Principia is here to win, and it won’t hesitate to help others do the same

The sun has just about risen on this year’s Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP), the pre-qualifying race before the renowned American Solar Challenge. FSGP officially kicks off tomorrow morning for the teams that have passed rigorous safety and quality checks, known as “scrutineering.”

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of speaking directly with teams from around the world, including the Delft Solar Team from the Netherlands and ÉTS Éclipse from Montreal. But for my final profile, I sat down with students from a small liberal arts school just outside St. Louis, right along the Mississippi River. Principia College has a long-running solar car program, which is astonishing considering the school is in the middle of phasing out its only engineering program.

So it was no surprise that after a few minutes speaking with the team’s leadership, I realized the car might end up being the least interesting thing about them.

Will we soon see sodium-ion batteries on electric bikes?

For the last couple of years, sodium-ion batteries have been one of the most talked-about “next big things” in the battery world. They promise lower costs, improved safety, and reduced dependence on critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Naturally, that has led many riders to wonder whether the next generation of electric bicycles could ditch lithium altogether.

Order up: Janus Electric set to convert 67 diesel trucks to battery-swap EVs

Australian conversion experts Janus Electric are celebrating a series of orders that will see the company convert 67 Class 8 heavy-duty freight and drayage trucks from diesels to advanced, battery-swap electric vehicles.

Toyota’s next-gen Corolla EV takes center stage as a ‘sense of crisis’ reshapes the company

The world’s best-selling car of all time is going electric. Toyota’s next-generation Corolla EV will debut on a new platform as “a considerable sense of crisis” forces the company to reinvent itself.

Florida AG asks court to erase Tesla’s $243M Autopilot crash verdict

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is asking a federal appeals court to wipe out the $243 million verdict a Miami jury handed Tesla over a fatal Autopilot crash.

The attorneys general of Alabama and Georgia joined the July 9 brief, which asks the 11th Circuit to throw out the judgment entirely — or, failing that, cut the $200 million punitive award down to three times compensatory damages.

Tesla remote operator crashed a ‘Robotaxi’ in Houston, NHTSA data shows

Tesla has filed four new “Robotaxi” crash reports with NHTSA, and the most revealing one involves a Tesla remote operator driving the vehicle into a tree stump in Houston.

It’s the third crash Tesla has now reported involving a human operating the car remotely caused the collision — and the first one Tesla has formally coded as remote operation in its filing.

Chinese Wuling Bingo could come to North America as an entry-level Chevy EV

The Geo Metro has reached legendary status among hyper-milers and fuel efficiency fans, and if the rumors are to be believed, it could be getting a spiritual successor in the form of a Chevy-badged Wuling Bingo EV for global markets.

Survey Sunday: is Slate Auto’s affordable electric truck going to make it?

For the last few weeks, we’ve been running a sidebar survey asking Electrek readers if they thought the new, affordable Slate electric truck was going to succeed in the ultra-competitive US market. After receiving nearly 3,000 responses, here’s what you told us.

Pilot hits new EV milestone with 300th DC fast charging location

Pilot travel centers are welcoming America’s summer road trippers with a number of new locations, an expanded, “coast-to-coast” EV charging network that offers 24/7 convenience and healthier c-store snacks and menu items.

New 6 passenger, 780-mile PHEV from GM has North America written all over it

GM thinks its newest Starlight L PHEV SUV could be China’s best value hybrid, offering 260 km (~160 miles) of all-electric range, spacious six-passenger seating, and a modern technology package at an affordable price. And it’s exactly the kind of vehicle that the company could try to rebadge for North America