52 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Umar Shakir

Umar Shakir

Former News Writer

Former News Writer

    More From Umar Shakir

    Umar Shakir
    Umar Shakir
    Tesla’s not alone in betting on vision-only advanced driver assistance technology.

    Chinese automaker XPeng is revealing the first images of its P7 Plus electric car with camera-based self-driving technology that operates similarly to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) tech. As reported by Electrek, XPeng previously used Lidar in its cars, an approach that some automakers and robotaxi ventures count on in the pursuit of achieving autonomous driving.

    1/3Image: XPeng
    Umar Shakir
    Umar Shakir
    Toyota rolls into the Ionna EV charging joint venture.

    The world’s biggest car company is joining seven other automakers, including BMW, Honda, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. Ionna plans to install a few chargers by the end of this year, and more than 30,000 across North America by 2030. By that time, Toyota and Lexus together plan to offer 30 EV models globally, the company says.

    bZ4X in red plugged into an illustrated station with an ionna sign, and a silver Lexus ev
    Toyota and Lexus both have only one EV model so far.
    Image: Toyota
    Umar Shakir
    Umar Shakir
    I wish America could get the Fun van.

    Honda’s cute little Japan-only N-VAN is going electric and comes in versions like “FUN” for personal use and “G” which gives you a seat and a blank canvas for commercial use. It’s got 152 miles of range with support for 50kW DC fast charging, perfect for city driving. It could very well be made into a cool camper, too.

    yellow boxy Honda van with ev plug
    I wish you could walk into a downtown Manhattan dealership that only sells this van.
    Image: Honda
    Umar Shakir
    Umar Shakir
    Mercedes-Benz will deploy new 400kW DC fast chargers built in North America.

    After opening its first charging hub in Atlanta, which features 400kW chargers by ChargePoint, the automaker will now install Alphitronic HYC400 models at new locations later this year. It has two plugs, supports CCS and Tesla’s NACS, and features dynamic load sharing, i.e. one car can charge at 150kW while the other at 250kW. It’s part of Mercedez-Benz’s $1 billion investment to build 400 EV charging hubs.

    Umar Shakir
    Umar Shakir
    The shareholders are givers.

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk got his big compensation package approved yesterday, but how many really voted in favor? Well, it seems 1.78 billion shares voted in favor of Musk’s payday, while 529 million voted against — a 72 percent margin, excluding shares held by Musk and his brother Kimbal, as The New York Times reports. Musk took a victory lap on the mic at the shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas.