WESTFIELD — Discussions over the controversial proposed batter storage facility in Westfield brought much tension inside Westfield River Elementary on Wednesday, Feb. 26, when a team of state officials stated they could not comment on specific questions and concerns from residents regarding the proposed facility. The state-sanctioned event was part of the team initiative for the state’s Undersecretary of Environmental Justice and Equity Maria Belen Power who started their upcoming tour to communities across the state in Westfield to hear from residents on environmental concerns.

Li Auto's shares surged in Hong Kong after the Chinese plug-in hybrid specialist released photos of its first full-electric SUV model. Shares rose 13% to 119.90 Hong Kong dollars, or equivalent of $15.42 early Tuesday, outperforming the losses on the Hang Seng Index. The gains followed the release of two photos of the new Li Auto i8 model on the company's WeChat account after market hours. The model, available in three colors, showcased both the front and rear designs. The i8 model will be Li Auto's second foray into full-electric...

Scandal-scarred electric semi-truck maker Nikola — a pandemic darling once valued at $30 billion — filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday. The company said it is seeking an auction and sale process of its assets, becoming the latest electric-vehicle maker to stumble after grappling with tepid demand, rapid cash burn and funding challenges. “Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic factors that have impacted our ability to operate,” chief executive Steve Girsky said in a statement. He said Nikola has tried to raise...

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. OK, let’s get this out of the way: I can’t drive and I don’t understand the differences between types of cars. This upsets no one like it upsets men: men whose self-worths are tied up in their ugly little vehicles, the hideous blue upholstery they got for their Toyota, their early lives guided by reruns of Pimp My Ride. To me, a station wagon is a caravan is a...

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. Selling a $25,000 electric car that can transition the world to a sustainable future is no longer the goal but rather creating AI software that can make cars drive themselves and robots that can replace human labor. If it was not already clear, however, autonomy is being solved by multiple companies. Besides Waymo—which already serves customers with its fully autonomous taxis and...

In a memo released Thursday, the Federal Highway Administration ordered states to halt a $5 billion program to build fast EV chargers on highways nationwide — an initiative that President Donald Trump cited as an example of the “Green New Deal.” The letter informs state transportation directors — who are in charge of administering the program — that any plans approved by the Biden administration are now suspended until the Transportation Department provides new guidelines in the spring. “Effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI formula program,”...

The Electric Vehicle (EV) doom loop has been closing for several years. As I noted in California: electric vehicles are on fire!, California’s most recent wildfires exposed, yet again, EVs manifold weaknesses. Among them are: *Range is always less than the EPA and manufacturers claim. Public chargers are few and far between and often don’t work. *EVs are much more expensive than comparable conventional vehicles. *Parts are scarce and insurance and repair costs outlandish. *They lose value at incredible rates and there is virtually no used EV market. *They tend...

South Carolina transportation officials have put on hold a state effort to establish electric vehicle charging stations after President Donald Trump said he is suspending plans approved by former President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump sent a memo Thursday to state transportation departments across the country, telling them the administration would suspend the Biden administration plans until new rules are established this spring, the Washington Post reported Friday.

The Spring is a fairly unremarkable product in most measurable ways. It’s slow (the cheapest version takes longer to reach 60mph than my old Land Rover) and it’s small, with only two cramped seats in the back. But its arrival heralds a new era of electric mobility in which practically all users are now catered for. Large families have always had plenty of electric options (Skoda Enyaq, Kia EV9), as have wealthy urbanites (Nissan Leaf, Fiat 500e). Long-distance drivers now have good choices too (Mercedes EQS, Porsche Taycan). But families...

An estimated $1.77 billion in funds for building the charging network have been allocated for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. A federal program that granted funds to states to build a national electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure has been stopped, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program allocated $5 billion to states for building a nationwide, interconnected network of DC fast chargers.