Fisker Fire Sale And Amazon Electric Delivery Vans On Literally On Fire In This Week's News Roundup

Fisker officially filed for bankruptcy last month, and despite a “going out of business” sale that saw prices of its Ocean EV slashed by thousands, the automaker still has a few thousand leftovers that didn’t sell. Fisker may have found a buyer for all those EVs and, as TechCrunch reports, it’s willing to let them go for dirt cheap. - Lawrence Hodge Read More

Update July 2, 2024, 1:20 PM: Volvo reached out to Jalopnik to clarify that, while some customers have returned vehicles for a refund, the EX30 remains on sale in the UK. A company representative stated: “The EX30 continues to be sold in the UK and with more than 4,500 already delivered to customers this year, it is proving popular, backed by a strong order book. In a very small number of cases in the UK, customers have chosen to exercise their consumer rights to return their cars. Volvo Cars strives and continues to support its customers throughout the ownership journey, and overall we continue to be encouraged by the positive feedback we are receiving from owners.” - Amber DaSilva Read More

It wasn’t too long ago that there were only a few electric vehicles on the market. Considering how much has happened in the meantime, can you believe the Tesla Model S was only introduced twelve years ago? Ever since Tesla changed the game with the most important car of the 21st century, more and more automakers have been getting into the EV game. Understandably, that can make things confusing for car shoppers who want to go electric but don’t have an exhaustive knowledge of the industry. - Collin Woodard Read More

We, as car enthusiasts on a car enthusiast website, love our cars. Maybe a little too much, sometimes. But it’s worth remembering that cars are things, objects that can be broken and replaced in a way that people can’t be — especially your own infant kid. Yet, the husband of a Dear Prudence reader seems to have those priorities a bit mixed up. - Amber DaSilva Read More

EV fires, while severe, aren’t as common as some naysayers predicted when electric power first started gaining popularity. So when a pattern in EV fires starts to emerge — say, when Rivian vans keep catching fire at Amazon distribution centers — one starts to wonder why. - Amber DaSilva Read More

A Tesla driver in California learned the hard way last week not to put too much faith in the company’s Autopilot system after the tech drove their car directly on to a train track, mistaking it for the road. - Lawrence Hodge Read More

It definitely upsets some readers, but here at Jalopnik, we’re fully on Team Don’t Drive A Childcrusher 9000. Cars are fun and all, but they’re not more important than people’s lives. And unfortunately for everyone who does anything outside of a car, tall hoods on large trucks and SUVs make them especially deadly in the event of a crash. As it turns out, though, we do have an unlikely ally — Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, a company that almost exclusively sells trucks and SUVs. - Collin Woodard Read More

After covering Ford CEO Jim Farley saying America needs to fall back in love with smaller cars despite running a company that killed the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus, we decided to take a look at the sales figures of the smallest, cheapest cars still on the market. It is July, after all, meaning most of the Q2 numbers are out. And you know what? We have great news! Those cars have seen massive sales growth through the first half of the year. Maybe the cheap new car isn’t dead yet, after all. - Collin Woodard Read More

The convenience store business is experiencing a massive shift in priority right now, and it could soon mean better and more exciting international options for road trip snacks. The traditional model for American 7-Eleven stores has been focused around tobacco products and gasoline, but as both of those markets show downward trend lines, the chain is putting all of its eggs in the food basket. The chain of convenience stores is owned by a Japanese firm, and the future of the brand looks a lot more like the fresh food-heavy stores in Japan than the chips-and-soda stores in America. - Bradley Brownell Read More

It’s the Fourth of July, the peak of American fireworks season. Your city or town might have an officially sanctioned display, but it might not be legal to purchase certain fireworks in your state. If you live in Massachusetts, private citizens are prohibited from even possessing fireworks. It might sound fun to be a smuggler for a day, but just hear me out before you grab your keys and head out the door. - Ryan Erik King Read More