This fourth generation of the Hyundai Santa Fe entered the market in 2019 and was refreshed with some styling updates in 2021. Now, in 2023, it’s in its final year as a model before the new fifth-generation comes for 2024. And it’s very likable. Its replacement? Well, we’ll see.

Seven automakers operating in North America are collaborating to build a 30,000-unit high-powered charging network across the region. The automakers are the BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis NV. The network will consist of both Combined Charging System (CCS) and North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors. The first stations will open in the summer of 2024.

The Venza is in its second generation and now features all-wheel drive and hybrid MPG returns as standard equipment. Touted as a “midsize SUV,” the Venza is, as anyone looking at it can see, a station wagon.

GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra held a quarterly earnings call with investors and announced a next-generation Bolt will be forthcoming. The new Bolt will “deliver great affordability, range and technology.”

Vehicle-to-Vehicle communications (aka V2V) is a basic building block towards automated driving. The idea is that if one in-car computer system can drive a vehicle without a human driver, several vehicles with in-car systems capable of that would be even better. Just as humans make eye contact, wave someone through, or otherwise communicate between themselves while driving, so can computers. Albeit probably with a lot less road rage.

Renewable diesel fuel, which is a popular option for more sustainable transportation, is a fast-growing industry in the U.S. Consumption of renewable diesel has risen from just a million or so barrels in 2011 to over 28 million barrels in 2021. That growth, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), is largely due to domestic production closely meeting that demand at 21 million barrels produced in 2021.

The Missouri Department of Transportation and the University of Missouri’s Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab have partnered to make more sustainable road pavements. The collaboration will now include a real-world test using recycled materials and plastic waste along a portion of Interstate 155 in the southeastern portion of the state called the Bootheel.

Blue Bird Corp has premiered its next-generation Vision electric school bus. The Blue Bird Vision combines the expertise of Blue Bird’s decades of school bus design and the electric propulsion knowledge and technology of Accelera, a Cummins corporation.

What a difference a couple of letters can make. The EQS is a top-end, well-made sedan that hit the luxury market as a fully-electric offering in 2022. The platform under the EQS entered two more models for the EQ Series of 2022-23. But Mercedes promised more. Now we have the EQS SUV.

Acura’s first all-electric vehicle model is the ZDX and its ZDX Type S sports variant. The vehicle is expected for the 2024 model year and will be rated at about 325 miles of range as a small crossover-SUV. The vehicle has been co-developed with General Motors.

Maserati has premiered its new track-focused MCXtrema at Monterey Car Week 2023. Only 62 units of the 730-horsepower (537-kW) beast are being produced. It is the Trident's most powerful track car to date.

The results of the J.D. Power & Associates 2023 US Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study (EVX) have been released. It shows that, according to EV consumers, the public vehicle charging infrastructure has not kept pace with expected sales of electric vehicles. For the second year in a row, customer satisfaction with public Level 2 charging has declined.

The Tonale was first introduced as an all-new Alfa Romeo model for the 2024 model year. As the new entry point for the brand, the Tonale sets the tone for the rest of the Alfa Romeo brand’s future. A plug-in hybrid by default, it makes good on Alfa’s promise to quickly become electric.

Cadillac has unveiled the all-electric Escalade IQ, coming in the 2025 model year. The Escalade IQ has an estimated range of 450 miles per charge, a pillar-to-pillar 55-inch total diagonal LED display across the dash, and available advanced driver’s aids such as Super Cruise and vehicle-to-home bidirectional charging. The Escalade IQ is the first full-sized SUV from Cadillac to be built on General Motors’ Ultium Platform and Ultifi software platform.

The Mazda CX-30 debuted in 2020 as a stereo on wheels (by our estimation). It’s one of the best Mazdas on the road and definitely one of the best in the compact crossover category. The CX-30 epitomizes what “Zoom-Zoom” is all about.

Alfa Romeo unveiled a new compact SUV, the Tonale, to slot underneath the Stelvio. The Alfa Romeo Tonale is, as would be expected from Alfa, a stunning vehicle with beautiful lines and active movement. We drove it for a week and think this upcoming 2024 model will smack onlookers straight in the face with its looks. And the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale is a plug-in hybrid by default. So not only is it a looker, it’s also smartly efficient.

If you’re not familiar with the FurZapper line of products, they are pet care products geared towards the cleanup of pet fur. There’s a gel item that can be thrown in the laundry to remove pet fur during washing and this glove pet owners can wear to help remove shed fur from their pet’s coat. It’s also good for cleaning up things like your car’s upholstery.

