BMW’s Vision Neue Klasse X Has a Car-Wide Screen and a ‘Joy’ Brain

[ “The ‘heart of joy’ effectively takes 30 years of experience and blends it into a single control unit,” BMW chief technical officer Frank Weber tells WIRED. “Everything that is driving-performance-related, chassis-control-related, powertrain-related—it’s all integrated into one control unit. If you love the idea of the ultimate driving machine, there are functions in there that … Read more

Fisker Suspends Its EV Production

[ Following recent reports that Fisker has been preparing for a possible bankruptcy filing, today the embattled automaker announced that it is suspending all manufacture of its electric vehicles. “Fisker will pause production for six weeks starting the week of March 18, 2024, to align inventory levels and progress strategic and financing initiatives,” the company … Read more

How Rivian Is Pulling Off Its $45,000 R2 Electric SUV

[ Last week, the electric automaker Rivian unveiled the R2, its latest electric SUV. When the vehicle starts rolling off production lines—in the first half of 2026, Rivian says—the R2 will join the R1S SUV and the R1T pickup truck in the automaker’s lineup. Critically, Rivian pledges its newest entry will be cheaper: At “around” … Read more

Tesla’s Charging Network Is Now Open to Other EVs—and Ford Is First in Line

[ Every six months, the automotive research company JD Power surveys some 5,000 US electric vehicle owners about their experiences driving their battery-powered cars. The latest edition of this survey, out this week, found that EV’s perennial bugbear is still bugbear-ing. In fact, it’s got worse: Drivers say they are even more dissatisfied with the … Read more

Hydrogen Cars Were the Key to the Future. For Some Owners, That Future Hasn’t Arrived Yet

[ “We have a giant, beautiful, red paperweight in our driveway,” Snell says. Snell is just one of many California hydrogen fuel-cell car owners facing difficulties as a confluence of unfortunate events—tech limitations, rising station operating costs, policy changes, even the Russian invasion of Ukraine—have hiked hydrogen fuel prices and taken hydrogen fueling stations offline. … Read more

Lego Presidents Day Deals: Save on Technic, Star Wars & More

[ Lego Lego lovers, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to enjoy huge discounts from this year’s Presidents’ Day deals. There are a lot of offers to choose from over the holiday, including Lego sets on the Marvel, Technic, and Star Wars brands, so if you’re a fan of any of these series, you’re in for … Read more

This Is Why Tesla’s Stainless Steel Cybertrucks May Be Rusting

[ Tesla says it uses proprietary stainless steel (possibly from Outokumpu of Finland, Europe’s largest producer, which runs a plant in Calvert, Alabama). However, even proprietary stainless steels can stain, especially if any cheaper steel fittings beneath the Cybertruck’s panels react with the stainless product. There are five basic families of “stainless steel”: austenitic, ferritic, … Read more

The Switch to Electric Vehicles Was Always Going to Be a Slog

[ In the US, analysts say consumers have balked at automakers’ pricier electric offerings. Though the gap is closing, the average electric vehicle transaction is still more expensive than the average gas-powered one. It doesn’t help that 2024 began with discontinuation of the US market’s most affordable EV, the $26,500 Chevy Bolt. (It’s due to … Read more

Tesla Wins EV Charging: All Car Companies Using NACS

[ A big pain point for electric vehicle owners could soon sting less, thanks to an announcement from the Jeep-, Ram-, and Chrysler-maker Stellantis—one of Detroit’s Big Three automakers. This week, the company said that it would add the Tesla-designed charging connection system, called the North American Charging Standard, or NACS, to its electric vehicles … Read more