Author: EVAI

The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said the reported allegations of non-cooperation were unfounded and that the companies had participated in multiple rounds of questionnaires and facilitated on-site inspections.

Electrify America confirmed Thursday, on the sixth anniversary of its first fast-charger installation, that it’s planning a big expansion of its fast-charging network in 2024.

EA aims to reach 5,000 chargers by the end of the year, including larger charging stations and broader support for Plug & Charge payment tech. 

In 2023 it expanded into North Dakota and Hawaii, pushing its total number of chargers over 4,000 by the end of the year.

According to the DOE’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, as of May 2, there are currently 931 Electrify America station locations and 4,182 charge ports; the latter corresponds to what Electrify America considers a charger. The expansion would constitute a roughly 20% increase over what’s currently available.

Electrify America growth in 2023

Electrify America growth in 2023

The charging network says that according to independently validated records it logged 10 million customer charging sessions in 2023, double the number in 2022. It also more than doubled the energy dispensed.

Also on Thursday the company noted that its 2023 expansion included “upgrading more than 680 underperforming legacy chargers to Electrify America’s next-generation charger.”

Ford F-150 Lightning at Electrify America

EA may have made that statement in response to claims that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) didn’t press the network for more charger-reliability fixes in its latest and final 2.5-year cycle. EA was established as part of a 10-year, $2 billion investment mandated as part of the Volkswagen diesel settlement. EA funneled $800 million of that to the California portion of the network plus California-specific projects.

EA’s rollout of chargers has made the federal government aware of the importance of considering reliability and uptime in the scope of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) buildout.

A 2022 study focusing on California’s EV-savvy Bay Area market found poor reliability and many nonfunctioning fast-chargers, with indications some of those were relatively new EA units. Separately, the network topped a survey looking at the EV charging user experience, reliability aside. 

First Electrify America indoor charging station opens in San Francisco

Earlier this year EA opened a flagship urban EV charging station, a new template for indoor charging. VW has reportedly attempted to shop Electrify America around to other companies—including automakers—but as of yet its only outside investment is from the German supplier conglomerate Siemens. 

Tesla’s Supercharger network has been consistently rated the best for customer satisfaction, but that might soon change with this week’s layoffs of Tesla’s entire Supercharger team. 

The 2024 Jeep Gladiator now looks pretty in pink thanks to the addition of the popular Tuscadero paint option to the color palette. This is the first time Jeep has offered Tuscadero, named after the character Pinky Tuscadero from the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days,” on the Gladiator. The color launched on the 2021 Wrangler and returned as an option for…

The vice president of automotive, transportation and cross-manufacturing at research and advisory firm Gartner Inc. breaks down the disbanding of Tesla’s EV charging team, Elon Musk’s latest robotaxi promises and the company’s fresh ‘AI and robotics’ focus.

BFGoodrich has launched a new generation of its leading all-terrain tires. The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K03 is the replacement for the K02, which was and still is a popular choice for factory off-roaders like the Ford F-150 Raptor and Bronco Raptor, as well as more hardcore versions of the Jeep Wrangler. So the K03 has a lot to live up to…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has long been a fan of memes, trolling, and humorous acronyms for otherwise unremarkable product names. In fact, his affection for juvenile humor is what brought us Tesla’s current product lineup of the Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y (or ‘S3XY’). 

But it did not end there of course. In between major product launches, Elon was promoting Tesla-branded flamethrowers, actual short shorts to troll TSLA shorts, and finding ever more creative ways to sneak the numbers 69 and 420 into everyday conversations. 

Since the purchase of Twitter and its transformation into X, he has leaned into this side of his personality. But he has moved away from associating this with the Tesla brand itself. Instead, following Elon on X has meant being bombarded by politically charged memes rather than promotion of Tesla or its products.

So it’s good to at least see Elon’s low-brow humor directed at Tesla again. After recently discussing upcoming Tesla Vision updates with fans, Elon again shared that Autopark and Smart Summon would be returning soon to Tesla vehicles. These features have been largely removed from the current lineup ever since the automaker dropped ultrasonic sensors from all products about two years ago.

Even when these features were included in Tesla vehicles, the Smart Summon and Autopark features never really lived up to expectations and the claims from Musk. The automaker has been assuring buyers of their return since then, but not much has come of it so we will remain skeptical for now.

Although we have started seeing early demonstrations and reviews of this new Tesla Vision-based Autopark. Initial impressions have been that the product is a bit slow, but overall functions well for parallel parking.

