Equinox EV details, Lucid Air price cut, Kia hybrid minivan, EV9 surcharges: The week in reverse
Which automaker introduced a completely outlandish concept EV but skipped the auto show?
And when did Republicans turn against electric vehicles?
This is our review of Week In Reverse – here at Green Car Reports – for the week ending February 16, 2024.
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV will qualify for the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit and will continue to start at $34,995 with a range of 319 miles, GM confirmed earlier this week. But this entry-level model won’t come first; At the top of the range is a “satisfied” 2RS model, which apparently had discounts for the top equipment. And later in the year, dual-motor all-wheel drive and other versions are on the way.
2024 Lucid Air
Lucid lowered prices for the 2024 Air range, affecting all but the most powerful, three-motor Sapphire version. The fast-charging, very long-range electric sedan costs up to $8,000 less than yesterday. And that Lucid Air now undercuts the Tesla Model S– if you don’t need all-wheel drive.
Chrysler revealed this Halcyon Concept EV, powered by lithium-sulfur batteries that provide long range and very fast charging – a claimed 200 miles of range on a five-minute charge – and built-in dynamic wireless charging while driving. The large sedan with butterfly doors is all concept cars, but the Chrysler brand plans to offer an all-electric portfolio by 2028, and today its only plug-in product is the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
Chrysler Halcyon concept
VW’s electric truck brand Scout Motors has broken ground on a $2 billion plant in South Carolina that could ultimately produce 200,000 electric vehicles per year. The modern Scout range will include both electric pickups and SUVs, but details on technology and platform have not yet been announced.
Honda announced some modest design changes for its upcoming model Hydrogen fuel cell CR-V. In a video, Honda shows that the new model, which has a charging port, can also offer power sharing for accessories and more.
2024 Lancia Ypsilon
Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat and others, is driving the revival of the historic Italian brand Lancia – within a few years as a pure electric vehicle brand. The new Lancia Ypsilon urban EV The new launch, announced on Wednesday, marks the start of that revival – set to expand across Europe, with a crossover and a larger hatchback coming later in the decade.
Kia is reportedly pushing ahead with development fully electric Stinger successor called EV8. The high-performance electric vehicle could launch in 2026, receive Kia’s largest battery pack to date and serve as the brand’s flagship in terms of both range and performance.
Afeela electric sedan prototype as shown at CES 2024
According to a report from Japan, the joint venture between Sony and Honda plans to follow up its electric Afeela sedan with two other models from the brand focused on apps and media – an SUV and a affordable Civic-sized electric vehicle. While the Afeela sedan is expected to launch in 2026, the compact EV may not arrive until 2028.
The leading Kia marketing manager in the USA, at the Chicago Auto Show, where he presented the 2025 Kia Carnival hybrid minivannoticed that Plug-in hybrids are misunderstood– and a tougher sell given all the misunderstandings. But given changing attitudes towards hybrids and plug-in vehicles, Kia is staying in the market as it sees PHEVs becoming a no-brainer.
2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid
According to survey giant JD Power’s latest vehicle reliability survey: Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids remain more prone to failure as hybrids. However, apparently tires have been labeled as part of reliability, and on electric vehicles they actually wear out faster.
Chrysler parent company Stellantis confirmed it is adopting the proposed SAE J3400 standard – yes, that’s beyond the jargon the Tesla charging port. As the last major automaker to adopt the Tesla standard, also known as NACS, Stellantis is not showcasing all the benefits of Tesla Supercharger access like other automakers.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln conducted what they believe is the first Crash tests with regard to electric vehicles and guardrails, and the results aren’t that great. Since today’s electric vehicles weigh much more than the passenger cars and light trucks for which typical highway guardrails were developed several decades ago – in some cases even more than the heavy-duty pickup trucks that are also becoming more common – the results point to the need to reduce the weight of electric vehicles reduce Rethink some highway fundamentals.
Charging station for Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles
A survey of thousands of “future EV adopters” points to traditional gas station amenities such as vacuum cleaners, car washes and tire pressure gauges Electric vehicle charging station essentials. This is definitely different from a number of current templates for next-generation EV charging, which instead focus on lounge aspects
Interest in electric vehicles increases with experience with electric vehicles. This is one of the findings of a recent Consumer Reports survey that asked American consumers whether they are considering electric vehicles – and underscores that a Lack of experience with electric vehicles could slow adoption. It also underscored that protecting the environment is a top priority for relatively few American consumers.
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
Fiscal hawk types used to think electric vehicles were a great idea for energy independence and all sorts of other reasons. When did Republicans turn against electric vehicles? As a political consultant recently pointed out, it’s complicated – and all the nitpicking about electric vehicles doesn’t really reflect the electorate.
Debuting March 7th Rivian R2 Overtures, the electric vehicle maker has revealed a first detail about the design and layout of the R2 range – most notably that it appears poised to retain the polarizing yet distinctive front lighting scheme of the R1 range.
2024 Kia EV9
And the Kia dealers are at work again, Price increase for the EV9 electric SUV by $7,000 or more, although Kia tried to curb price gouging earlier this year. With production of the EV9 set to ramp up at higher rates in Georgia and some dealers sticking to the MSRP, there is hope to get one at a reasonable price soon.
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