< < ChevroletYou’ll soon be able to buy an electric Chevrolet motor just as easily as one of its gas engines. After years of prototypes, the automaker plans to start selling crate electric motors and batteries to consumers by the second half of next year (via autoblog). And to showcase what you’ll be able to do with the tech, Chevy detailed a 1977 K5 Blazer conversion its Performance team completed using a near-production eCreate motor kitChevroletChevy says approximately 90 percent of the new components it installed in the Blazer are Bolt EV parts straight from the factory, including the 200 horsepower motor that makes up the heart of the retrofit. Likewise borrowed from the Bolt is a 60kWh battery, which Chevy installed in the car’s cargo area. By using production controllers and wiring harnesses, it was able to carry over features like regenerative braking to the Blazer. What it didn’t need to replace was the majority of the drivetrain, with the transfer case, driveshaft and axles left untouched.In most cases it sounds like you’ll need to buy some additional parts to turn an old gas guzzler into an EV. In the case of the K5, Chevy installed an aftermarket electric steering kit, an electric pump and an electronic controller to allow the Blazer’s analog fuel gauge to display remaining battery power.ChevroletWhile the automaker didn’t announce pricing for the package, it did say it plans to certify dealers and aftermarket shops on their installation. It’s also exploring offering high-performance eCrate motors and batteries in different configurations.

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Chevrolet

You’ll soon be able to buy an electric Chevrolet motor just as easily as one of its gas engines. After years of prototypes, the automaker plans to start selling crate electric motors and batteries to consumers by the second half of next year (via autoblog). And to showcase what you’ll be able to do with the tech, Chevy detailed a 1977 K5 Blazer conversion its Performance team completed using a near-production eCreate motor kit

Chevrolet

Chevy says approximately 90 percent of the new components it installed in the Blazer are Bolt EV parts straight from the factory, including the 200 horsepower motor that makes up the heart of the retrofit. Likewise borrowed from the Bolt is a 60kWh battery, which Chevy installed in the car’s cargo area. By using production controllers and wiring harnesses, it was able to carry over features like regenerative braking to the Blazer. What it didn’t need to replace was the majority of the drivetrain, with the transfer case, driveshaft and axles left untouched.

In most cases it sounds like you’ll need to buy some additional parts to turn an old gas guzzler into an EV. In the case of the K5, Chevy installed an aftermarket electric steering kit, an electric pump and an electronic controller to allow the Blazer’s analog fuel gauge to display remaining battery power.

Chevrolet

While the automaker didn’t announce pricing for the package, it did say it plans to certify dealers and aftermarket shops on their installation. It’s also exploring offering high-performance eCrate motors and batteries in different configurations. 

< <Xinhua/Ding Ting via Getty ImagesTesla’s Full Self-Driving beta is already making some significant (and arguably needed) strides forward. Electrek says the automaker has rolled out an update that, according to Elon Musk, should reduce the need for human intervention by about a third. He didn’t elaborate on what led to the improvements besides more real-world use, but that’s still a huge leap for an initial update.You can expect more Full Self-Driving updates every five to ten days, Musk added. He further acknowledged that the system would never be perfect, but hoped the likelihood of an error would eventually dip “far lower” than what you’d expect from a human.These kinds of rapid improvements may well be necessary. Tesla still hopes to make the FSD beta widely accessible by the end of 2020, and that might only happen when the system is reliable enough that most drivers will feel comfortable using it.

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Xinhua/Ding Ting via Getty Images

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving beta is already making some significant (and arguably needed) strides forward. Electrek says the automaker has rolled out an update that, according to Elon Musk, should reduce the need for human intervention by about a third. He didn’t elaborate on what led to the improvements besides more real-world use, but that’s still a huge leap for an initial update.

You can expect more Full Self-Driving updates every five to ten days, Musk added. He further acknowledged that the system would never be perfect, but hoped the likelihood of an error would eventually dip “far lower” than what you’d expect from a human.

These kinds of rapid improvements may well be necessary. Tesla still hopes to make the FSD beta widely accessible by the end of 2020, and that might only happen when the system is reliable enough that most drivers will feel comfortable using it.

< < Car makers are making a fuss over the artificial sounds they’re required to produce for their EVs, and Audi is no exception. The German brand explained to Autoblog just how it created the sound for the production E-Tron GT, noting that it was an elaborate process. Audi created the sound from 32 distinct elements using custom software and some ad-hoc discovery. The “foundation” was a 9.8-foot plastic pipe with a fan grafted to one end, producing a low growl that suited the E-Tron GT’s sporty nature.The company’s Stephan Gsell noted the challenge of finding a sound that was pleasing, but also something you could live with every day. A Star Wars podracer sound might be a blast in short bursts, for example, but the novelty could wear off quickly during your daily commute.Audi didn’t borrow from the Porsche Taycan while working on the sound, the company said, although it did use similar techniques and was working on it at roughly the same time.The result is a sound that’s not quite as sci-fi as what you’ll find in the Taycan, but also not just a simple attempt to recreate a gas engine. We’re not quite sure it’s the “emotional” experience Audi claims it is, but that’s not entirely the point. The sound is at once a legal requirement to alert pedestrians as well as a void-filler for people who might be unsettled by the near silence of an EV cabin. And importantly, it’s optional on the inside — you can choose the intensity or turn it off altogether.If you’re wealthy enough to be in the market for an E-Tron GT, you won’t have to wait too long to try it. Production is due to start near the end of 2020, albeit in small numbers.

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 Car makers are making a fuss over the artificial sounds they’re required to produce for their EVs, and Audi is no exception. The German brand explained to Autoblog just how it created the sound for the production E-Tron GT, noting that it was an elaborate process. Audi created the sound from 32 distinct elements using custom software and some ad-hoc discovery. The “foundation” was a 9.8-foot plastic pipe with a fan grafted to one end, producing a low growl that suited the E-Tron GT’s sporty nature.

