Hacker News with Generative AI: Electric Vehicles

Sodium-ion EV battery breakthrough pushes performance to theoretical limits (interestingengineering.com)
Researchers at the Dincă Group from Princeton University have developed a sodium-ion battery that utilizes a new organic cathode material, bis-tetraaminobenzoquinone (TAQ), which has shown remarkable energy performance.
Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Science, Materials Science
7 points by Ozarkian 9 hours ago | 0 comments
Robotics China's Electric-Vehicle-to-Humanoid-Robot Pivot (technologyreview.com)
Here’s what the country’s big bet on robots might mean for the rest of the globe.
Robotics, China, Electric Vehicles, Humanoid Robots
5 points by m463 2 days ago | 0 comments
Troubled electric truck maker Nikola files for bankruptcy (techcrunch.com)
Hydrogen electric trucking startup Nikola Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday after it failed to find a buyer or secure additional funds to maintain operations.
Electric Vehicles, Bankruptcy, Startups, Automotive Industry
94 points by moose44 2 days ago | 95 comments
Electric-truck maker Nikola files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (cnn.com)
Electric Vehicles, Bankruptcy, Business, Automotive
30 points by everybodyknows 2 days ago | 17 comments
Are electric cars that much cheaper to operate? (pavlinbg.com)
Recently, I engaged in a conversation about the cost-effectiveness of electric vehicles (EVs) compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with a friend. This discussion prompted me to conduct a detailed analysis of the potential cost savings associated with owning an EV, particularly focusing on fuel savings and overall cost return.
Electric Vehicles, Cost Analysis, Fuel Savings
57 points by Pavlinbg 3 days ago | 326 comments
BYD Lands 12.5GWh Deal with Saudi Electricity Company (energy-storage.news)
EV and BESS firm BYD has agreed a major order from the Saudi Electricity Company, the state utility and transmission & distribution (T&D) system operator of Saudi Arabia.
Energy, Batteries, Saudi Arabia, Electric Vehicles
35 points by toomuchtodo 4 days ago | 1 comments
Uber's CEO says no one wants to compete with Tesla or Elon Musk (fortune.com)
Uber, Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Business, Competition
9 points by smgit 5 days ago | 6 comments
State Dept. Plans $400M Purchase of Armored Tesla Cybertrucks (nytimes.com)
Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, has been advising President Trump on how to cut government spending, is likely to receive a lucrative contract to supply armored versions of its Cybertruck pickup to the State Department, according to public documents.
Tesla, Government Contracts, Military, Electric Vehicles, Politics
12 points by xnx 8 days ago | 3 comments
US Department of State plans to spend $400M on Tesla armoured vehicles (theguardian.com)
The US Department of State is planning to spend $400m buying new Tesla armoured vehicles, even as the carmaker’s boss, Elon Musk, leads efforts to slash government spending under Donald Trump.
Politics, Government Spending, Electric Vehicles, Tesla, Security
15 points by ethagnawl 8 days ago | 1 comments
Trump administration set to purchase $400M worth of armored Teslas (npr.org)
The Trump administration is expected to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla vehicles, according to a new State Department document detailing procurement for fiscal year 2025.
Politics, Government Spending, Electric Vehicles, Tesla, Security
15 points by binarno_sp 8 days ago | 4 comments
State Department might buy $400M worth of 'armored Teslas' (fortune.com)
Government, Technology, Electric Vehicles, Tesla
30 points by petethomas 9 days ago | 6 comments
US State Department has budget line for 'Armored Teslas' worth $400M (electrek.co)
The US State Department’s procurement forecast for the 2025 budget includes an item called “Armored Teslas” worth $400 million.
Government, Military, Technology, Electric Vehicles
47 points by ketlag 9 days ago | 3 comments
Tesla sales dropped 60% in Germany (electrek.co)
Tesla’s sales have dropped nearly 60% in January in Germany compared to the same period last year. The same thing is happening throughout Europe.
Tesla, Germany, Sales, Electric Vehicles, Europe
133 points by ZeljkoS 9 days ago | 219 comments
BYD to offer Tesla-like self-driving tech in all models for free (asiafinancial.com)
China’s biggest carmaker BYD has shaken up the electric vehicle industry yet again this week after announcing it will offer cutting-edge self-driving systems on all its vehicles — including its cheapest Seagull model — for free.
Electric Vehicles, Self-Driving Cars, China, BYD
185 points by senti_sentient 10 days ago | 310 comments
Chinese EV leader BYD to offer 'God's Eye' self-driving system on all models (ft.com)
Chinese EV leader BYD to offer ‘God’s Eye’ self-driving system on all models
Self-Driving Cars, Electric Vehicles, China, Technology, BYD
6 points by KolmogorovComp 10 days ago | 2 comments
Tesla Cybertruck Drives Itself into a Pole, Owner Says 'Thank You Tesla' (thedrive.com)
A Tesla Cybertruck owner is praising the automaker for the performance of his electric pickup after its Full Self-Driving system drove it into a utility pole in Reno, Nevada.
Autonomous Vehicles, Tesla, Electric Vehicles
207 points by computerliker 10 days ago | 219 comments
China's BYD Adding 'High-Level' Self-Driving to Its Budget $10K Electric Car (gizmodo.com)
Tesla’s famously sky-high market valuation is based in part on the premise that it is not actually a car company at all, but an AI and robotics company.
