Fisker recently unveiled the Alaska electric pickup with a starting price of $45,400, one of the least expensive models out there. Now, the company has revealed more details about it including battery sizes, acceleration, projected range and more. On top of that, the Alaska may become the truck for wannabe ranchers thanks to features like a cupholder for humungous drinks, an expandable bed and yes, a purpose-built spot for your cowboy hat. 

The Alaska will come with either a 75 kWh or 113 kWh battery pack, offering a range of 230 or 340 miles, respectively. There's no mention of horsepower or drivetrain, but those things will vary across model versions. In any case, it'll accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in as little as 3.9 seconds for the most powerful version, or 7.2 seconds for the economy model. Fisker also claims that the Alaska will be the world's lightest electric truck — that's a good thing as some pickup EVs are very, very heavy. 

Fisker Inc.

Fisker is trying to tempt buyers with "the world's largest" big gulp cupholder, shown holding what looks like at least a couple quarts of liquid, allowing serious cattlemen to properly hydrate. It'll also come with a "cowboy hat holder, cockpit storage for work gloves, a large center armrest with storage for flashlights and pens, and a passenger tray with a tablet holder," Fisker wrote. 

Fisker Inc.

As for the bed, it features a "Houdini partition" behind the rear seats that can be raised or lowered electronically and protected by a flip-up panel. That allows the bed to be expanded from 4.5 to 7.5 feet, and with the liftgate dropped and rear seats lowered, you can get up to 9.2 feet of space. It's the same scheme used by the similar-looking Chevy Silverado, which expands from 5.9 to 10.8 feet. The gallery also shows a large center display, wood-colored trim and stitched leather-like seats, but no other interior details. 

Fisker Inc.

The Alaska is supposed to go into production in early 2025 (treat the dates and prices skeptically given the company's past delays and price bumps). It's likely to feature Tesla's proprietary NACS charging connector as Fisker just announced plans to switch to the Tesla connector for its North American vehicles — much as other manufacturers including Ford, Mercedes and Volvo have done. 

Tesla has quietly launched new Model S and Model X vehicles that are slightly more affordable than their base and Plaid counterparts. The automaker has listed these new offerings as "Standard Range" variants, which are scheduled for delivery in the US sometime in September to October this year. A Model S Standard Range will set buyers back $78,490, while the standard Model X is listed for $88,490. Both prices don't include any savings buyers might get after EV tax credits applicable for their location. 

Both prices are also $10,000 less than the base Model S and Model X vehicles. The new EVs, however, have shorter ranges than the other versions in their line: In the case of Model S, the new option has a range of 320 miles, while the base variant can last for over 80 miles longer with its 405-mile range. It also takes 3.7 seconds for new EV to accelerate from zero to 60 mph, whereas it takes 3.1 seconds for the base version to achieve the same speed. Meanwhile, the new Model X has a range of 269 miles, which is definitely shorter than the base variant's 348 miles. It takes the new Model X 4.4 seconds to reach 60mph, longer than the 3.8 seconds it takes the base version. 

Tesla

As Electrek noted when it noticed the presence of Standard Range vehicles on Tesla's website, it's not clear if the automaker is making battery packs especially for these releases or if it's merely software-locking packs for its EVs with longer ranges. If it's the latter, then Tesla might give customers the opportunity to unlock longer ranges in the future if they're willing to pay for it. The new Standard Range EVs are available for the aforementioned prices in Pearl White with an all-black interior, along with standard wheels and steering wheel. Buyers will have to pay extra for other colors, customizations, and, of course, for Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot ($6,000) and Full Self-Driving Capability ($15,000) features. 

Tesla is giving current customers the option to transfer Full Self-Driving to a newly purchased vehicle for free at the moment. That said, they can only take advantage of this one-time amnesty if they take delivery of a new EV between July 20th and September 30th, 2023. Seeing as the new Standard Range vehicles could be delivered after September, buyers should be aware that they might have to pay for FSD again even if they already have it in their current Tesla EV.

Ford announced today that it’s expanding the availability of its BlueCruise hands-free driving tech. Previously, customers had to decide whether to add the option on available models at purchase — and that decision was final. Now, the service will be installed as standard on all supported vehicles. In addition to enabling it at purchase, owners can add the service later or only activate it for months when needed (like for road trips).

You’ll still have the option of buying the feature at purchase and folding it into your financing. However, you can now also subscribe to access annually or monthly at any point after that. BlueCruise costs $2,100 at purchase (for three years), while annual subscriptions cost $800 and monthly subscriptions $75. Ford also offers a 90-day free trial if you choose not to set it up at purchase.

The automaker expects to install BlueCruise on 500,000 vehicles in North America for the 2024 model year. That’s a significant ramp-up since it’s currently only installed on less than half of that: 225,000, according to Ford.

