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Both Ford and General Motors recently announced intentions to install Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge ports on their respective electric vehicles starting in 2025, with access to the Tesla charging network arriving for current models in 2024. Not one to let the crosstown rivals get all the shine, Stellantis executives have just confirmed that the automaker is also investigating and evaluating a move to the Tesla setup. More about Charging Tie-UpsWhereas Tesla EVs have utilized the brand’s proprietary NACS port from inception, every other electric vehicle sold today in the United States comes equipped with an SAE J1772 charge port. This hardware difference has prevented non-Tesla vehicles from using the brand’s expansive charging network up until recently; Tesla agreed to open a portion of its network up to other branded vehicles in a deal with the Biden administration in February. Through that agreement, 7500 Tesla chargers will be opened to the EV-driving public at large by the end of 2024.Stellantis“At this time, we continue to evaluate the NACS standard and look forward to discussing more in the future,” Stellantis said in a statement to Reuters. “Our focus is to provide the customer the best charging experience possible. Our Free2Move Charge brand will offer seamless, simple solutions whether at home or on-the-go through partnerships with charging providers.”With Ford and GM already making the move over to the NACS standard, it makes a ton of sense for Stellantis to follow suit. That’s particularly true as the brand is gearing up to release a suite of all-electric vehicles under its Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Maserati brands here in the States. The Tesla network provides customers with more fast charging locations than every other provider in the States combined. Whether or not the system’s heralded reliability and ease of use extends to non-Tesla vehicles will play a major role in how this situation works out. It will also be interesting to see how the Tesla owner base reacts to the influx of vehicles at popular charging stations across the country. Comparison ShoppingBorn and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry. He may daily drive an aging Mustang, but his Porsche 944 and NB Miata both take up most of his free time.  More

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been spending time in Europe this month as the electric automaker is searching for a place to build another Gigafactory in the EU.This week, Musk met with French president Emmanuel Macron and, separately, with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.”Let’s work together,” Macron suggested on Twitter, which Musk of course owns.Tesla CEO Elon Musk and French president Emmanuel Macron met this week for the second time in a month, as rumors grew that the California-based electric vehicle company will build another factory somewhere in Europe. Macron is encouraging Tesla to build it in his country, and he posted a simple message to Twitter alongside a picture of himself and Musk. “Let’s work together,” the tweet said.This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Macron is balancing a desire to bring a Tesla Gigafactory to France while French regulators are considering banning Twitter until it complies with upcoming European Union Digital Services Act regulations. Musk owns both Tesla and Twitter.”It will be great to have a Tesla factory in France, there has been a lot of effort and energy to make sure this is possible, and this can happen,” France’s digital minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told CNBC. “We have also invested in an . . . entire sector of electric batteries, so we will try to convince him that France is the best possible place in Europe to establish the next Tesla factory.”Musk made a public appearance at the Viva Tech summit in France Friday. At Tesla’s berlin gigafactory in germany, march 2022. Pool|Getty ImagesTesla currently operates one Gigafactory in Europe. Despite France’s efforts to lure that first plant, Tesla built it in Germany, the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. Musk also met with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni this week, and Spain is also mentioned in news reports as a potential new Tesla Gigafactory location.China Is Also an Option, Apparently “Today, France is more attractive than ever,” French industry minister Roland Lescure said during a radio interview this week. “But the competition with other countries is extremely fierce, so we’re bringing out all of our strengths.” Lescure said France’s competitive advantages include cheap, green electricity and ready land before adding that Spain is holding similar cards.Tesla isn’t the only EV company France would like to see set up shop in-country. France has been talking to Chinese automaker BYD, which announced earlier this month that it would start selling five EVs in France by the end of 2023. According to Automotive News Europe, BYD is considering France, Spain, or Germany for its first European factory. BYD hopes to start producing EVs in Europe in 2025.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Ford recently filed a patent for an backup battery pack that EV owners can bring along so they don’t have to worry so much about range. The battery, shown housed on the roof of the car, contains battery modules, a backup battery assembly, and a connection port to maximize ease. The patent images use a Ford Bronco as the demo car. Could an electric Bronco be closer than we think? Either way, this invention is probably not coming soon.There are two things we know to be true about the EV market: Automakers want to promote the adoption of electric vehicles, and consumers are worried about range. Now, as first reported by Electrek, Ford has applied for an innovative patent for a backup battery pack that can travel on the roof of the vehicle. This patent looks like a novel way to address the range anxiety and charging concerns that people often associate with EVs, especially on extended trips. One suggestion in the patent application is that these battery packs could be “rented or leased prior to an off-roading trip, for example.”More Specs and DetailsThe patent outlines a mechanism designed to provide additional power and range to EVs when the primary battery is depleted. It’s a modular system that’s intended to be compatible across different EV models and, at least according to the description, simple to maintain and upgrade. The units are stacked to provide the most capacity. U.S. Patent and Trademark OfficeBeyond the fact that a roof-mounted battery pack is sitting on top of the vehicle in these drawings, it’s interesting that the vehicle used resembles the Ford Bronco. We wonder if this is a hint that