I want to preface this story with a caveat: Lemons exist (and I don’t mean the fruit). Sometimes, you just get a bad car. And generally speaking, I have a very empathetic view toward the job of vehicle software engineers. The functions that customers expect their vehicles to perform have grown immensely in the past 10 years, going from basic command and control interfaces to fully featured smartphone operating systems with multiple applications and always-on internet connectivity. Building that into a product as complex and long-lived as a car isn’t easy!
But a recent story from one auto journalist borrowing a Blazer EV paints a pretty damning picture of GM’s software, a company that has already faced major criticism over its decision to remove Android Auto and CarPlay functionality.
Kevin Williams over at InsideEVs recently took a Blazer EV out on loan from GM on a road trip that would require multiple stops at DC fast charging stations to complete. We really liked this car on our first drive, the most “mass market” Ultium platform EV from GM yet — and we were pretty optimistic about the infotainment stack, too. But there’s a big difference between a first drive event under controlled conditions with engineers on-hand and an unsupervised vehicle loan.
I don’t want to beat around the bush too much here, so here’s what you need to know about what happened.
- The Blazer EV’s infotainment OS (powered by Android Automotive) all but completely died multiple times on this journalist’s drive. As in, very concerning screen flashing which then culminated in a totally black display. No apps, no navigation, no charge routing. Bizarrely, the software was able to be revived — temporarily! — by things like incoming calls, but the OS would crash again on the trip.
- When plugged into an Electrify America charge station in Wytheville, Virginia, the Blazer EV briefly fast charged before going into charge fault limp mode. This limits the vehicle’s charge rate (5kW max, it seems), power, and top speed — not to mention illuminates a bunch of concerning warning lights on the dash. At this point, Kevin no longer felt comfortable trying to complete the trip and drove the car to a local Chevy dealer, leaving it there for GM to retrieve.
I recommend you read InsideEV’s full story, linked above, too — it gives you a better sense of how this all unfolded over the course of the day or so (28 hours total) that Kevin had the car.
The most interesting thing I noted outside the story here is that one commenter said that the specific Electrify America charge station Kevin used had also put their Hummer EV into limp mode. This isn’t terribly surprising: Ultium-platform EVs and Electrify America stations seem to be particularly prone to fighting for some reason. But here’s that comment.
Like I said in the comments in the post announcing your road trip, watch out for those EA chargers. I also had to leave my Hummer at the Wytheville GMC/Chevrolet dealer over Thanksgiving for the service dept. to clear a corrupted charge session courtesy of that very EA station. To say I was annoyed at having to put my wife and child in a hotel in Wytheville while a family member drove through the night to pick me up so I could get one of our ICE vehicles from home and drive back through the night/morning to end up with 2 hours of sleep those two days would be putting it mildly. And a month earlier when an EA station in Columbia, SC required another unplanned overnight stay, but at least then I was alone. The truck itself has been great. I haven’t experienced any of the infotainment issues the Blazer did in this trip over my 5500 miles in the Hummer. It’s been perfect besides EA’s stations fluctuating current and tripping software protections requiring service visits to clear. There’s been no lasting damage so at least the truck is protecting itself…I just wish it didn’t lock out any attempts to charge afterwards. FWIW Wytheville GMC cleared the codes and I’ve driven almost 1000 miles since using Circle K and Chargepoint DC chargers without issue. I mostly charge at home anyway.
Now, whether you blame Electrify America or GM for the issues here, to me, is not really the point. The point is that experiences like this one have a deeply chilling effect on the confidence of consumers considering an EV. I have no doubt that GM would be happy to lay the blame for the limp mode experiences like this one at the feet of a “malfunctioning” or otherwise improperly configured charging station. I also wanted to include the entire comment, given that this person overall seems to be happy with their GM Ultium vehicle, and that these experiences seem to by far be the exception, not the rule. But when you have to stay in a hotel — twice — because your car pops up an error message necessitating a dealer visit after using a particular brand of charge station, that’s not what I’d call great UX.
