Editorial Note: Apologies for the delay in this review, earlier this year I was in a bike accident – not with this bike, I should add – that left me with a months-long concussion.

I am a proud townie. I don’t mind the odd nature walk, but I’m far happier striding for hours at a time through cities, coffee in hand. I loved walking from law school in the center of London back to my apartment, six miles away, through the hustle and bustle. That’s possibly why I feel such a kinship with Honbike’s Uni4. It’s an elegant, efficient and beautifully-designed city e-bike of the future that is a joy to ride, just so long as you never think about taking it out of its comfort zone.

Hardware

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

I won’t lean too hard into the “unique design” angle because plenty of bikes eschew the usual diamond frame template. It’s undeniably eye-catching, with a crossbar running from the headset / head tube down to the rear wheel, which then appears to bleed into the chain stay. I quite like the commitment to making it look as if it’s one continuous structural unit, even if it is divided by a wheel. The chunky crossbar gets much of its strength from the 432Wh worth of battery inside, which promises a top range of 100 km or 62 miles. The squared-off tube ends and built-in front light gives it a look and feel best described as “VanMoof-y.”

The Uni4 costs $1,699 in the US and £1,799 here in the UK, less than the £2,000 you can pay for a half-decent e-bike. Honbike hasn’t scrimped too obviously, with a Gates carbon belt drive with a quoted life of 10,000 km. There are Tektro Aries disc brakes on custom, six-spoke wheels that make it look like you’re riding a sport bike. The front and rear fenders are included although the instructions do tell you to put the front fender on backwards. There’s an integrated front light but only an aftermarket, battery-powered rear light bolted onto the seat. It’s less than ideal, but the logic for why it’s there is obvious: With no top tube, there’s nowhere to install an integrated rear light that’s high enough to be visible at night.

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

Integrated into the headset is a dot matrix display that’s supremely bright and perfectly visible in bright sunshine. There’s a small control unit on the left hand grip where you’ll turn it on, run the lights and set your power level. On the right, a built-in throttle will activate walking assist mode and give you a tiny shot of power from a standing start.

There are plenty of e-bikes costing around two grand that often feel a little phoned in, and no, I won’t name names. But for every standout like the gorgeous Raleigh Trace, there are plenty that look like their manufacturer took an old road bike, added a rear wheel motor, bolted a battery onto the downtube, and called it a day. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the industry to up its game – and the big brands are getting better – in the face of better-designed competition. The Uni4 is a better-looking bike than lots of those in its price bracket and, I’d say, looks like it costs a little bit more than you’ll actually pay.

The bike is hewn from 7,000-series aluminum and weighs about 20 kg or 44 pounds, which is a little heftier than it may look. It's a two-handed job to lug it about, and so you probably wouldn’t want to carry this up several flights of stairs on a regular basis.

In Use

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

I often wonder to what extent we should judge a bike upon the merits the company itself sets for it versus a more general-purpose view. The Uni4 is marketed as a city bike, engineered to eat up the long, flat stretches of asphalt between us and our destination. It’s no surprise – because I already tipped my hand here – that it’s ideally-suited to that environment, comfortably cruising along the road whenever and wherever I chose to go. In fact, judged on that merit alone, if you’re only ever riding this on the road (or a dedicated cycle lane) you can just order one right now. When the electric assist is off, the Uni4’s essentially the world’s most overbuilt single speed, and it works in that configuration, too. If you’re on flat, well-paved roads, then you should feel very comfortable that you’ll get where you need to go quickly and easily.

It’s only when we take a more general-purpose view and test the Uni4 out of its comfort zone do you see its weaknesses. Like many townies, it starts to struggle the further from civilization you get, even if you’re well within the boundaries of a city. Not far from where I live, there’s a path through a small wood that you can use to cut the distance between two major roads. It’s a well worn path, and on sunny days it’s a (mostly) flat and dry stretch that’ll save you 10 minutes or more. Sadly, even the gentlest of terrain will pose a problem because there’s no suspension or shock absorption, shaking your bones to a fine powder. Afterward, I took the bike to some tree-lined residential avenues, the sort where the roads are only relaid once every three or four decades. The trees have had time and opportunity to burrow across the road and make the terrain less than smooth as a consequence. Your municipality may be fine with potholes and uneven roads, but take it as read that the Uni4 is not.

