Refreshed Porsche Taycan, Kia hybrid minivan, cheaper Ford and GM electric vehicles: The week in reverse gear
Which EV brand has launched cheaper versions of its electric pickup and SUV?
Which hotels will soon get Tesla wallbox chargers?
This is our review of Week In Reverse – here at Green Car Reports – for the week ending February 9, 2024.
In one First trip with the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter 2024 electric van, we’ve seen companies and fleet managers run out of excuses as diesel lives on borrowed time. And this quiet, super-efficient van is paving the way to people carriers, RVs and electric van living coming to market in just a few years.
2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
Rivian released details on Thursday cheaper R1T and R1S standard package versions which was expected to come with an LFP battery. Instead, the Standard and Standard+ versions get a smaller version of the same battery that’s offered across the rest of the lineup. That makes them eligible for the $3,750 electric vehicle tax credit right out of the gate – effectively $67,950, including destination, for a 270-mile electric truck or an increase in range to 315 miles for $3,100. dollars more.
On March 7th Rivian will introduce its R2 for the mass market– even if it is not due to reach customers until 2026. Will it spark new interest in the electric truck brand and be its “Model 3 moment”?
2025 Porsche Taycan
In a revised one Porsche Taycan series 2025 As announced Tuesday, Porsche has found better numbers in many respects, including range, efficiency, charging and acceleration – and it appears the Taycan’s range gains will go well beyond the 13 percent increase in battery capacity. The Taycan can also hold its own against petrol models; According to Porsche, it is the fastest and most powerful production Porsche of all time.
Ford CEO Jim Farley noted during the company’s fourth-quarter 2023 earnings call Tuesday afternoon that the company is shifting its electric vehicle efforts away from large electric vehicles and toward larger electric vehicles smaller, lower-cost electric vehicles that can compete with a $25,000 Tesla and products from China. With the Gen 3 platform he was referring to – which is being developed under Model 3 development guru Alan Clarke as part of Ford’s Model E – will Ford carry the Model T ethos into the electric car era?
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
Farley also emphasized Ford hybrids amid regional differences in electric vehicle demand. In California, for example, the Lightning EV accounts for 30% of F-150 sales, while hybrid and EV versions combined accounted for just 15% in Dallas. Farley claimed that this includes making it easier to calculate the cost benefits of hybrid vehicles in the showroom.
Efficiency-focused California startup Aptera claims it’s crowdfunding enough money to build his three-wheeled solar electric vehicle. But is it enough to escape Elio’s long shadow and a pattern of pushed-back timelines?
2023 Kia Niro EV
Kia is recalling two of its electric vehicles– in this case a small number of 2023-2024 Niro EV models and 2023 EV6 models due to potentially defective driveshafts. The recall affects models manufactured early last year in a relatively narrow construction window – a total of 1,243 U.S. vehicles.
Toyota’s recent comments downplaying electric vehicles do not appear to have changed its plans to build an electric car three-row electric Toyota SUV in Kentucky. An additional $1.3 billion was announced for the plant to add a battery pack assembly line, where electric vehicle production is expected to begin in 2025.
2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid
With the addition of the 2025 Kia Carnival hybrid minivan, Families have another high MPG family choice with three rows of flexible seating. The Carnival Hybrid is intended to compete with the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, although it won’t initially offer all-wheel drive or a plug-in hybrid version.
Would you like an electric sports car? The BMW i5 Touring It was announced on Wednesday that it is a station wagon version of the i5 electric car and a member of the 5 Series family. BMW calls the first electric vehicle of its kind. However, if you want some of its utility in America with the BMW badge, you’ll have to go for one of its SUVs; BMW confirmed that there are no plans to bring it or any other 5 Series wagon to the US
2024 BMW i5 Touring
And there were lots of loading messages. Among them, Choice Hotels, the chain that includes Radisson, Cambria, Comfort, Quality Inn and more, has announced it will be adding Tesla wallbox chargers at thousands of hotel locations– good for a full overnight charge for many electric vehicles. The Cambria brand will offer electric vehicle chargers at every location by the end of 2024.
Electrify America shows a template for the future Flagship charging station for urban electric vehicles, which brings it indoors with air-conditioned lounge areas, food and drink vending machines and free Wi-Fi, as well as connections of up to 350 kW. It launches a new strategy for larger stations serving urban areas, while the new outdoor facility adds solar roofs and more.
Electrify America’s first indoor charging station opens in San Francisco
Ionna is the name of the electric vehicle charging network founded by seven automakers, it was announced on Friday. The network, which is expected to eventually offer 30,000 fast chargers, each with 350 kW or more, could be that The biggest competitor to Tesla’s Supercharger network to date. The first charging stations are expected to open in the USA this year, it is said.
The Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program favors gas stations and convenience stores. But a Quick charging stop at Waffle House in Tennessee is one such example that bucks the trend.
Display of the EnviroSpark electric vehicle chargers at Waffle House
GM has appointed Tesla’s former battery development chief Kurt Kelty to take over bring lower-cost GM electric vehicles into production more quickly. GM’s production ramp-up has been extremely slow, with the battery surge itself cited as one of the reasons the company has missed its production targets so significantly.
According to a sales summary released last week by dealers in California, electric vehicle sales from franchised dealers increased by a significant 94% from 2022 to 2023. But direct selling is the champion Tesla still ruled in California, with the Model 3 and Model Y accounting for nearly one in eight vehicles sold in the state, electric or not. In other words, almost one in eight Teslas sold worldwide was delivered in California.
2023 Tesla Model Y
And the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) believes it can Turn car dealers into electric vehicle experts in 90 minutes. Could such a program be all traders need to get out of the slow lane and believe the Biden administration is it? Driving electric vehicles too fast?
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