Bradley writes about electric cars, autonomous vehicles, smart homes, and other tech that’s transforming society. He contributes to The New York Times, SAE International, Via Magazine, Popular Mechanics, MIT Technology Review, and others. https://twitter.com/bradberman
General Motors will soon start selling first-time diesel versions of the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban SUVs, and the Silverado pickup. GM is not alone in making a play for diesel, which is being propped up as an alternative to EVs. The Detroit News today makes the wild claim that diesel’s “resilience is creating doubts about the electric future touted by governments and manufacturers alike.”
General Motors is not talking about it, but multiple news agencies are reporting that a Superbowl ad featuring LeBron James will tout the return of the Hummer name. This time, Hummers will be a family of electric pickup trucks and SUVs.
Public EV charging infrastructure is growing fast, but a lack of charging is still blamed as an obstacle to electric-car adoption. What’s holding things up? According to Reducing EV Charging Infrastructure Costs, a study published yesterday by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), it’s not the cost of the hardware and software. The problem faced by charging networks and utilities is soft costs, like onerous permitting and regulations. After two-dozen interviews, RMI breaks down the expenses for both public and private chargers.
It’s been three years since Volkswagen first announced plans to produce an all-electric, long-range retro microbus. The ID Buzz still seems almost too cool (and far away) to be true.
But at CES 2020, the new chief of VW self-driving told Electrek that the Buzz is also the basis of VW’s first self-driving vehicles for limited commercial use by 2022. That’s a good sign that the ultimate electric hipster van is on track.
Electrek took our first ride in the Faraday Future FF 91 in Las Vegas yesterday. A Faraday test driver floored the 1,050-horsepower, limo-like sedan — and we held on for dear life while reclining in luxury. It was a rocket blast.
The handling was adept, thanks to the three-motor system, with torque-vectoring applied to rear wheels. The brief ride followed our exclusive interview with CEO Carsten Breitfeld about how Faraday will, finally, at last, bring a vehicle to market.
Chinese EV maker Byton returned to CES to present an update on its M-Byte all-electric SUV. CEO Daniel Kirchert kicked off the presentation by sharing news of the company’s progress to a market introduction in China later this year. There was little new information about the vehicle’s design, powertrain, and manufacturing. Instead, the focus of the presentation was media services that will be brought to the car’s ubiquitous screens.
CES 2020 will not be the EV extravaganza that it’s been in past years. But we’re looking forward to seeing Nissan’s Ariya all-electric crossover, the Fisker Ocean, and a trio of plug-in hybrid Jeeps. Beyond that, we’ll get updates from Byton and Mercedes-Benz about their EVs coming in 2021. And because it’s CES, there will be all kinds of wacky concepts, including the configurable electric Fiat Centoventi, an i3 Urban Suite, and maybe even a couple of flying electric cars.
It’s been a banner year for the Tesla Model 3. But US sales of every other EV stagnated or declined in 2019. New purchases of the Chevrolet Bolt, the nation’s second most popular electric vehicle, slid to 16,418 in 2019, a drop of 8.8% compared to last year. The 2019 figures represent a 29.5% decrease from two years ago. This winner-take-all paradigm, if it continues, spells trouble for GM, Volkswagen, Ford, and every other automaker trying to sell EVs.
Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s global product strategist, wants to strengthen the ailing Nissan brand by “bringing more electrification.” For Espinosa, this means more hybrids alongside EVs. Those hybrids can give drivers a sense of an “EV drive feel,” even though a gas engine is used as the source of power. Meanwhile, according to his interview published today in Automotive News, he believes that EV charging has been a “hassle.” Nissan responded by finding better locations for charging ports and making charging connectors more user-friendly.
When Ford unveiled the all-electric Mustang Mach-E in November, it held the event next door to Tesla’s Southern California design center.
Now a Ford dealership eight miles from Tesla’s Silicon Valley headquarters in Palo Alto, California, says it received 40 reservations that night — and is up to 100 orders.
Hyundai executive vice chairman Euisun Chung today kicked off 2020 by announcing an expanded output of electric vehicles and other advanced technologies. He said the group — which includes the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands — will invest more than $87 billion to produce 23 EVs by 2025. However, details about a possible 11 new, dedicated electric vehicles remain murky.
