Records exist to be broken. From the 19th century to today, electric vehicles have been going toe-to-toe with combustion and coming out on top. We’re leafing through the history books and the Guinness archives for a look at EV excellence and record-setting feats. — It’s hard to believe, but electric vehicles were extremely popular in the earliest days of the automobile. Prior to long-distance and high-speed driving in the early 20th century, EVs were an attractive purchase for trend-setting commuters in the US & Europe. Not quite record-breaking, though.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: electric tech is the future of transport — and it’s not just the big boys that stand to benefit. Electric bicycle sales are growing fast; they’ve already overtaken their pedal-powered peers in some parts of the world, with more soon to follow. — Bicycles don’t need electric motors, I hear you saying, that’s what motorbikes are for. Bicycles have pedals. Cyclists can use their legs to get where they’re going.

A trip to the dealership has long been an unavoidable part of the car purchase process. We all love to hate them, and it wasn’t until Tesla pioneered the online-only sales model that we saw a viable alternative. But how viable is it really? Are dealers on a sinking ship, or will they endure as the dominant vehicle purchase platform? — Almost every vehicle manufacturer worldwide uses dealerships to sell their cars. The basic idea is that local sales- and service-people are better equipped to cater to the needs of consumers than multinational automakers. For most of the 20th century there was no other way to see a car in action…

Falling EV battery prices are a key factor in their growing popularity worldwide, but what goes into that cost? Is the dollar value all we should be looking at? This article examines the web of factors that go into battery tech, how they’re affecting the price and the performance of EVs today, and what’s next as li-ion technology is perfected and eclipsed. — State of charge The lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles today are cheaper than they’ve ever been. A lot cheaper. EV news outlets were quick to report when a Bloomberg NEF report revealed battery prices had fallen 85% between 2010 and 2018.

Where are the electric motorbikes? As EV sales and varieties grow every year, the conspicuous lack of electric bikes has us wondering what’s holding them back. To understand this we’re looking at the models that have come & gone, the promises made, and the enormous potential of electrified transport on two wheels. — Stalled on the line Electric vehicle adoption has been continually hamstrung by the delays of R&D. While Tesla and Nissan beat the crowd with offerings in the early 2010s, other manufacturers have taken years to catch up. Several major automakers still building up to their first EVs.

Electric vehicles are frequently framed as an all-or-nothing replacement of combustion — you’re either with us or against us. But does it really have to be like that? Hybrids have been on the roads for decades now, and plug-in variants are a happy middle ground for many electric converts that aren’t quite ready to choose between the pump and the plug. — Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been on the scene for a while now. As their name suggests, PHEVs are set apart from standard hybrids and EVs by offering both plug and fuel options. …

After a bold autonomy day and with the never-ending stream of hype, it can be tough to see the big picture on Tesla’s plan for vehicle autonomy. We’ve swept the news and the commentary to piece together Tesla’s promises for the future of driving and car ownership — and whether they can deliver. — It starts with Autopilot Tesla’s plan can be hard to decipher, so we’ve broken down the constituent parts to make sense of it. The first element we need to understand is Autopilot, their self-driving software now included as standard with all new sales.

Electric vehicle technology is rapidly advancing, but big batteries and falling prices aren’t the only things bringing people onboard. Self-driving technology has already made its way into a number of today’s EVs. So what exactly can they do? And what are the 5 ‘levels’ of autonomous vehicles we keep reading about? — SAE of the union The SAE (short for Society of Automotive Engineers) is a US-based organisation responsible for many of the standards and practises adopted by the automotive industry worldwide. …

The massive growth of EV availability and adoption is a showcase of the best the technology sector has to offer. Every passing year sees batteries last longer, cars drive more economically, and chargers deliver more power in less time. But while these developments are making individual EVs more energy-efficient, they might not be enough to combat the looming concern over mass adoption: overloading the grid.