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

You’ve noticed, too, I’ve mentioned flat roads a few times, because you’re not going to get too much help up hills. There are only three acceleration modes, and no fine-grain control beyond to help you get more power where you need it. Here in Norwich, there’s a daily savage hill that, up one side, has an incline of between 11 and 14 degrees, while its opposite hits 22.4. It’s so steep that it’s the site of an annual endurance cycling competition, and seemed an ideal place to test the Uni 4’s gyroscopic uphill assistance. Essentially, the bike is meant to know the gradient you are cycling up, and automatically adjust the power to suit your needs. Yeah.

For the gentler side, it’s doable, but you can expect far less help from the bike than you might expect. The company says it’ll run between nine and 12 mph on a 18 degree incline, but only if the rider’s maximum weight is 90kg. Sadly, I’m a few kilos over that figure, and so I really had to work for every little bit of help, leaving me fairly sweaty by the time I’d reached the summit. For the latter, however, you’ll struggle to go more than halfway up before the bike simply refuses to continue. During my testing, a pair of dudes in a panel van were hooting with sadistic glee as I tried, and failed, to motivate the Uni4 to climb any further. This isn’t a dealbreaker, since there aren’t too many really nasty hills in the center of most towns and cities. But you might need to plan your route to avoid anything too extreme during your morning commute.

While I’m piling on, the bike is designed to look like a single piece of metal that curls into itself. The lack of a second tube means there’s less of an obvious mounting point around the frame when you need to lock it to a public rack. Instead, you’re forced to wrap the chain around the wheel mount and then back again to try and create something that feels secure enough to leave. You can also electronically “lock” the electric assist, but that won’t stop the wheels from turning, leaving an enterprising thief with at least something usable. Given the cost of one of these things, the fact so little thought had been given about safely storing one is a bugbear.

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

Honbike says the 432Wh battery will squeeze out around 62 miles, or 100km in range via that 250W motor. Naturally, that’s in the best possible conditions with the lightest rider and the least amount of electric assist available. Here, in the real world, you can expect that figure to fall by a fair amount, and the company has tuned the motor to emphasize a smooth, gentle ride over world-beating power. You’ll pretty much find that the bike will just keep you gently cantering around at 10 mph in all but the highest power setting. You can push things to the current legal limit of 15 mph if you want, but you’d rarely need that sort of power unless you’re going hard in heavy traffic and need to work your legs. But I found that – as a heavier, more power-hungry rider – that my range would be closer to 30 miles on a single charge.

And here’s a nice thing: Honbike may have a perfectly fine app, it’s also completely inessential. The built-in display will give you most of all the information you’d need to access, including your speed and a basic battery monitor. If you want, and you splash out for a smartphone mount, then the app can show you a local map, your speed, distance and trip duration. At the end of each trip, it’ll also tell you how much carbon dioxide you’ve saved by cycling, if you really need the boost to your eco credentials.

If I have one other concern, it’s about how riders will be able to keep this bike running for a very long time. An end user can buy replacement tyres and inner tubes, brake pads, pedals, fenders and the front and rear lights, from the company’s online store. While brake cables that are run through the frame are an annoyance, it’s a common issue on high-end bikes, and most repair stores can handle it with little bother. But, for the other key parts, including the wheels, the motor and the battery, it appears that Honbike recommends you send it in to its service center. I don’t necessarily blame the company for getting nervous about user-repairs to power units, since the risk is fairly significant. 

Wrap-Up

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

It’s worth saying that more of this piece has been focusing on the Honbike’s flaws rather than its strengths. Which is a bit of an irony, really, since riding around on this thing has been pretty much a joy from start to finish. It’s just that it’s very much designed to be the apex predator in a single environment, and so you need to be aware of that before you buy. But if what you want and what you need is a bike that’ll get you from one end of the city to another, in an elegant and painless manner, then there’s plenty of reasons to buy one. Especially when you look at other bikes in this sub-two-grand bracket and realize that, as limited as it may be, it’s also a real looker.

