Mercedes’ F1 Performance Improves After Adjustments to Its Racecar

After qualifying was finished for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in March, Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, condemned his own car. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, the team’s drivers, had finished over six-tenths of a second behind the leading time set by the reigning champion, Max Verstappen of Red Bull, which is a huge… Continue reading Mercedes’ F1 Performance Improves After Adjustments to Its Racecar

F1 Teams Are Already Working on the Power Units Coming in 2026

Formula 1’s 2023 season isn’t even half over, but manufacturers are already working on 2026. That is when revised power-unit regulations, running through 2030, will take effect. It will be the biggest overhaul to the rules since the introduction of 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged engines in 2014. There will be more manufacturers and a step toward… Continue reading F1 Teams Are Already Working on the Power Units Coming in 2026

Why Car Repairs Have Become So Expensive

New cars and trucks are packed with sensors and technology that protect and pamper drivers and passengers. But those features are also raising the cost of repairs after accidents. The average cost of making damaged cars good as new has soared 36 percent since 2018, and may top $5,000 by the end of this year,… Continue reading Why Car Repairs Have Become So Expensive

Tesla’s Second Quarter Sales and Deliveries Rise as Tax Credits Fuel Demand

Tesla sales rose a better-than-expected 10 percent in the second quarter as the company led by Elon Musk benefited from government incentives and price cuts that made its electric cars less expensive than comparable gasoline models. Tesla delivered 466,000 vehicles from April through June, up from 423,000 vehicles in the previous quarter, the company said… Continue reading Tesla’s Second Quarter Sales and Deliveries Rise as Tax Credits Fuel Demand

Lithium Scarcity Pushes Carmakers Into the Mining Business

Eager to avoid falling further behind Tesla and Chinese car companies, many Western auto executives are bypassing traditional suppliers and committing billions of dollars on deals with lithium mining companies. They are showing up in hard hats and steel-toed boots to scope out mines in places like Chile, Argentina, Quebec and Nevada to secure supplies… Continue reading Lithium Scarcity Pushes Carmakers Into the Mining Business

G.M. and Other Automakers Will Build 30,000 Electric Vehicle Chargers

Seven major automakers announced a plan on Wednesday to nearly double the number of fast chargers in the United States in an effort to address one of the main reasons that people hesitate to buy electric cars. The carmakers — BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group and Stellantis — will initially invest… Continue reading G.M. and Other Automakers Will Build 30,000 Electric Vehicle Chargers

A Times Energy Reporter Hunts for Power Sources

“The truck is the battery,” John Reigard said, a hint of pride in his voice. The family purchased the F-150 Lightning just over a year ago, and they have lost power several times since: at Christmastime, after family members had arrived for the holidays; during a late winter storm in March; and on a summer… Continue reading A Times Energy Reporter Hunts for Power Sources

F1 Academy Picks Up Where the W Series Left Off

It has been 47 years since a woman drove in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, when Lella Lombardi of Italy finished 12th at the Austrian Grand Prix in 1976. In 2019, the all-female W Series started in an attempt to provide a way to get women behind the wheel, but it collapsed in June without… Continue reading F1 Academy Picks Up Where the W Series Left Off

United Auto Workers Open Contract Talks in Detroit

The three Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers union have begun negotiating a new labor contract in what could become the most contentious talks between the two sides in perhaps half a century. The discussions, which formally started on Thursday, come as General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis have posted a long streak of… Continue reading United Auto Workers Open Contract Talks in Detroit