The service’s changes will also apply to Lincolns. The 2024 Navigator and Nautilus lines and “select trims” of the Lincoln Corsair will come equipped with BlueCruise. The $800 annual and $75 monthly pricing is the same for Lincoln models.

Ford says the tech’s upcoming version, BlueCruise 1.3, will enhance performance when driving around curves and narrow lanes. The company says v1.3 lets you keep your hands off the wheel longer. “Based on our internal testing, BlueCruise 1.3 stayed engaged in hands-free mode for an average of 5X longer compared to BlueCruise 1.0, the first version of BlueCruise,” the automaker said. The 1.2 software, rolled out earlier this year, added hands-free lane changes, in-lane repositioning and predictive speed assist. The company is serious about AI-assisted driving: It created an automated-driving subsidiary earlier this year to push toward a more machine-driven future.

At its Product Vision event in California, Fisker unveiled no less than three EVs and also announced pricing and more details of the previously teased Ronin. The new models include the Alaska electric pickup, Pear EV priced at $29,900 before incentives and the Force E, a rugged off-road version of the Ocean. 

First on the docket, however, is the Ronin — a four-door supercar EV that the company teased last month. Fisker previously showed only a brief glimpse of it, promising a 600 mile range and sub-$200,000 price tag. Now, the company has unveiled it in full on the outside only (no interior shots), but CEO Henrik Fisker is still being guarded about the technology — and the price has roared way past its previous estimate.

Mike Blake / reuters

Fisker said it'll hit 60 MPH in under 2.0 seconds thanks to three electric motors delivering 1,000 horsepower via an all-wheel drive setup. As for the battery back, "we are looking to integrate the cells into the structure of the body and that will give us our goal of getting to 600 miles of range," Fisker said in a not-exactly-definitive statement. The company is giving itself some time to get there, though, citing a delivery window near the end of 2025. 

The price, though, is a shocker. Fisker didn't mention it at the event, but a new reservation page says the Ronin will start at "$385,000 before any incentives," or nearly double what the company originally mentioned. Luckily, interested parties will only need to put down a $2,000 deposit which is just 0.5 percent of the purchase price. 

Mike Blake / reuters

The most interesting vehicle is the Alaska electric pickup. It's based on the Ocean (and built on the same platform), but has a pickup truck bed and midgate that lowers to extend the bed into the cabin — allowing it to haul longer cargo than the shortish bed would suggest. That's much like Chevy's new Silverado EV, which it strikingly resembles. 

The Alaska will start at $45,400 (it will be US-built and qualify for EV incentives) with a range of around 230 miles between charges, less than the Ocean. However, the company is promising a more expensive model that can go up to 340 miles between charges. Because it's based around the Ocean which is now in production, the company expects it to go on sale as early as December 2024 — sooner than the Pear or Ronin. Henrik Fisker is much better at designing vehicles than estimating prices and production schedules, though, so take all those numbers and dates with a large grain of salt. 

Mike Blake / reuters

The Pear electric crossover will be Fisker's budget offering, coming in at under $30,000 with all-wheel drive, dual motors and range of about 300 miles. While just a bit smaller than the Ocean, it will be built on a new platform that allows a 35 percent reduction in parts and thus a lower price. It will come in five- or six-seat layouts (the latter via a front bench seat), and offers what looks like an attractive but basic interior for the price.

Other touches include a "Houdini Trunk" lift gate designed to simplify cargo loading, along with a frunk (or "froot" in Fisker's nomenclature). It also offers LED lighting and a "lounge mode" that lets you move the seats around to maximize comfort. Fisker plans to build the Pear at Foxconn's Lordstown plant so it's eligible for tax incentives, with production estimated around mid-2025. Again, treat those price and production estimates skeptically. 

Mike Blake / reuters

Finally, Fisker unveiled the Force E, an offroad/adventure version of the Ocean. It comes with 33-inch off-road tires and 21-inch aluminum wheels, along with a large roof rack and wide fenders. It offers more ground clearance, front, rear and underbody skid plates, and improved offroad handling. The package is available to new buyers, but existing Ocean owners can also upgrade their vehicles, It's set to arrive in Q1 2024, with pricing to be announced around then. 

Acura, Honda's luxury and performance vehicle brand, has released a teaser for its first electric vehicle. It doesn't really show much of the the all-electric 2024 ZDX — it's just a silhouette of the car with an illuminated grille in the shadows — but it comes with the announcement that the EV is set to debut on August 17th during the Monterey Car Week. 

The 2024 ZDX was designed at the Acura Design Studio in Southern California, and it retains some of the external elements the company used for the Precision EV Concept it showed off during the same event last year. It's based on GM's Ultium battery platform and could perhaps be one of the few, or the only, Acura models to use the modular EV architecture. Honda previously said that future EVs will use its in-house e:Architecture platform instead, with the first models based on it slated for release in 2025. 