The company’s Stephan Gsell noted the challenge of finding a sound that was pleasing, but also something you could live with every day. A Star Wars podracer sound might be a blast in short bursts, for example, but the novelty could wear off quickly during your daily commute.

Audi didn’t borrow from the Porsche Taycan while working on the sound, the company said, although it did use similar techniques and was working on it at roughly the same time.

The result is a sound that’s not quite as sci-fi as what you’ll find in the Taycan, but also not just a simple attempt to recreate a gas engine. We’re not quite sure it’s the “emotional” experience Audi claims it is, but that’s not entirely the point. The sound is at once a legal requirement to alert pedestrians as well as a void-filler for people who might be unsettled by the near silence of an EV cabin. And importantly, it’s optional on the inside — you can choose the intensity or turn it off altogether.

If you’re wealthy enough to be in the market for an E-Tron GT, you won’t have to wait too long to try it. Production is due to start near the end of 2020, albeit in small numbers.

< < Tesla cars are now smarter about recognizing street signs. Electrek reports that the automaker is pushing a software update that lets Autopilot detect speed limit signs using the EV’s cameras. Your car should stick to the limit more accurately than it did before, when it was relying solely on GPS data. You shouldn’t risk a ticket just because your car sped up prematurely.You should also have fewer embarrassing moments at intersections. There’s now a chime that sounds when the traffic light you’re waiting for turns green. If there’s a car in front of you, the chime will wait until that vehicle moves forward It’s still up to you to confirm your intention and resume semi-autonomous driving, but that beats listening to honking horns from people waiting behind you.As with most Tesla updates, it could take a few weeks before the new features reach your car. Still, it’s a significant update. It promises a smoother Autopilot experience, of course, but it also inches Tesla slightly closer to its dreams of full self-driving — your car won’t have to rely quite so much on pre-supplied data to navigate.

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Tesla cars are now smarter about recognizing street signs. Electrek reports that the automaker is pushing a software update that lets Autopilot detect speed limit signs using the EV’s cameras. Your car should stick to the limit more accurately than it did before, when it was relying solely on GPS data. You shouldn’t risk a ticket just because your car sped up prematurely.

You should also have fewer embarrassing moments at intersections. There’s now a chime that sounds when the traffic light you’re waiting for turns green. If there’s a car in front of you, the chime will wait until that vehicle moves forward It’s still up to you to confirm your intention and resume semi-autonomous driving, but that beats listening to honking horns from people waiting behind you.

As with most Tesla updates, it could take a few weeks before the new features reach your car. Still, it’s a significant update. It promises a smoother Autopilot experience, of course, but it also inches Tesla slightly closer to its dreams of full self-driving — your car won’t have to rely quite so much on pre-supplied data to navigate.

< <Tesla has appeared in a JD Power Initial Quality Study for the first time, and it doesn’t look good for the electric car maker — although the story is more complex than it sounds. JD Power ranked Tesla last out of 32 brands operating in the US, with 250 problems per 100 vehicles. The top brands, Dodge and Kia, had ‘just’ 136 problems. Tesla wasn’t officially participating in the study as it doesn’t grant permission to survey owners in 15 states where it’s required, but JD Power collected enough surveys (about 1,250) from other states to produce a score.That’s not a sterling result, but the numbers don’t say everything. JD Power automotive president Doug Betts told CNBC that Tesla’s issues were mostly related to production-related issues like body panel gaps, paint flaws and squeaks. For contrast, nearly a quarter of all automakers’ problems stemmed from infotainment issues like touchscreens, phone connectivity and built-in navigation. Tesla vehicles may have more issues, then, but they’re less likely to be ones that affect the basic functionality of the car.We’ve asked Tesla for comment.These findings aren’t completely surprising. Tesla has been scrambling to boost production and make cars like the Model 3 profitable, and there have long been concerns that refinement wasn’t the highest priority. It’s not uncommon to read new owners’ stories of panel gaps and other small but irksome issues, particularly for earlier production runs of a given EV. It’s not certain how Tesla will respond to the study, but this could spur on critics who want the company to focus less on car delivery numbers and more on the quality of the cars that reach customers.

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Tesla has appeared in a JD Power Initial Quality Study for the first time, and it doesn’t look good for the electric car maker — although the story is more complex than it sounds. JD Power ranked Tesla last out of 32 brands operating in the US, with 250 problems per 100 vehicles. The top brands, Dodge and Kia, had ‘just’ 136 problems. Tesla wasn’t officially participating in the study as it doesn’t grant permission to survey owners in 15 states where it’s required, but JD Power collected enough surveys (about 1,250) from other states to produce a score.

That’s not a sterling result, but the numbers don’t say everything. JD Power automotive president Doug Betts told CNBC that Tesla’s issues were mostly related to production-related issues like body panel gaps, paint flaws and squeaks. For contrast, nearly a quarter of all automakers’ problems stemmed from infotainment issues like touchscreens, phone connectivity and built-in navigation. Tesla vehicles may have more issues, then, but they’re less likely to be ones that affect the basic functionality of the car.

We’ve asked Tesla for comment.

These findings aren’t completely surprising. Tesla has been scrambling to boost production and make cars like the Model 3 profitable, and there have long been concerns that refinement wasn’t the highest priority. It’s not uncommon to read new owners’ stories of panel gaps and other small but irksome issues, particularly for earlier production runs of a given EV. It’s not certain how Tesla will respond to the study, but this could spur on critics who want the company to focus less on car delivery numbers and more on the quality of the cars that reach customers.