2009 Kia Optima Ex Sedan Leather Sunroof Great Carfax on 2040-cars

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Which electric cars can charge at a Tesla Supercharger?

The difference between Tesla charging and non-Tesla charging. Electrify America; Tesla Tesla's advantage has long been its charging technology and Supercharger network. Now, more and more automakers are switching to Tesla's charging tech. But there are a few things non-Tesla drivers need to know about charging at a Tesla station. A lot has hit the news cycle in recent months with regard to electric car drivers and where they can and can't plug in. The key factor in all of that? Whether automakers switched to Tesla's charging standard. More car companies are shifting to Tesla's charging tech in the hopes of boosting their customers' confidence in going electric.  Here's what it boils down to: If you currently drive a Tesla, you can keep charging at Tesla charging locations, which use the company's North American Charging Standard (NACS), which has long served it well. The chargers are thinner, more lightweight and easier to wrangle than other brands.  If you currently drive a non-Tesla EV, you have to charge at a non-Tesla charging station like that of Electrify America or EVgo — which use the Combined Charging System (CCS) — unless you stumble upon a Tesla charger already equipped with the Magic Dock adapter. For years, CCS tech dominated EVs from everyone but Tesla.  Starting next year, if you drive a non-Tesla EV (from the automakers that have announced they'll make the switch), you'll be able to charge at all Supercharger locations with an adapter. And by 2025, EVs from some automakers won't even need an adaptor.  Here's how to charge up, depending on which EV you have:  Ford 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. Tim Levin/Insider Ford was the earliest traditional automaker to team up with Tesla for its charging tech. Current Ford EV owners — those driving a Ford electric vehicle already fitted with a CCS port — will be able to use a Tesla-developed adapter to access Tesla Superchargers starting in the spring. That means that, if you own a Mustang Mach-E or Ford F-150 Lightning, you will need the adapter in order to use a Tesla station come 2024. But Ford will equip its future EVs with the NACS port starting in 2025 — eliminating the need for any adapter. Owners of new Ford EVs will be able to pull into a Supercharger station and juice up, no problem. General Motors Cadillac Lyriq. Cadillac GM will also allow its EV drivers to plug into Tesla stations.

65k Kia Sorento models face NHTSA probe for shattering sunroof

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration isn't ready to give up its investigation into spontaneously shattering sunroofs in the 2011-2013 Kia Sorento yet. In fact, it has actually broadened it into a full engineering analysis affecting as many as 65,347 vehicles.
The investigation started in 2013 when NHTSA received 15 complaints about breaking sunroofs in the crossover. Since then, the regulator requested data from Kia and found that there have been 95 complaints of the roof abruptly braking. In many of those cases, the vehicle was moving at the time. People have been injured when this happens; NHTSA found 14 incidents where at least one person in the vehicle suffered from cuts or scrapes.
According to the investigation document, Kia also conducted its own internal review but couldn't find any defects. The company claims that the only way for the roof to break is for an object to strike it. Although, it does admit that the large surface of the sunroof on the Sorento could be the cause of the high frequency of damage. NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation isn't convinced and calls it "concerning." It's pressing forward to find more details in the engineering analysis.

Kia hopping on the 48-volt ultra-mild hybrid bandwagon

Kia has announced that it will join an expanding line of automakers, including Audi, Ram, Volvo and others, adding ultra-mild 48-volt hybrid systems to their engines. The system works like other systems in that it has a combination starter and generator connected to the engine crank via a belt. It allows the engine to be shut off earlier than simply at a stop, and provides a bit of electrical assistance to reduce how much the engine has to work on takeoff. The system will first be implemented in Europe with the Kia Sportage and with its diesel engine in 2018. In 2019, the Kia Ceed small car will also be offered with the system. Kia says the system will also appear on gasoline engines in the near future. However, a representative from Kia's U.S. branch wouldn't comment either way on whether the technology will come to America. We think it's a pretty safe bet that we'll see the technology offered in the U.S. soon. Kia makes it clear that this system is designed to be easy to implement. It says there are hardly any packaging issues, usually putting the battery under the trunk floor, and the starter/generator motor doesn't typically require reworking the engine bay much. It also should work with rear-, front-, or all-wheel-drive layouts and with manual and automatic transmissions. If it were only going to be on diesel engines, we could see how Kia might not bring it, but since it will also be featured on gas engines, we're sure it will show up on our shores soon. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.