Ford said on Monday that it was suspending construction of a Michigan battery factory for electric vehicles. The automaker didn’t specify its exact reasons for the shutdown as United Auto Workers (UAW) strikes continue. However, it stated (viaThe New York Times) that it was “pausing work and limiting spending on construction on the Marshall project until we’re confident about our ability to competitively operate the plant.”

The factory was established earlier this year to produce battery tech licensed from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co (CATL). It isn’t yet clear if the suspension is temporary or permanent.

The news came ahead of President Biden’s trip to Michigan on Tuesday to protest alongside picketing workers. Ford didn’t state whether its decision was related to the strikes. The UAW’s walkout against the Big Three automakers expanded to 38 locations in 20 states last week.

The $3.5 billion factory, scheduled to open in 2026, is slated to produce lithium-iron-phosphate batteries for EVs — supplying jobs for at least 2,500 autoworkers and spurring domestic EV battery production. However, the project has been flanked by uncertainty as the Biden Administration weighs regulations that could prevent US companies from working with select Chinese businesses.

The UAW has previously given Ford credit for bringing more concessions to the negotiating table during the strike than GM or Stellantis, going as far as sparing Ford from the recent walkout expansions. The union is asking for pay raises, a shorter workweek, protection against inflation and other worker concessions. In an interview this month, Ford CEO Jim Farley claimed meeting the union’s demands “would force Ford to scrap its investments in electric vehicles.”

UAW President Shawn Fain described Ford’s closure as “a shameful, barely-veiled threat by Ford to cut jobs.” He posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, “Closing 65 plants over the last 20 years wasn’t enough for the Big Three, now they want to threaten us with closing plants that aren’t even open yet. We are simply asking for a just transition to electric vehicles and Ford is instead doubling down on their race to the bottom.”

On the outskirts of London’s Olympic Village, a crowd has formed. All are staring at Bo’s first production e-scooter, the Bo M. Company CEO Oscar Morgan is peppered with questions about range, speed, price and if he’ll give a freebie to a tween whose nickname is Bo. All of this is taking place while I’m trying to photograph the new model, but I can’t blame them for getting in my way. After all, this sublime e-scooter of the future can’t help but turn heads.

Bo was co-founded by Morgan, Harry Wills and Luke Robus – the first two met as engineers for the Williams F1 team. They worked on a number of other brands’ EVs and scooters before striking out on their own to build something better with Robus, a Jaguar Land Rover designer. All three bring an automotive sensibility to the company, and a desire to build a scooter a generation or two beyond the state of the art. Less a toy, (or a niche tool) but a vehicle, engineered so well that e-scooters’ widely known and accepted flaws were polished away.

I first rode the prototype a year ago and was blown away by how much better than every other scooter it was. The team has spent years developing technologies to improve and maintain its balance, and while the motor is powerful it’s not aggressive. And then there are the refinements like the centrally-mounted load hook that ensures you can carry a bag without harming stability. (It pulls double duty as a mounting point, should you need to securely lock your scooter when you’re out and about.) While it lacks active suspension, the deck has 11mm of elastomer foam to act as a shock absorber, evening out the bumps in the road.

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

The Bo M looks unlike anything else on the market, with a thick, high-strength aluminum body that seamlessly curves into its deck. Removing the ability to fold down the neck means it’s harder to stow and transport, but provides more space to craft a thicker monocoque body. Morgan mentions, several times, that Bo M is more a vehicle you can park outside your home like a car; a secure solar charging dock for your driveway is already in the works.

Compared to the prototype, the new Bo M has a thicker cowl and a taller, longer deck, but not by a lot. Its unique silhouette remains unchanged and it’s only when you look at the prototype and its successor side-by-side that you can spot the few millimeters of added heft. Inside, however, there have been so many internal changes and refinements over the last year that it’s effectively a new machine.

For instance, during an intense period of user testing in Bo’s Bristol base, the team noticed users dropped their scooters off the sidewalk and onto the road. The edge of the curb was banging against the underside of the monocoque, so the whole body was redesigned to be less prone to grind against the concrete and better able to take the stress.