The infotainment issues suffered by Kevin while driving the Blazer EV, though, seem totally unrelated to the charging problems. And given how much people today rely on in-vehicle navigation to get around safely — and doubly so given GM Ultium cars don’t have Android Auto or CarPlay as a backup — this is pretty concerning. No doubt, GM will continue to issue software updates and fixes to the Blazer EV as more vehicles are sold and it collects more data on bugs and crashes, that’s the unfortunate reality of deploying a complex piece of software as part of a hardware product in today’s day and age. This experience will, hopefully, be a relative rarity. But we know that even companies generally thought of as leaders in vehicle software can still seriously screw up that software — look at Rivian’s OTA debacle just last month.
The biggest concern Kevin’s experience raises is that carmakers seem unprepared for the reality of deploying heavily software-dependent products to customers who demand a “just works” experience similar to that of their smartphones and tablets. While technology like OTA updating makes responding to problems easier, it’s far from a panacea, and updates can and do go wrong. The role of vehicle software is more important than ever and, I believe, will become the greatest differentiator between vehicle manufacturers in the coming decades. Customers will learn of carmakers’ reputation for software just as they have for maintenance and mechanical reliability, and stories like this one are going to be a big part of defining that customer preference narrative.
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Renewables and nuclear provided 40.9% of the world’s power generation in 2024, passing the 40% mark for the first time since the 1940s, according to a new global energy think tank Ember report.
Renewables added a record 858 TWh in 2024, 49% more than the previous high in 2022. Solar was the largest contributor for the third year running, adding 474 TWh to reach a share of 6.9%. Solar was the fastest-growing power source (+29%) for the 20th year in a row.
Solar has doubled in just three years, providing more than 2,000 TWh of electricity in 2024. Wind generation also grew to 8.1% of global electricity, while hydro – the single largest renewable source – remained steady at 14% of global electricity.
“Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,” said Phil MacDonald, Ember’s managing director. “Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world’s ever-increasing demand for electricity.”
Ember’s sixth annual Global Electricity Review, published today, provides the first comprehensive overview of the global power system in 2024 based on country-level data. It’s published alongside the world’s first open dataset on electricity generation in 2024, covering 88 countries that account for 93% of global electricity demand, as well as historical data for 215 countries.
What drove the rising power demand
The analysis finds that fossil fuels also saw a small 1.4% increase in 2024 due to surging electricity demand, pushing global power sector emissions up 1.6% to an all-time high.
Heatwaves were the main driver of the rise in fossil generation, accounting for almost a fifth (+0.7%) of the increase in global electricity demand in 2024 (+4.0%), mainly through additional use of cooling. Without these temperature effects, fossil fuel generation would have risen by only 0.2%, as clean electricity generation met 96% of the demand growth not caused by hotter temperatures.
“Amid the noise, it’s essential to focus on the real signal,” continued MacDonald. “Hotter weather drove the fossil generation increase in 2024, but we’re very unlikely to see a similar jump in 2025.”
Aside from weather effects, the increasing use of electricity for AI, data centers, EVs, and heat pumps is already contributing to global demand growth. Combined, the growing use of these technologies accounted for a 0.7% increase in global electricity demand in 2024, double what they contributed five years ago.
Clean power will grow faster than demand
Ember’s report shows that clean generation growth is set to outpace faster-rising demand in the coming years, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil fuel generation. The current expected growth in clean generation would be sufficient to meet a demand increase of 4.1% per year to 2030, which is above expectations for demand growth.
“The world is watching how technologies like AI and EVs will drive electricity demand,” said MacDonald. “It’s clear that booming solar and wind are comfortably set to deliver, and those expecting fossil fuel generation to keep rising will be disappointed.”
Beyond emerging technologies, the growth trajectories of the world’s largest emerging economies will play a crucial role in defining the global outlook. More than half of the increase in solar generation in 2024 was in China, with its clean generation growth meeting 81% of its demand increase in 2024. India’s solar capacity additions in 2024 doubled compared to 2023. These two countries are at the forefront of the drive to clean power and will help tip the balance toward a decline in fossil generation at a global level.
Professor Xunpeng Shi, president of the International Society for Energy Transition Studies (ISETS), said: “The future of the global power system is being shaped in Asia, with China and India at the heart of the energy transition. Their increasing reliance on renewables to power demand growth marks a shift that will redefine the global power sector and accelerate the decline of fossil fuels.”
Read more: Made-in-America solar just got a big win in Louisiana
If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
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The next-gen LEAF is almost here, and it’s looking better than ever. This isn’t the electric hatch you are used to seeing. Nissan’s new LEAF EV has more range, a fresh crossover design, and yes, it can finally charge up at Tesla Superchargers with an NACS port. With the official reveal just around the corner, someone already spotted the new LEAF at a Tesla charger in Canada.
Nissan is launching the new LEAF in the US and Canada
A little over a week ago, we finally got our first look at the third-generation LEAF. Nissan’s iconic electric hatch has grown into a “sleek and spacious family-friendly crossover.”
The US and Canada will be the first to see the reimagined LEAF later this year. It will join the Ariya in Nissan’s North American EV lineup as it looks to spark growth in one of its most important markets.
Based on the CMF-EV platform, the same one underpinning the Ariya, Nissan promises the new LEAF will have “significant range improvements.” Although no other details were revealed, Nissan’s vehicle programs chief, Francois Bailly, told TopGear.com that it’s expected to have WLTP driving range of up to 373 miles (600 km).
It will likely be lower on the EPA scale, but anything even close to 300 miles would be a major improvement over the current 212 EPA-estimated miles offered on the 2025 LEAF SV Plus.
The next-gen LEAF will also be Nissan’s first EV to feature an integrated NACS charging port. With its official debut later this year, the new model is out for testing and was just caught testing at a Tesla Supercharger in Canada.
If you didn’t know what vehicle it is, the LEAF is hardly recognizable. The new image from KindelAuto gives us a closer look at the new crossover design. It almost looks like a Tesla sitting in front of the charger.
The new LEAF is one of 10 new and refreshed Nissan vehicles set to launch in the US and Canada. It will arrive later this year, followed by the fourth-gen Rogue in 2026, which will be available as a PHEV for the first time.
Nissan also plans to build a new “adventure-focused SUV” at its Canton, Mississippi, plant in late 2027. The teaser shows what appears to be a rugged electric Xterra. We’ll have to wait for more details on that one.
Nissan will reveal additional info about the upcoming LEAF mid-year. Check back soon for more updates.
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The Port of Barcelona launched the Ecocat Tres, a highly efficient, all-electric commuter ferry powered by Molabo’s ARIES i50 electric motors.
Ecocat Tres is the latest zero-emission ferry in Bus Nàutic’s growing electric fleet, providing clean transportation between the Drassanes and Llevant wharves. In just its first three months, the Bus Nàutic service logged over 125,000 sustainable trips. Operated by ALSA and backed by the Port of Barcelona, the initiative offers locals and visitors an eco-friendly way to travel, cutting down on road congestion and air pollution in the bustling city.
Built by Spanish shipbuilder Metaltec Naval, Ecocat Tres is a 15-meter aluminum catamaran that carries up to 84 passengers. It even includes a rooftop deck, offering extra seating and a breezy ride across the port. The ferry runs every 15 to 30 minutes for at least 12 hours each day, with the entire trip taking about 10 minutes.
Under the deck are two powerful 48V Molabo ARIES i50 motors, enabling the electric ferry to hit a top speed of 12 knots. Cruising at its regular operational speed of 5 knots, Ecocat Tres can run efficiently for up to 21 hours on a single charge, making it highly reliable for daily commuters.
Molabo’s motors have a low-voltage setup, which makes them safer to maintain compared to traditional high-voltage electric systems. Passengers also enjoy a smoother, quieter ride thanks to significantly reduced noise and vibrations onboard. Azimut Marine supplied the full propulsion and energy system, which includes two ARIES 50 kW electric drives, 36 batteries providing a total of 216 kWh, fast chargers, and integrated solar panels. Impressively, solar power alone can cover up to 40% of the ferry’s energy needs.
Ecocat Tres will cut around 90 tons of CO2 emissions each year, making a positive impact on Barcelona’s ambitious climate goals.
Port of Barcelona president José Antonio Carbonell said, “This 100% electric, zero-emission passenger ferry is helping us reshape mobility in the port and accelerate the decarbonization of our operations.”
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
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