Tesla FSD recall, Kia Niro EV review, ethanol and gas prices, Ford dual charge ports: Today’s Car News

Tesla recalls Full Self-Driving Beta. The ethanol that Midwest politicians support is raising pump prices for the region. Ford appears to be considering a charging solution that makes more with less. And the Kia Niro EV is more charming than its predecessor but a puzzling product by the numbers. This and more, here at EV kind of cars. 

In a review of the 2023 Kia Niro EV, we find that while this 253-mile EV has improved incrementally in every way versus its predecessor, it backslides on value—especially when you start to lay out how it compares in all the numbers. 

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability has at last been put on a tighter leash by the federal government. After an engineering analysis and prompts by the NHTSA, Tesla will conduct an over-the-air recall of more than 360,000 vehicles because Full Self-Driving Beta poses “an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.” Among the many items Tesla will need to adjust in a software update include the system’s yellow-light behavior, the duration of stops, its operating speed (based both on signs and driver), and its observation of lane rules.

A Ford patent application proposes a dual-charge-port solution that could, with bidirectional charging capability, charge multiple EVs in series from the same station—or allow them to provide power to each other or to the grid. The tech looks like it could be a useful part of Ford’s plan to help businesses cut costs and electrify their fleets.

And according to a study sponsored by a petro-refining trade group, Midwest motorists will pay an additional 8 to 12 cents per gallon of gasoline due to the region’s own political push to get more ethanol and E15 out to stations. Would a new fuels standard that takes into account electricity generation and the big picture be more useful?

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