Blazer EV price cut, Dodge Electric Muscle, Rivian R2 and R3: The week in reverse
Which major battery supplier is eyeing solid-state cells with a 9-minute charge time and a 20-year battery for electric vehicles?
Which affordable electric vehicle regained its electric vehicle tax credit this week?
This is our review of Week In Reverse – here at Green Car Reports – for the week ending March 9, 2024.
Rivian on Thursday gave its most significant future product preview since the debut of its R1 series trucks at the 2018 LA Auto Show. At its own theater in Laguna Beach, California, the company delivered the expected Rivian R2 electric SUV, a smaller sibling to the R1S that starts at $45,000, offers a range of more than 300 miles in most of its forms, and is comparable in overall footprint to the Tesla Model Y. Then it surprised us with two “one more thing” debuts – des R3 and high performance R3X, two true compact electric vehicles could represent an even stronger offering for Europe. Rivian seized the moment to pause (and postpone) plans for its massive Georgia factory to put the R2 into production by early 2025. But take a look at these Joint design and manufacturing of Rivian models Elements: If the company can overcome its headwinds, there is still much innovation ahead.
There was another big EV debut of the week, but it was largely overshadowed by Rivian’s launch. The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV It’s been revealed to bring a decidedly muscle car touch to the brand’s EV future. Range and efficiency take a backseat to performance, and this electric vehicle will make a lot of noise – and perhaps vibration.
GM confirmed a huge one on Friday Price reduction for the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, as deliveries of the model have resumed. Sales of the Blazer EV were halted as GM fixed a series of software issues that affected drivability, usability and sometimes charging. With the price cut, the Blazer EV costs $50,195, making it just $42,695 for households eligible for the $7,500 tax credit. Blazer electric vehicles that have already been delivered must be returned to the dealer for software upgrades that cannot be performed over-the-air.
The Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, both based on GM’s Ultium battery and drivetrain platform and assembled by GM, will do this Both are eligible for the full $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, the brands confirmed this week. This brings the Prologue’s effective base price down to $41,295 including destination.
The The 2024 Nissan Leaf is eligible for an electric vehicle tax credit of $3,750, the automaker confirmed midweek. That effectively drops the price of the Leaf, which is made in Tennessee with a U.S.-assembled battery pack, to $25,485 for many households. Nissan also confirmed that the 2024 Ariya costs much less than the 2023 model. Price cuts of $3,600 for the base version of the Engage with the smaller 63 kWh battery and $6,000 for the longer range versions with the 87 kWh battery put the base versions close to $40,000. dollar mark, without the help of an electric vehicle tax credit.
According to a report published just before the weekend Nissan could build the Fisker Alaska Electric pickup and an electric truck with its own Nissan name. Citing insider sources, the two companies are reportedly in “advanced discussions” that could potentially include major investments, manufacturing and possibly a shared platform.
Ford gave his E-Transit 2024 electric van series more range. Despite the average daily usage of around 74 miles for commercial vehicles, the new 89 kWh battery for the E-Transit will enable a range of 159 miles (instead of 126 miles).
A significant revision of the 2024 Audi Q4 E-Tron brings faster charging, more range and faster acceleration, the automaker announced this week, in a series of changes previously only expected for the 2025 model year. Audi has also retuned the ride and handling of these models, which are now called the Q4 44 E-Tron and Q4 55 E-Tron Sportback.
Costco members can get Audi EV discounts– including up to $3,000 off the E-Tron GT and RS E-Tron GT. The recently redesigned 2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron lineup also qualifies with a $2,000 discount and the Q4 E-Tron at $1,500.
Electric vehicle battery prices will fall dramatically this year and next, according to new analysis from Goldman Sachs. A lot of it Electric vehicle battery costs reduced by 40% could carry over into pricing and lead to price parity with gasoline models sooner and without subsidies.
A New York-based electric vehicle charging startup called Gravity claims to be bringing this to market fastest EV chargers in the USA The new network promises higher charging power at the port than Tesla Superchargers and says its DC hardware enables bi-directional charging, taking the place of a Level 2 AC charger. And its first Manhattan location is managed so that no network upgrades are required for the 24-stall installation.
According to its latest update, start-up vehicle manufacturer Aptera revealed that there is still a need additional capital to begin production of its solar electric vehicle– even the Launch Edition model. This appears to contradict what the company said in early February, when it said its recent crowdfunding run would provide enough security to “fund the first phases of production,” and the vehicle’s arrival date is likely to be set at that Postpone year 2025.
Battery supplier Samsung SDI unveiled an ambitious battery development roadmap that includes: 20-year EV battery and solid-state cells with 9-minute charging time, plus cell-to-pack battery technology that could reduce weight by 20% and reduce complexity. Samsung SDI is a joint venture battery partner of Stellantis and supplies BMW and Rivian, among others, with cells for some of their latest electric vehicles.
And according to recent survey results, the oft-quoted figure that 85% of EV drivers charge at home isn’t the whole story. Among those who have access to home charging, 60% still use public charging stations at least a few days a week – underscoring the complexity and need for widely available public chargers.
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