Not too long ago, there was a time when supersport motorbikes were by far the quickest road-legal vehicles on the planet. However, while most flagship bikes from the past decade have remained capped at around 200 hp, the horsepower wars among carmakers have continued to rage.

First, flagship hypercars like the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder started giving bikes a run for their money. Now, we’re living in an era where all-electric sedans are among the quickest-accelerating cars on the planet. To demonstrate this, CarWow recently lined up the new Porsche Taycan Turbo GT alongside a Ferrari SF90 Stradale and a Yamaha R1M. The results are eye-opening – although not unsurprising.

Read: Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Becomes First Car To Break 2-Second Barrier In C/D’s 0-60 Test

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the only true supercar on test and its twin-turbocharged V8 and three electric motors combine to deliver 986 hp. However, that’s less than the 1,019 hp mustered up by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with its launch control system enabled. The Yamaha R1M is good for 200 hp by comparison, but is also much lighter.

In the first race, all three competitors got a great start but the Ferrari edged ahead. However, the Porsche soon closed the gap and was neck-and-neck with the SF90. The rider of the Yamaha did a good job of hanging with the Ferrari and Porsche but finished slightly behind.

The SF90 got the jump off the line in the second race, but just like in the first race, the Taycan started to pull slightly away as the speeds started to build, taking the victory. In the third, the Porsche and the Yamaha got the best launches as the driver of the Ferrari turned off all the assistance systems and got a bunch of unwanted wheelspin, impacting the hybrid’s getaway.

The tables are turned in a rolling drag race from 10 mph. While the Porsche has the power advantage over the Ferrari, it doesn’t perform as well in a roll race and is left behind by the other two.

For most of the past year, it’s seemed like every other week, a major Chinese car manufacturer has revealed a new and innovative premium EV. However, some analysts expect fewer all-new premium models to be launched in 2025 due to weakening demand across the local market.

China’s luxury EVs are usually priced over 300,000 yuan (about $41,000), with several different car manufacturers competing in this segment. These include Xpeng, Nio, Li Auto, Zeekr, and BYD. All of these brands produce compelling models, but the segment is small, and there’s limited potential for it to grow. The founder of CnEVPost, Phate Zhang, believes this will force companies to slow down their launches of new premium models.

Read: China’s HiPhi EV Startup Is In Trouble, As Parent Company Files For Bankruptcy

“I think automakers will slow down their launches of new premium models in 2025 and focus on upgrading their existing models,” he told the South China Morning Post. “This market segment is not easy to expand. Coupled with the overall slowdown in the EV market, sales of high-end EV models have faced considerable challenges this year.”

Vehicles in China’s premium EV segment accounted for roughly 10% of total EVs sold through the first 11 months of the year. While sales of these models have grown over recent years, this growth has started to slow, according to China Passenger Car Association data. Ongoing price wars are also making it difficult for new offerings to enter the market and prove competitive.

“Few of the companies have succeeded in entering the premium market, with most of the rest suffering from weak sales and huge investment losses,” Jiangxi New Energy Technology Institute researcher Zhang Xiang said. “This has set an alarm for the carmakers.”

Several local brands started to feel the pinch of slowing sales growth in 2024. Last August, Human Horizons filed for bankruptcy, having sold fewer than 8,000 of its premium EV models in 2023, while in December, Geely’s Jiyue EV brand was on the brink of collapse. While growth has slowed, China’s EV market is expected to swell considerably this year. In fact, sales of new-energy vehicles – which include BEVs, PHEVs, and FCEVs – may increase by 28% this year and hit 15.78 million sales.

The Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV) has revealed 128,691 new vehicles were bought in the country last year. That’s a relatively small number, but 114,400 of them were electric.

That’s nearly 89% and the OFV says the country is close to achieving its goal of having all new passenger vehicles being zero-emission by 2025. They went on to note the EV percentage jumped from an already impressive 82.4% in 2023.

More: Norway Sets World Record For EV Sales With 94% Market Share Last Month

Interestingly, customers who didn’t opt for an EV typically bought something eco-friendly. 5.3% of vehicles sold in Norway last year were a hybrid, while roughly 2.7% were plug-in hybrids. Furthermore, customers only snapped up 986 vehicles powered exclusively by gasoline.

While it’s impressive that Norwegians have embraced EVs to such a degree, the OFV said “the last few percentages to reach the 2025 target may be difficult to achieve.” They went on to emphasize the importance of government incentives such as tax exemptions.

