Author: EVAI
Lucid CEO: EV market softening “a temporary blip”
Lucid’s CEO Peter Rawlinson believes the future is electric.
Rawlinson told The Verge at 2024 Monterey Car Week in California that “I think we’re seeing a temporary blip. I think any talk of retrenchment into hybrids is a blind alley. I think hybrids offer the worst of all.”
The comment by Rawlinson came days before Ford killed its electric three-row SUV and said it would shift its electrification strategy to include more hybrids.
In May, the California New Car Dealers Association released Q1 2024 sales figures. While overall the EV market share sagged in California, EV sales were up. The reason was new-car registrations grew overall with even more non-electric vehicles sold. EV sales are rising by volume.
Dealerships today have more EV options for consumers than ever, but Rawlinson noted the options are underwhelming. The sentiment was echoed by Lucid’s president of design and brand, Derek Jenkins.
Lucid’s built a substantial advantage over the competition in terms of EV efficiency. The 2025 Lucid Air Pure is the most efficient vehicle sold in the U.S. with a 146 MPGe rating equating to 5.0 miles per kwh. Earlier in August Rawlinson noted in a LinkedIn Post that it will take years for the competition to catch up. The competition is slowing and shifting its electrification plans.
The second model from the startup automaker, the Gravity SUV, debuted in 2023 and pre-production units started rolling off the assembly line in July. Green Car Reports drove a prototype Gravity in May and noted when it launches later this year it might outpoint some key rivals in terms of packaging, design, and driving dynamics.
A midsize crossover SUV is under development and has been teased by Lucid. The potential Tesla Model Y rival has been dubbed “Project Midsize,” and is said to be planned for a launch after the Gravity SUV.
Tesla Model X recalled because roof trim may fall off
Tesla is recalling 9,136 Model X electric SUVs from early in the vehicle’s production run to fix trim prices that may not have been properly applied to the roof and could come off.
The recall includes 2016 Tesla Model X vehicles manufactured from the start of production until Jul. 31, 2016, when a change in the assembly process was made at a supplier, according to the NHTSA. In the earlier vehicles now being recalled, two trim pieces—one just behind the windshield and another between the upper glass sections of the Model X’s signature roof-hinged “Falcon doors”—may not have been applied properly.
2016 Tesla Model X
If the trim pieces were attached without primer between the pieces and the urethane coating used to adhere them the adhesion could weaken over time, potentially leading to the trim pieces separating from the vehicle, according to the NHTSA. Trim pieces separating from a car while driving present a potential hazard to other road users, although Tesla is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this problem.
Tesla previously conducted a recall for this issue on Nov. 17, 2020, but found that the inspection process used was inadequate. The automaker will now again ask customers to bring their cars to service centers where the trim pieces will be inspected and, if necessary, replaced free of charge.
2016 Tesla Model X
While Tesla has managed to conduct several recalls with over-the-air software updates, hardware-related issues like this one, or a pair of recent recalls of the Tesla Cybertruck, still require an in-person visit to a service center.
Tesla plans to begin mailing notification letters to owners Oct. 14, 2024. In the meantime, owners can contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752 for more information. Tesla’s reference number for this recall is SB-24-12-008.
Polestar names ex-Audi designer as new design chief
Polestar on Wednesday named Philipp Römers as its new design chief. He replaces Maximilian Missoni who led Polestar design for the past six years, and is taking up a new role at a different company. Römers has more than 25 years of experience in automotive design, with most of the years spent at Volkswagen Group. Prior to joining…
Hyundai’s Extended-Range EVs May Include Trucks, Santa Fe, Genesis GV70
- Hyundai is developing an extended-range EV
- The EREV setup will find its way into a lot of segment
- An EREV pickup truck and at least two EREV SUVs are planned
We’ve been hearing rumblings for a while now that Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group is getting into the extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV game. By making what’s essentially an EV with a gas engine as a backup generator, the technology could end range anxiety for good. It’s likely to be applied to new Hyundai pickup trucks (including those shared with Kia), but now a report from Korea Economic Daily indicates the Hyundai Santa Fe and Genesis GV70 could go this route as well.
If you need a refresher, an EREV is slightly different than a typical plug-in hybrid or EV. In an EREV, the propulsion comes solely from the vehicle’s electric motors and battery, while the gas engine is merely on board to charge the batteries; it does not actually power the wheels.
An illustration of how the upcoming Ramcharger works.
