7+ mon, 3+ week ago (416+ words) Called Slate, the startup aims to bring a very attainable $25,000 price tag to the EV truck space. And it reportedly has a big backer. New cars are ridiculously expensive. New electric cars, even more so. Could a new American EV startup change that equation? According to a scoop from TechCrunch's Sean O'Kane, that's the goal of Slate Auto. It's a new automaker that could go out of "stealth mode" soon with an electric pickup truck aiming for an enticing price tag of around $25,000. Launching an entirely new car company is no easy endeavor, but Slate reportedly has at least one very deep-pocketed investor: Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos. "Slate, which took root in another Bezos-connected company called Re:Build Manufacturing, has been operating quietly since its founding in 2022," the tech news publication reported. It has since poached employees…...

2+ mon, 3+ week ago (511+ words) The so-called "legacy" car companies have faced an interesting conundrum in recent years: what on Earth are they supposed to call their electric vehicles? Do they give these things unique names, or lean on the strength of the established models that everyone knows and loves?" More and more, they're moving toward the latter plan. Volkswagen is the latest to make such a move, announcing today that the VW ID.2all compact electric hatchback will go into production as the ID. Polo. And, in great news for gearheads everywhere, it will come with a faster and more powerful ID. Polo GTI version as well. The prototype versions of those cars will be shown at Europe's biggest automotive trade show, IAA Munich, starting this weekend. But that's not all. The automaker will also show off the ID. Cross SUV, slated as an electric counterpart to the T-Cross…...

10+ mon, 9+ hour ago (311+ words) We often forget this because it feels like a billion years ago now, but Polestar was originally the motorsports, tuning and performance arm of Volvo before it was spun off into an independent EV brand. And Volvo has a long history in both rally car and touring car racing. That's why it's nice to see the modern iteration of Polestar lean into that vibe with this new family of EVs. Let's get this out of the way first: No, these Polestar electric vehicles are concepts, not destined for production. But the Arctic Circle collection, as it's called, gives us something fun to fantasize about as we sit in our cubicles waiting for winter to be over. And it certainly makes me wish Polestar would spring for some rally-inspired performance on its street cars too. Polestar last gave the original Polestar…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago (523+ words) The line between driver and car used to be made of metal and glass. Now it talks back. In a viral TikTok clip, a Tesla owner chats with his car about home audio systems as if they're old friends, and the car answers with polite, algorithmic confidence. It's funny, but it's also a glimpse into something stranger: the rise of emotional relationships with machines. TikTokker Hannah Gamble (@han_gam) shows a mix of humor and concern in a recent clip from a drive in their Tesla, where her husband asks the car's central computer for advice on beefing up their home audiovisual setup. "Does anyone else's husband talk to their Tesla like it's a real person/their bestie?" is the query she's made to viewers in text overlaying the video that's been viewed more than 4,700 times. Viral stories from across the web…...

4+ mon, 4+ day ago (431+ words) Americans are increasingly into the idea of letting their cars do the driving." According to a study from the market research firm AutoPacific out on Thursday, hands-off, eyes-on driver-assistance systems that work on the highway are the No.1 most desired feature among new car buyers. The firm surveyed Americans who plan to buy a new car in the next three years and found that 43% of them want that sort of capability, roughly double last year's results." Wireless charging pads for smartphones took the top spot in last year's study, suggesting a major shift in the caliber of technology people now want in their cars." In my experience, the best advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) can be a godsend for long and boring highway stints or interminable traffic jams. I never realized how much brain power monotonous highway driving sucks up until…...

7+ mon, 5+ day ago (573+ words) The Slate is a unique electric truck that debuts today. You can watch it happen here on InsideEVs starting at 10:20 pm Eastern time. It's only been a few weeks since we heard about Slate, a new electric startup with plans to launch the most affordable EV in America. The company came out of nowhere, and now we'll finally see what this is all about. The Slate electric truck debuts tonight in California, and you can watch it happen right here. The debut is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Pacific time. That's 10:20 p.m. for those on the East Coast, and even later for our friends across the pond. But it could be worth staying up for. Slate is apparently well-funded, with Amazon and Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos among the known investors. And a price tag of just $25,000 is floating around the internet as the…...

8+ mon, 3+ week ago (306+ words) Telo wants to be the cure for the bloated trucks we see today. The company is promising to provide big-truck utility in a package no longer than a Mini Cooper. Now, we're finally getting a look at what the final product may look like. The Fast Lane Truck takes the Telo MT1 for a very brief, low-speed drive in their latest video. It's still very much a prototype'the screens cannot be used, for instance, and even the shifter and other controls are temporary. But it's our first real look at a vehicle that the company has been teasing for a while." The MT1 combines a full five-foot bed with a downsized passenger and frontal area, giving it something of a cab-over look. Combined with a folding mid-gate (a-la the GMC Sierra EV), he Telo can swallow eight-foot long items. Add a tonneau…...

9+ mon, 6+ day ago (442+ words) Some Tesla owners are more fed up with Elon Musk than ever and looking to dump the brand. Rival EV maker Polestar is wasting no time trying to scoop them up." Polestar says customers who can prove their household currently owns a Tesla can get up to $20,000 off of a leased Polestar 3 SUV. I'll repeat: $20,000 off." Now, that number requires a"little extra context. Polestar is already offering a $15,000 incentive for prospective Polestar 3 lessees (in part, that's likely thanks to the addition of the federal EV leasing credit). So the "Conquest Bonus" that Tesla owners get is a $5,000 sweetener. Still, not too shabby. The deal started on Feb. 21 and runs through Feb. 28." Read Our Polestar Reviews Taken together, that should drastically drop the monthly cost of a Polestar 3 lease, which starts at $599 including the $15,000 cash on the hood. Tesla owners…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago (456+ words) 2024 Chevy Silverado EV RST with Super Cruise In other words, the number of active Super Cruise users has more than doubled quarter-over-quarter, and it nearly doubled year-over-year. With such a steep increase in the uptake rate, GM expects to end 2025 with over 600,000 active users and a revenue of over $200 million. One interesting tidbit from GM's third-quarter earnings report is the shockingly low accident rate associated with Super Cruise. According to GM, its Super Cruise-equipped cars have driven over 700 million hands-free miles with zero reported crashes attributed to the assistance system. According to the American auto giant, 40% of owners who had a Super Cruise trial chose to pay for it out of pocket in Q3. Make of that what you will, as the company didn't provide a specific figure for the number of people who are actively paying for the hands-free driving…...

7+ mon, 1+ week ago (356+ words) This is the new Nissan Frontier Plug-In Hybrid, launched for China with a debut at Auto Shanghai. Here are the details. Nissan's first plug-in hybrid is a pickup truck. The Frontier Pro just debuted at Auto Shanghai, packing a four-cylinder engine and a single electric motor into a body that looks notably different from the pure combustion version we have today. For now, the truck is available in China. Nissan's official press release says it's "confirmed for future export," but there's no timeline for when it could happen, nor markets where it will be sold. First things first. Under the hood is a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. It's paired with a single electric motor mounted in the transmission. Nissan claims "over" 402 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, driving all four wheels through the automaker's Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system that automatically shuffles…...