Jaw-dropping video shows electric vehicle struck by lightning with a driver inside — plus, 3 more auto stories you need to know this week

Tesla is plotting its longest-range Mannequin 3 variant, Ford introduced its electrical “Mannequin T” second, and a brand new surge in American EV gross sales — this is all that and all the opposite information it’s worthwhile to learn about clear machines proper now.

What occurs when lightning strikes a transferring EV?

A BYD Music Plus was driving in China when lightning struck it. The extensively shared video of the occasion is definitely dramatic, however the driver was simply wonderful, and the EV didn’t — opposite to what a well-liked web fable may need predicted — explode.

In reality, you may see the wipers proceed to run as if nothing occurred, and apart from some marks on the roof, a mechanic reported that there was no harm in any respect. So far as the lightning was involved, the automotive was simply the identical as every other type of automotive and traveled across the edges like a Faraday cage.

Tesla’s longest-range EV is coming — however perhaps to not America

Tesla’s new, long-range Mannequin 3 is on the way in which, however for now, solely in China. American patrons should look forward to its most vary of 515 miles, as Tesla hasn’t introduced a rollout plan for the U.S.

Ford’s massive wager? A $30K EV Truck

Ford CEO Jim Farley has come out swinging with the corporate’s new “Mannequin T Second.”

The automaker lately introduced {that a} “common electrical car platform” is the end result of three years’ work and a reported $5 billion funding plan.

First off, the low-cost EV manufacturing line can be a mid-sized pickup (the obvious car of selection for EV makers proper now), that includes LFP (lithium iron-phosphate) battery cells with an estimated price of simply $30,000.

The last-minute rush to purchase an affordable EV is having a huge impact on gross sales

The tip of the $7,500 federal tax credit score for sure new EV fashions is approaching quick, with the motivation set to run out on Sept. 30. Now, that timeline has sparked a rush to purchase. People purchased 130,100 new EVs in July, the second-highest month-to-month tally on report, trailing solely roughly 136,000 in December. The July figures characterize a 26.4% enhance from June and a virtually 20% enhance from the identical time final 12 months.

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