Fiat 500e review, F-150 Lightning price cut, diesel hybrids, curbside EV chargers: Today’s Car News

Do EVs want a breakthrough in battery power density earlier than they make environmental sense?

And which luxurious EV is bringing again the looks of an inside combustion grille? Will pretend tailpipes come subsequent?

That is our look again on the Week In Reverse—proper right here at Inexperienced Automobile Experiences—for the week ending April 12, 2024.

In a primary drive of the 2024 Fiat 500e electrical automotive, Inexperienced Automobile Experiences discovered that this style accent and short-range EV stays match for town—with lots of the identical limitations because the first-generation 500e offered on the West Coast. 

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E boasts extra vary and quicker charging—in addition to faster acceleration for a lot of the lineup—at a value hundreds lower than when the 2023 Mach-E arrived a 12 months in the past. The Mach-E now affords as much as 320 miles of EPA vary, in keeping with Ford. Prime-performance Mach-E GT variations with the Efficiency Improve are additionally now able to outperforming the Tesla Mannequin Y Efficiency, Ford claims. 

The massive 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS hatchback is getting an in depth refresh for the brand new mannequin 12 months, together with extra battery capability and driving vary, improved brakes, and a limousine-like rear seating package deal. A grille that makes an attempt to imitate that of the gasoline S-Class can be a part of the revamp. 

Ford can be already reversing course on latest F-150 Lightning value hikes. It’s minimize 2024 F-150 Lightning costs by as much as $5,500—with the lately launched Flash model providing the largest value minimize and several other mid-range fashions minimize by hundreds. 

Honda touted the flexibleness being constructed into its Ohio EV hub, which could construct lots of of EVs a day or a combination skewing closely to hybrids, relying on demand. Included within the buildout for the model’s next-generation EVs are 31-foot-tall, 6,000-ton die-cast machines that outdo these used at Giga Texas. 

Kia final week detailed plans for its shift towards EVs and electrified powertrains by the last decade, and it hasn’t budged in its goal of 1.6 million Kia EV gross sales yearly by 2030. But it surely does now see about 800,000 annual hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell gross sales by then—making electrified automobiles 58% of its combine in 2030.

A big variety of U.S. curbside EV chargers seems to quickly be on the best way. Voltpost introduced plans to roll out its lamppost-based EV chargers in main U.S. metro areas together with New York, Chicago, and Detroit. These Stage 2 AC chargers can have 20 toes of retractable cable and a supporting app, and set up prices a fraction of what siting and putting in a separate charger would. 

Toyota had beforehand steered that it might cease promoting diesels in passenger automobiles. But it surely continues to promote diesel SUVs throughout most areas, even in Europe. And in latest remarks an Australian government for the corporate insisted that diesel “isn’t going to die off anytime quickly,” and hinted that diesel could be paired with hybrid powertrains “notably for heavy automobiles.”

Rimac introduced that it’s going to assist BMW with next-gen EV batteries, as the corporate that began with a BMW EV conversions, after which a supercar maker, now additionally shifts roles to a high-tech provider.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares final week claimed that EVs want a “breakthrough” in battery-cell power density earlier than they make sense from an environmental standpoint versus combustion automobiles—partly due to all the additional weight and uncooked supplies. That stands in stark distinction to the overwhelming majority of educational papers and calculations from everybody starting from environmental organizations to automakers, suggesting that EVs of their current state of tech repay shortly in CO2 and total environmental impression.

With a invoice signed into regulation final week, New Jersey is marking up EV possession with an extra $1,000 upfront payment that applies on prime of different present registration charges. Whereas it successfully replaces the position of the fuel tax for EVs in funding highway upkeep, it may quantity to a disincentive towards the state’s adoption of California’s EV mandate and its goel to hit 50% EV gross sales by 2027 and 100% by 2035. 

Regardless of long-held plans to align with California emissions requirements, Connecticut and Maine have delayed adopting California’s EV gross sales mandate with latest choices. EV advocates, involved this may push out adoption of the principles to later within the decade, level to misinformation campaigns from fossil-fuel-funded teams. 

Ford, GM, and Stellantis have been counting on gross sales of high-priced full-size pickup vehicles to successfully bankroll the EV push. However now, will sagging gross sales as a result of excessive rates of interest impression the longer term EV product rollout?

Electrical passenger automobiles plus electrical vehicles of all types may add as much as 65% of right now’s whole grid demand by 2050, famous a research out this week from the Pure Assets Protection Council and EPRI, which represents utilities. However in keeping with the research, effectivity enhancements to EVs may repay large by lowering that load, chopping prices for all Individuals and never solely those that are driving an EV by then. 

And in keeping with polling outcomes out this week from Gallup, American EV possession is rising, but fewer automotive buyers are contemplating EVs who don’t already personal one. Gallup discovered these outcomes to be more and more tied to political affiliation and famous, as numerous different research have, that older Individuals are much less seemingly to purchase (and contemplate) EVs.

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