Week of Dec. 8
This week, we're breaking down some bizarre Waymo news, how the cold affects your EV's range, and the tiny EV you didn't know you wanted — plus all the other news about clean machines you need to know now:
Can you name a baby after a Waymo?
In movies, when someone has a baby in the back of a cab, the infant is often named after the cab driver. But what happens when there is a cab birth but no driver?
A very pregnant passenger in a Waymo was en route to the maternity ward in San Francisco when the baby arrived early.
According to Waymo, the company's support team was alerted to "unusual activity," contacted the passenger, and then called 911. The self-driving cab, though, made it to the hospital ahead of the emergency services.
Meet Mercedes' Model Y-killer
The 2027 Mercedes GLB — which we'll see around the end of 2026 — will come in at around $50,000, and its longest-range trim will deliver over 300 miles.
The five- or seven-seater (depending on its configuration) boasts three separate screens: driver, central, and passenger. The GLB will give Tesla's Model Y some direct competition and comes standard with a heat pump for those cold-weather drives.
Just How Much Range Does Your EV Lose When it's Freezing?
The good news is modern EVs don't run out of charge just because the thermostat drops below 32 degrees. The fact is, though, that when it's freezing outside, your battery will lose some range.
A new survey by Recurrent examined 34 of the most popular EVs on the road in the U.S. at two temperature tiers: 32 degrees and 20 degrees.
It found that on average, those models retain 78% of their range at 32 degrees but only 70% at 20 degrees. In real terms, if you have a functional range of 200 miles normally, when the temperature hits the freezing point, you'll get 156 miles, and when it drops to 20, you'll run out after 140 miles.
The best performer was Tesla's Cybertruck, which retains 88% of its range at 32 degrees and 84% at 20 degrees. The second and third spots went to Tesla's Model X and S, respectively.
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Absolutely 👍 The tiny, slow EV you didn't realize you wanted
Nobody can accuse Fiat of sticking to existing EV trends like a spacious cabin, big range figures, and a blistering zero-to-60 time.
Instead, the Italian company is making the Topolino ("little mouse") — an EV that is all of 55 inches wide and eight feet long, boasts an eight-horsepower, six-kilowatt motor that will deliver a maximum speed of 28 mph, and a range of 40 miles on a full charge.
The price and exact launch date for the U.S. have yet to be announced, and the fact that it's manufactured in Morocco may complicate matters, but the tiny Topolino could be perfect for the kind of person who has nowhere far away to go in a hurry and nothing much to bring back with them when they return.
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