A company backed by Jeff Bezos, Slate Auto, just came out of stealth mode to unveil its first EV, and it's incredibly interesting. The Slate Pickup is a tiny and boxy, almost Kei-like truck that will be sold in a barebones configuration for as little as $27,500, or $20,000 with the Federal US tax credit. That would make it one of the cheapest EVs available, but there is a catch: it doesn't come with a stereo, touchscreen or even paint options, and the 150 mile range makes it more of an urban runner than a cross country machine. 

A good analogy to the Slate Pickup is a home-built PC that comes with the basics but can then be infinitely customized. For the entry-level model (the "Blank Slate"), you get two seats, a bed large enough to hold a sheet of plywood, plastic composite body panels and any paint color you like, as long as it's grey. Curb weight is 3,500 pounds and it's 25-inches shorter than a Ford Maverick. There's no infotainment system, just a universal phone mount and USB power. Power windows? Heck no, it comes standard with crank opening (it does have AC though). And with just a 52.7 kWh battery, range is limited to 150 miles, though it does support 150kW fast charging. 

With that as a base, you can start expanding into DIY territory with more than 100 available accessories. Want more passengers? Choose from two SUV options and you'll be able to seat up to five, or go for the open air kit. Those are delivered in a flat pack and designed to be user-installed.

If you want a color scheme that better reflects your personality, get a wrap and decals. There are a number of exterior options, like a spare tire carrier, rear and front bumper upgrades, fender flares, running boards, a lift kit and tower rack lighting. Inside, you can add small or large screens, speakers and yes, a power window kit. The pickup also comes with "Slate access points" that will support future and even homemade accessories. 

The battery pack can also be expanded to 84.3 kWh for a target range of 240 miles. With the standard battery, the company says you'll be able to charge to 80 percent in 30 minutes at 120kW using the fast charger. Power is limited compared to other EVs at 201 HP and 195 pound feet of torque, giving the Slate Pickup a 0-60 MPH time of 8.0 seconds and top speed of 90 mph (estimated). 

Slate Auto

Where most automakers try to max out a vehicle's features, Slate is banking on a subset of buyers that don't care about, say, self-driving but do enjoy DIY personalization. In its video, the company points out that it took out everything "that wasn't a car" like "a fancy screen, colored lighting, cooled seats, self driving, self parking and automated cup holders." However, it will still comply with Federal safety standards for 2027 as it will be equipped with features like automatic emergency braking and a standard backup camera (with view displayed on the dash since there's no touchscreen). 

It remains to be seen if there's a big enough market for such buyers, but the Slate Pickup is certainly affordable. The company is promising you'll pay under $20,000 for the base model if you include federal tax credits (which Trump could kill at any time, by the way) thanks to its direct, Tesla-like sales model. If you're interested, refundable vehicle reservations are now open at $50 at slate.auto. 

Tesla is no stranger to safety issue recalls, and now there's another to add to its list. The company is recalling 125,227 vehicles due to a problem with the seat belt warning system, Reuters reports. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the driver could be unbuckled, and the warning light and chime still might not activate. This malfunction violates federal safety requirements and could increase a person's injury risk. 

The affected models span the last decade, comprising some of the 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. To fix the issue, Tesla will change the sensor from depending on seat weight to whether the buckle is plugged in and the car is turned on. An over-the-air update should begin in June. 

Tesla notably recalled over two million vehicles in December following Autopilot safety issues and a two-year NHTSA investigation. More recalls followed earlier this year: In January, Tesla recalled 200,000 Model S, X and Y vehicles from 2023 due to a software issue that prevented the backup camera from working when the car is in reverse (so the exact time it's needed). The included vehicles comprised over 10 percent of the company's 2023 output. Tesla also recalled 3,878 Cybertrucks in April after discovering that an accelerator pad could get loose. 

Volkswagen has delayed the launch of its ID.7 sedan in the US and Canada. Before Wednesday’s indefinite postponement, the automaker had slated the EV’s North American launch for this year. The ID.7, which was set to be Volkswagen’s first electric sedan in the US, has seen high demand in Europe, where it arrived last year.

“As market dynamics continue to change, Volkswagen is delaying the introduction of the ID.7 sedan in the U.S. and Canada,” the automaker wrote in a press release announcing the delay. Volkswagen added that its Microbus is still slated for a Q4 2025 stateside arrival. The company also touted in its press release how well its electric SUVs did in North America during Q1 2024.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen confirmed to Engadget sister site Autoblog that it doesn’t currently have a new timeline for the delayed ID.7 in North America, not an encouraging sign for folks who were eagerly waiting for the sedan. The Verge notes that the model would fill a gap in the American electric industry’s offerings: a decently affordable electric sedan. Right now, most non-SUV electric vehicles in the American market sit on the high end of the pricing spectrum, starting at around $70,000.

The European ID.7 is an “upper mid-size” EV sedan that merges a powerful and efficient 282-hp motor with a 77-kWh battery. Rated for around 300 miles of range, it was expected to start at around $50,000 in the US.

