA planned to reinstate it in 2021—with public input. This past week the Supreme Court rejected a challenge from the oil and gas industry, also seeking to withdraw the waiver, but that doesn’t rule out future challenges.

Although it’s unclear whether Trump will ultimately attack states’ rights by once again meddling with California’s waiver, he’s emphasized that he may nix some of the Biden administration’s policy supporting EVs.

Honda will unveil prototypes of its 0 Series electric vehicles at CES in Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2025.

The pair of prototypes follow initial concept versions unveiled at CES 2024 this past January, and preview production models due in 2026. A teaser image shows one vehicle that appears to retain the general shape of the Honda Saloon concept shown at CES 2024, while the other trades the van-like form of the previous Space-Hub concept for something more SUV-like.

Honda previously confirmed that a production model based on the Saloon concept would be the first to arrive, but it will be just one of multiple EVs based on the same 0 Series building blocks. It marks Honda’s first attempt at a scalable EV component set after several false starts, and reliance on General Motors underpinnings for the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX electric SUVs.

At least some of these models will be U.S.-made. The automaker is currently retooling Ohio facilities, and constructing a new battery plant, with the goal of potentially producing hundreds of EVs per day but flexibly mixing production with hybrids as needed. That will ensure the 0 Series EVs aren’t niche models, but Honda has cautioned that they won’t be electric replacements for the likes of the Accord or CR-V either.

Honda Saloon EV concept

In addition to EVs for the main Honda brand, the 0 Series platform will be used for an Acura model drawing inspiration from this year’s Performance EV concept, as well as EVs from the joint Sony-Honda brand Afeela. The Acura and Afeela models will also be manufactured in Ohio.

Honda has also said the 0 Series will have lightweight, energy-dense battery packs, with later versions of the platform using batteries that will eventually be able to charge from 15%-80% in just 10-15 minutes, and will lose no more than 10% of their original capacity and range after 10 years of use. A prototype drive of the 0 Series architecture earlier this year indicated Honda will be able to combine sleek aero-efficient shapes with sharp handling.