NORWAY PASSENGER CAR SALES 2024

Getting back to sales, the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling vehicle in Norway as customers snapped up 16,858 units, accounting for just over 13% of the entire market. It was followed by the Tesla Model 3 (7,264) and Volvo EX30 (7,229). The Volkswagen ID.4 followed just seven units behind, while the Toyota bZ4X came in fifth place with 6,007 sales.

Chinese brands also performed well, accounting for nearly 10% of new car sales, with BYD ranking as the 13th largest automaker in terms of deliveries last year. Xpeng came in 15th place, meaning both automakers outperformed Peugeot, Mazda, Porsche, Kia, and Lexus. SAIC-owned MG also secured 10th place with 4,591 sales.

NORWAY BEST SELLERS 2024

Tesla’s fourth-quarter sales results are in, and, as expected, they’re a bit of a mixed bag. On the upside, the company set a new record for quarterly sales. On the downside, it missed projections and sold fewer cars in 2024 than in 2023, marking its first-ever annual sales decline in over a decade amid growing competition in the global electric vehicle market. Unsurprisingly, this has contributed to a drop in the company’s stock price. Let’s break it all down.

See: Tesla Model Y Juniper Caught With Split Headlights And Rear Light Bar

First, Tesla delivered 495,570 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2024. That’s an improvement over its previous record-breaking quarter (Q3 of 2024), which saw 462,890 deliveries. However, analysts had projected that Tesla would deliver closer to 500,000 vehicles. To match its 2023 total sales , Tesla would have needed to deliver more than 510,000 cars in Q4, meaning it fell short of what was necessary to avoid a year-over-year decline.

2024 vs. 2023: The Numbers Game

As a result, Tesla fell short of its goal of surpassing the 1.8 million deliveries achieved in 2023, ending 2024 with exactly 1,789,226 vehicles delivered. The breakdown of these numbers is particularly noteworthy: 1,704,093 of those deliveries came from the Model Y and Model 3. This means the Model S, Model X, and the newly launched Cybertruck collectively accounted for less than five percent of Tesla’s total sales.

In addition to its vehicle deliveries, Tesla reported strong performance in its energy business. The company says that it delivered a record 11.0 GWh of energy storage products in the fourth quarter of 2024. It hasn’t released financial results yet which could shed some additional light on how the brand is doing. Those will come out on January 29 after the market closes.

Tesla Stock Faces Continued Pressure

Tesla’s latest sales report hasn’t done much to stabilize the company’s ongoing stock slump. As of this writing, Tesla shares have dropped 6.8% for the day, capping off what’s been a rough week. Over the past five trading days, TSLA has fallen from a high of $465 per share to just $375.

It’s unclear what might stop the bleeding, or so-to-speak, at least in the short term. Perhaps the alliance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump will come into play but we’ll have to wait a little while longer to see how that shakes out.

Refreshed Model Y And New Sub-$30K EV

One factor working in Tesla’s favor is the imminent launch of the updated version of its bestselling Model Y, codenamed Project Juniper. Expected to hit most global markets in the coming months, this refreshed model should help boost sales and bolster confidence as the company moves into 2025.

Read: Tesla Exec Confirms Sub-$30K Model Q And 2025 Product Plans

Additionally, CEO Elon Musk has expressed optimism about the company’s future, predicting more than 20% growth in sales for 2025. Adding to this, a recent Deutsche Bank report revealed that Tesla’s Head of Investor Relations, Travis Axelrod, confirmed the planned launch of a lower-cost vehicle priced under $30,000 in the first half of 2025. With the introduction of this budget-friendly model alongside the updated Model Y, could reignite Tesla’s sales momentum and help the company regain its footing in the crowded EV market.

Just a week after Nissan announced the 2025 Ariya with a slightly higher price tag, dealers are already offering incentives for their electric SUV model. The Nissan Ariya is quite a compelling option for those in the market for an electric SUV of this size.

The 2025 model is currently available with a $1,000 loyalty discount for current Nissan and Infiniti owners, as revealed by a dealer bulletin. This incentive is available to those purchasing or leasing the 2025 Ariya. Financing could be a great option for some, as the electric Nissan SUV is offered with a 2.19% APR for 36 months or 3.19% for 60 months, the same rates as the outdated Nissan Leaf.

Read: Nissan Simplifies 2025 Ariya Lineup And Readjusts Prices Across The Range

Only time will tell if the new $1,000 discount is enough to convince existing Nissan or Infiniti owners to sign on the dotted line for a new Ariya. However, an ever bigger deal might be on the horizon for potential Ariya buyers, as Nissan might announce a $7,500 cash incentive when leased, Cars Direct notes. If the Japanese carmaker makes it official, leasing a 2025 Ariya is the best option.