Honda USA has made and sold hundreds of thousands of CR-V models every year since 2007 and it’s by far Honda's most popular model in the US. The sixth-generation CR-V arrived for 2023. Is it exciting? No. Is it fast and fun? Also no. Is it extremely practical and right-sized? Very much so.

Fisker has presented four future electric vehicles alongside technology and sustainability visions. The event, held in Huntington Beach, California, gathered investors, analysis, employees, and media to showcase both the Fisker Ronin grand touring and the Fisker PEAR city EV. Unveiled as a surprise was the Fisker Ocean SUV with a new Force-E off-road package and an all-new Fisker Alaska pickup truck.

There are three key differences between tires for an electric vehicle and tires for an equivalent gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle. Those differences are weight, efficiency, and traction. Each plays a role in how a tire is designed and formulated for vehicles on the road. Let’s explore. Gasoline and diesel vehicles are collectively called internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Battery-electric vehicles are usually referred to as being an electric vehicle (EV).

By the 1930s, the Hudson Motor Company was a well-known and competitive automotive company in North America. It was most well known for its cars, but it sold a lot of trucks under various brand names such as Terraplane. The first pickup truck under the Hudson name didn’t appear on the market until 1947.

We all know that the best kinds of Mercedes vehicles have AMG on them. The GLE sport utility is no different. In its top-most format, the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S is more luxurious muscle than most can imagine. It’s beautiful, fast, and roomy. We road tripped with five people (two adults, three teenagers) plus all of our gear and loved this super-luxury SUV.

Tesla tuner Unplugged Performance has unveiled it’s latest Complete Vehicle program tuner: The Dark Knight Model S-APEX Plaid. Based on the Tesla Model S in its Plaid configuration, the Dark Knight is the latest Complete Vehicle program of bespoke Tesla tuners from Unplugged Performance.

Stellantis’ Windsor Assembly Plant has marked the production of its 100,000th Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid minivan. Production of the Pacifica PHEV began in December of 2016. The 100,000th van was a 2023 Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid Touring L model in Brilliant Black. The Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid remains the only plug-in hybrid in the segment.

When I first moved to Cheyenne from Pine Bluffs, I quickly learned that my across-the-street neighbor, Alex, loved General Motors vehicles. He and his wife had a handful of really great cars. Since then, they’ve added to the collection at the Aragon house. Even though I don’t live across the street anymore, Alex will usually drop by our new house to show me his latest acquisition or upgrade. I recently went to visit, and the couple pulled all of their cars out into the street like a mini car show, and I took some photos. Alex and I talked about the cars, which include four generations of Corvettes and a beautiful convertible SS.

Cummins has announced that all of its high-horsepower industrial engines are approved for use with unblended parafinnic fuels (EN15940). Renewable diesels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO, aka “biodiesel”) included. The approval applies to all high-HP engines for all applications, including 19L-95L series, V903 series, and ACE models.

Porsche has introduced a new Cayenne model, a plug-in hybrid called the Turbo E-Hybrid. The model produces 739 PS (544 kW) and is the most powerful Porsche Cayenne to date. Both a standard SUV style and Coupe style will be offered. The 2023 Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid follows the all-new Cayenne, introduced for 2023, and is the second of three hybrid models planned for the crossover (the first being a series hybrid).

The world of three-quarter-ton pickups (aka “the 2500s”), big and bulky are barely adequate words to describe these trucks. The 2023 Sierra 2500HD is heavy-duty, for sure, but it’s also extremely imposing and.. well, big. It’s also very capable.

Contemporary Amperax Technology Co, Ltd (CATL) has announced a 4C super-fast-charging lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery. This battery is capable of delivering 400 km (249 miles) of driving range with a 10-minute charge and 700 km (435 miles) of range on a full charge.

Can-Am has unveiled a new side-by-side (SSV) model, the Maverick R. The two-seat vehicle brings several new features to the Can-Am SSV space, including a new engine, transmission, and suspension geometry.

Hyundai completely revamped the Tucson for the 2022 model year and it carries into 2023 with those changes. The 2023 Tucson continues as one of our favorite options in the small crossover-SUV segment. It’s bold styling, well-done interior, and versatile appeal are all high points.