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

The rest of the spec list has been re-written as well, with more powerful motors now with a peak power of 1,200W and a rated top power of 500W, the legal limit. The Bo M has a top speed of 35 kph, or around 22mph, more than enough for an e-scooter you’re going to be primarily using on your commute. Nestled in the deck is a bigger, 655Wh battery from LG Chem with the promise of 31 miles or so worth of range. Given the innumerable horror stories about hoverboards and scooters catching fire, Morgan spared no expense to avoid the risk. There are bigger wheels, now with 10-inch pneumatic tyres, more refined brakes – including the regenerative e-brake – a better throttle controller and a more refined version of Safesteer.

And as for Safesteer, Morgan and Wills were naturally cagey to go into too much detail about how it worked during my first test ride. But now, with the machine so close to launch, Morgan explained that it uses a series of opposing torsion springs to keep the hardware vertical in spite of what a rider might do. I’ve even inadvertently put this to the test: I hit a fairly massive rock and the scooter’s refusal to tip to the side helped me avoid an accident.

The one downgrade has been the death of the electrically-powered load hook that was shown in plenty of the initial concept videos. Instead, much like recessed door handles, you’ll need to flip the lock out from its position hidden in the cowl by pressing on one end. As much as the power version was cool, the beefy hinge actually helps give you the confidence that this thing won’t be easily separated from the hardware should an enterprising thief try to make off with it.

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

Bo was meant to launch at the start of 2023, and there are two reasons why it’s taken so much longer to reach users. Part of that was the usual vagaries of product development, but more so, the UK’s failure to implement a proper framework to make private e-scooter use legal. Morgan was reluctant to talk about the issue given the political sensitivities at play, but the issue clearly frustrates the country’s sizable e-scooter industry.

At present, private ownership of an e-scooter is legal, but it’s illegal to ride one on public roads. The only exception are sharing scheme scooters, which were authorized as part of a trial in a number of locations. Consequently, the UK micromobility industry hangs in limbo, issuing pleas to the country’s lame-duck government to ask for some sort of action. If nothing happens before May 2024, then even those trial operators will be required to shut up shop, too.

The extra development time has enabled the team to ensure the unit is as repairable as possible. Morgan didn’t outline specifics, but said plenty of components will be easy enough for a user to fix. It’s likely the battery and drivetrain won’t be part of that, with users instead expected to return their scooter to a trained technician for service. But Morgan outlined a vision in which users would keep hold of their Bo for tens of thousands of miles, with regular services to ensure things remained perfectly operational.

Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

A few weeks after our jaunt around London, Morgan arrived with the Bo M at my home, 110 miles north east in Norwich. We’d been speaking about my usual testing environment for mobility gear, including a hill with a 12-degree incline on one side, and a 22 degree climb on the other. On a particularly damp Thursday morning, we took the Bo M on one of my usual test runs to see if it could cover terrain that plenty of other units have failed on. To my surprise, not only did the Bo M make it up the 22 degree climb, it did so without breaking a sweat despite the fact that I’m actually heavier than the company’s specified maximum rider weight.

I’m rarely prone to evangelizing, but even before all of Bo’s refinements, I was already of the belief that Bo was category-defining. It is, I think, the first e-scooter I could see myself buying and using on a daily basis, because it’s easy and convenient and safe.

The Bo M is the first in a series of Bo scooters that will be released across the next few years, and the company has already started dropping hints about what’s to come. But, for now, the focus is on the Bo M which has entered production from today, with the earliest pre-order customers due to take ownership of their units towards the end of the year. It will then open up to general customer orders in February 2024, with the UK being the first territory available. Not long after that, however, the Bo M will be available to buy in the US, where there has already been a massive spike in interest for the scooter.

From the start, the Bo team was clear that its first products would be sold as high-end products at the top of what people might expect to pay. Brace yourself, then, when you learn that the Bo M will cost £2,249 (around $2,754) and, while I’m often the first to balk at how much stuff costs, that feels pretty reasonable. If you’re currently paying to get to work and back each day, then it’s likely that the Bo will pay itself off in a year or two, not to mention the fact that you’re driving the most advanced e-scooter on the market. And, as I said before, it can’t help but turn heads.

