jump – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com Latest car news and advice blog Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:07:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://engineicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cropped-ME_favicon-1-32x32.png jump – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com 32 32 Gas Prices Just Flipped the EV Market—Hyundai Sales Jump 40% https://engineicon.com/gas-prices-just-flipped-the-ev-market-hyundai-sales-jump-40/ Sun, 19 Apr 2026 03:15:01 +0000 https://engineicon.com/gas-prices-just-flipped-the-ev-market-hyundai-sales-jump-40/

The US electric vehicle market has had a rough stretch. Federal EV tax credits disappeared, supportive policies were rolled back, and overall EV sales dropped by around 27 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, according to Cox Automotive estimates. Then the conflict with Iran hit, and geopolitical tensions pushed oil prices higher. That single shift in what people pay at the pump appears to be influencing buyer behavior—at least in the short term. Hyundai Motor Company CEO José Muñoz told Bloomberg that the company’s US EV sales grew by 40 percent between February and March, and he pointed squarely at rising fuel costs as the reason.

Getty Images

Hyundai’s Numbers Tell the Story

The jump comes off a relatively soft February, highlighting how quickly demand can swing with fuel prices. The Ioniq 5 crossover alone sold 4,425 units in March, up 27 percent from the month before, making it the second best-selling EV behind Tesla models in the country for the first quarter. The larger Ioniq 9 did even better, jumping from 505 to 905 units in the same period. These are meaningful numbers for a brand that has one foot firmly in the EV market while several competitors have retreated.

Hyundai


View the 2 images of this gallery on the
original article

What Comes Next for the EV Market

Muñoz acknowledged that the industry’s earlier optimism, the idea that EVs could hit 50-60 percent US market share by the end of the decade, no longer looks realistic. He expects something closer to 10 to 15 percent market share, which he described as enough to stay committed to the technology. Car-buying platforms like Edmunds have noticed increased interest in electric options since the Iran war began, and a recent survey found nearly a third of Americans say they would seriously consider an EV for their next vehicle. 

The used EV market is also seeing a lift, and the timing is almost accidental. Years of aggressive EV leasing and a wave of early adopters trading up have pushed a large supply of used electric cars into dealerships at exactly the right moment. It brings accessible price points to buyers eager to switch, but who were previously priced out of the new car market. For an industry searching for its next catalyst, the answer may be as simple and volatile as the price of fuel.

Source link

]]> Here’s How You Jump Start A Completely Dead Rivian https://engineicon.com/heres-how-you-jump-start-a-completely-dead-rivian/ Sun, 18 Jan 2026 16:52:17 +0000 https://engineicon.com/heres-how-you-jump-start-a-completely-dead-rivian/

There’s a key challenge with some electric vehicles’ door handle design. If the door handles pop out electronically, a dead battery can leave you locked out, and unable to open the hood. Without hood access, you probably won’t know how to jumpstart a dead low-voltage battery, leaving you locked out. 

Here’s how you solve that issue, at least if you own a Rivian R1T or R1S. The latest video from Out Of Spec Bits breaks down the process, which is similar to the process for most EVs with pop-out door handles. 

In the video, Kyle and Scot from Out Of Spec start with a 2026 Rivian R1S that is completely dead. Both the low- and high-voltage batteries are dead, a worst-case scenario for an EV. Without a functioning 12-volt battery, you often can’t engage the charging system on the high-voltage battery. That’s why jump-starting the 12-volt battery is the first step.

For most EVs, there is a manual way to get into the cabin or hood. On Gen 2 Rivian R1s, there’s no manual way to get in, but there are a pair of wires in the trailer wiring harness that can be used as jump leads. By connecting a jump box or another vehicle’s battery to these cables, you can power up the vehicle’s low-voltage power system and engage high-voltage charging.

Unfortunately, the video shows that this is all easier said than done. The Rivian requires a consistent 12-volt signal to power up its door handles and screens, and a portable roadside jump-box isn’t quite enough. Even a larger lead-acid model isn’t enough to get the on-board charger to accept an AC connection and begin charging. 
This is where you connect the jump box to a Rivian R1S or R1T.

This is where you connect the jump box to a Rivian R1S or R1T.

Photo by: Out of Spec Reviews (YouTube)

To solve that, Out Of Spec jumps the Rivian the old-fashioned way, with a pair of jumper cables and a gas car. The Rivian takes so much load that you can hear the Ford Crown Victoria’s engine rev up, but that’s enough to get it charging. From there, the DC-to-DC converter handles the rest of the low-voltage charging, while the wall plug and onboard charger juice up the traction battery.

For most EVs, it won’t be this challenging. Modern EV battery systems are designed to keep the 12-volt batteries topped up, and most are easy to jump start when they inevitably expire. Still, if you want to avoid dealing with this, the advice is the same. Always replace your car’s 12-volt battery every three to five years, or at least get it tested to ensure it’s still strong. You’d hate to walk up one day and find your power door handles tucked away, unable to open.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com

Source link

]]>