Automobili Pininfarina, the legendary Italian coachbuilder, has unveiled a new Barchetta, the B95. Aiming to transform iconic models of Pinin’s past into the future, the battery-electric B95 draws from past designs and concepts while moving towards the future of automotive.

A new survey from J.D. Power & Associates shows that Americans are getting increasingly divided over EV adoption. A new J.D. Power survey of state-by-state vehicle sales in the United States shows increasing division between high-adoption areas and those showing low adoption. With higher adoption states continuing to gain EV market share while lower adoption states see that market share diminishing.

The Volkswagen ID.4, which we reviewed here, will receive several enhancements for the 2024 model year. A new drive unit for 82 kWh models will add horsepower and range in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations. A new 12.9-inch infotainment display is also coming to 82 kWh models.

Continental has unveiled a new concept tire at the IAA Mobility show in Hanover, Germany. Called the Conti CityPlus, it takes an unusual approach to "tire efficiency," focusing on urban use rather than highway driving.

ZF has developed an electric motor that does not require magnets and that is not on the SESM concept. The I2SM (In-Rotor Inductive-Excited Synchronous Motor) transmit the energy of its magnetic field via an inductive exciter inside the rotor shaft. This makes the motor uniquely compact for its power and torque density.

Ballard Power Systems and Quantron AG have unveiled a fuel cell commercial vehicle platform that is ready for delivery. The collaboration has been ongoing since 2021 with development and testing and the first of the new Quantron trucks have delivered in Europe. The trucks are a combination of Quantron’s engineering and Ballard’s fuel cell tech.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, there was a short-lived, but interesting resurgence of electric vehicle ideas. The global energy crisis, which resulted in new fuel efficiency laws around the world, also resulted in a rekindled interest in electric vehicles. Several innovations came about, though none were enough to push EVs into the forefront again.

Continental unveiled a new, high-efficiency tire at IAA Mobility in Germany. The new tire concept, the Conti CityPlus, increases energy efficiency by up to 10 percent, the company says. The results are lower emissions from combustion engine-powered cars and longer ranges for electric vehicles.

BMW’s MINI brand has announced the re-invention of its two best-selling models as all-electric vehicles. Both the MINI Cooper and its larger sibling the MINI Countryman are now battery-electric vehicles aiming at the world market.

The all-new Scenic E-Tech is designed around families and their need to travel, says Renault. It is part of the Renault Group’s “Renaulution” electric mobility strategy. The new generation Scenic continues with the compact MPV design that built its reputation in Europe.

The XC40 Recharge is an all-electric subcompact crossover based on the internal combustion version of the XC40 compact utility. At launch in 2019, it was Volvo’s first battery electric model but the Swedish carmaker's electric offerings have expanded since then.

A research collaboration between Uppsala University, Eksjo Maskin & Truck, Midsummer, Ernsts Express, Dalakraft, and Scania is proofing how much solar energy can be captured by a moving semi-truck. New lightweight solar panels were fitted to a trailer and are being pulled by a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) tractor. The goal is to see how much fuel can be saved and how real-world usable this technology might be.

A team of researchers in the U.S. and China have worked together to identify a previously unknown reaction mechanism that causes the very short lifetimes of lithium-sulfur batteries. Their paper, published in the journal Nature, outlines the reaction and potential ways of overcoming it.

Maersk and Kodiak Robotic shave teamed together to haul goods 24 hours a day, four days a week on an autonomous lane between Houston, Texas and Oklahoma City. Deliveries will comprise eight loads per week with a safety driver behind the wheel.

For the second year in a row, consumer confidence in automated, self-driving vehicles has declined in J.D. Power surveys. The 2023 US Mobility Confidence Index (MCI) Study from the firm had the index score for consumer readiness for autonomous vehicles drop to 37 on a 100-point scale. Two points down from last year and five points down from the highest scoring year in 2021.

Lucid Group has opened its car manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia, a first for the country. This is Lucid’s second “Advanced Manufacturing Plant” (called AMP-2) and its first international plant. The U.S.-based company will use the Saudi facility to export to nearby markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.

There are now two Mercedes-Benz EQE models. One is a car, the other an SUV. Both are electric and both are great entries into the emerging EV market. We spent some time behind the wheel of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG EQE 600 4Matic and were impressed.

Audi has completely updated the Q4 e-tron crossover for the 2024 model year, adding a newly tuned suspension, increased efficiency, and more standard equipment. The changes result in higher efficiency and thus more range for the luxury compact SUV.