It will soon be possible to get a solar-charging EV in the U.S. for just $6,250—with a catch. The Squad Solar City Car is the product of Dutch firm Squad Mobility, which was founded in 2019. Unveiled last May, it uses sunlight to recharge its battery pack. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2024, and Squad recently confirmed that the… More…
Category: Greencarreports
F-150 Lightning was first electric pickup open to federal agencies
The Ford F-150 Lightning was the first electric pickup truck available to federal agencies for fleet use—but because it’s currently sold out, those agencies can’t order any of the trucks. Outside first reported that the United States Forest Service (USFS) is currently evaluating the Lightning, and that it is the only electric pickup… More…
2021-2022 VW ID.4 gets long-awaited software upgrade
Volkswagen is preparing to release a software upgrade for easy ID.4 electric crossovers aimed at improving infotainment system performance, while adding some new features. The upgrade will roll out to 2021 ID.4 models first, followed by certain 2022 ID.4 models, Volkswagen of America said in a press release earlier this week. Owners will be… More…
EV battery cost soared in 2022, hampering EV affordability
EV battery costs have soared in 2022 due to rising raw material and battery component prices, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report. The volume-weighted average for lithium-ion battery pack prices reached $151/kwh this year, a 7% increase over 2021, according to the report. It marks the first time average pack prices have… More…
GM aims for rural EV drivers with vast Level 2 charging network
General Motors is about to undertake what it claims is the largest deployment of Level 2 EV chargers in North America. The automaker this week announced the official launch of its Dealer Community Charging Program with the installation of the first charging stations in Wisconsin and Michigan. GM aims to install up to 40,000 Level 2 chargers in the… More…
Battery change boosts 2023 Nissan Leaf efficiency, slightly
The Nissan Ariya will soon arrive at the company’s U.S. dealerships, but it won’t be the only EV featured at them. The other, of course, is the Nissan Leaf. The Ariya crossover isn’t replacing Leaf: Nissan lowered the Leaf’s price a couple years ago, seemingly to make room for the Ariya. The 2023 Nissan Leaf sees some feature… More…
Polestar 2 offers permanent performance boost over the air—for $1,195
Polestar is offering an over-the-air software update that boosts output of dual-motor versions of the Polestar 2—for a one-time $1,195 fee. The new software increases output by 68 hp and 15 lb-ft of torque to 476 hp and 502 lb-ft, Polestar said in a press release. This reduces the manufacturer-estimated 0-60 mph time to 4.2 seconds, but… More…
Used EV depreciation: Do long-range models hold more value?
Used EV prices are dropping, but long-range models appear to be holding their value better, according to Automotive News. As analysts try to fit used-car value metrics to the growing population of used EVs, J.D. Power is applying a “pretty significant deduct” to the residual value of any model with a range below 275 miles, which the firm considers… More…
Toyota rolls out C-HR plug-in hybrid, plans six bZ EVs for Europe
Toyota on Monday teased a plug-in hybrid version of its C-HR subcompact crossover and confirmed more all-electric bZ models for Europe. The Toyota C-HR Prologue Concept shown Monday previews a next-generation model scheduled to debut in the near future. Toyota said in a press release that this new model is engineered to support a plug-in hybrid… More…
DHL is getting 2,000 Ford electric vans, smarts to manage them
Ford announced Monday that its Ford Pro unit will deliver 2,000 electric delivery vans to Deutsche Post DHL Group worldwide, by the end of 2023. Nested behind this is a piece of news that signals a far greater impact over the long term: The deal includes an memorandum of understanding (MOU) for future vehicles, plus DHL’s implementation of… More…
AAA expands EV offerings with mobile charging, trip planning
More than a decade after launching a mobile EV charging pilot program, AAA is launching a second, larger-scale program that will offer mobile charging to members in 14 U.S. metropolitan areas. The new pilot program offers mobile charging for free to AAA members in the following cities: San Francisco; Indianapolis; Philadelphia; Orlando; Nashville;… More…
Tesla confirms megawatt charging tech for Cybertruck, Semi
Tesla confirmed that it plans to use a new immersive cooling method for its Supercharger V4 charging cable, capable of handling up to 1 megawatt. “It’s going to be used for Cybertruck, too,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday night. The tech upgrade is coming to Superchargers next year, he added. Tesla didn’t confirm that… More…
Canoo delivers electric Light Tactical Vehicle to US Army
Canoo on Thursday announced deliver of a prototype truck to the U.S. Army, which shows what a production off-roader from the EV startup could look like. Called the Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV), the electric truck fulfills a contract awarded to Canoo in July 2022, according to a company press release. The single prototype is being used for analysis… More…
Tesla offers $3,750 December discount—same as EV tax credit
Some Tesla purchases will qualify for at least $3,750 off under the revamped EV tax credit starting January 1. But the automaker on Thursday started this rolling a little early—as a discount of $3,750 on its most popular Model 3 or Model Y electric cars. Based on searches on Tesla’s retail site, the offer doesn’t appear to be… More…
Aptera confirms Tesla charge port for its solar EV
Aptera this week confirmed that its solar-supplemented three-wheel production EV will offer a Tesla connector and corresponding charging equipment, both produced by the charging-hardware maker Lectron. The California startup’s adoption of the Tesla standard, now called NACS, was already all but a given. The company had made earlier assertions it… More…
Study: Toyota and Honda owners are defecting to Tesla
Tesla is siphoning customers away from Honda and Toyota, according to a new study released this week by S&P Global Mobility. Among EV makers, Tesla remains in another league when it comes to attracting and keeping new customers. The Tesla Model Y has a 60.5% brand loyalty rate in the U.S., and nearly 74% of buyers are coveted conquest sales… More…
Lightyear 0 made in Finland, claims to be the first solar car
The Lightyear 0 solar-assisted EV has started production at contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive’s facility in Finland, Lightyear confirmed Wednesday in a press release. The Dutch startup said Valmet will initially produce just one car per week, gradually scaling up production in the first quarter of 2023. The Lightyear 0 will never be a… More…
Report: VW in talks with Foxconn to make Scout electric SUVs
Volkswagen is in talks with Foxconn to build electric pickup trucks and SUVs for its Scout brand, according to a recent Reuters report. VW said in May that it would reintroduce the Scout name, which originated with the classic International Harvester Scout, one of the earliest SUVs. While that first Scout was just one model, VW envisions an entire… More…
Hyundai, battery supplier SK ally to meet US EV sourcing rules
Hyundai and battery supplier SK On are partnering to meet the new battery sourcing requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA continues the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, but to qualify for the full amount, it stipulates that EVs and their battery packs must be assembled in North America, and certain minerals used in batteries must… More…
Ford has made 150,000 Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs
Ford on Wednesday confirmed that it’s already produced 150,000 of its Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers. The milestone highlights how much Ford has already accelerated production of the popular electric vehicle, which executives originally suggested was bound for 25,000 to 30,000 U.S. sales annually—with a total achievable volume of… More…