Acura announced back in June that the ZDX will come with built-in Android Auto and other Google products. Owners will have access to an enhanced version of Google Maps, which can plan optimized routes with charging stations along the way and can estimate the charging time required to reach their destination. They'll also have access to Google Assistant for hands-free controls, as well as to Google Play, so they can download third-party apps to their infotainment system. Acura revealed last month that the EV will be equipped with a Bang & Olufsen audio system, as well. 

The automaker will exclusively sell the ZDX and ZDX Type S performance EVs online starting early next year. Emile Korkor, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales, said the ZDX Type S will be "the most powerful and quickest accelerating SUV in the brand's history."

Ford has resumed F-150 Lightning production after a retooling period. Following a six-week shutdown to expand and prep the plant for quicker turnarounds and higher output, the automaker has reopened its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan. That should help Ford meet the demand for the popular EV after its recent $10,000 price drop spurred a sixfold spike in orders.

Starting this fall, the automaker says the Dearborn plant can produce the F-150 Lightning at an annualized rate of 150,000 units — triple its previous output. Although it will still fall well short of that number this year due to the shutdown and slower speeds pre-revamp (it estimates 70,000+ units for 2023), the company expects the production spike to make waiting times less of a headache. Ford recently adjusted expectations, bumping back its estimated date for reaching its goal of 600,000 total EVs produced to sometime in 2024 from its original 2023 target date.

Ford

Ford says the factory’s improved capacity will also help it to offer more popular trim levels like XLT. In addition, Lightning Pro units are now available through retail channels, and “new trim levels are set to join the lineup soon.”

Part of the plant’s output boost will come from new equipment. The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center now has machines to “automatically measure and validate exterior body fit for margin and flushness precision,” a first for Ford’s North American plants. The factory also has an extra station to validate wheel alignment and headlamp aim for driver-assist tech. In addition, the plant now employs 1,200 new workers, a likely boon for productivity and the Detroit-area economy.

Ford says it’s also increasing output at its nearby Rawsonville Components Plant and Van Dyke (Mich.) Electric Powertrain Center. The automaker expects battery pack and EV power units to “match the scale of F-150 Lightning assembly at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.” 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla following a dozen reports about 2023 model year Model 3 and Model Y vehicles encountering steering issues. The agency opened a preliminary evaluation (PE) after drivers claimed they were either unable to steer their vehicle or that they suffered a loss of power steering.

"Five reports indicate an inability to steer the vehicle. Seven additional reports cite loss of power steering resulting in increased effort to control the vehicle," the NHTSA said. "A PE has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, manufacturing processes and severity associated with this condition."

No deaths or injuries were reported in connection with these incidents, as Electrek notes, but one led to a crash or fire. Some 280,000 vehicles are included in the scope of the investigation, which could result in a recall. Tesla doesn't have a communications department that can be reached for comment.

This is hardly the first time that the NHTSA has looked into Tesla safety issues. In March, the agency opened a separate investigation following reports of steering wheels falling off while Model Y vehicles were on the road. The company has also caught the attention of the Department of Justice. In January, Tesla confirmed that the DOJ requested documents related to Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.

Meanwhile, last month, Tesla issued a voluntary recall for more than 1,300 Model S, X and Y vehicles it built this year due to misaligned cameras. The company said the issue "may cause certain active safety features to be unavailable, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning and lane keeping assist, without alerting the driver to their unavailability."

Mazda's MX-30 is a strange EV, and it appears the company knows this. The automaker is pulling the small crossover from the US market after the 2023 model year. The company says it's currently focused on "large platform" plug-in hybrids like the CX-70 and CX-90, and also offers conventional hybrids like the CX-50.

The MX-30 is Mazda's first and only mass-produced EV to date, and it came to the country in fall 2021 as a California-only model. From the start, its prospects were limited by a number of unusual business decisions. On top of its small size, it had just a 35.5kWh battery with an estimated 100-mile range. This was supposed to make it feel more like a gas car and limit the car's CO2 footprint, but the net result was a car that was both less exciting to drive and less practical than competing EVs costing significantly less than Mazda's $35,385 sticker. The outgoing current-gen Chevy Bolt costs $9,000 less while delivering more performance and over twice the range.

Sales were accordingly poor. Mazda has sold just 571 MX-30 units in the US over three years. In some countries, the company has reworked the machine as a plug-in hybrid with a rotary gas engine and an estimated 53 miles of electric-only driving.

Mazda is rethinking its EV strategy. It plans to introduce cars based on both an existing platform as well as a new framework. There are claims the company might use a future Toyota platform expected to deliver over 600 miles on a charge. The MX-30 discontinuation isn't the end, in other words — rather, it's an acknowledgment that the company needs to be more competitive.

