Bengt Halvorson
@ben-gt.bsky.social
Tracks and unpacks tech in the EV, efficiency, mobility space. Geeks out about cars. Former Green Car Reports mastermind. Now contrib to Car and Driver, others.
Ram shoppers who just want their trucks to make the right Hemi noise...
December 19, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Ram shoppers who just want their trucks to make the right Hemi noise...
This is a reminder that on the way to next-gen cells, there's so much low-hanging fruit to improve EV charging performance within the pack. Here, a stepper motor and lots of smarts about how coolant is being moved around...
Is Dectravalve the Solution to EV Charging Bottlenecks?
Is Dectravalve the Solution to EV Charging Bottlenecks?
Faster EV charging is possible with Hydrohertz's innovative coolant control.
spectrum.ieee.org
December 18, 2025 at 5:35 AM
This is a reminder that on the way to next-gen cells, there's so much low-hanging fruit to improve EV charging performance within the pack. Here, a stepper motor and lots of smarts about how coolant is being moved around...
Best format ever for just answering a lot of questions on an upcoming product—in this case, a much-anticipated affordable EV
youtu.be/X0K3g4OCp8A?...
youtu.be/X0K3g4OCp8A?...
Slate Q&A with CEO Chris Barman
YouTube video by Slate Auto
youtu.be
December 16, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Best format ever for just answering a lot of questions on an upcoming product—in this case, a much-anticipated affordable EV
youtu.be/X0K3g4OCp8A?...
youtu.be/X0K3g4OCp8A?...
What we all knew was coming. But still very much puzzled about how this EREV thing works well in a pickup... www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Ford retreats from EVs, takes $19.5 billion charge as Trump policies take hold
Ford Motor said on Monday it will take a $19.5 billion writedown and is killing several electric-vehicle models, in the most dramatic example yet of the auto industry's retreat from battery-powered mo...
www.reuters.com
December 15, 2025 at 9:48 PM
What we all knew was coming. But still very much puzzled about how this EREV thing works well in a pickup... www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Throwing this back into the conversation about kei cars -- delightfully offbeat and Leaf-like, and possibly my favorite urban drive of 2023. www.greencarreports.com/news/1141859...
Quick spin: Nissan Sakura EV highlights what America is missing
A drive of the bestselling EV in Japan underscores that the hurdles of EV adoption could be a lot easier in a smaller package.
www.greencarreports.com
December 13, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Throwing this back into the conversation about kei cars -- delightfully offbeat and Leaf-like, and possibly my favorite urban drive of 2023. www.greencarreports.com/news/1141859...
This. And as I've mentioned in so many venues, range/charging aside, this woulda-coulda been a sales hit at a $40k start (SWB, LWB upsell) + lots of dealer-installed accessories.
It's really good for what it is, just a really self-limiting proposition by the numbers. Didn't have to be this way.
It's really good for what it is, just a really self-limiting proposition by the numbers. Didn't have to be this way.
I'm not sure the ID.Buzz will benefit from a gas generator. I think the price is what's hurting its sales.
It should be an 800-volt architecture for that price point.
It should be an 800-volt architecture for that price point.
December 13, 2025 at 6:52 PM
This. And as I've mentioned in so many venues, range/charging aside, this woulda-coulda been a sales hit at a $40k start (SWB, LWB upsell) + lots of dealer-installed accessories.
It's really good for what it is, just a really self-limiting proposition by the numbers. Didn't have to be this way.
It's really good for what it is, just a really self-limiting proposition by the numbers. Didn't have to be this way.
There was a lot missing from last month's LA auto show—like the entire entry-luxury middle of the California market. But from the affordable fringes to the halo cars, and everywhere in between, electrified was there in full force. www.wardsauto.com/news/la-auto...
5 electrified takeaways from the 2025 LA Auto Show
Automakers made up for the relative dearth of luxury models by showing off a variety of electrified vehicles and SUVs.
www.wardsauto.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:14 AM
There was a lot missing from last month's LA auto show—like the entire entry-luxury middle of the California market. But from the affordable fringes to the halo cars, and everywhere in between, electrified was there in full force. www.wardsauto.com/news/la-auto...
Dear Tesla board and shareholders: Is there really any other way this could have gone? An inevitable market turn, huh?
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
Exclusive: Tesla US sales drop to nearly 4-year low in November despite launch of cheaper versions
Tesla's U.S. sales dropped to a near four-year low in November, despite the automaker's rollout of new, cheaper versions of its best-selling electric vehicles, estimates from Cox Automotive given excl...
www.reuters.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Dear Tesla board and shareholders: Is there really any other way this could have gone? An inevitable market turn, huh?
