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I was backed into a space at the town library, quickly sorting through the books I had just borrowed. I looked up and saw a small vehicle driving into the lot. “Chevy?” I wondered as it drove closer. “Bolt?” Yup, and blue at that, just like mine. (“Two Chevy Bolts walk into a bar….”) The Bolt pulled into an adjacent spot. I grabbed my iPhone and jumped out. “I have to get a picture!” I admitted to the other driver. “Do you mind?” He presented as a 30-something male with a light brown ponytail. He also had a phone/camera in…

A few weeks ago, I wrote a story about the 2017 Chevy Bolt my wife and I purchased in June. There were two things about the car that made it attractive to us. First, although it was a 2017, it had only 26,500 miles on the odometer and it had a new battery pack installed in May, which means the battery is under factory warranty until May of 2031 (assuming, of course, General Motors is still in business by then.) Second, it is eligible for the federal $4,000 used EV tax credit. A third factor is that while we probably…

My Tesla Autopilot & FSD Beta Background 3 years and 8 months ago, I purchased my Tesla Model 3 Long Range and paid $6,000 extra for Full Self Driving. If you want to add FSD to your current car or a new purchase, it will now cost you $15,000 for the same software suite. You can also rent the software for $199/month. With a referral*, your new Tesla will come with three months of FSD. At first, FSD only gave me automatic driving on limited-access (no-cross streets) highways. My car would navigate from one Interstate highway to another following the…

Today, we need to talk about a somewhat dirty topic. In fact, it’s one most people avoid at a deep level. When people perform this basic bodily function, we usually pretend like something else is happening, even in the very words our languages use. Whether we’re visiting the restroom, taking a leak, or trying to find the “little girl’s room,” we never just out and say that we’re going to poop (at least in polite company). While we don’t want to talk about it, we certainly expect to be able to do it. Every city is expected to have a…

In this episode of the CleanTechnica Ultimate EV Bracket Battle, we pit the standard-bearing grand-daddy of the modern EV movement against a slick, European upstart. It’s the Tesla Model S vs. the Audi e-tron GT, with CleanTechnica’s CEO, Zachary Shahan, championing the Model S while yours truly takes the side of the Audi e-tron GT. They’re both premium electric sedans with heart-stopping, pants-s**tting acceleration and high-end, audiophile-favorite sound systems, so how do you choose between them? Zach thinks that Tesla’s Netflix and Disney+ capabilities, nationwide charging network, and video-gaming capabilities tip it over the edge, while I argue that all…

Last year, Fanttik sent us one of their X8 APEX portable air compressors to review. At first, it seemed like a nice thing to have, but I figured out pretty quickly that it was a valuable piece of clean technology to keep around! In this article, I’ll recap what I said last year about the X8 APEX and then explain how valuable it has continued to prove itself to be over the last year. What We Learned Last Year Inflating tires at home can be a simple task. Many, including myself, use a large manual bike pump for our bicycles…

Tesla has changed its standard paint color for the Model 3 and Model Y. Now everything but Midnight Silver is at least $1,000. “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black,” that’s what Henry Ford supposedly said when asked why Ford was not offering different colors for the Model T. When first launching the Model 3, Tesla only made a black color option standard and everything cost a $1,000 or more premium – sort of following in Ford’s footstep. Much like Ford’s obsession with efficiency, Tesla also limited the option to streamline production.…

Kentucky joined Texas and Washington as the third state that would like to see Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging connectors alongside CCS1, at publicly-funded, fast-charging stations. However, while Texas and Washington revealed only plans to require NACS plugs (which raised opposition from some charging companies), Kentucky already requires the NACS plugs. According to Reuters, Kentucky’s plan went into effect on Friday (June 30), which is the first such case in the United States. Companies that would like to participate in a state program to electrify highways using federal dollars, will have to add NACS plugs (CCS1 is required at…

Rivian built 13,992 vehicles and delivered 12,640 vehicles in the second quarter of 2023, the automaker reported Monday. These new Q2 numbers are up significantly versus the 9,395 vehicles made and 7,946 delivered in the first quarter. And they show that Rivian isn’t falling much farther behind on deliveries. A Rivian press release said these numbers “remain in line with the company’s expectations,” and that Rivian is on track to deliver 50,000 vehicles this year, in line with previously released annual guidance. Rivian EDV700 The Q2 numbers include the R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV for the retail…

A few days ago, I had a chance to ride the new 20″ SWFT BMX e-bike. It’s my son’s bike, and given both my and his own connections in the e-mobility world, I’m sure he didn’t pay for it. Still, it’s worth noting that this isn’t technically a paid review — but it might read like one, if you don’t have sufficient context. So, here’s some context. Pizza & Sex Image courtesy SWFT. For those of you that haven’t been following my posts over the last few years: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes. “Bikes,” in this case, covers both…