Volvo and Aurora have unveiled their first production autonomous truck, three years after the companies initially announced that they were teaming up. They've just showed off the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck, which was designed by autonomous trucking and robotaxi company Aurora but will be manufactured by Volvo, at ACT Expo in Las Vegas. 

It's powered by Aurora Driver, a level 4 autonomous driving system that uses high-resolution cameras, imaging radars, a LiDAR sensor that can detect objects up to 400 meters away and even more sensors. Aurora's technology has driven billions of virtual miles for training, as well as 1.5 million commercial miles on actual public roads. For safety purposes, the truck has "redundant steering, braking, communication, computation, power management, energy storage and vehicle motion management systems."

According to TechCrunch, the vehicle will still have a human driver behind the wheel to take over whenever needed when it starts ferrying cargo across North America over the next few months. An Aurora spokesperson told the publication that it will be announcing pilot programs with its clients that are planning to use Volvo's truck sometime later this year. It didn't name any companies, but the startup previously ran pilot programs with FedEx and Uber Freight. 

The autonomous vehicle company also intends to deploy 20 fully driverless trucks between Dallas and Houston soon, but it's unclear if this inaugural fleet of driverless vehicles will be comprised of Volvo's trucks or of its other manufacturing partners'. The companies did say at the Las Vegas event, though, that Volvo has already started manufacturing a test fleet of the VNL Autonomous truck at its New River Valley assembly facility in Virginia. Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, called this truck the "first of [the company's] standardized global autonomous technology platform." Jaeger added that it will enable Volvo "to introduce additional models in the future."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just announced new federal safety standards for automobiles. These standards include a mandate for advanced automatic braking systems for all new cars, which manufacturers must comply with by 2029. That’s just five years out.

This applies to all passenger cars and light trucks under 10,000 pounds. The automatic emergency braking systems must be able to bring a car traveling up to 62 MPH to a complete stop while avoiding a collision. These systems will also have to account for oncoming pedestrians at speeds up to 45 MPH in both daytime and nighttime conditions.

Automatic emergency brakes use a bevy of sensors, lasers and cameras to detect collisions. When a crash is imminent, the system brakes on its own or applies brake assist to help the driver quickly and safely come to a stop. It’s worth noting that manufacturers already include these systems in 90 percent of new cars, according to reporting by The New York Times, but many of these tools don’t meet the MPH thresholds as mentioned above. The NHTSA says that most manufacturers should be able to meet these requirements with software updates. 

The federal agency estimates that these new rules will prevent over 360 road deaths per year and should reduce the severity of more than 24,000 injuries. It’s also expected to save people a lot of money on property damage costs. Cathy Chase, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, told The Washington Post that the new rules were a “major victory for all consumers and public safety.” There were over 41,000 automobile-related deaths in the US in 2023 alone, and that’s actually a slight decrease from the previous year.

The actual auto industry, however, isn’t quite as bullish about the mandate. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobbying group that works on behalf of auto manufacturers, has urged the NHTSA to consider other options. One major suggestion is to lower the speed threshold in certain cases, as the group stated that “significant hardware and software changes will be needed to achieve a level of performance that no production vehicle can currently achieve.”

To that end, tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicate that these systems will likely require major overhauls to adequately comply with the mandate. The research group says it tested crash avoidance systems on 10 small SUVs at speeds up to 43 MPH, and many failed to stop in time to avoid a crash in the most difficult testing scenarios. The Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V performed best, for those in the market. 

Heavy-duty vehicles, like larger trucks, could be getting their own mandate in the near future. The NHTSA is currently working with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a truck safety agency, to draw up similar standards for chonky vehicles.

Back in 2022, Mercedes-Benz announced that it was going to release an electric G-Class by the end of 2024. Now, the automaker has formally introduced the electrified version of its iconic luxury vehicle that's known for its exclusivity. The Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology comes equipped with a 116 kWh lithium-ion battery that gives it enough energy to run for up to 473 kilometers (294 miles) on a single charge. It also has a maximum total output of 432 kW and a maximum torque of 1,164 Nm.

The electric model looks pretty much like the gas-powered G-Class, with its sharp angles and its distinctive door handles, grilles and round headlights. Mercedes offers optional lighting exclusive to the EQ version of the vehicle, though, so you can change its looks and give it a design that's considerably different from a standard G-Class. The vehicle is powered by four electric motors located near each wheel and has several modes for off-road use: G-TURN, which will allow you to turn the vehicle almost on the spot, G-STEERING, which could eliminate the need for multi-point turns, and the intelligent off-road crawl function that provides cruise control for off-road drives. 

Mercedes-Benz made sure the vehicle's battery is ready for off-road journeys, as well, and encased it in a torsion-resistant casing that protects it from water and dirt. Since the vehicle can be driven in up to 33.5 inches of water, the battery definitely needs that kind of protection. It can charge with both alternating current and direct current, and when plugged into a fast-charging DC system, it can go from 10 to 80 percent in just 32 minutes. The G-Class can convert kinetic energy into electrical energy when you coast or hit the brakes, as well. 

