The future of transportation is electric. Tesla proved with the Model S that customers would want to buy luxury vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries. Other EV startups like Faraday Future, Byton, Lucid Motors, and SF Motors are chasing after Elon Musk. And major automakers like Jaguar, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz have each released their own Tesla challengers. There are obstacles, such as the need for a more robust charging network. But battery-powered cars are here to stay.
The RSX Prototype, Honda’s first EV built on its in-house developed platform, is set to make its debut at Monterey Car Week. But it won’t be arriving at Acura dealerships until the second half of 2026. Until then, you’ll have to make do with this moody photo.
The two automakers first announced their collaboration last year, saying they would focus on building EVs and hydrogen vehicles together. Today’s announcement downplays the EVs and hydrogen — they’re “continuing to assess” — in favor of ICE and hybrid vehicles. Four of those vehicles will be for Central and South America, while a fifth, an all-electric commercial van, will be for North America. Hyundai is going to lead the van project, which makes sense given the Korean automaker’s recent success in the EV space.
‘There are two Teslas,’ attorney Brett Schreiber told us. ‘There’s Tesla in the showroom and then there’s Tesla in the courtroom.’
Another day, another lawsuit claiming Tesla is covering up safety problems with its self-driving tech. The latest one was filed in Texas by a Tesla shareholder and seeks class action status. And like previous legal challenges, it claims that Tesla and CEO Elon Musk overstated the effectiveness of its autonomous vehicles. It comes on the heels of a shocking defeat in a wrongful death case, in which Tesla was ordered to pay more than $240 million in damages.
The three-pointed star may have backed off its plan to sell only EVs after 2030, but that doesn’t mean it’s given up on plug-in power altogether. In addition to teasing its new electric GLC — including an illuminated grille with “a total of 942 dots backlit from behind” — the German automaker also plans to launch no fewer than 15 new EVs over the next two years, calling it “the biggest product launch program in the history of Mercedes-Benz.” No argument here.
That was EV accessory manufacturer Hansshow’s offer to YouTuber Branden Flasch, after he posted a pretty damning takedown of their “Dangerous, useless and overpriced” charging adapter.
Believe it or not, the apparent attempted bribe was only the opening gambit in a conversation that goes on to include accusations of corruption, plenty of profanity, and arguing the adapter must be safe because Flasch didn’t die. You’re gonna want to read this for yourself.
When it’s in the Bay Area. Tesla has sent out invites for its “ride-hailing service,” conspicuously absent any Robotaxi branding.
Tesla doesn’t have permits for autonomous taxis in California, so its rides include a supervisor in the driver’s seat, who Reuters reports must be “ready to take over at all times” — in Austin the supervisor sits in the passenger seat. A first fan video shows the car doing most of the work, but the human driver’s hands always stay near the wheel.
Get a first look at the new fascia, NACS charging port, and brake lights on the Bolt, with Chevy promising “More this fall.”
GM killed the Bolt in 2023 before resurrecting it for its newer Ultium battery tech (which... it’s also killing, at least as a brand name). The new Bolt will boast faster charging and multiple models, but that won’t include a small hatchback — only the larger EUV Bolt is making a comeback.
A regulatory filing surfaced Monday morning in Korea showing the underperforming electronics giant won an order to build chips for an unnamed large global tech company in a contract that runs through 2033.
Then, a few hours later, Elon Musk tweeted the arrangement was for Tesla’s “next-generation AI6 chip,” built at Samsung’s plant in Texas, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg.
Update: Added info from Elon Musk’s tweet.
Tesla has been promising more affordable models as the thing that will help pull it out of its current rut. But in an earnings call Wednesday, the company’s CEO came right out and confirmed rumors that it would just be a stripped down version of the Model Y, rather than a brand new vehicle program. “It’s a Model Y,” Musk said. “I let the cat out of the bag there.” The cheaper Model Y is currently in production and expected to go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2025. (Musk’s response to the question starts at 1:00:14.)
The delivery took place in Austin, Texas, last month. Apparently the vehicle did fine until it arrived at its destination, at which point it promptly parked in a fire lane. This photo appeared in the company’s second quarter earnings report for shareholders. Nice work, everyone.
Eater editors taste through half the menu at the new Tesla Diner in Los Angeles
The adapter will cost $220 and can be ordered on Lucid’s website. With it, Lucid Air sedan owners can simply roll up to any Tesla Supercharger station and plug in. Charging sessions can be initiated and paid for through the Lucid app.
Of course, Lucid Gravity owners won’t need to bother with the adapter since their electric SUV comes with a native NACS port. Lucid is also announcing a bump in the 2026 Air Touring’s range to 431 miles — maintaining the California company’s perch as king of the range among all other EVs.
This is the BYD Yangwang U9, one of the fastest production EVs at 233MPH — but all I care about is how much closer we are to Speed Racer’s auto-jacks! Since BYD doesn’t want to get sued, a disclaimer states that “U9’s Leaping Function is prohibited for practical scenarios,” but it claims the feature works under very specific conditions. Would I rather have this or wheels that turn sideways, hmm...
The German brand’s new plug-in hybrid may lack personality, but it makes up for it in styling.
EV prices could go up by as much as $1,000 thanks to the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 93.5 percent tariff on graphite imports from China. Tesla lobbied against the levy, arguing that US-based graphite producers aren’t prepared to supply the essential battery material “at the quality and purity required by Tesla and other battery cell manufacturers.” But those pleas fell on deaf ears. In addition to Tesla, companies like Ford and Panasonic that are building battery plants in the US are going to be negatively impacted.
