Semi-solid vs solid state: Decoding the future of electric car batteries

Battery breakthroughs will narrow the gap between ICE and EV, making charging as quick as pumping petrolAs battery technology improves, so the terminology gets more confusing, but soon it may pay to understand the differences when choosing an EV.
Renault and MG have announced forthcoming updates to their respective technologies, with both edging closer to solid-state lithium-ion from conventional liquid electrolyte technology.
MG says it will be the first brand to mass-produce a semi-solid-state

Sharp rises in fuel costs have hit UK drivers' wallets, but that isn't the case everywhereBritish drivers are paying significantly more at the pumps than drivers in several other European countries.
According to RAC data, petrol currently costs around 156p per litre in the UK, compared with roughly 136p in Cyprus, 130p in Spain and 116p in Malta.
Drivers don’t have to refuel too many times before the difference starts hitting their wallets. According to the RAC, filling a 55-litr

The cars that prove you don't need rear-drive balance to have funWhen handling is mentioned, it’s usually rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive cars that get time in the spotlight.This is because of the amount of grip and balance offered. But hey don’t hold a monopoly – and many excellent cars to drive have been built whose engines drive just the front wheels – these are some of the best:Ford Puma
In the 1990s, Mazda had the MX-3, Vauxhall had the Tigra, Fiat gave us the Ba

Alfa has long been one of the most-loved Italian marques for Autocar readers, and here we celebrate its historySome people say that every true petrolhead has either owned an Alfa Romeo or, at the very least, wanted to.Alfa was founded in Milan, less than a hundred miles from its current home in Turin. The actual date was 24 June 1910, but as we’ll see the Alfa Romeo story in fact began a little earlier than that. Let's take a look at this famous firm through the lens of its most

The British engineering firm’s Hydromax challenger has topped 208mph in testing
British engineering firm JCB’s new Hydromax land speed record challenger has reached 208mph to exceed the current speed for the faster hydrogen-powered combustion car as its testing programme wraps up.
The firm is aiming to set a new hydrogen land speed record with the machine on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in August, repeating its success in setting a diesel land speed record with its Dieselmax cha

We know EVs take a range hit when the temperature drops - but hot weather isn't all good newsLike for a lot of people, the novelty of the 30deg C-plus temperatures and fearsome sunshine are wearing off pretty quickly for me. It wasn't long into this latest heatwave before I was practically kneeling in the street and begging the skies for a summer downpour – if only for the sake of my new hydrangea.
Compounding this heat-induced frustration was that once the mercury gets past a certain

Vauxhall will get more room to meet "the specific needs of UK customers" amid Stellantis brand overhaulOpel will give UK subsidiary Vauxhall more engineering freedom to adapt its cars for its home market, in line with an ongoing commitment to preserving the British marque's role in the Stellantis group.
Stellantis – parent company of Opel-Vauxhall, as well as other European marques Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Lancia and Peugeot – recently announced that it would channel

Massive success of BMW's straight-six super estate lays groundwork for a second outingThe M3 Touring will live on in BMW's Neue Klasse era, in part thanks to unexpectedly high demand in markets such as the US and China.
While the M3 saloon is now in its sixth generation, the performance model has only been offered in estate form since the arrival of the G80-generation version in 2021. But strong sales since then have prompted BMW to bring the super-estate back with the next-generation M3, as pre

Speed Academy is a website and YouTube channel based on making things go fast and enjoying cars. Peter Tarach and Dave Pratte are the forces behind Speed Academy.The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.An AI-produced summary of the transcript, edited by a staffer, is below.[Image: Speed Academy/YouTube Thumbnail]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest&

By the late 70s, AMC no longer had the ability or the capital to design an all-new car from scratch. While partnering with the French automaker Renault brings new opportunities, it brings new challenges, too. The Last Independent Automaker is a six-part documentary series, produced by Joe Ligo, Jimm Needle, and Patrick Foster. It details the dramatic rise and fall of American Motors Corp., told through over 35 exclusive interviews, hundreds of rare photographs, and hours of historical and