China, Electric Vehicles, Self-Driving Cars, Technology
6 points by croes 10 days ago | 0 comments
Chinese EV leader BYD to offer 'God's Eye' self-driving system on all models (ft.com)
Self-Driving Cars, Electric Vehicles, China, Technology, Automotive
11 points by KnuthIsGod 11 days ago | 4 comments
China's BYD cuts entry price for smart EVs to below $10k (yahoo.com)
China's BYD on Monday started offering advanced autonomous driving features on most of its models including ones priced as low as $9,555, far undercutting competitors such as Tesla in a move analysts say is set to start a new price war.
China, Electric Vehicles, Autonomous Driving, Price Wars
5 points by bentocorp 11 days ago | 0 comments
To buy a Tesla Model 3, only to end up in hell (myteslaexperience.com)
In October 2024 I decided to buy a Tesla Model 3. When I picked up the car, many of its features did not work (cameras, GPS navigation system, autopilot, software updates, etc.). It turned out to be a major issue with Tesla’s brand-new on-board computer. This is a common failure in Tesla Model 3 cars manufactured in the last quarter of 2024. The issue has affected thousands of Tesla customers. Two weeks later, the car began to lose 8% battery daily.
Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Consumer Issues, Technology, Software Issues
457 points by lleims 11 days ago | 570 comments
It's Official: The Cybertruck Is More Explosive Than the Ford Pinto (fuelarc.com)
We now have a full year of data for the Cybertruck, and a strange preponderance of headlines about Cybertrucks exploding into flames, including several fatalities.
Cybertruck, Tesla, Safety, Electric Vehicles, Automobiles
17 points by eqvinox 12 days ago | 4 comments
Feds Halt the National Electric Vehicle Charging Program (wired.com)
The US Department of Transportation has ordered states to kill their implementation plans related to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, according to a memo obtained by WIRED that was later made public.
Electric Vehicles, Government, Policy, Transportation
43 points by pseudolus 14 days ago | 101 comments
Tesla Is Alienating the People It Needs Most: Study (insideevs.com)
Tesla's chief executive has spent the last year alienating the people his company needs most, a new study from the nonprofit EV Politics Project Shows. Among buyers who say they are looking to buy an EV as their next vehicle, Tesla had the worst favorability ratings of any brand surveyed.
Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Consumer Sentiment, Automotive Industry, Business
66 points by zfg 15 days ago | 130 comments
Aluminum batteries outlive lithium-ion with a pinch of salt (ieee.org)
Electric vehicles( EVs) and green energy sources rely heavily on batteries to store electricity. Currently, more than 75 percent of the world’s energy storage  depends on batteries that contain lithium, an expensive mineral that’s subject to volatile pricing. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries themselves can be volatile, too, because they use a flammable electrolyte that can catch fire when overcharged.
Batteries, Energy Storage, Electric Vehicles, Materials Science
234 points by rbanffy 15 days ago | 129 comments
I bought a container full of Chinese electric excavators. Here's what showed up (electrek.co)
This isn’t exactly my first time dropping a container full of Chinese electric vehicles in the yard and cracking it open with childlike glee. But it is likely one of the most unique experiences I’ve had so far doing this, revealing inside a fleet of battery-powered Chinese electric mini-excavators and assorted accessories.
Electric Vehicles, China, Construction Equipment
196 points by nkurz 18 days ago | 98 comments
South Carolina Gave Scout $1.3B, yet Taxpayers Can't Buy Its EVs in SC (carscoops.com)
Despite the state of South Carolina giving VW-owned Scout Motors $1.3 billion to build its $2 bn plant in Blythewood, 18 miles (29 km) north of Columbia, the state’s residents won’t be legally able to buy any of the vehicles built on its doorstep. Even the estimated 4,000 people filling the jobs Scout says it will create at the plant won’t be able to buy one.
Politics, Automotive Industry, South Carolina, Electric Vehicles
5 points by rntn 18 days ago | 2 comments
Tesla sales are dropping like a rock in Europe, but not just because of Musk (electrek.co)
Tesla sales are dropping like a rock in Europe based on early sales numbers coming for January 2025. Many are linking this to dissatisfaction with CEO Elon Musk’s meddling in European politics.
Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Europe, Business, Elon Musk
13 points by zfg 18 days ago | 4 comments
Tesla January sales plunged 63% in France (tipranks.com)
Tesla’s (TSLA) January sales plunged 63% in France, the second biggest market in the European Union for electric vehicles (EVs).
Tesla, Electric Vehicles, France, Automotive Industry, Sales
34 points by belter 18 days ago | 22 comments
Tesla Sales Decline in California with Model 3 Plunging 36% (bloomberg.com)
Tesla Inc. registered fewer cars in California in all four quarters of 2024, as sales of its second-most important model plunged 36% for the year.
Tesla, Electric Vehicles, California, Automotive Industry, Sales
55 points by toomuchtodo 18 days ago | 39 comments
How Honda is incorporating EVs into the cars it builds in America (arstechnica.com)
ANNA, Ohio—Honda's Anna Engine Plant has changed a little since I last visited. As we wound our way past the four-cylinder production line, the green-painted scaffolding and overhead gantries gave way to a more open expanse of the cavernous building. Conveyor belts have been replaced by little robots that move pallets around, and bright LED lights illuminate the yellow-painted walls.
Electric Vehicles, Manufacturing, Automotive Industry, Honda
4 points by rntn 18 days ago | 0 comments