Hyundai Ioniq 6 price cut, Chevy Bolt EV, Equinox EV repair for $35,000 and 300 miles: The week in reverse
Which automaker accelerated its electric car battery plans this week and which slowed them down?
Which global company has backed away from plans to introduce U.S. electric vehicles due to the cost of collision repairs?
This is our review of Week In Reverse – here at Green Car Reports – for the week ending November 3, 2023.
GM recently announced a delay of “just a few months” to the Chevrolet Equinox EV, and on Monday confirmed the new timeline – as well as a repositioning of the product. The base price of around $30,000 is gone, but so is the smaller battery. The Equinox EV will start at $34,995 in a model with a range of about 300 miles and will go on sale later in 2024 – the model year to be announced – during the launch 2024 Chevy Equinox EV Arriving in early 2024, the front-wheel-drive car will start at $48,995 and be EPA-rated for 319 miles. All versions qualify for the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit.
2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV
Ford has delayed one of its two electric vehicle battery factories will be located in Kentucky as demand for electric vehicles was lower than expected. While the announcement doesn’t affect the first plant set to begin producing cells in 2025 or a battery plant in Blue Oval City, Tennessee, it does suggest that Ford may be scaling back its targets on some electric vehicles – possibly including its upcoming project T3 truck for “incredibly high volume”.
Toyota gave strong indications Tuesday that it plans to boost plug-in hybrid production in the U.S. — if not production of electric vehicles themselves $8 billion in investments in the production of new batteries in North Carolina. This brings the total planned investment in the plant, which will initially focus on hybrid batteries, to $13.9 billion.
Ford Mustang Mach-E at the Tesla Supercharger
With the addition of Francis Energy, Blink and Red E, Ford has expanded its Blue Oval Charging Network by 25% to a total of 106,000 chargers accessible via a unified interface that combines connections across different networks. It has also been confirmed that Tesla Supercharger V4 hardware will be added to the interface – the timing is yet to be determined.
Nissan is optimistic about its own all-solid-state battery cells (ASSB). They still see the technology as a potential game-changer to make large electric SUVs, pickups, etc. more profitable – perhaps starting around 2028. And if everything goes as planned, then so be it Solid-state batteries for electric vehicles do not require cooling.
Nissan Hyper Tourer concept
Hyundai is pushing hard against Tesla when it comes to price cuts. Something big was revealed late last week Price reduction for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 2024– up to $4,100. The biggest discounts apply to the base SE Standard Range, now $38,615, while the 361-mile Long Range SE starts at $43,565, a price cut of $3,050.
The 2020-2022 Chevy Bolt EV Battery Recall has evolved, and owners now face a new choice amid a class action lawsuit and GM’s battery recall affecting these cars. If they install diagnostic software that temporarily limits their car to 80% of its original battery capacity (and range), they can get a $1,400 upfront payment and still potentially get a new battery pack if it’s defective.
Tesla at Hertz
Hertz has not yet received the 100,000 Tesla vehicles announced two years ago — nor the massive orders of GM or Polestar electric vehicles that the company placed as part of a plan to electrify its rental fleet. That’s why High cost of repairing electric vehicle collisionssaid the company. Tesla’s price fluctuations haven’t helped either.
BMW is in the midst of transitioning to sixth-generation battery and drivetrain technology – moving to longer cylindrical batteries and new proprietary chemistry – and with it the German automaker claims Tesla will no longer be in charge in range or battery technology.
Subaru will launch in 2025 Introducing the Tesla NACS charging port for its electric vehicles on the American market. Additionally, Subaru electric vehicles will gain access to the supercharger in the same year, with a CCS adapter available for current models like the Solterra, the company confirmed Wednesday.
2025 Polestar 4
A life cycle assessment published by Polestar suggests that the brand Polestar 4 has a lower carbon footprint as his Polestar 2 hatchback. This contradicts conventional forecasts that suggest SUVs will take up more space and suggests big gains in green manufacturing in China and the efficiency of this upcoming electric vehicle.
In California, Electric vehicle sales continue to rise according to the latest State Traders report. In the third quarter, electric vehicles accounted for 22.3% of vehicle sales in the Golden State, up from the previous quarter and despite dire comments from executives that suggested declining demand.
Massachusetts-based Factorial Energy announced last week the opening of what it says will be the facility largest solid-state battery plant in the USA With support from Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, among others, Factorial is advancing the development of test cells that could achieve a 50 percent increase in energy density (and range) in electric vehicles.
Chinese company Chery has unveiled a tuna-inspired electric vehicle concept that it claims has the World-leading aerodynamic efficiency– with a drag coefficient of just 0.168.
Chery EV concept claims 0.168 Cd (Weibo screencap)
And do electric cars have to have four wheels? The Shane EV concept, recently unveiled by the inventor of the hoverboard, questions whether a car powered by two wheel motors, giant side-by-side wheels, and a system that balances and shifts its center of gravity could possibly accommodate five people in the cabin might be required. The car may be able to pivot much more easily than anything on four wheels, and regenerative damping could increase efficiency.
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