Huawei is moving deeper into the electric vehicle business with the help of Chery Autos and now we know when the first production model from their joint venture will arrive. Luxeed is slated to debut its coupe-style S7 in China in late November, according to the South China Morning Post.

Luxeed's blend of Huawei's tech and Chery’s manufacturing know-how could help the S7 to make a splash in an increasingly crowded EV market. There's clearly some confidence in the car too. “It will be superior to Tesla’s Model S in various aspects,” Richard Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei’s car unit, said at an event.

The EV's range, price and tech features weren't disclosed at the event, the South China Morning Post noted. However, it emerged in August that the S7 will be based on state-owned Chery’s E0X platform, which is designed for two-motor, all-wheel-drive EVs.

This isn't exactly Huawei's first foray into EVs. The company collaborated with automaker Seres to create the Aito brand (which Huawei now fully owns) in 2021. Aito's first all-electric model, the M5, arrived last year. Aito will start deliveries of its M9, a luxury electric SUV, in China in December. Huawei has also been supplying other automakers with its Huawei HI intelligent automotive solution that includes a 4D imaging radar and an autonomous driving platform.

Don't expect to see Luxeed's S7 make its way over to the US anytime soon, if ever, though. Huawei is still subject to sanctions in the country.

In a world of generic electric bikes, the JackRabbit is hard to ignore. The micro, pedal-free ride blends the convenience of a scooter with the sitdown comfort of a bicycle. We loved the original, but there was plenty of room for improvement. That room has been dramatically reduced with the unveiling of the JackRabbit XG — a newer, more powerful and slightly (just slightly) bigger version available starting today.

The XG initially looks very similar to the “OG” (as it has since been dubbed) that came before it. What you will notice is that it sports a more conventional diamond-style frame. There are also two batteries this time around for up to 20 miles of range (double the original). As mentioned earlier, the wheelbase is a shade longer, but only by an inch or two. The result is a more refined bike with not only more range but, thanks to a new 500W motor, more power for going up hills with the same 20 mph max speed.

The quality-of-life enhancements also extend beyond extra power and range. The JackRabbit XG comes with an actual bike computer so you can see real time speed, trip length and a more refined battery life gauge. Before, the only feedback you had for anything were three LEDs to indicate remaining power. Additionally, there are new all-metal footpegs, which is great as the original used rubber “shoes” on its pegs and they easily fell off — I lost both within two short rides.

The addition of the extra battery, combined with that new motor are what really makes the JackRabbit XG feel like an improvement on the original. I stated in my review that the battery life was perhaps on the shorter side and if you ever ran out of juice, like I once did, it wasn’t a very fun time getting back home on, effectively, an adult balance bike. Thankfully, with double the amount of cells, the XG now reaches up to, and maybe even beyond 20 miles of normal usage putting it well on par with what you’d expect from a scooter. (There are no pedals here, so that range is motor-only.)

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

One of the first things you noticed when you rode the original was the higher center of gravity which gave the JackRabbit a “lively” riding experience. Thankfully, the XG feels a lot more stable and doesn’t seem to feature any of the twitchy physics at higher speeds. And thanks to the three power modes, you have more control over the maximum speed (and thus range and ride feel) of the bike.

Naturally, that extra battery and longer frame add a bit of heft. The OG model weighed in at 24 pounds, while the XG adds another eight to that. You can still easily lift the bike with one hand though, and a dash up the subway stairs with it is still perfectly manageable. By keeping with the same battery as the OG, upgraders might even have some spares ready, but also the double battery bay means you can ride on just one cell if needed, or if you just fancy a lighter ride with less range. Thankfully, the batteries no longer require a key to unlock them for swapping out, with new permanent clips on the underside of the XG instead, which is much easier and saves having to carry another, easily losable, key.

