Electric cars are vehicles that employ batteries, inverters, electric motors, and chargers to deliver power to the wheels—to deliver the motive force to the vehicle.
The history of electric cars dates back to the very earliest days of the auto industry, but it wasn’t until the GM EV1 surfaced in the 1990s that the global auto industry began to take the possibility of electric cars as a replacement for gas-powered vehicles seriously. Within a decade, two bellwether EVs were introduced—the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S—and since then, the major global automakers and political blocs have moved assertively into the direction of electrification, with many countries and states mandating an end to the sale of internal-combustion vehicles.
New waves of EVs have resulted: the Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Mercedes EQS, and Kia EV9 are the latest of the second wave of EVs to come to the U.S., with even more enticing promises of dedicated EVs to come—in particular, from Ford, which promises a new T3 electric truck and SUV that will set new standards for affordable electric vehicles.
The next wave of technology in electric vehicles will seek to lighten the components that make electric drivetrains while improving the power they deliver. Solid-state batteries are in the works, with promises for more efficient electric power by the end of the decade. In the meantime, simpler and more reliable chemistry in the batteries, lithium iron phosphate, could provide one important way to reduce the cost and rare-metal content of electric vehicles’ batteries.
Charging remains a challenging frontier for automakers. Tesla is widely acknowledged to have the most convenient, pervasive, and effective charging stations across the U.S. A rival network set up in the wake of VW’s diesel scandal, Electrify America, has rolled out high-speed charging with considerable difficulty in maintaining the network’s reliability. As a result, many automakers have decided to adopt a charging standard based around Tesla’s system, dubbed NACS—while Electrify America works on the rival CCS standard.
Home charging is, of course, a tangible electric car benefit for those who are able to house and install such a system. For daily commuting, home charging has proven a boon for those who want to charge vehicles at off-peak hours, and take advantage of off-peak electric rates.
It’s a case of legacy versus upstart—but in the competition between the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model 3, 20-year old Tesla is the legacy electric vehicle maker, and 120-year old Ford is the upstart. While both of these choices are compelling, relatively affordable electric...Read More»
Polestar might not be a widely known car brand in the U.S. but the Swedish brand with Chinese multinational backing is planting its flag in America. On Wednesday, the electric vehicle maker began production of the 2025 Polestar 3 crossover SUV at Volvo's Charleston, South Carolina, factory that...Read More»
The 2024 Nissan Ariya and 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossovers both vie for the family-vehicle side of the EV market. While they both offer two battery pack options, single or dual-motor layouts, five-passenger seating, loads of interior space, and EPA driving range in the vicinity of 300 miles...Read More»
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 set the tone for accessible electric vehicles with distinct style, open floor plans, and a range of performance options. They challenge the bestselling Tesla Model Y in different ways, though both have an entry-level option with a smaller 58-kwh battery pack as well...Read More»
I appreciated the 2023 Lucid Air Touring more each time I drove it. The luxury sedan made me feel special, about my place in the world while moving through it, and also as a respite from that world. A luxury car should rouse those feelings, especially for $128,550 as tested ($109,050 without...Read More»
It was a simple plan: Drive 238 miles from the Chicago suburbs to Stevens Point in central Wisconsin for a summer night with the guys; then drive 168 miles to Summerfest in Milwaukee to meet my lady, before driving 78 miles back home that night in time for next morning’s work flight. Total...Read More»
The older I get, the more I appreciate things I dismissed when I was younger: grapefruit, dry heat, Fleetwood Mac, slip-on shoes, being able to hear above the din, and now, the Nissan Leaf. Somehow, it’s around for another model year with pricing on the 2024 Nissan Leaf announced late in...Read More»
We tested the latest iteration of the GMC Hummer EV, the more accessible but no less monstrous SUV version, and cruised around in a more road-friendly electric SUV in the Genesis GV70. Mid-year price increases throw us for a loop in a couple of popular models, and this week we tracked two big Ford...Read More»
Kia on Tuesday provided an inside-and-out design preview of the EV9 three-row electric SUV, due for the U.S. by early 2024 Put simply, it appears to combine some of the best aspects of the brand’s EV6 electric hatchback with a family-friendly cabin layout that may even best that of the...Read More»
Electric cars classified as small sport utility vehicles such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai Ioniq 5 with a sticker price of up to $80,000 now qualify for the full federal EV tax credit, the U.S. Treasury Department said Friday in a statement. Until the clarification on electric vehicle...Read More»
The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan made news this week not just for its 361-mile range, but for being the most efficient electric car alongside a luxury car that costs nearly twice the price. Hyundai says the most efficient version of the new Ioniq 6 earns an EPA-rated 140 MPGe combined, same...Read More»
Electric pickup trucks are no longer a prospect: they are a reality. And they're exceptional. The Rivian R1T won The Car Connection Best Luxury Car To Buy 2023 award, while the bestselling vehicle in the U.S. for more than four decades, the Ford F-150, got even better with the Ford F-150 Lightning...Read More»
It's beginning to look a lot like the EV tipping point to mass adoption, sang no one. Pardon our holiday spirit, but the Cadillac Lyric and Kia EV6 electric crossovers really put a charge in our sleigh this week. We also finalized our finalists for The Car Connection Best Car To Buy 2023 award, to...Read More»
The 2023 Kia EV6 electric crossover earned a Top Safety Pick+ distinction, the highest safety award bestowed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and widely considered to be the most rigorous award issued by crash and safety agencies. The distinction applies only to those models fitted...Read More»
Hybrid vehicles and sedans are the most reliable cars, while electric vehicles and pickup trucks pose the most problems for new car owners, according to respondents of a Consumer Reports study announced Tuesday. In its annual consumer survey based on more than 300,000 vehicles from the 2000-2022...Read More»
The 2023 Genesis GV60 has earned a Top Safety Pick+, the IIHS announced Thursday. The TSP+ is the highest safety rating issued by the insurance-industry funded agency. The nod marks a rare sweep for the brand, with every model tested in 2022 earning the designation intended to standardized safety...Read More»
Of the dozens of vehicles I’ve tested this year, the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck generated some of the greatest interest from both car and non-car people. The question they had was always: Should I get one? If you’re asking, the short answer is yes. With a TCC Rating of 8.4...Read More»
The 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E earned a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS, and it also earned top marks in the independent safety agency's new side-impact crash test, the insurance industry-funded group announced Tuesday. The electric crossover earned top "Good" marks in all seven of the crash tests...Read More»
This week we sampled the Mercedes-Benz EQ family of electric cars, ranging from the entry level EQB small crossover to the EQS SUV three-row family flagship, and we came away impressed with the easy transition from internal combustion to electric power. The price range isn't so easy to ingest...Read More»
