EVs could become a lifeline in emergencies: EVs doubling as home backup power could alleviate their strain on electric grids and entice customers, but only if EV prices don’t skyrocket.

What this means for GM: Using its leadership position in EVs, GM can continue developing its electric cars and trucks while providing a unified platform for other car manufacturers to base their EVs on. Its open and collaborative stance, which runs counter to rival Tesla’s closed ecosystem, gives GM the potential to shape EV standards in North America.

The news: While Volkswagen, the world’s second-largest carmaker, has dipped its toes in the EV space with a few electric cars, a new report reveals it could buy Huawei’s autonomous driving unit, raising the stakes in the automotive industry.

According to Kelly Blue Book’s February 2022 sales, the average electric vehicle sold for $64,685 compared with $46,085 for the average consumer car, although some of the difference can be attributed to a more luxury mix of electric cars. This premium for electric trucks will likely fade soon, thanks to tax incentives, geopolitical turmoil in oil-producing areas, and improving technology.

Users can redeem points or earn statement credits for buying or leasing new and (to a more limited extent) pre-owned cars, services and parts, and electric bills for electric vehicle owners. Higher tiers also allow limited redemption for gift cards. New users will receive a 10,000-point bonus for spending $1,000 within 90 days and a limited-time 0% APR offer.

Average YOY used car prices in March spiked 40.5% for hybrids, 36.3% for EVs, and 29.6% for vehicles with other fuels types, per Torque News. The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid—one of the few cars with rooftop solar sold in the US—topped the charts, making a 63.9% leap. The Nissan Leaf, once the vehicle with the highest depreciation in the US, increased by nearly 50% in value YOY, according to Torque.

Ford has the first-mover advantage in making electric pickups available. This is a popular segment that can be EVs’ next area of growth. The global chip crisis, which cost the automotive industry $210 billion in 2021, could cause more delays for Ford and other EV makers.

It was one of the companies that made a commitment to President Biden that half of the cars and light trucks sold in the US by 2030 will be EVs. By 2025, Ford plans to build two battery factories in Kentucky and a third in Tennessee located alongside a new factory dedicated to electric pickups. Ford expects to spend $7 billion on the project—it’s the largest manufacturing investment in its history.

EV makers are realizing the advantage of building their own batteries as well as expanding the charging infrastructure to make EVs more attractive to consumers, setting the stage for the coming surge of electric and hybrid cars.

Tesco launched an initiative to be one of the first UK supermarkets to start using battery-powered electric trucks in deliveries to reduce its carbon footprint. It also provides shoppers with free electric vehicle charging stations across 500 stores. Tesco says the company will be running on fully electric trucks for home delivery services by 2028.

Following multiple incidents of electric scooters catching fire in India, leading to casualties, companies like Battrixx, Sun Mobility, and Bounce are seeking preventive solutions, per The Economic Times. Gogoro, which makes swappable batteries for light EVs, just released a swappable solid-state battery prototype it says is virtually fireproof, per Electrek.

Ford looks to become more competitive against Tesla: Ford creates a dedicated EV division while maintaining gas-powered cash cows, highlighting the need for massive changes in the automotive industry.

It’s part of a push to be seen as “much more than an electric car company,” per TechCrunch. How we got here: Tesla announced it was building a supercomputer to train its AV neural networks in June this year. The elephant in the room: Tesla’s commitment to computer vision-based autonomous driving occured under the shadow of mounting regulatory and legal pressure.

Known largely for its hybrid-electric models, the company invested in early fuel cell technology solutions, which have failed to yield results.

Just last week, Elon Musk announced Tesla would suspend Bitcoin payments and later implied the electric car firm may sell its $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin holdings. The most popular cryptos have a significant environmental impact that clashes with investor demand for sustainability. More crypto trading means more energy consumption.

Xiaomi will release new cars in each of the following three years for an estimated sales of 900,000 EVs by 2027, per Elektrek. Why it’s worth watching: Xiaomi is the first major smartphone vendor pivoting toward EVs—Apple, rumored to have been developing a car for years, has not formalized its plans.