an EV version of Ford’s big-selling Bronco is coming soon.So Many QuestionsBut we, like others, have questions, principally: How does Ford plan on reinforcing the roof to handle the weight? A rack can’t do it alone. And how does the battery get up there (and down again)? EV battery packs’ weight can range into the thousands of pounds.The patent application explains that the battery is removable, which leads us to believe this roof-mounted pack won’t have the capacity of the large packs automakers use to power their EVs. This ought to ensure the pack weighs just a couple hundred pounds—a sum most roof racks are capable of holding. For instance, the original Prius plug-in hybrid’s 4.4-kWh battery hit the scales at a manufacturer-claimed 176 pounds.Michael Simari|Car and DriverThat doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to hoist a battery pack on your EV or PHEV’s roof. Anyone who’s ever used a roof-mounted cargo carrier can tell you that you’d likely need at least one other person to assist with this task.Assuming our hunch is correct, then we think the potential product this patent hints at will serve the equivalent purpose of a gas car’s reserve tank. That said, given the extra weight and negative effects on aerodynamics the additional pack will have on an EV, it’s possible this concept actually worsens an EV’s range, particularly at highway speed.At lower speeds, though, such as in off-road environments, this roof-mounted battery pack may just offer the little bit of extra juice needed to get back to the trailhead. Adding a set of solar panels could make this concept even better, as they’d allow the roof-mounted pack to—slowly—replenish itself, too.It seems evident that this invention is not going to become a reality anytime in the near future. It must be a placeholder for a future time when Ford has the right electric off-road vehicle to use it with—and, more important, when battery technology has advanced sufficiently that the weight is not an issue anymore.Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoSummer Editorial InternAlessandra Kaestner, a Chicago native, has always been interested in journalism. She remembers listening to NPR every day before school with her parents and trying to race her dad to get the New York Times from the front door. Alessandra continued her passion for journalism by working at her university’s newspaper during her first year and into her sophomore year: the Cornell Daily Sun. She is majoring in psychology and philosophy and wants to explore law and journalism. Although she does not have a lot of background in the world of cars, Alessandra is interested in expanding her knowledge and gaining experience. She could not be more excited to work with so many talented people at Car and Driver.Senior EditorDespite their shared last name, Greg Fink is not related to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s infamous Rat Fink. Both Finks, however, are known for their love of cars, car culture, and—strangely—monogrammed one-piece bathing suits. Greg’s career in the media industry goes back more than a decade. His previous experience includes stints as an editor at publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post, Motor1.com, and MotorTrend. More

New Italian EV startup Aehra unveiled its SUV concept EV last year and is taking the wraps off this Sedan EV at the Milano Monza auto show this weekend.The electric duo will not start production until sometime in 2026, so the current lack of details isn’t exactly surprising. Aehra has said “The Sedan”—yes, that’s the name—will have a range of around 500 miles and will cost somewhere between $175,000 and $200,000.Aehra says it is drawing on local connections in Italy to make its EV lineup a reality.The electric vehicle world remains fertile ground for companies ready to make their mark on the auto industry. One of the new aspirants is Aehra, an Italian electric startup “mobility brand” that announced itself in the middle of 2022. Aehra just took the wraps off of a new premium electric vehicle targeted at the high end of the luxury-EV market. The design rocks, even if the model name falls a bit flat. AehraAehra unveiled the first teaser picture of the new car at the end of May, but that only showed part of the rear spoiler. A new batch of preview images reveals the entire exterior of the elegant upcoming all-electric performance sedan. Aehra’s chief design officer, Filippo Perini, previously worked as a designer for Audi, Lamborghini, and Italdesign, so it’s not exactly shocking that our first response is that a design this good needs a better name than the one Aehra gave it: the Sedan.Aehra Aehra is taking all the wraps off its Sedan this weekend at the Milano Monza auto show. The company said it will deliver the first Sedans to customers sometime in 2026. Aehra showed off its SUV concept—which, you guessed it, is called “The SUV”—in 2022.Looking Forward to It So, what is the Sedan all about? Based on the pictures, the Sedan looks a bit like what we imagine Lexus would do if it decided to tweak the new Prius design for the high-end market, but better. It has four scissor doors and a short, aggressive front end, making it look intimidating and fuel-efficient in one fell swoop.The company isn’t showing all of its cards just yet, but it did say the Sedan will be based on the same platform as the Aehra SUV. Aehar said the Sedan will offer an impressive 500-mile range on a full charge using technology from Miba Battery Systems and will have a top speed of 165 mph.AehraThe interior features some excellent options, including a pillar-to-pillar infotainment screen that displays pertinent information when the car is in motion but which can be extended upward when the vehicle is parked to provide a widescreen movie display or a way to win Room Rater during your next video meeting.Production Car to Be “Virtually Identical” This kind of eye-grabbing tech isn’t just for the visitors to the auto show. Perini said in a statement that the EV unveiled this weekend “will look virtually identical to the final production model that will arrive in 2026.” Full-scale production should start in late 2027, and preorders will open sometime in 2024.According to Reuters, the price tags for both the Sedan and the SUV will be around $175,000 to $197,000. Publicly announced plans are vague but call for Aehra to build about 25,000 units of each model each year.AehraAehra is headquartered in Milan and claims it has “substantial private funding in place” to make its promises real. The Italian startup calls itself a “global ultra-premium electric automotive brand,” but “global” here doesn’t mean everywhere, at least at first. The company said Aehra’s initial key markets include North America, Europe, China, and the Gulf States.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More