Some smaller details show how the JackRabbit is maturing. For example, while the bike doesn’t come with a powered light (there are reflectors), the XG has an extra power port should you wish to add one. There’s also a front brake now to augment the rear one so you won’t have to pull a rad slide in certain strong braking situations. That said, there are a couple of other listed features that are perhaps more creative on the marketing side than practical for the user. For one there’s a “walk mode” — which typically has the bike roll itself along slowly as you stroll. But here that mode is achieved not by holding down a button to engage the throttle slightly, instead you loosen the handlebars, rotate them 90 degrees (so that the bike is “thin”) and Jackrabbit’s “walk mode” is “activated.” That said, the same process does easily allow for tidy storage of the bike.

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

It’s in the riding that the XG comes to life. The OG model would pull away when you pressed the accelerator, but the new model requires you to push off first, much like on a scooter. It’s a minor change, but one that does stop the bike pulling away from you if you accidentally activate the throttle. In “high” mode, you don’t need to push off to start moving, so if that’s what you prefer you can keep it in that setting. Having the three power modes is a welcome way of moderating battery usage without having to be as judicious with the accelerator. I won’t lie though, “high” is the most fun and that’s where I find myself keeping it now that it sports the extra range.

The OG model had a few rough edges, but was a fun alternative to scooters or small e-bikes. The XG feels much more refined and practical with all the major pain points addressed with very little tradeoff — though it’s a shade larger and heavier making it just that much less convenient than a foldable scooter. With all these changes though comes a much higher price tag. The original was $1,200 when we wrote about it but has since dropped back to $1,000. The XG will cost $1,750 at launch.

That’s a decent step up, but it bests its younger sibling in every conceivable way. That also puts it up in the same price range as many regular e-bikes. If you’re considering the XG purely as an alternative to a scooter then it’s clearly a pricier option. If, however, you want the flexibility of a bike that can perk up your daily commute and go on adventures that scooters can’t, the JackRabbit XG suddenly seems much more attractive.

Ford has announced that it's building the Mustang Mach-E Rally, an off-road version of the Mach-E with extra power, a raised suspension, Ford's new RallySport Drive Mode and more. The new model follows Volkswagen's unveiling of the ID.GTI, showing that automakers are finally focusing on enthusiast versions of their electric vehicles. 

The Mach-E features Shelby-like racing stripes on the hood, along with a black painted steel roof, upper and lower body moldings, a rear spoiler, a protective shield for the front and rear motors, a front splitter and a front fascia housing "rally-inspired fog lights," Ford wrote. It's even got a a recovery point in the front end with an included hook, in case you need to get winched out of a tough spot. 

Charlie Magee for Ford

The powertrain seems like it will be no joke either, with at least 480HP and 650 lb.-ft. of torque targeted, Ford said — equal to or greater than the Mach-E GT. Meanwhile, the Rally will be raised by 20mm compared to the Mach-E GT and fitted with specialty-tuned springs and MagneRide shocks, along with 385mm front brake rotors with red Brembo-branded calipers. As for the battery and range, it's targeting an estimated 250 mile EPA range with a 91kWh battery that can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 36 minutes on a DC fast charger. 

To aid in off-road handling, the Mustang Mach-E Rally has the first ever "RallySport Drive Mode" from Ford, allowing added yaw for bigger slides, linear throttle response and more aggressive damping when entering loose corners. It works in concert with the new tires, helping the Mach-E Rally "to perform in snow and other slick on-road conditions." Ford tested the vehicle at an all-new rally course at its Michigan proving ground, "then abused Mustang Mach-E Rally prototypes in 500-mile simulating rally-cross durability trials to make sure it lived up to their design intent," it said. 

Charlie Magee for Ford

Despite the rally trappings, the vehicle has a high-tech interior, offering Ford's latest BlueCruise hands-free driving tech (available by subscription), along with Lane Change Assist, In-Lane Repositioning and more. The interior has the same dashboard display and large control screen (with Android Auto and CarPlay support) as other Mach-Es, but adds performance seats, gloss white accents and other Rally-specific design touches. 

The Mach-E Rally makes more sense in some ways than the Mach-E GT, since the base vehicle is a crossover SUV and not a sports car. It also looks better raised up as a rally vehicle than a lowered GT, in my opinion. It's not going to tromp very lightly through nature, though, given that the curb weight is likely to be around 5,000 pounds. 

