Scout $40,000 electrical SUV, Hyundai Kona Electrical, F-150 Lightning winter check: The Week in Reverse

Which electrical truck maker may cease manufacturing at 500 automobiles?

Why oh why are steering wheels falling off EVs?

That is our look again on the Week In Reverse—proper right here at Inexperienced Automobile Experiences—for the week ending March 10, 2023.

Are EVs just like the Ford F-150 Lightning ineffective within the excessive chilly as a result of they lose all their vary? We took a take a look at F-150 Lightning vary, charging, and the whole lot in between in subzero climate to provide you a extra reasonable view of what residing with an EV is likely to be like within the excessive chilly. 

2023 Ford F-150 Lightning

Ford additionally on Friday confirmed a battery-related recall on the 2023 F-150 Lightning—to exchange the packs on 18 Lightnings that made it to dealerships or prospects with a battery cell manufacturing defect. 

Scout Motors, the brand new electrical car model from Volkswagen, on Friday confirmed that its first mannequin will probably be an SUV within the $40,000 vary, constructed at a brand new $2 billion manufacturing unit in South Carolina. That mannequin gained’t arrive till 2026, however it will likely be adopted by a bigger electrical pickup truck.

2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG EQE SUV

Mercedes-Benz has priced its U.S.-made EQE SUV, and at slightly below $80,000 to start out, the absolutely electrical SUV makes the EV tax credit score lower. This luxury mannequin will land between the EQB and EQS SUV in its lineup, and towards the likes of the BMW iX and Audi Q8 E-Tron. 

Tesla has as soon as once more lower costs on the Mannequin S and Mannequin X. With these cuts of $5,000 to $10,000, Tesla is now successfully bringing the Twin Motor Mannequin S slightly below the value of the dual-motor Lucid Air Pure that beats the equal Mannequin S in vary. It’s additionally bringing Plaid variations of the Mannequin S and Mannequin X to their lowest costs but—each to the identical $111,380. 

2023 Tesla Mannequin X – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Hyundai this week offered a primary take a look at the 2024 Kona Electrical. On the best way to the U.S. later this 12 months, the Kona Electrical will get a bit of extra battery and vary, more room inside, and V2L tech for backup energy, in addition to over-the-air updates and vastly upgraded interface and active-safety tech.

Nissan is trying to share extra parts between its EVs and e-Energy hybrids, in an effort to chop powertrain prices for electrified automobiles by 30% in only a few years—with worth parity for hybrids by 2026. E-power hybrid vehicles is likely to be a part of this plan, based on a report. 

Lordstown Motors’ manufacturing of the Endurance electrical truck stays stalled, as the corporate works by a recall situation with the high-voltage system on the vehicles. Regardless of not seeing a transparent monetary path to construct greater than the preliminary 500 vehicles, the corporate is trying to future fashions made with Foxconn. 

Fisker PEAR rendering

Fisker isn’t but delivering its Ocean EV within the U.S., however as a part of an organization replace final week it revealed a bit extra about its second act, the Pear. Along with a pair extra renderings of the upcoming $29,900 Fisker city EV, the corporate pointed to a really revolutionary electronics structure and so-called Blade Laptop.

Mercedes-Benz has made effectivity and adaptability core focal factors for the brand new technology of eSprinter electrical vans just lately revealed. With LFP battery packs, heat-pump tech, and modular propulsion techniques, these vans will probably be prepared for a spread of upfits, if not the Vanlife fairly but. 

2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter

Whereas air suspensions have prior to now been a vital compromise in some EVs to keep up consolation and efficiency, Hyundai’s know-how provider is boasting that in next-gen kind they could assist help EV vary and defend batteries. 

Simply forward of SXSW in Austin, beginning now, a U.S. startup referred to as Lightship introduced it desires to grow to be the Tesla of RV makers with the solar-supplemented, self-propelled L1, a 27-foot journey trailer that, the corporate claims, will protect the towing EV’s vary. And Airstream and the design agency that’s an extension of Porsche have labored collectively to provide you with the primary “garageable” Airstream journey trailer within the firm’s 90-year historical past. The small-footprint idea can be the primary Airstream optimized for towing with EVs.

Lightship L1 battery-powered journey trailer

One of many nation’s largest utilities, in Minnesota, desires to construct an enormous EV charging community funded partly by ratepayers. The proposal is controversial from the beginning, as it could increase utility charges throughout the board, whether or not prospects personal EVs or not. 

Whether or not it’s the value of style or practicality: SUVs are fueling international oil demand and fouling CO2 targets, whereas neither electrical SUVs nor electrical automobiles as a complete are doing sufficient to offset that, based on a brand new evaluation from the Worldwide Power Company (IEA). Downsized automobiles with smaller batteries, battery swapping, and different tech advances may although. 

2023 Nissan Ariya

Nissan is recalling some 2023 Ariya EVs as a result of steering wheels may detach. And if this sounds acquainted, that’s as a result of it seems to intently parallel a number of current accounts made public on social media concerning the Tesla Mannequin Y. Properly, this morning NHTSA posted an open investigation into Mannequin Y steering wheel detachment, primarily based on two current incidents 

And based on a wide-ranging research of householders and lessees of 2020-2022 mannequin 12 months automobiles from survey large J.D. Energy, EV homeowners are a lot much less happy with their dealership than gasoline car homeowners. All of the recollects are a giant a part of it.  

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