Porsche reportedly opting to snub volumes to chase margins, with the CEO going so far as to suggest the automaker will be reducing its own production capacity.
The alleged reason is increased operating costs and diminished demand, which was discussed during an interview between Germany’sFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and Porsche CEO Michael Leiters. Due to a sharp decline in Chinese deliveries, Porsche dropping a couple of popular models in Europe, and an increasingly bleak economic

Looking to battle for sales in the outdoor-adventure SUV segment, Honda plans to revive the Element crossover in North America in the second quarter of 2029.According to  an  Automotive News  report, the Japanese automaker will bring back the boxy-looking crossover in hopes to capture some of the growing adventure vehicle segment. In terms of size, it will sit between the HR-V and CR-V. Production will begin, AN reports, during the second quarter of 2029 in Ohio.While it will be

Zuffenhausen takes on Hyundai's N division with its own take on a virtual gearbox – and we drive itPorsche is rolling out a number of major updates to its Taycan sports saloon, most notably a new E-Shift virtual gearbox that has been designed to inject an extra dose of feedback on road and track. 
The new virtual gearbox is not dissimilar to that used by Hyundai’s N models and is effectively a simulated eight-speed transmission. Porsche created the system by takin

The Autocar companies: The auto pioneers, pretenders, and partners who shared our nameLike 'Volkswagen Golf' or 'Citroën', 'Autocar' is an odd name normalised in the public consciousness purely by familiarity.
Like old André Citroën, this magazine (and website) has a valid excuse: while his grandfather had sold lemons, we were predicting what would become the common name for an entirely new invention.
Plenty of people setting up in the 1890s named their endeavours the This,

Extensive redesign creates glass-topped version of Pininfarina special – limited to just nine carsMorgan has turned its stunning Midsummer roadster into an ultra-exclusive coupé – its first hard-top in more than a decade.
Limited to just nine examples, the Midsummer Coupé is Malvern's first fixed-roof model since the Aero 8 bowed out in 2015 and brings to an end production of the Pininfarina-designed coachbuilt special.
Morgan says all nine cars will be highly individua

Triple10 promises faster charging and better environmental credentials thanks to battery cooling breakthroughEnergy giant Shell has unveiled its vision for the future of small electric cars, previewing a generational leap in efficiency, charging speeds and weight reduction.
The concept is named the Triple10 Challenge, referencing the project’s three key objectives: a 10-minute recharge from a common 175kW rapid charger; efficiency of 10km per kWh (6.2mpkWh); and lifecycle CO2 emissions of

Intelligent speed assist misreads up to one in four sign changes, prompting safety body to call for tougher rulesA major UK safety body is calling for revisions to the way in-vehicle speed limit recognition technology is tested and approved after its own tests revealed serious inaccuracies. 
Intelligent speed assist (ISA) is one of a number of safety technologies collectively known as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It has been a mandatory fitment in new cars sold in the European

If you’re looking to “Buy American” then head to the nearest Tesla store because the Model 3 and Model Y are the most American vehicles money can buy in 2026, according to the 2026 Cars.com American-Made Index.Now in its 21st year, the  website culls together a list of the vehicles with the highest level of U.S.-produced components that are also built in the U.S. That’s an oversimplification of the methodology, but the top 20 vehicles on the list

The 2026 Honda Pilot TrailSport levels up Honda’s rugged three‑row SUV with sharper exterior styling, a more premium cabin, and meaningful tech upgrades that family‑SUV shoppers search for.  The refreshed front fascia and cleaner body lines give the Pilot a tougher, more modern look that stands out in the segment. Inside, the TrailSport trim ushers in rugged refinement: leather seating, a panoramic roof, heated front & rear seats, and captain’s chairs which allo

Volvo articulated haulers are extreme off-road machines designed to move massive loads across some of the most inhospitable terrain on Earth. Used in construction, mining, infrastructure, and defense operations, these haulers are built to perform where traditional vehicles fail.  The articulated design allows the front and rear sections to pivot independently, keeping traction on mud, rock, snow, and steep slopes. This unique rotating hitch reduces stress on the vehicle’s structure w