EDITION ONE, the G-Class with EQ Technology coming out at launch later this year, will have an "an expanded palette of standard features." A company spokesperson told TechCrunch that a range-extended version with a battery that uses a more energy-dense silicon-anode technology from Mercedes' partner Silas will also be available in the next few years.

Rivian will give you up to around $5,470 in discount if you trade in an eligible gas-powered truck or SUV when you purchase or lease a qualifying R1 electric vehicle package in the US and Canada. As an "Electric Upgrade Offer" for Earth Day, Rivian said it will accept 2018 or newer Ford F-150, Explorer, Expedition and Bronco (excluding Bronco Sport) vehicles, as well as 2018 or newer Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander and 4Runner vehicles for trade in. You can also trade in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Wrangler or Gladiator from the same model years. Rivian will take a 2018 or newer Audi Q5, Q7 and Q8 and a BMW X3, X5 and X7, as well. 

As you can see, some of those models are incredibly popular gas vehicles, like the Ford F-150, as the company is likely hoping to appeal to a wide range of people who may be considering switching to electric. Of course, the amount you get will depend on your vehicle and its condition, which means you could get more if you sell it yourself. In addition, the discount will only apply to specific R1T truck and R1S SUV packs at amounts that range from CAD$1,000 ($730) to CAD$7,500 ($5,470). You'll also still have to put in a $1,000 non-refundable deposit to reserve the configuration you choose, and you must be able to accept a delivery between April 22 and June 30.

As TechCrunch notes, Rivian launched the promo at a time when there's lower demand for electric vehicles, especially for more expensive premium models. Other automakers recently introduced discounts of their own — Tesla, for instance, shaved $2,000 off the starting prices of the Model Y, Model X and Model S. It's also ending its referral program on April 30 and is making its Full-Self Driving software $4,000 cheaper. If you do trade in an eligible gas vehicle to buy an R1, you'll also be able to charge your new EV at all Rivian Adventure Network sites for free for one year.

Tesla has reduced the price of its Full Self-Driving software in the US and Canada. Per a post from the company on X, it now costs $8,000 in the US (or $11,000 for buyers in Canada) to add the so-called Full Self-Driving Capability. This is down from $12,000 ($16,000 CAD), according to Electrek, which also reports that Tesla has discontinued the $6,000 Enhanced Autopilot option. Current owners with that package can upgrade to FSD for $2,000.

Tesla’s driver assistance features have been under scrutiny from regulators for years, and despite the name, Full Self-Driving isn’t meant to fully take over for a human driver at this stage. On its website, Tesla notes that current FSD features “require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.” In March, the company reportedly introduced a mandate requiring its staff to give buyers a demonstration of FSD before they’re able to take home their new cars, so they can see what the software has to offer.

The latest price drop comes a few days after Tesla slashed the monthly cost of its subscription for FSD — which it has recently been referring to as Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The subscription, which previously cost $199/month, now goes for $99/month. Tesla also cut the starting prices of its Model Y, X and S vehicles this weekend by $2,000 each. Earlier this month, Tesla reported that its vehicle deliveries for Q1 2024 fell short of expectations, with an eight percent drop year-over-year.

Another round of price cuts has shaved $2,000 off the starting prices of Tesla’s Model Y, Model X and Model S for buyers in the US. The company’s North America branch posted on X about the change Friday night, at the same time announcing that Tesla is ditching its referral program benefits in all markets. According to Tesla, the “current referral program benefits will end after April 30.”

Tesla’s Model Y now starts at $42,990 for the rear-wheel drive base model, $47,990 for the Model Y Long Range or $51,490 for the Model Y Performance. The base Model S has dropped to $72,990 while the Model S Plaid now starts at $87,990. The Model X starts at $77,990 (base) or $92,990 (Plaid). The changes come during a rocky few weeks for the company, which just issued a recall for Cybertrucks over possible issues with the accelerator pedal, reportedly laid off 10 percent of its employees and reported a decline in deliveries for the first quarter.

Mercedes-Benz has released a preview of its 2025 EQS electric vehicle model that comes with a new grille design featuring chrome slats against a deep black background along with a standing star on its hood. With just those changes, the upcoming EQS more clearly resembles Benz's S-Class vehicles, its counterpart in the automaker's non-EV lineup, than its predecessor does. In addition to the more traditional Benz look and upgrades that make its seats more comfortable, the 2025 EQS will also come with a larger battery. 

Its new battery has a larger usable capacity of 118 kWh, compared to the older model's 108.4 kWh. Of course, the higher the kWh, the longer an EV's range is — the first EQS had an EPA-estimated 350 mile-range, so expect Mercedes to announce a longer range than that. The 2025 EQS will feature new regenerative braking software that the automaker says can recover more energy for use, as well. That will also contribute to a longer range, lesser use of the car's brake discs and a better pedal feel. 

The automaker hasn't announced how much the model would cost yet, but prices will likely start at $100,000-plus when it arrives at US dealerships later this year.