Charlie Magee for Ford

It won't be terribly cheap, either, as Ford is targeting a starting MSRP at around $65,000 in the US, with exact pricing to be revealed closer to launch. That would be the same price as as the base Mach-E GT Performance Edition — though we'll find out for sure once it goes on sale in early 2024.

Tesla's refreshed Model 3 has finally gone on sale in China, Europe and elsewhere after leaking out here and there over the last year. It has a mild redesign, more range and an updated interior with new materials — along with a higher price tag in some regions. It's supposed to start shipping in Europe next month, and US buyers could see it on the company's ordering website soon. 

In a tweet from Tesla Europe, the company posted pictures showing the styling changes, particularly in the front end, which is sleeker and less bulbous than before. That in turn helps it travel farther on a charge. 

"Go up to 629 km (390 miles) on a single charge with updated exterior styling optimized for max aerodynamics," a caption reads. That's based on Europe's WLTP range, though, which equates to 10-12 percent better range compared to the previous model. Given the 272 mile/333 mile EPA range of the current base/long range Model 3, that means US range could rise to about 300 miles/365 miles. 

Tesla

Tesla is also promising "more refined & relaxed ride quality, thanks to a combination of a stiffer body & updated suspension tuning." Two new colors (ultra red & stealth grey) are on offer for €2,000 over the base white color, and are designed to change subtly based on viewing angle and lighting. 

The interior has been refreshed as well (with physical controls still nowhere to be seen). Tesla is promising "more sophisticated materials, ventilated seats & customizable ambient lighting," along with a rear touchscreen that gives entertainment and climate controls to backseat riders. Meanwhile, the the main touchscreen has more usable screen space thanks to the smaller bezels, and also "brighter, higher contrast & more responsive," Tesla wrote. 

Tesla

The Model 3 was already relatively quiet, but its silent electric operation also makes every exterior noise more pronounced. To that end, the new version has "360 degree acoustic glass [that] ensures silence inside the cabin no matter what's happening around you" with significantly less road and wind noise, Tesla promised. It also comes with a better sound system that now has up to 17 speakers, dual subwoofers and dual amplifiers. "Obviously goes to 11," Tesla said (read that in Elon Musk's voice). 

Tesla has already made significant updates to the Model 3 since it was first released in 2018 (via firmware updates and minor physical changes), but the new version appears to make it more sophisticated and efficient — likely in response to polished EVs from Kia, Mercedes and others. It may also make the Model 3 cheaper to produce, according to rumors from last year. 

However, the new Model 3 could cost more when it arrives in the US. In China, the base model is now around $35,800, or 12 percent more than the previous version, according to The Wall Street Journal. At the same time, the base model is the same price in Norway, but the long range version is about $950 more. As mentioned, Tesla's configurators are now live in Europe, with deliveries expected in October — and it should arrive in the US soon. 

Mercedes-Benz is launching its high-power charging hub network in the fourth quarter of 2023 with speeds as high as 400kW — more than any EV on the market can handle, the company announced. The stations will launch in Atlanta, Georgia (the company's US home base), Chengdu, China and Mannheim, Germany. The automaker plans to build 400 hub locations with 2,000 chargers in the US, and 2,000 around the world by the end of 2024.

Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz announced plans to team with ChargePoint to build the "Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging Network." The first installations were to include both CCS and Tesla's NACS (North American Charging Standard) connectors and be open to non-Mercedes EVs. 

Now, the company has said that "depending on region, the charging stations offer a charging rate of currently up to 400kW, provided via the respective standard charging systems CCS1 (North America), CCS2 [Europe], NACS [Tesla] and GB/T [China]." It promised that each vehicle can be charged at its maximum power rating via intelligent charging management, to keep wait times to a minimum. Hubs will be located at "main traffic areas and select Mercedes-Benz dealerships," the company added.

Last month, Mercedes said it would adopt NACS for its North American EVs. Prior to that, it will give owners access to the Tesla Supercharger network through a CCS-to-NACS adapter arriving in 2024 (Tesla currently has around 1,847 Supercharger stations in the US with 20,040 Supercharger ports — nearly two-thirds of all DC Fast EV charging ports). 