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
www.reuters.com/business/aut...
These brands' strategy with affordable vehicles in recent years, it's simply strange—a maneuver that willingly lets go of market share. www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Inside Stellantis CEO's 'emergency room' rush to recapture market share
New Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa is prioritising vehicle sales growth over profits including resorting to lower-margin fleet sales and investing in affordable models to recapture market share in Nort...
www.reuters.com
December 11, 2025 at 4:06 PM
These brands' strategy with affordable vehicles in recent years, it's simply strange—a maneuver that willingly lets go of market share. www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
The EX30 is no longer one niche model, and it's turned into a fantastic lineup of engaging little EVs.
Volvo: More of this, please—maybe with a few more gauges and switches, though. www.wardsauto.com/news/first-d...
Volvo: More of this, please—maybe with a few more gauges and switches, though. www.wardsauto.com/news/first-d...
First Drive: The 2026 Volvo EX30 is exactly what the market needs
In both RWD and AWD Cross Country forms, the EX30 family points the way to stylish and affordable compact EVs.
www.wardsauto.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The EX30 is no longer one niche model, and it's turned into a fantastic lineup of engaging little EVs.
Volvo: More of this, please—maybe with a few more gauges and switches, though. www.wardsauto.com/news/first-d...
Volvo: More of this, please—maybe with a few more gauges and switches, though. www.wardsauto.com/news/first-d...
Today I parallel-parked two vehicles behind a Honda Element and directly ahead of another one. Certain models, like this and Volvo 245s, seem to come here for retirement.
December 9, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Today I parallel-parked two vehicles behind a Honda Element and directly ahead of another one. Certain models, like this and Volvo 245s, seem to come here for retirement.
Fodder for the weight-and-size debate: I recently spent time with both of these vehicles. Unladen, one of them weighs nearly FIVE TIMES as much as the other.
December 7, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Fodder for the weight-and-size debate: I recently spent time with both of these vehicles. Unladen, one of them weighs nearly FIVE TIMES as much as the other.
Would lighter vehicles be making the highways more dangerous, or would heavier vehicles be doing that?
It's an ethical dilemma for sure, one that—if this proposal is actually serious and informed—I'm curious not to see how automakers and safety groups will address.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/c...
It's an ethical dilemma for sure, one that—if this proposal is actually serious and informed—I'm curious not to see how automakers and safety groups will address.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/c...
Could President Trump Bring Japan’s Tiny Cars to America? Not So Fast.
www.nytimes.com
December 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Would lighter vehicles be making the highways more dangerous, or would heavier vehicles be doing that?
It's an ethical dilemma for sure, one that—if this proposal is actually serious and informed—I'm curious not to see how automakers and safety groups will address.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/c...
It's an ethical dilemma for sure, one that—if this proposal is actually serious and informed—I'm curious not to see how automakers and safety groups will address.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/c...
Let's burn more gasoline! Here's the fact sheet—although at face value many of these facts do need some backing in science and research.
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
December 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Let's burn more gasoline! Here's the fact sheet—although at face value many of these facts do need some backing in science and research.
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
Reposted by Bengt Halvorson
Literally, the last time NHTSA bothered updating its data (from the friggen 2021 model year) the fleet achieved better than the Trump administration is proposing today, and the standard would be moving backwards. www.nhtsa.gov/corporate-av...
December 3, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Literally, the last time NHTSA bothered updating its data (from the friggen 2021 model year) the fleet achieved better than the Trump administration is proposing today, and the standard would be moving backwards. www.nhtsa.gov/corporate-av...
Look at Zillow making itself less relevant.
techcrunch.com/2025/12/01/z...
techcrunch.com/2025/12/01/z...
Zillow drops climate risk scores after agents complained of lost sales | TechCrunch
The move is a loss for homebuyers, who through Zillow had ready access to a property's climate risk scores from First Street.
techcrunch.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Look at Zillow making itself less relevant.
techcrunch.com/2025/12/01/z...
techcrunch.com/2025/12/01/z...
I've spent too much time in hotels, and one of the confounding trends. The absence of a bathroom door is definitely a thing, not at the cheapest or most lux hotels, but at a certain type of increasingly common mid-range hotel.
Like this struggles to explain... why??
Like this struggles to explain... why??
Once again, I'm begging the form-over-function crowd to STOP before I eat a guardrail trying to adjust a basic car setting and/or end up sharing a hotel room where the toilet's completely out in the open.
WHY IS THIS A THING?! www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFPG...
WHY IS THIS A THING?! www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFPG...