Prices for the 2025 Ariya start at $39,770 for the Engage FWD variant with the base 66 kWh battery pack. This is a small price hike from the $39,590 starting price of the 2024 model but is still significantly cheaper than 2023 models, which started at $43,190 and rose to as high as $60,190 for the Platinum+ e-4ORCE. The current range continues to top out with the Platinum+ e-4ORCE, although it’s now available from $53,370.

Nissan did not make any noteworthy changes to the 2025 Ariya. In fact, all it did was add wireless phone charging as standard to all variants and eliminate several mid-range versions.

Zeekr has no immediate plans to start selling its cars in the United States, but that doesn’t stop them from bringing a trio of their models to this month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This will kick off what it hopes will be a year of record-breaking sales that may help establish it as one of China’s most important premium EV brands.

Attendees at CES will have the opportunity to see the Zeekr 001 FR, 009 Grand, and Mix from up close. The company is also scheduled to host a press conference and panel discussion were it’s expected to announce several new technologies and provide further details about its ongoing global expansion.

Read: Zeekr 001 FR Debuts With Four Motors, Tank Turns And 1,248 HP

This isn’t the first time the Chinese carmaker made an appearance at CES. It brought the 001 to the show in 2023 and last year, had the 007 sedan on display and announced a technology partnership with Intel.

Zeekr has big plans for 2025, as it’s aiming to deliver 320,000 vehicles. This represents a 44% increase over the 222,123 vehicles it delivered last year, an impressive figure when you consider it’s only been three and a half years since the brand launched the 001.

More: The New Zeekr Mix Is China’s Space-Age Answer To VW’s ID. Buzz

Its sales increased dramatically throughout 2024. In December alone, it delivered 27,190 vehicles, a fourth consecutive record month of sales and more than double the number of cars it sold in December 2023. During the fourth quarter, deliveries hit 79,250.

The company is charging into 2025 shortly after it was announced that Geely would shift Lynk & Co under the Zeekr umbrella. These two brands aim to grow cumulative sales to 1 million over the coming two years. This won’t just necessitate a big increase in sales at Zeekr, but also at Lynk & Co. During the January-November 2024 period, Lynk & Co delivered 259,356 vehicles, a 33.31% increase over the year prior.

BYD continued to rapidly expand in 2024, selling 4.27 million vehicles, an impressive 41.3% jump over the 3 million sales in 2023. However, the company is not expected to usurp Tesla as the largest seller of battery-electric vehicles.

The Chinese car-making giant sold 1,764,992 EVs in 2024, a 12% increase over 2023. 2,485,378 were plug-in hybrid vehicles, a 72.8% surge compared to 2023.

Read: BYD Outsold Ford Last Quarter To Become Sixth-Largest Carmaker

December was a record-breaking month for the company, selling 509,440 vehicles. Tesla has yet to release its delivery figures for 2024 but is expected to have shipped roughly 1.81 million vehicles, clinging on to the top spot in EV sales. However, BYD is expected to surpass Ford and Honda for cumulative 2024 sales, positioning itself as one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.

Bloomberg reports the vast majority of BYD’s sales come from China, with roughly half a million coming from overseas markets.

The rise of BYD in recent years has been nothing short of spectacular. Not too long ago, the company was a small brand selling bland, boring vehicles in China, but thanks in part to the local government’s heavily subsidized EV programs, BYD has established an enviable manufacturing footprint and launched several compelling vehicles. It also operates numerous sub-brands catering to different areas of the market.

BYD is also a battery giant. According to Car News China, it’s the second-largest battery supplier in China and supplies packs to companies including Toyota, Nio, and Tesla. The company installed a total of 194.7 GWh worth of batteries in vehicles and energy storage facilities last year.

Hyundai has unveiled a new EV in India, based on one of its most popular SUVs in the region. The Creta Electric adds a zero-emission powertrain option to the SUV’s lineup, with mild visual tweaks distinguishing it from the ICE-powered versions.

The Hyundai Creta Electric features a redesigned nose with a split-grille design. The grille is fully blocked with a pixelated pattern, while the lower bumper intake has active aero flaps. The rear bumper also features a pixelated pattern above the aluminum-style skid plate, alongside more discreet plastic cladding.

More: New Kia Syros Packs Big Features Into A Tiny SUV Package

The profile is carried over from the ICE-powered Creta, although the EV rides on a new set of 17-inch wheels with an aero-optimized design. It is also available in the pictured Ocean Blue metallic shade.

