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7 major automakers to build open EV charging network

A new joint venture established by BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis will build a new North American electric vehicle charging network on a scale designed to compete with Tesla's industry-benchmark Supercharger network. The 30,000-plus planned new chargers will accommodate both Tesla's almost-standard North American Charging System (NACS) and existing automakers' Combined Charging System (CCS) options, effectively guaranteeing compatibility with the vast majority of current and upcoming electric models — whether they're from one of the involved automakers or not.  "With the generational investments in public charging being implemented on the Federal and State level, the joint venture will leverage public and private funds to accelerate the installation of high-powered charging for customers. The new charging stations will be accessible to all battery-powered electric vehicles from any automaker using Combined Charging System (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) and are expected to meet or exceed the spirit and requirements of the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program." Critically, the automakers involved will have a say in how the charging tech is implemented, guaranteeing that the hardware will play nicely with each automaker's in-house charging systems. Hyundai and Kia, for example, were hesitant to jump on board the Tesla NACS bandwagon earlier this year over concerns that the Supercharger network is insufficient for powering the two automakers' 800-volt charging systems; similar tech is used by Volkswagen and Porsche.  In addition to providing much-needed capacity and high-output charging for America's growing fleet of electric cars and trucks, the new network will integrate seamlessly with each automaker's in-app and in-vehicle features, rather than forcing customers to use third-party tools and payment systems, as is the case with some existing public charging infrastructure.  "The functions and services of the network will allow for seamless integration with participating automakersÂ’ in-vehicle and in-app experiences, including reservations, intelligent route planning and navigation, payment applications, transparent energy management and more. In addition, the network will leverage Plug & Charge technology to further enhance the customer experience," the announcement said.

See the evolution of McLaren F1 cars in one GIF

If you dig racecars and history, you'll enjoy the .gif file on display below. It comes to us from the folks at automotive parts website PartCatalog.com, and it shows how McLaren's Formula 1 cars have changed from the very first one to this season's black and orange Honda-powered machine. And they have certainly changed. That very first car had scarcely an aerodynamic aid to the radically winged racer of today.It's also interesting to see how driver positioning has changed over the years. Through the '70s and '80s, the driver was pushed farther and farther to the front. Then in the '90s and '00s, the driver started to be pushed back to the middle, and longer noses became common. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This .gif file isn't just interesting for seeing how the cars have changed, though. It also features some of the most famous F1 cars of all time. Fans of vintage F1 racing and of the film Rush may recognize the McLaren M23 James Hunt piloted to a championship victory over rival Nicki Lauda in 1976. There's also the 1985 McLaren MP4/2B that was the last McLaren Nicki Lauda would drive, and the car that would take Alain Prost to a championship. Prost's rival Ayrton Senna also has a car in this .gif, and that's the 1988 Honda-powered car he drove to his first ever championship. There are many other cars in this .gif we don't have time to cover though, but you can learn more about them and the cars we mentioned by checking out McLaren's great history page. Each car there has a brief profile covering the stats, and lengthier articles with more background. It's a great way to spend a morning. Related Video:

Highlights and standouts from the 2015 LA Auto Show

This year's LA Auto Show has been packed with interesting debuts and fascinating industry trends. The Autoblog team is on the scene to examine all the new metal, and Senior Editor Greg Migliore has some show highlights for us in the video above. In particular, the new Fiat 124 Spider and Honda Civic Coupe stand out as important debuts. The Fiat is based on the excellent Mazda Miata, with a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine and revised styling. The Civic Coupe is a striking redesign of an extremely popular and important model for the company. And the restyled Ford Escape looks more like its bigger brother, the Explorer. There's this an much more in our video above. Watch it and let us know what you think – and look for more LA Auto Show coverage coming soon.