The move is also a reflection of Japanese brands' general trouble entering the EV market. Honda might not replace its E compact car, and is refocusing on SUVs like next year's Prologue as well as its collaboration with Sony. Toyota and Subaru, meanwhile, had problems launching the bZ4x SUV crossover and its Solterra equivalent. For now, they largely have to rely on hybrids to attract buyers.

As we slowly shift towards electric vehicles, there’s a growing number of big, fancy battery-powered SUVs. However, for those looking for something smaller, the options are a lot more limited. But with the upcoming EX30, Volvo has created a compact electric SUV with a ton of premium features and a surprisingly affordable price. After getting to check one out in person at its North American debut, it’s clear we need more electric vehicles like this in the market.

Due out sometime in the summer of 2024, a base EX30 will start at just $35,000 for a single-motor setup with around 275 miles of range. Granted, that’s a bit more than a gas-powered alternative like a Honda CR-V (which starts at just under $30,000) or a Subaru Crosstrek (around $25,000). But when you consider the average price of a new electric vehicle is over $53,000, Volvo is definitely helping make EVs a bit more affordable.

On top of that, a base EX30 appears to be well-equipped, with Volvo including things like a 12.3-inch touchscreen based on Android Automotive (with support for wireless Apple CarPlay), cyclist detection, Pilot Assist and rear passenger detection as standard. And as you’d expect from Volvo, you get a very Scandinavian minimalist interior made from a range of recycled and sustainable materials. Now some may take issue with a few of the components Volvo is using like the speckled panels on the dash – which kind of remind me of a fancy gym mat. But in a car sporting a slick modern design, I think it works.

That said, if you don’t mind spending a bit more, the EX30 is also available with an upgraded dual-motor all-wheel-drive configuration that boasts a 0 to 60 time of just 3.4 seconds. Not only does that make the EX30 faster than bigger and more expensive electric SUVs like a Tesla Model Y Performance, it’s also the fastest Volvo ever (across both electric and ICE vehicles).

The EX30 feels rather roomy in the front, with Volvo simplifying its interior by using a soundbar that runs the width of the windshield instead of multiple individual speakers. The company has also moved a lot of common controls for stuff like the windows to the center console to help streamline the interior. And Volvo put an emphasis on storage, with the EX30 featuring a lot of handy cubby holes including a center-mounted glove box and a dishwasher-safe removable tray (with a cute little moose graphic) for rear seat passengers. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of power options for your devices with two USB-C ports in the front, another two in back, and a built-in dual phone wireless charging pad between the driver and passenger seats.

When sitting in the rear, things do feel a bit tighter, though that’s somewhat expected for a car that’s only a few inches longer (166) and a couple inches (61) shorter than a Chevy Bolt. As someone who’s six feet tall, there’s very little legroom if the front seats are pushed all the way back. And in the truck, you get a surprising amount of cargo space at 31.9 cubic feet if you include the extra room underneath the load flat floor.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

So while I haven’t had a chance to take it for a drive, all told the EX30 looks to offer a great blend of premium features and decent range in a compact size. Not to mention excellent performance, just so long as you’re willing to pay for it. And coming from someone who lives in the city, the EX30 seems like a great EV for getting around town while still being easy to park on the streets, which is something we need more of among electric SUVs.

Reservations for the EX30 in the U.S. are available today with a $500 refundable deposit before the car arrives at dealerships sometime next summer. 

Ford will take just a bit longer to reach the electric vehicle production goal it set for itself. As The Washington Post reports, Ford CEO Jim Farley now expects the automaker to be able to start producing 600,000 EV units per year sometime in 2024. The company was originally aiming to reach that production level in late 2023 with the help of lithium iron phosphate battery packs, which will help Ford cut manufacturing costs and reduce its dependence on nickel and other materials prone to shortage.

In the company's earnings report, (PDF) Farley explained that the "[t]he near-term pace of EV adoption will be a little slower than expected," but that he believes it's going to "benefit early movers like Ford." He added: "EV customers are brand loyal and we’re winning lots of them with our high-volume, first-generation products." The automaker's all-electric division did well in the second quarter of the year, with revenue from the first generation F-150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E vehicles increasing by 39 percent. 

Ford was inundated with pre-orders for the F-150 Lightning after it was announced and had to temporarily stop taking reservations due to the demand. The company has recently slashed the vehicle's prices citing increased production capacity, though it could also be because it's looking to entice more customers who are also eyeing models by rivals like Tesla and General Motors. 

Ford CFO John Lawler said "[t]he transition to EVs is happening, it just may take a little longer" and "it will be a little slower than the industry expected." The automaker was also aiming to manufacture 2 million EVs a year by 2026, but this delay affects that goal, as well. CNBC said Ford now doesn't know when it can reach that level of production, but Lawler assured that the company will still invest the same amount of money into its EV endeavors.