Mazda enlists Chinese help to finally build a long-range EV – can it take the fight to Tesla?The Mazda 6e feels like something of a forced hand for the Japanese manufacturer.Many of us would love for Mazda to merrily keep making MX-5s and a supporting cast of sensibly sized hatchbacks with zingy petrol engines and manual gearboxes, maybe with a couple of straight-six diesels thrown in.But the powers that be have decreed otherwise. Whether it wants to or not, it needs a credible EV, (

Porsche celebrates 75 years in the UK with a very special festival at Silverstone. These are the highlights
“This beautifully streamlined rear-engined sports model is the first German car to be shown in England since the war.”
That car, announcing its maker’s arrival on these shores, was the Porsche 356 at the Earl’s Court motor show in October 1951 and those words were tucked away on page 141 of The Autocar’s 19 October 1951 issue.
Two of those three very examples

Seven-seater brings luxurious features, 390 miles of range and a big price tagSkoda has unveiled the Peaq as its new flagship - and its most expensive car to date, priced from £51,980.
As the jewel in the crown of the brand's electric SUV range, the Peaq is a high-rise seven-seater positioned as an equivalent to the combustion-engined Kodiaq SUV.
It is also Skoda's largest model yet, stretching the Volkswagen Group's MEB architecture to 4.9m in length and 1.7m in height. The new SUV has be

A recent study suggests that increases in average vehicle size have contributed to thousands of unnecessary pedestrian fatalities over the last few years.
The report comes by way of The New York Times, and leverages federal crash data as well as vehicle registrations from S&P Global and specifications from Expert AutoStats. The takeaway, according to the outlet, is that too much emphasis may have been placed on drunk or distracted driving in the past.
This is something other studies have abs

Production version of 1000bhp GT to break cover in US, almost two years after game-changing concept
Jaguar has finally named the date and location of the launch of its hotly anticipated Type 01 luxury electric GT that kicks off the rebirth of the storied brand.
The launch will take place in New York in October, JLR chief commercial officer Leonard Hoornik told participants at the company’s investor day, held on 17 June. “We will launch it… in a very, very special way,” h

Disclosure: TTAC may receive a small affiliate commission from purchases made via links in this article but at no cost to you. The ETENWOLF S6 delivers rapid inflation and rugged power— now yours at 35% off this Prime Day.ETENWOLF S6 ETENWOLF S6— Now $104.49 for a Limited Time Only Shop now Few things disrupt a drive faster than discovering underinflated tires. 
Whether it’s a pickup truck sitting heavy in the driveway, an RV gearing up for miles ahead, or an SUV ready to

R&D boss confirms next EV platform will host sports cars – and they'll do even better ICE impressionsHyundai will continue to offer electric performance cars as it moves its EVs onto a new-generation architecture and they will be "even more realistic" than the current Ioniq 5 N and Ioniq 6 N.
Hyundai's sporting EVs have won acclaim for not just their driving dynamics and performance but also the perceived authenticity of their synthesised engine notes and gearboxes – the lat

These are the cars that truly changed the direction of the motor industry, one model at a timeMost cars come and go, causing barely a ripple in the process.
But occasionally something comes along that causes shockwaves; nowadays such products and brands are called disruptors, because they shake up the market leading to new ways of thinking. Such marketing speak was a long way into the future when most of these influential cars were dreamed up but that doesn’t diminish the fact that they al

As landmark $30k pick up starts testing in US, Ford hints at Europe potential for affordable new EVsFuture models built using Ford's new Formula 1-influenced affordable EV platform could be offered in the UK to complement the company's revamped European line-up.
The new platform, called Universal EV, features "cooler engineering than a hypercar", according to Ford CEO Jim Farley. It has been developed by a 'skunkworks' project in California set up by Ford to work semi-independently.
Universal EV

New legislation will lock important non-EU nations, such as the UK and Turkey, out of crucial benefitsToyota has warned that the European Union faces “isolation” and risks losing investment if it goes through with its proposed ‘Made in Europe’ rules.
The remarks came from Toyota Europe CEO Yoshihiro Nakata, who said the EU risks sabotaging the international ties that have long strengthened its automotive industry through the proposals listed in the Industrial Accelerator