Hyundai didn’t reveal the specifications of the fully electric powertrain, which is most likely a single electric motor powering the front axle. It does say though that the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint is completed in 7.9 seconds, making the EV faster than the ICE-powered Creta N Line.

The Creta Electric will be offered with two battery options, with a capacity of 42 kWh or 51.4 kWh. The range figures are 390 km (242 miles) and 473 km (294 miles) respectively, measured under to the local ARAI protocols.

As reported by Autocar India, the battery can charge from 10-80 percent in 58 minutes using a DC charger, while a 10-100 percent charge takes 4 hours in a standard 11 kW AC wallbox. The SUV has a small frunk where owners can store the charging cables and other small items. As for the charging port, it is located behind the Hyundai emblem on the front bumper.

Inside, the Creta Electric gains a new steering wheel with a gear selector that appears to be sourced from the Ioniq 5. A knob on the center tunnel gives access to three driving modes – Eco, Normal, and Sport. The EV also benefits from new graphics for the digital cockpit that comprises dual 10.25-inch displays. Furthermore, there is a plug under the rear bench that can power any kind of electronic devices through the V2L function.

The Hyundai Creta Electric will compete with EV-dedicated rivals including the Suzuki eVitara, Mahindra BE 6, and Tata Curvv EV.

The electric SUV will be formally unveiled at the Bharat Mobility Show in India on January 17. At the moment it is not clear if Hyundai plans on offering it to other markets as well. The current second-generation Hyundai Creta was introduced in 2019, and received a mid-lifecycle update in India in 2024.

Snowflakes. These intricate, whimsical crystals are a staple of magical wintry scenes, but how big can they really get? Well, according to the Guinness World Record keepers, the "largest snowflake" ever recorded was a whopping 15 inches in diameter. It was spotted near Missoula, Montana in 1887. But Kenneth Libbrecht, a physicist at Caltech, has long been skeptical of that record. So he set out to find what makes a snowflake a snowflake and whether that 1887 record is scientifically possible. You can read more about what he discovered here. (encore)

Want to share the snowflakes you've spotted this winter? Email us a photo at shortwave@npr.org.

Farmland is being abandoned across Europe as it's difficult to make a living. Some ecologist fear that some plant and species will lose ground but some hope that other species may fill in the gaps.

Update: The Las Vegas Metro Police Department has disclosed that gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters, and firework mortars were found in the Cybertruck’s bed. Authorities believe these items were connected to a detonation system allegedly triggered by the driver. The vehicle had been rented in Colorado through Turo.

According to ABC News, the sheriff stated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk assisted with the investigation by remotely unlocking the Cybertruck after it auto-locked during the explosion. Musk also provided investigators with video footage showing the suspect at charging stations along the route from Colorado to Las Vegas.

The original story follows.

We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.

All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion. https://t.co/HRjb87YbaJ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025

One person has been killed and at least seven injured after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded and caught fire while parked outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Local authorities and the FBI are investigating the incident but do not believe there is any further threat to locals.

The explosion occurred shortly after the electric pickup truck pulled up in front of the hotel’s lobby. CCTV footage shared to X captured the devastating blast. In the clip, fire can be seeing ripping through the Tesla and it appears that several fireworks were also set off by the explosion.

Read: Feds Looking Into Fatal Tesla Cybertruck Crash That Killed Three Teens

Several videos are also circulating online that show the aftermath of the blast and the ensuing fire. ABC News reports that police are investigating the explosion as a possible act of terror. The driver of the Tesla was killed.

An individual who witnessed the explosion and fire said they saw the Tesla pull up to the lobby before it “lowered itself like a bus.”

“I and my husband were literally standing where the luggage is in the footage. I just saw it pulled up, and it lowered itself like a bus, and boom it goes. It first looked like fireworks or something but then I immediately feared our life thinking it could be a bomb and ran,” they wrote on X.

🚨New footage of the Tesla Cybertruck exploding in front of the Trump hotel

It looks like fireworks exploded

This was intentional

Someone was sending a message to Trump & Elon pic.twitter.com/aTpe0oM6jg

— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) January 1, 2025

While posting to his social media company, Elon Musk said “the while Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We’ve never seen anything like this.”

Donald Trump has yet to comment on the incident, but his son, Eric Trump, thanked the local authorities for the quick response.

“Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” he said. “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism.”

Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened. pic.twitter.com/KaVZXfGLNK

— ayackle (@kaaaassuu) January 1, 2025

The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.

Will post more information as soon as we learn anything.

We’ve never seen anything like this. https://t.co/MpmICGvLXf

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025

An Indiana school bus driver was charged with driving while intoxicated after students on her bus reported her driving erratically, reported New York Post.