What happened to bathroom doors?
YouTube video by Kendra Gaylord
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:31 PM
I've spent too much time in hotels, and one of the confounding trends. The absence of a bathroom door is definitely a thing, not at the cheapest or most lux hotels, but at a certain type of increasingly common mid-range hotel.
Like this struggles to explain... why??
Like this struggles to explain... why??
Reposted by Bengt Halvorson
Automatic emergency braking and rear seat reminders save lives, and while some ADAS technologies do add costs to consumers, these systems can be had on many very affordable cars. They're not the cause of $50K+ ATPs.
Exclusive: Republicans plan to challenge vehicle-safety mandates, such as automatic emergency braking and alarms that remind drivers a child is in the back seat.
Senate Committee to Challenge Auto-Safety Mandates That Hurt ‘Affordability’
Republicans are questioning the value of some features, such as automatic braking and rear-seat reminders.
on.wsj.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Automatic emergency braking and rear seat reminders save lives, and while some ADAS technologies do add costs to consumers, these systems can be had on many very affordable cars. They're not the cause of $50K+ ATPs.
Are we getting a Kia EV4 in the U.S.? A Kia EV3? A Kia electric pickup?
We know automakers are feeling the tariff squeeze. Kudos to one of the brand's top U.S. execs for being blunt about the decisions it faces on EVs, prices, and everything.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695325...
We know automakers are feeling the tariff squeeze. Kudos to one of the brand's top U.S. execs for being blunt about the decisions it faces on EVs, prices, and everything.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695325...
November 25, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Are we getting a Kia EV4 in the U.S.? A Kia EV3? A Kia electric pickup?
We know automakers are feeling the tariff squeeze. Kudos to one of the brand's top U.S. execs for being blunt about the decisions it faces on EVs, prices, and everything.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695325...
We know automakers are feeling the tariff squeeze. Kudos to one of the brand's top U.S. execs for being blunt about the decisions it faces on EVs, prices, and everything.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695325...
Genesis' GV60 Magma EV will give you the impression it has a screaming 9,000-rpm V-6 and 8-speed DCT. EREVs, PHEVs, and a real V-8 also fit into the brand's future.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695214...
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695214...
www.caranddriver.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Genesis' GV60 Magma EV will give you the impression it has a screaming 9,000-rpm V-6 and 8-speed DCT. EREVs, PHEVs, and a real V-8 also fit into the brand's future.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695214...
www.caranddriver.com/news/a695214...
Thought the Ioniq 5 N was having fun with your preconceptions in an EV? With its motors helping mimic the sensations of gearshifts, the 2027 Genesis GV60 Magma EV will take the simulation up a notch. Eager to experience this!
www.caranddriver.com/news/a694968...
www.caranddriver.com/news/a694968...
www.caranddriver.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Thought the Ioniq 5 N was having fun with your preconceptions in an EV? With its motors helping mimic the sensations of gearshifts, the 2027 Genesis GV60 Magma EV will take the simulation up a notch. Eager to experience this!
www.caranddriver.com/news/a694968...
www.caranddriver.com/news/a694968...
Hyundai Crater concept is a little bit VehiCross, right? Love it.
November 20, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Hyundai Crater concept is a little bit VehiCross, right? Love it.
Click and you shall see the future.
November 14, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Click and you shall see the future.
Love how @nikkifromte.bsky.social and the Transport Evolved crew took the 2017 Bolt EV 2,000 miles to the 2027 Bolt EV event!
Also, GM needs to watch at 37:00 for a well-reasoned reminder of what ACP (and AA) enables.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZURN...
Also, GM needs to watch at 37:00 for a well-reasoned reminder of what ACP (and AA) enables.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZURN...
Bolting to LA: 2,000-Mile 2017 Bolt EV Road Trip to See the New 2027 Model — Part 2 - The Return!
YouTube video by Transport Evolved
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Love how @nikkifromte.bsky.social and the Transport Evolved crew took the 2017 Bolt EV 2,000 miles to the 2027 Bolt EV event!
Also, GM needs to watch at 37:00 for a well-reasoned reminder of what ACP (and AA) enables.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZURN...
Also, GM needs to watch at 37:00 for a well-reasoned reminder of what ACP (and AA) enables.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZURN...
Not quite like old times…
This zinester just spent an afternoon with the different movement it is today. Do you copy?
This zinester just spent an afternoon with the different movement it is today. Do you copy?
November 10, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Not quite like old times…
This zinester just spent an afternoon with the different movement it is today. Do you copy?
This zinester just spent an afternoon with the different movement it is today. Do you copy?