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Battery developer Amprius Technologies (NYSE: AMPX) today announced that it has signed a letter of intent for a 775,000-square-foot facility near Denver.

The battery factory will be built in phases, starting with 500 megawatt-hours. The initial footprint will have the potential of up to 5 gigawatt-hours.

The company chose an existing 1.3 million-square-foot factory site in Brighton, in the Denver area, because it already has the electric power and structural layout it needs, which will reduce buildout costs.

Amprius says the location is close to essential materials and critical transportation infrastructure, and that the site “is expected to both streamline time-to-market and drive effective customer fulfilment.”

In October, the US Department of Energy awarded Amprius a $50 million cost-sharing grant as the result of the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Law.

Colorado governor Jared Polis said:

We need more batteries to power the future, and now we will be manufacturing more of them right here in Colorado. We are excited to welcome Amprius to Colorado, bringing over 300 new good-paying jobs and joining Colorado’s innovative and collaborative business community.

Fremont-headquartered Amprius, which was founded by a Stanford University professor, uses silicon nanowires instead of graphite anode in its lithium-ion batteries. That allows for higher energy density, which means Amprius’ batteries can store more energy in the same amount of space than traditional batteries.

Or, as the company puts it, “This means our cells provide more energy and power with much less weight and volume.” So its batteries provide EVs with longer range, faster charging times, and greater energy density.

The batteries will be developed in Fremont and manufactured in Brighton. Amprius is aiming to launch the factory in 2025.

Read more: Tesla cofounder’s Redwood just scored a $2B govt loan to make EV batteries

Photo: Amprius


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Tesla is under NHTSA probe for not properly reporting crashes involving Autopilot and FSD

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Tesla is under NHTSA probe for not properly reporting crashes involving Autopilot and FSD

NHTSA announced that it has launched an investigation into Tesla for not correctly reporting crashes involving its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the road safety regulator in the US, already has several open investigations into Tesla, most of which are related to Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS): Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD).

Now, it is opening a new investigation related to inconsistencies in how Tesla reports crashes involving its ADAS systems.

Due to the Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), automakers are required to report to NHTSA crashes involving their autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems within five days of being notified of them.

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When it comes to Tesla, it generally receives notification within minutes of a crash, as it has an automated collision snapshot that is sent to its mothership server following an accident.

Now, NHTSA claims that Tesla has sometimes waited months to report crashes involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

They wrote in their notice that they opened a new probe into Tesla:

The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a report to be submitted within one or five days of Tesla receiving notice of the crash. When the reports were submitted, Tesla submitted them in one of two ways. Many of the reports were submitted as part of a single batch, while others were submitted on a rolling basis.

Tesla told NHTSA that this was due to an “error” in their systems, and they claim to have fixed it, but the agency wants to investigate further:

Preliminary engagement between ODI and Tesla on the issue indicates that the timing of the reports was due to an issue with Tesla’s data collection, which, according to Tesla, has now been fixed. NHTSA is opening this Audit Query, a standard process for reviewing compliance with legal requirements, to evaluate the cause of the potential delays in reporting, the scope of any such delays, and the mitigations that Tesla has developed to address them. As part of this review, NHTSA will assess whether any reports of prior incidents remain outstanding and whether the reports that were submitted include all of the required and available data.

It’s not surprising to see the regulator being suspicious about Tesla’s excuse, following our report that Tesla lied and misled police and plaintiffs to hide its Autopilot crash data in a recent wrongful death case that the automaker lost in trial.

Tesla leads level 2 ADAS system crash data reporting by a mile (ADAS level 2 on the left and ADS level 3-5 on the right):

Tesla only appears on the chart for the level 2 driver assistance system and not on the crash reporting for the automated system, since, despite what its CEO and some shareholders claim, Tesla doesn’t have any system deployed in the US that qualifies as fully automated.

However, when it comes to level 2 ADAS crash reporting, Tesla leads with over 2,300 crashes, followed by GM, which reports 55 crashes with its SuperCruise system.

It’s not the first time that Tesla has had issues with NHTSA’s crash reporting. We previously reported that Tesla abuses NHTSA’s confidential policies to have most of the data related to the crashes redacted, and the automaker claimed that it would ‘suffer financial harm’ if its self-driving crash data became public.

Electrek’s Take

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that Tesla tries to weasle its way out of reporting crash data related to its automated driving efforts.

At this point, it’s basically its modus operandi.

Yet, we are supposed to trust the company to deploy safe systems that automate driving?

Tesla has proven extremely opaque and untrustworthy in its safety reporting regarding Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. I think that’s a fair statement backed by facts.

That’s not what you want from a company deploying products that are potentially dangerous to road uses.

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Toyota cuts bZ electric SUV prices by $2,000 even with some serious upgrades

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Toyota cuts bZ electric SUV prices by ,000 even with some serious upgrades

Toyota’s new electric SUV boasts significantly more range, a revamped interior and exterior design, and an NACS port for recharging at Tesla Superchargers. Despite the upgrades, the 2026 Toyota bZ is $2,000 cheaper than the outgoing model.

2026 Toyota bZ electric SUV prices and range by trim

The bZ4X, Toyota’s first electric SUV, has been killed off and replaced with the upgraded bZ. Toyota improved it in almost every way possible for the 2026 model year, adding driving range, more features, a fresh new look, and more.