A new California law going into effect in 2020 will encourage low-income motorists to buy an affordable used EV. On Jan. 1, qualifying solo drivers who buy a used electric car can gain access to carpool lanes. The stickers granting access were previously only available for those who bought more expensive new electric vehicles. The change is designed to address concerns that only wealthier people buying high-priced EVs can drive solo in the fast-moving high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lane.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week unveiled a couple of all-electric vehicle prototypes that will launch TOGG, a new state-supported automotive enterprise. The first vehicle, a compact SUV, is expected by 2022. An investment of $3.7 billion will enable output of about 175,000 EVs a year. The all-electric SUV unveiled last week used rehashed 2017 designs from Italy’s Pininfarina.
The experiment to offer battery-electric vehicles by the day or hour is mostly done. Companies such as BlueIndy, Maven, and ShareNow pulled the plug in 2019. These companies, launched with enthusiasm just a couple of years ago, were based on the idea that urban consumers would be eager to access (rather than own) a zero-emissions vehicle for local travel. But the operational costs and complicated logistics outweighed the interest in fledgling services. Maybe people want a private EV after all.
Nobody expects Bentley to be a major player for electric cars. But it’s fascinating to consider what the Volkswagen group’s ultra-luxe brand is thinking about its EV strategy.
First, a future electric Bentley will use the group’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. Even more intriguing, Bentley’s leadership is talking about how energy-dense, solid-state battery technology could help the brand redefine future vehicle design.
The first sales of the all-electric 2020 Mazda MX-30 crossover are expected in early 2020. It’s part of a wave of new EVs for Europe with a battery size considered behind the times in the US. But Mazda (and others) introducing electric cars in Europe believe that about 35.5 kilowatt-hours — enough for about 150 miles of range — is enough for customers and is better for the environment.
In November, Los Angeles-based clean technology leaders announced its Zero Emissions 2028 Roadmap 2.0. At the time, Mayor Eric Garcetti called for a 25% reduction in air pollution by 2028. Today the Financial Times is reporting that Los Angeles may now force Uber and Lyft to use electric cars.
Nearly half of US states impose fees on EV owners or will consider adding fees in 2020. The ill-conceived idea is to make up for gaps in roadway infrastructure investments usually derived from gasoline taxes. Expect these counter-productive fees to expand in the coming years as the EV market grows. Oregon and Utah are next.
Kia Europe will meet the challenge of new EU emissions limits by doubling its EV sales next year, according to Emilio Herrera, COO for Kia Europe. He confirmed that the Imagine high-riding electric sedan will go into production in 2021. But the biggest obstacle for EVs is still affordability and profitability, especially for an all-electric version of the subcompacts popular in Europe.
The global auto industry will need fewer employees in the future. That’s evident from the tens of thousands of jobs axed in 2019 for a host of reasons. The world’s manufacturing regions that survive (and thrive) in the 2020s will be the ones that embrace new technology. Rust-belt Ohio is emerging as a shining example of how EVs can become the savior – not the destroyer – of US auto-manufacturing jobs.
Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo wants to plot a new course for the Japanese automaker. He plans to simplify the product line, overhaul the production process, and re-align engineering resources to work on new technologies such as driver-assist features. However, EVs are not a priority. “I do not believe there will be a dramatic increase in demand for battery vehicles,” he told Automotive News this week.
Electric-truck startup Rivian continues to rake in 10-figure investments and mass-scale orders. That’s even before the company fully disclosed its plans for autonomy. And now a June patent application discovered by Teslarati reveals that Rivian vehicles could have a “Guardian” mode that transports passengers, including “a child user, a senior citizen user, or a mentally handicapped user,” while monitoring and preventing certain activities.
It’s been nearly two years since GM provided images of a next-generation Bolt EV that lacks a steering wheel or pedals. All of a sudden, in the past couple weeks, top GM execs have been talking up its electric hatch as a self-driving platform. Now Reuters reports that CEO Mary Barra met last week with US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to discuss getting those robo-Bolts on the road.
A Ford dealer guide distributed this week revealed the starting price of the 2020 Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid as $34,235, including destination. Ford says that the Escape Plug-in Hybrid will have “30-plus” miles of all-electric range. The Escape PHEV will compete for customers with the 2020 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, which is more powerful while providing 39 miles of EV range.