The incident reportedly occurred on Sept. 20, when 28-year-old Kayla Pier was transporting 32 students from La Porte Middle School to Riley Elementary School.

La Porte County Sheriff’s Office said via the article, that during the drive some of the students reported Pier for her driving behavior and mannerisms.

According to the news report the school’s transportation director, who was not identified in this writing, intercepted the bus and removed the driver, who resigned later that day.

However, the criminal investigation was reportedly not launched until more than a month later, when school officials passed along results from a toxicology test. It was not immediately clear why the test was carried out by the school rather than the authorities.

According to the article, Pier faces charges of operating while intoxicated and neglecting a dependent. The sheriff’s office reportedly commended the courages students aboard the bus who reported the behaviors of their driver. Their actions may have prevented a tragedy from happening.

Pier turned herself into police custody last week and was booked into La Porte County Jail. She was released on bond reported authorities.

Related: Massachusetts School Van Driver Faces DUI, Child Endangerment Charges
Related: Missouri School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI
Related: North Carolina School Bus Driver Charged with DUI
Related: School Bus Driver Could Face Over 20 Years in Prison for DWI

The post Indiana School Bus Driver Charged With DWI appeared first on School Transportation News.

A 19-year-old woman from Minnesota is facing dozens of charges in connection with school bus crash that sent 12 students to the hospital, reported CBS News.

The incident reportedly occurred on Sept. 12, when a school bus transporting 22 students to Cherry School in Iron, was hit by a vehicle that blew a stop sign at Townline Road and County Road 5. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 19-year-old Svea Snickers.

Snickers reportedly drove through intersection, hit the bus, and caused it to roll into a ditch. The driver of the bus, who was not identified, told local news reporters he knew immediately it would be a bad crash but did not have time to respond in any meaningful way to avoid the collision.

The bus driver, 12 students and Snickers were reportedly hospitalized amid the crash. Nine other students were injured but did not need to be hospitalized. The student injuries ranged from lacerations and abrasions to concussions, contusions, fractures and more.

Authorities confirmed that while searching Snickers’ phone, investigators found she had used it while driving about two minutes before officers responded to the crash and just seconds before a 911 call was initiated. Investigators also learned the car was reportedly going between 48 and 53 mph just before the crash and Sickers did not brake before impact.

As of Dec. 26, Snickers is reportedly charged with five felony counts of criminal vehicular operations, 17 gross misdemeanors count of the same and two misdemeanor traffic offenses. The investigation remains ongoing.

Related: Minnesota School Bus Crashes into Corn Field Due to Driver Passing Out
Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Arrested for Alleged DUI
Related: Florida School Bus Crashes After Motorist Runs Stop Sign
Related: Michigan School Bus Driver Charged in Fatal Crash

The post Minnesota Teen Faces Charges in Connection to School Bus Crash appeared first on School Transportation News.

The Chevrolet Equinox EV is involved in another recall in the United States, just two months after a handful had to be repaired for door strikers that could crack under pressure. This recall is much more widespread than October’s, impacting 7,606 examples across the United States.

Like all other EVs on the market, the Equinox EV is required to have a pedestrian alert sound system. However, Chevrolet has revealed the system in the Equinox EV may have been improperly calibrated and may not produce enough exterior sound when the SUV is traveling between 20 km/h (12.4 mph) and 30 km/h (18.6 mph). The carmaker rightly points out that if pedestrians can’t hear an approaching Equinox EV between these speeds, there’s a heightened risk of a collision occurring and a pedestrian being injured.

Read: Chevy Serves Electric Juice With Every Equinox EV Test Drive — Welcome To California

The recall impacts 2025 Equinox EV models manufactured between August 13, 2024, and October 16, 2024. GM has blamed the fault on incorrect software calibrations in the body control module. It opened an investigation into a potential problem on October 8, 2024, after an audit found the pedestrian alert sound on 2025 models was not up to spec. A decision to issue a recall was made on December 5.

Owners will be alerted to the recall from January 27, 2025. Curiously, customer-owned vehicles will need to visit a GM dealership to have the body control module’s software correctly calibrated, while unsold vehicles may receive the same update over the air. GM hasn’t specified why the over-the-air update isn’t available for all vehicles.

October’s recall for the Equinox EV also encompassed the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer and Blazer EV models. Chevy revealed these vehicles had door strikes that were improperly heat-treated and did not meet its hardness specifications, meaning the doors could swing open while driving or during a crash. Fortunately for GM, none of these vehicles had been delivered to customers at the time of the recall and were still on dealership lots.