Mercedes-Benz's deal with Tesla is independent of its own branded charging network. Last month, the company announced plans to team up with six other automakers including BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Stellantis to create a network of 30,000 new EV fast-charging stations across North America starting in summer 2024. Those will also offer both CCS and NACS connectors.

Since it hit the roads last year, the Platinum edition has been Ford’s top-spec trim for the F-150 Lightning. But sometime in early 2024, Ford is releasing the first “buzz” vehicle for its electric truck which boasts an all-new color scheme that transforms the company’s flagship heavy-duty EV into a truly menacing (but still stylish) machine.

Limited to a run of just 2,000 vehicles with individually numbered badges, even though the Platinum Black edition is largely an appearance pack, it gives off a very different vibe than a regular model. The biggest change is the use of a matte black exterior wrap, which Ford says is the first of its kind on any of its production vehicles. However, the commitment to a new color scheme doesn’t stop there, because Ford tweaked a ton of little elements to drive the design home.

In front, Ford smoked out the Platinum Black’s headlights to add a little extra drama. The company also updated basically all of the truck's badges, eliminating the blue background on the traditional Ford emblem along with the blue detailing on the Lightning logo on the bed, the tailgate and elsewhere. One small but notable design change from the standard model is that on the Platinum Black, Ford also got rid of the fake charging port on the right side of the vehicle, which is something I can get behind. If we can all agree that EVs don’t need fake grilles in front, that’s a pretty logical next step. After all, most ICE cars don’t bother adding faux gas covers for the sake of symmetry, so EVs shouldn’t either.

Some small departures to Ford’s matte color scheme are the use of glossy Agate Black paint on the side mirrors, door handles and running boards, which hide fingerprints better than flat black. Meanwhile on the inside, the F-150 Platinum Black features Nirvana black upholstery (with heated and cooled seats), which is exclusive to this trim. But what really completes the look is the Platinum Black’s wheels which, as you’ve probably guessed, are also matte black including their matching black lug nuts.

The rest of the car shares the same underlying tech and features as the standard Platinum model, which includes upgraded motors that deliver 580 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque along with Ford’s extended battery that provides up to 300 miles of range. You also get the 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system, premium 18-speaker B&O sound system, support for Ford’s Blue Cruise hands-free highway driving feature and more.

The only real downside is that in addition to being limited to just 2,000 vehicles, the new top-spec version of Ford’s flagship EV truck also commands a very premium price of $97,995. But if you have the funds and want to try to put your name down on the order sheet, you’re going to have to pay close attention to Ford’s website when pre-orders for the Platinum Black F-150 Lightning go live sometime later this year.

A Tesla data breach earlier this year affecting more than 75,000 people was caused by "insider wrongdoing," according to a notification on Maine's Attorney General website. The 75,735 people impacted were likely current or former Tesla employees. "While we have not identified evidence of misuse of the data in a manner that may cause harm to you, we are nonetheless providing you with this notice to ensure that you are aware of what happened and the measures we have taken," the company wrote in a letter to employees.

The breach occurred on May 10th, when the German-language newspaper Handelsblatt said it received 100GB of data from "several informants" within Tesla. The "Tesla files" reportedly contained 23,000 internal files, containing 2,400 reports of self-acceleration issue and 1,500 cases of braking function problems. The latter included 139 complaints about unintentional emergency braking and 383 incidences of phantom stops from false collision warnings. 

In the employee letter, Tesla provided more information about the incident, confirming the May 10 breach date and that Handelsblatt had obtained Tesla confidential information. "The investigation revealed that two former Tesla employees misappropriated the information in violation of Tesla’s IT security and data protection policies and shared it with the media outlet." 

The data also included employee names and contact information including physical addresses, email addresses and mobile phone numbers. "The outlet has stated that it does not intend to publish the personal information, and in any event, is legally prohibited from using it inappropriately," Tesla stated. It added that several lawsuits resulted in the seizure of devices thought to carry the data, and that it had "obtained court orders that prohibit the former employees from further use, access, or dissemination of the data."

Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into Tesla's phantom braking issue following owner complaints. And in August 2022, it was reported that Tesla is facing a class-action lawsuit over the same problem.