Lexus and Toyota might not be asleep at the EV wheel after all. The automaker, known for biding its time and taking a cautious long-game approach on anything that it sees going big, appears to be applying the same mindset here. In an interview with Lexus chief engineer Takashi Watanabe at a prototype drive for the 2023 Lexus RZ 450e in Barcelona… More…
Category: Greencarreports
Ford F-150 Lightning home power backup system has a price tag, though installation cost will vary
As it gets ready to deliver the first F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks to customers, Ford has confirmed pricing for the trucks’ home backup power system hardware. Customers wanting to use their pickups as a backup power source will first need the Ford Charge Station Pro, Matthew Stover, the automaker’s director of charging and energy… More…
Stellantis is investing in Canada for EV manufacturing—and battery braintrust
The automaker Stellantis, the parent of Jeep, Chrysler, and Ram, among many others, announced Monday that it plans to spend about $2.8 billion on a manufacturing overhaul of its Canadian plants, preparing for flexible architectures for EVs and electrified vehicles in general—including a “multi-energy” strategy. The new investment… More…
Chevy Bolt EV battery recall update: Nearly half have been remedied
General Motors has remedied nearly half the vehicles in an expanded, ongoing Chevrolet Bolt EV battery recall, according to a quarterly report on the recall campaign published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Wednesday. First spotted by Reddit users, the report shows that as of April 22, 26,925 vehicles out of a total… More…
Tesla stopped including a mobile charger with its vehicles; it’s not the only one
Tesla’s recent move to stop including its mobile charger as standard equipment has raised eyebrows, but Tesla isn’t the automaker to do that recently. Tesla removed the mobile charger, which is a cable with a NEMA 14-50 plug that allows cars to charge directly from those outlets, in late April. Explaining the decision, CEO Elon Musk claimed on… More…
US plug-in vehicle sales hit a record high in Q1, led by Tesla and California
Electric vehicle sales were at a record level both in California and nationally, according to numbers released by the California Energy Commission and interpreted by the electric vehicle advocacy organization Veloz this past week. And once again, they were led by Tesla—by an astounding lead, despite a series of price hikes. Californians… More…
First-generation Kia Niro EV continues as zero-emission taxi special for home Korean market
As a redesigned, second-generation 2023 Niro lineup ramps up for a fall arrival at U.S. dealerships, Kia isn’t just discontinuing the first-generation Niro EV. Instead, the much-loved first-gen Niro EV, which would likely have been Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy had it been more widely available from the start, is seeing a (new)… More…
VW-BP project will add thousands of space-saving “Flexpole” urban fast-chargers in Europe
Volkswagen and oil giant BP on Thursday announced a partnership to install up to 8,000 urban charging stations across Europe by 2024. The project will use VW’s Flexpole 150-kw DC fast-charging stations, which can be installed at low-voltage grid points without the need for the dedicated high-voltage hardware of conventional fast-charging stations… More…
States and environmental groups sue USPS over gasoline mail delivery trucks
A coalition of environmental groups and over a dozen states filed lawsuits Thursday against the United States Postal Service (USPS) over plans to replace mail trucks with a majority-gasoline fleet. A new mail truck design from defense contractor Oshkosh was unveiled in February 2021, with plans to make just 10% of the fleet electric. That… More…
California considers refocusing EV incentives toward low-income “gasoline superusers”
California is considering targeting its EV incentives toward low-income drivers who use an outsized amount of fossil fuels. The California Assembly Transportation Committee last week passed a bill, AB 2816—reported by Green Car Congress—that directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the state emissions regulator, to base… More…
2023 Polestar 2 gets improved range, fresh colors and wheels
The 2023 Polestar 2 gets a handful of updates for the new model year, including fresh colors and wheels. Polestar also claims range improvements and a lower carbon footprint from the use of renewable energy in the manufacturing process. The new exterior colors are Space and Jupiter, which Polestar describes as “metallic black” and “gold-grey with… More…
Saudi Arabia agrees to buy up to 100,000 Lucid EVs
In a deal announced Monday, the Saudi Arabian government will purchase up to 100,000 Lucid electric cars over a 10-year period, with initial deliveries scheduled to start by the second quarter of 2023. The deal includes an initial commitment of 50,000 vehicles, with an option to purchase 50,000 more, including the Lucid Air and “other future… More…
Will solid-state batteries be the key to make electric SUVs and pickups viable?
Earlier this month Nissan announced the establishment of a prototype production facility for all-solid-state battery cells—with plans to establish a pilot production line as soon as 2024 in Japan, and market availability in an EV in 2028. The cells are potentially “a game changer for EV democratization,” according to Nissan, with… More…
Volta commercial electric trucks made no design allowance for internal combustion
Sweden-based Volta Trucks on Tuesday unveiled the latest in a series of electric commercial trucks designed with no allowance for internal combustion engines. The new 7.5-tonne and 12-tonne Volta Zero (about 16,500-pound and 26,500-pound) models join a larger 16-tonne (35,000-pound) version that’s currently undergoing “extensive engineering… More…
Ford starts F-150 Lightning production, confirms second electric pickup model for 2024
Ford on Monday announced the start of “full production of 2022 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, part of the massive Detroit Rouge Complex that builds non-electric F-150 trucks. Ford said in a press release that it has 200,000 reservations for the Lightning. In response to greater-than-expected demand… More…
Chrysler boss: We are rethinking the minivan for the electric era
To put it bluntly, Chrysler’s current product lineup is old. That’s not about to change anytime soon, but when the first electric vehicles arrive from the storied automaker it is clear they will lean into the automaker’s strengths. In an interview at the 2022 New York auto show Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell gave Green Car Reports some insights… More…
GM confirms future electric Corvette; hybrid Corvette due as soon as 2023
An all-electric Chevrolet Corvette is in development, but a hybrid version will arrive first, the president of General Motors confirmed Monday “We will offer an electrified and a fully electric, Ultium-based Corvette in the future,” GM president Mark Reuss wrote in a LinkedIn post. “In fact, we will offer an electrified Corvette as early as next… More…
Subaru Solterra EV starts at $46,220: More expensive than Toyota BZ4X cousin
The 2023 Subaru Solterra, the automaker’s first mass-market EV, will start at $46,220 (including destination), Subaru confirmed Monday. For buyers that can claim the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit, the base price is effectively lowered to $38,720. Subaru said the Solterra will be available in all 50 states, so regional incentives may also be… More…
Preview drive: 2023 Vinfast VF 8 has a long way to go, and a short time to get there
“So, how fast can I really go?” I ask the Vinfast handler sitting next to me in the passenger seat of the VF 8 prototype. I’ve been told before my first chance around the short test loop to keep it under 80 km/h (or right around 50 mph) but as I get ready for my second run I’ve seen a few other drivers zip by at much higher… More…
Heat pumps included in GM EVs could give them a real-world range advantage
GM confirmed Monday that it plans to include heat-pump technology in all of its current and upcoming Ultium-platform electric vehicles. That includes the Hummer EV now being delivered and the soon-arriving Cadillac Lyriq, plus many more to arrive in the next several years. In them, the tech will help recover low-level waste heat in ways that can… More…