Even with the upgrades, the new and improved Toyota bZ is cheaper than the outgoing bZ4X. Toyota revealed prices for the 2026 bZ electric SUV will start at $34,900, or $2,170 less than the outgoing model.

That’s for the base XLE FWD trim with a 57.7 kWh battery, good for 236 miles range. Upgrading to the extended-range bZ XLE FWD Plus will cost $37,900, but a larger 74.7 kWh battery provides up to 314 miles of driving range, representing a 25% improvement over the 2025 model year.

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Toyota-bZ-SUV-prices
2026 Toyota bZ electric SUV (Source: Toyota)

For AWD, prices start at $39,900. Thanks to new SIC semiconductors, AWD models now pack up to 388 hp, 50% more than the outgoing electric SUV.

The range-topping 2026 Toyota bZ Limited FWD trim starts at $43,300, while upgrading to AWD will cost you an extra $2,000.

2026 Toyota bZ trim Battery Range Starting Price*
XLE FWD 57.7 kWh 236 miles $34,900
XLE FWD Plus 74.7 kWh 314 miles $37,900
XLE AWD 74.7 kWh 288 miles $39,900
Limited FWD 74.7 kWh 299 miles $43,300
Limited AWD 74.7 kWh 278 miles $45,300
2026 Toyota bZ prices and range by trim (*excluding $1,450 DPH fee)

Toyota’s new electric SUV now features a built-in NACS port, allowing you to recharge at Tesla Superchargers. With a new thermal management system and battery preconditioning, the bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes.

The new electric SUV features a fresh look both inside and out. Like the latest Camry and Crown, the bZ features Toyota’s new “hammerhead front end design” with an LED light bar across the front.

Toyota-bZ-SUV-prices
The interior of the 2026 Toyota bZ (Source: Toyota)

Inside, the 2026 bZ gets a redesigned center console and a larger 14″ Toyota Audio Multimedia touchscreen, two wireless phone chargers, and an improved dashboard.

Toyota said dropping the “4X” at the end of the name was to simplify things for buyers. The 2026 models are expected to begin arriving at dealerships in the second half of 2025, which could be any day now.

With the 2026 model year arriving soon, Toyota is offering clearance prices on the 2025 bZ4X with up to $12,000 off in lease cash. You can use our link to find Toyota bZ4X models in your area (trusted affiliate link).

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ChargePoint’s Omni Port that can charge any EV is now available as a conversion kit for older stations

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ChargePoint's Omni Port that can charge any EV is now available as a conversion kit for older stations

Innovative EV charging network ChargePoint is expanding the availability of its modular Omni Port EV charger to its customers. While pre-fitted new chargers continue to roll out across the US, ChargePoint has introduced a new conversion kit version of the universal charging technology, giving older stations more modern compatibility.

If you’ve ever owned, leased, or rented an EV in the US, chances are you’ve encountered a ChargePoint ($CHPT) station or port during your travels. The company estimates that it currently holds a 60%+ market share of public AC charging ports in North America and continues to introduce new strategies and technologies to keep that EV network humming.

For example, ChargePoint began implementing AI to monitor and report EV charger issues so they could be addressed more quickly, reducing downtime. Last month, the company announced a new charger checkup program called “Safeguard Care” to maintain and clean stations before any issues arise.

On the tech side of things, ChargePoint has introduced faster V2X level 2 chargers and anti-theft and anti-vandalization charger cables. However, ChargePoint’s most interesting innovation of the past year is its Omni Port EV Charger plug, which combines J1772 and NACS ports into one while maintaining the capabilities for CCS1 DC fast charging where available.

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It’s been just over a year since the Omni Port was unveiled. While new EV chargers donning the tech continue to roll out, ChargePoint has introduced an additional solution to update older, existing stations.

ChargePoint EV
The new Omni Port / Source: ChargePoint

ChargePoint’s conversion kit can update older EV chargers

ChargePoint shared details of its new “Omni Port adaptable charging solution,” designed to bring modern updates to existing EV chargers. The new conversion kit will roll out alongside production of the charging network’s pre-fitted Omni Port Level 2 chargers to further ensure more customers can charge in any space, with any connector (aside from CHAdeMO), regardless of make and model.

ChargePoint hopes the addition of the conversion kit will enable it to bolster its existing EV charger network by providing a solution to the connector issue. Many existing BEVs still utilize J1772 plugs while the entire industry slowly transitions to the North American Charging Standard (NACS). ChargePoint’s CTO of Hardware, Hossein Kazemi, elaborated:

As many automakers shift toward the NACS charging port, charging providers need to serve all of their customers – regardless of their vehicle’s connector type. Omni Port enables customers to future proof their charging infrastructure and eliminates the hassle of dedicating parking spaces to a specific connector type. For EV drivers, it ensures they will encounter the connector type they need to charge at any Omni Port location.

As we explained when the Omni Port debuted last summer, the charging process is seamless. EV drivers register their vehicle in the ChargePoint app and tap to charge, and the station automatically releases the correct connector type.

At the time, ChargePoint also pointed out that the modular design of its EV chargers would allow station owners to upgrade to new technology like the Omni Port, which debuted as being “future-ready.” With the addition of the conversion kit, station owners do not need to replace their EV chargers entirely and instead can swap a minimal amount of components quickly and affordably—all while upgrading to the most up-to-date universal charging technology.

There is no word yet on when the conversion kits will start rolling out, but this could provide a huge technological boost to ChargePoint’s existing EV charger networks, which are already one of the most prominent in North America. We love to see it.

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