BMW was the first car manufacturer to adopt Apple’s Car Key feature – enabling an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock your car – and has now announced an enhanced version known as Digital Key Plus.
Digital Key Plus uses the ultra-wideband tech found in the U1 chip in the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and Apple Watch Series 6 …
Car Key lets you store a digital version of your car key in Apple’s…
Joe Biden expands his climate team with six policy experts
January 15, 2021
In December, Electrek reported that President-elect Joe Biden named the NRDC’s Gina McCarthy domestic climate czar. McCarthy and her deputy, Ali Zaidi, will coordinate action across multiple federal agencies and Congress. Here’s a brief background on six of Biden’s…
Lucid Motors (CCIV) and Proterra (ACTC) are the latest electric vehicle companies looking to go public as there’s currently a gold rush in the space.
SPAC frenzy in the EV market
Over the last year, we have seen a surge in the number of companies in the electric vehicle…
The NTSB warns that emergency responders require better resources for fighting EV fires
January 15, 2021
A report released on Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) states that emergency responders have access to inadequate tools and training for fighting electric vehicle fires that occur. The NTSB arrived at this conclusion after investigating four separate EV fires involving lithium-ion batteries.
When EVs are involved in high-speed crashes, similar to one that took place in…
Sodium Cycles shows off 50 mph light electric motorcycle headed for sodium-ion batteries
January 14, 2021
French motorbike company Sodium Cycles took to CES 2021 to show off the latest version of their light electric motorcycle known as the Xubaka.
Sodium Cycles Xubaka
The Xubaka electric motorcycle has been in development since 2018 and looks quite different from most mini…
Tesla explains how it achieves top safety rating on Model Y and ‘lowest rollover risk of any SUV’
January 14, 2021
Tesla released more information on how it achieved a top safety rating on Model Y with NHTSA, including the “lowest rollover risk of any SUV” ever tested.
Tesla Model Y crash test results
Earlier this week, we reported on Tesla Model Y acing its safety test with…
Tesla files to use new ‘millimeter-wave radar’ on its ‘full self-driving’ electric cars
January 14, 2021
Tesla has applied with the FCC for the use of a new “millimeter-wave radar” for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving in its electric cars.
New Tesla Radar
Tesla uses a front-facing radar sensor hidden inside the front fascia of its vehicles as part of its Autopilot/Full Self-Driving (FSD) sensor suite.
Electrek has found a new FCC filing from Tesla in which the automaker applied to get a new…
Quick Charge Podcast: January 13, 2021
January 14, 2021
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded Monday through Thursday and again on…
Siemens spin-offs to develop offshore wind turbines that produce green hydrogen – Reuters
January 14, 2021
In an exclusive, Reuters reports that Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy will develop commercial offshore wind turbines that can produce hydrogen via electrolysis. “It is the renewable industry’s most concrete plan yet to capitalize on an expected boom in hydrogen…
NHTSA asks Tesla to recall Model S and Model X over MCU fiasco
January 14, 2021
NHTSA is formally asking Tesla to recall over 100,000 Model S and Model X vehicles over a problem with its media unit (MCU) that can affect many functions inside the vehicles.
The entire issue has been quite a fiasco so far.
Tesla MCU/eMMC Problem
Owners of older Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles have been reporting some issues with their MCUs.
The touchscreen becomes less responsive, the…
