This week, Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation that would invest $25 billion to convert the entire US fleet of ICE school buses to electric vehicles. The bill would authorize federal grant money over the course of 10 years, and 40% of the funds would be specifically devoted to replacing school buses operating in mostly nonwhite, poorer communities.
Expand Expanding Close
You remember the Hyundai IONIQ? The South Korean automaker’s one-car platform to release three models with different electric powertrains, IONIQ Hybrid (HEV), IONIQ Plug-in (PHEV) and IONIQ Electric (BEV). It created a lot of buzz earlier this year with hopes that the all-electric version could compete with the Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3 and other long-range electric cars coming to market in the next year.
We were disappointed when it was actually revealed that the IONIQ Electric will actually have a 28 kWh battery pack allowing for an EPA-rated of about 110 miles. Now Hyundai reveals the first pricing for the vehicle in Europe, starting with the UK, further confirming that the vehicle will actually be competing with the Nissan LEAF.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Despite the arrival of the 2016 models and especially with the new 30 kWh battery pack, Nissan LEAF sales are still disappointing in the US. Nissan released this week its February sales report for and revealed that LEAF sales are down 22.4% versus the same period last year.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Nissan released today its January sales report for the U.S. and revealed that LEAF sales are down 29.4% versus the same period last year. Until late in 2015, the company had the excuse of the upcoming 2016 models, which were affecting sales negatively as potential buyers were waiting for the upgrade, but the new cars arrived at dealerships and December was still a very disappointing month for Nissan’s all-electric vehicle.
Expand
Expanding
Close
It’s difficult to get accurate delivery numbers for Tesla in the US since the company doesn’t disclose sales by market, but in California, which is Tesla’s biggest market in the US by far, we can follow state rebates for clean vehicles in order to get a good idea of Tesla’s growth in the state.
Expand
Expanding
Close
CEO of Hyundai Motor America Dave Zuchowski confirmed that the company will launch all three electric versions of the IONIQ in the US during the third quarter. The vehicle will be available in all-electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and conventional hybrid without a plug (HEV). Hyundai revealed most of the details of the HEV version, but the company is mute about the BEV and PHEV versions.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Tesla sent an email to Model S owners today to announce that the company is pushing an update with a new media app for Spotify’s music streaming service.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Dieselgate is starting to significantly impact Volkswagen’s sales in the US. The company published its November reports this week (see below) and the company suffered a 24.72% average decrease across all models.
The all-electric e-Golf is one of the rare model bringing the average up, but sales haven’t really increased since the scandal. They delivered 472 e-Golf units in November, up from 119 during the same period last, but it was the first month of availability in 2014. For a better comparison, VW delivered 596 e-Golfs in October.
Expand
Expanding
Close
We learn through GreenCarCongress that the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) published a list of 10 states which are now adopting electric vehicle fees ranging from $43 to $300 to replace lost revenue from fuel taxes.
Fuel taxes at the pump have theoretically been used to finance highway maintenance, but electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids using less or no gas at all are not contributing to this fund.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Today Nissan released its November US sales report, which reaffirmed decreasing LEAF sales, now down 60% over November 2014. The company delivered 1,054 LEAFs in the US in November versus 2,687 during the same period last year and 1,238 last month.
November brings the year-to-date total to 15,922 units, down from 27,098 during the same period in 2014.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko talking to Automotive News confirmed that the company will launch the Outlander PHEV in the US around “mid-2016”. The plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander consistently reach the top of the best-selling lists for plug-ins in European and Asian markets where it is available, but the Japan-based automaker has been delaying a U.S. launch for quite some time now. If we are to believe CEO Osamu Masuko, 2016 might finally be the year.
Expand
Expanding
Close
According to PlugShare’s quarterly report, Tesla added 858 charging stations across the US from September 2014 to September 2015. The increase is largely due to Tesla’s “Destination Charging” program, which now accounts for over 80% of Tesla’s charging points in the US.
The automaker operates two different types of charging networks, the “Superchargers” and “Destination Charging“. Supercharger stations can charge a Model S at a rate of more than 300 miles of range per hour and they are mainly located next to popular routes to facilitate road trips.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Faraday Future announced this morning a planned first phase investment of $1 billion in a U.S. manufacturing facility, which should be announced in the “coming weeks”. The announcement comes just a week after our profile on the company, which linked the firm to the deep pocket Chinese technology company, LeTV.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Today Nissan released its October US sales report, which confirmed lagging LEAF sales, now down 52% over October 2014. Nissan delivered 1,238 LEAFs in the US in October versus 2,589 during the same period last year.
Expand
Expanding
Close
