Hello, and welcome to Decoder! This is Nilay Patel’s show about big ideas and other problems. I am not Nilay Patel, though I have long wanted to be him. I am Joanna Stern, the senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, author of the upcoming book I AM NOT A ROBOT (releasing spring […]
Cristian Fleming paid around $70,000 for his dream car, a Fisker Ocean. He was drawn to the new EV’s 350-mile range, eco-friendly image, and quirky features like “California Modes,” which rolls down nearly every window at once. “I’ve always bought my cars because I love the way they look,” Fleming says. “That’s probably my first […]
Have you heard? EV sales are expected to dip significantly in the coming weeks as the federal tax credit expires, and automakers are responding by canceling models, delaying factory plans, and boosting hybrids as a short-term solution. The latest model to get the axe is the Acura ZDX, an electric crossover that had both Honda […]
As it struggles with declining sales and an uncertain regulatory environment, Volvo is hoping to realign its fortunes by overhauling its electric vehicle plans. And a big part of that is a bet on hybrid technology — or more specifically, extended-range electric vehicles (EREV). At a factory tour in Ridgeville, South Carolina, Volvo made a […]
For a company that’s staking its future on AI and robotics, Tesla sure is having a tough time explaining its technology to government regulators. The company’s efforts to launch a robotaxi service in San Francisco, which isn’t actually a robotaxi since it features safety drivers in the front seat, is alarming state officials in charge […]
Volvo’s EX90 SUV was supposed to usher in a new era of electrified dominance for the Chinese-owned, Swedish designed automaker. Instead, the three-row SUV has been plagued by problems from the very start, including blank infotainment screens, faulty climate controls, driver assist failures, and the noticeable lack of a working lidar sensors. Now, the EX90 […]
For years, foreign automakers have been sending their employees to the US to open advanced manufacturing and battery plants in states like South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. These plants eventually employ thousands of American workers who build vehicles for both the US market and overseas. And they pump billions of dollars into the state […]
Undeterred by the recent ICE raid that rounded up hundreds of its workers in Georgia, Hyundai announced a fresh slate of investments in the US, including $2.7 billion into the EV battery factory where the raid took place. The automaker also plans to release a range of new electrified models, including extended-range EVs and over […]
Tesla is redesigning the electronic door handles that are currently under investigation for trapping people inside their vehicles. In an Interview with Bloomberg, Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen said that the company is looking to make the handles more intuitive for occupants in “a panic situation.” The update will involve combining the electronic and […]
Tesla is under investigation for faulty electronic door handles that can trap people inside their vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the probe, saying it was responding to numerous complaints filed by Tesla owners, with a particular focus on children who have been locked inside the vehicle without any way to get […]