We’ve seen it on cars like the BMW i3 as well as a tweaked version of the concept in the Chevrolet Volt, but it’s also a popular powertrain in places like China. In that country, E-REVs made by Li Auto, Aito, Changan and hold court in China’s New Energy Vehicle sales charts. Closer to home, the upcoming Ram Ramcharger uses this setup as well.
Details about the Hyundai’s mechanical bits are scant, but the post does allege that the project already has a code name and is headed up by Hyundai R&D’s head, Hee-Won Yang. Korea Economic Daily reports that pickup trucks using the tech will go on sale in 2028 or 2029, while the Santa Fe and Genesis GV70 will enter production in “two to three years.”
Whether these would be all-new models or updates to current ones seems unclear. The Genesis GV70, which comes in gas and electric form, has been around a few years now, so they’re probably looking to some replacement. The Santa Fe (which uses a different platform than the GV70) is brand new as of last year, so we’re wondering if an EREV setup would be an option or a substantial enough change to make it a completely new model.
The EREV trucks would really put Hyundai Motor Group into that game in America, where right now it only has the compact Santa Cruz—and nothing on Kia’s end unless the new Tasman truck is confirmed to head our way. Korea Economic Daily claims Hyundai’s EREV trucks could compete with the “Ford F-Series, Chevrolet’s Silverado and the Ram pickup, as well as Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck,” but if we had to put money on it, we’d guess these trucks will end up on the more compact side of things.
Either way, this is interesting news for Hyundai. The latest gas-powered Santa Fe reviews well but lost its PHEV variant with the new model changeover. Perhaps it wasn’t a big loss since the PHEV’s dinky electric motor and small range made full EV engine-off driving a chore. In theory, an EREV would make electrified driving easier and smoother.
Would an EREV be something you’re interested in? Sound off in the comments.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
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2025 Cadillac Escalade price hiked $5,700, starts at $89,590
The refreshed 2025 Cadillac Escalade rolls into the new year on its new 24-inch wheels with a new $89,590 price, including the mandatory $1,995 destination fee, GM’s luxury brand disclosed on Wednesday. That marks a $5,700 increase over the base 2024 Escalade Luxury rear-wheel-drive grade. Four-wheel drive adds $3,000 across the lineup, except on…
Property insurance: Dealer hurdle over EVs
Zurich Insurance Group issues recommended best practices for dealerships servicing EVs that could add costs.
Love’s plots fast-charging for future road trips
- Love’s added charging stations to two of its gas stations
- All future Love’s Travel Stops will have EV chargers
- Love’s started adding chargers to its gas stations in 2017
Love’s Travel Stops is continuing to add EV charging at its locations, in part with federal funding from the Biden administration’s infrastructure law.
On Tuesday, Love’s announced the groundbreaking of two new “next-generation” charging sites in Ripley and Waterloo, New York. Each will feature two dual-port DC fast chargers (for a total of four charging connectors) albeit with a minimum power rate of 160 kw. All new Love’s Travel Stops will also have space set aside for EV charging.
Electrify America charging stations at Love’s Travel Stop
Love’s has been installing EV chargers since 2017, and in 2020 partnered with Electrify America to add road-trip charging waypoints at its locations. The company now claims to have more than 100 chargers at 28 stores in 11 states. That includes a mix of Level 2 AC chargers and DC fast chargers, but future construction will be exclusively fast chargers under protective canopies.
Love’s also confirmed that it had secured National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding to pay for some of its new charging stations. Created under the 2021 infrastructure law, the NEVI program provides $7.5 billion for a national network of 500,000 charging stations along 75,000 miles of highways, with said funding allocated state-by-state. Love’s claims to be among the top three firms in terms of funding received.
Love’s Travel Stop EV charging
Groundbreaking for four NEVI-funded stations in Pennsylvania, and four more in Kentucky, will start this year, according to Love’s. Construction on additional NEVI-funded stations in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington is expected start in 2025. It’s an encouraging sign after the relatively slow roll out of the federal charging network thus far.
Love’s points to factors like proximity to highways, onsite amenities, and 24/7 staffing as plusses for co-locating EV charging with its travel centers. That’s also the case with an EV fast-charging network at Pilot Travel Centers being developed jointly with General Motors. The first 17 locations opened in 2023, with about 200 planned by the end of 2024.
McLaren 750S personalization made easy with MSO Contrast Packs
The McLaren 750S enters the 2025 model year, its second year on the market, with new design packs crafted by the MSO personalization department. There are 12 in total, grouped into Contrast Pack 1 and Contrast Pack 2 categories. The Contrast Pack 1 features various exterior color options that McLaren doesn’t offer as part of the 750S supercar’s…