GoKawiil
Tech News
Toyota is said to be developing a battery-electric version of the Corolla, its best-selling nameplate globally, according to a recent report. This would mark the first time the long-running compact car lineup has offered a fully electric option alongside its existing gas and hybrid variants.
Ars Technica revisited the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5, testing an AWD Limited trim with an 84 kWh battery, NACS charging port, and 320 hp output following the car's early 2025 refresh. The reviewer found the retro styling and fast-charging capability still hold up well five years after launch, though the AWD version's range drops to 269 miles compared to 318 miles for the rear-wheel-drive model.
Electric vehicle owners can charge at home either through a standard household outlet or by installing a faster Level 2 charger. The choice depends on factors like battery size, the car's maximum AC charging speed, and daily driving distance, rather than a need to always charge to full like a phone. Home charging remains far cheaper than gasoline, roughly a third of the cost, even before factoring in a Level 2 upgrade.
A man who plugged in his electric vehicle at a car dealership was later charged $418 for the electricity used, far exceeding typical charging costs. The steep bill has drawn attention to how dealerships price EV charging for customers who use their facilities.
Audi has unveiled the A2 E-tron, a rear-wheel drive compact crossover starting at £32,200 (about $45,000), aimed at the European market. The car boasts an ultra-low 0.24 drag coefficient, energy consumption as low as 12.8 kWh per 62 miles, and a top range of 401 miles depending on configuration, along with bidirectional charging support.
Jaguar Land Rover has revealed the Range Rover Electric, its first mass-produced battery-electric variant of the luxury SUV, arriving in 2027 with a starting price of $138,000. The company says it already has 80,000 expressed interest from potential buyers, half of them in North America, with most being new to the brand. Visually the EV closely resembles its combustion and hybrid siblings, distinguished mainly by a smoother front grille and more aerodynamic wheels.
BYD's Hong Kong shares dropped nearly 5% after the company reported first-half net profit down 20.5% to 12.3 billion yuan and revenue down 7.1% to 344.8 billion yuan, even as second-quarter profit rose 30% year-over-year. The automaker cited weak domestic demand, intense price competition, and higher costs for commodities and chips squeezing margins, though overseas exports jumped 67.8% to 792,000 vehicles.
Virtual power plants let utilities remotely adjust smart thermostats, EV chargers, batteries and solar panels in homes to reduce strain during peak demand, in exchange for bill discounts or signup bonuses. More than 500 such programs already run across the US, with about 4 million smart-thermostat households enrolled as of last year, and interest is growing as companies like Google invest in the technology to support data centers.