Musk hinted about a month ago that Autopark might be renamed to “Banish” since the idea is that it would involve exiting your car and sending your Model Y away to find a parking spot on its own. It also seems like Elon is trying very hard to coin the phrase “Actual Smart Summon” in place of Smart Summon as it has previously been known.

Knowing his personality, it is no coincidence that this long-promised feature would be shortened to ASS. Elon is well aware of what it would mean to have millions of ASS-equipped S3XY models on the road. 

Sadly this isn’t the first time Elon has provided a timeframe for an “(actual smart) Summon” of course. In fact, nearly one year ago today, Musk claimed “Actually Smart Summon” was coming in “a month or two”.

Of course, whenever this feature does eventually launch, calling it “Actual” Smart Summon would be an admission that the previous version wasn’t actually all that smart.

So at this point, is this simply a running joke on Elon’s part? Or will the company be referring to the feature in this way in the future? Let us know what you think below. 

Tesla re-released its Model Y Long Range on Friday, as the model in the lineup providing the longest range at the lowest price—with an extra twist for those who have recently purchased the base Model Y. 

The latest Model Y Long Range includes an EPA range of up to 320 miles and a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds, costing $46,630, including mandatory destination and order fees. That brings a 320-mile EPA range—10 miles more than the current $49,630 Model Y Long Range AWD, which can accelerate much more quickly, at 4.8 seconds to 60 mph.

But that wasn’t the most noteworthy piece of news from Tesla’s most recent realignment of pricing and models. On Saturday CEO Elon Musk chimed in on his X social network, explaining that the base Model Y versions that have been built and delivered in recent months actually have more available range—to be unlocked for $1,500 to $2,000, with corresponding gains of 40 to 60 miles of range, pending “regulatory approvals.”

Post on X by Elon Musk – May 4, 2024

That would mean someone who bought a base Model Y at the $44,630 it cost after Tesla’s most recent price cuts might be able to step that up to the 320-mile range with a total outlay of the same $46,630. 

The possibility begs plenty of questions—like why Tesla was again building vehicles with far more battery capacity than it needed to deliver the rated range—a head-scratcher when profitability is squeezing the entire market and battery capacity is one of the greatest single costs. There’s a backstory here that, as of yet, Musk appears unwilling to tell. Perhaps there will be more info pending those regulatory approvals.

2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

The automaker notes that the Model Y in any of these versions qualifies for the full $7,500 EV tax credit. While that’s a big advantage—lowering the effective cost to $39,130 for many households—the Model Y is no longer a far-ahead range leader. The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E, for instance, in its rear-wheel-drive extended battery version will also go an EPA-rated 320 miles (although that takes a larger battery). Electric crossover models without luxury prices that go more include the Fisker Ocean (360 miles) and the Chevy Blazer EV (324 miles, not yet officially confirmed). The Nissan Ariya, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6 all provide 300 miles or more of range, too. 

Tesla offers more consistency in the charging experience, and that remains the company’s competitive advantage—although with the pending sharing of the network with a wide range of automakers and the recent layoffs of the entire team, that advantage is looking less certain.

Which automaker is adding hybrid production at its U.S. dedicated EV plant?

Which Lexus model has gone hybrid-only for 2025?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending May 3, 2024.

A brief Lucid Gravity prototype test drive was enough to tell us that this upcoming EV will offer a unique layout and a different driving experience than any other three-row electric SUV. 

Lucid Gravity prototype

The 2024 Acura ZDX EV is the quickest SUV ever from the Honda luxury brand—and it definitely looks the part. Yesterday in a review of the Acura ZDX Green Car Reports looked at whether the first fully electric vehicle from this Honda luxury brand keeps it on-brand—even with GM bones.

The 2025 Lexus UX 300h has gone hybrid-only, and the most popular AWD version of this model gets a noteworthy gas-mileage boost. The UX 300h AWD now gets 43 mpg combined, and it starts around $40,000. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h

Hyundai last week confirmed that its Metaplant in Georgia, once due to be a dedicated EV plant, will also get U.S. production of more hybrid models, as part of an effort to expand the range of hybrid trims of its gasoline vehicles. 

Jeep announced Thursday that a plug-in hybrid version of its Wrangler-based Gladiator pickup will arrive “later next year.” The Jeep Gladiator 4xe PHEV arrives just after a report suggested the brand was considering a hybrid version of its Recon, which at least at launch will be a fully electric model. 

2024 Jeep Gladiator

GM’s Cadillac luxury brand might not go all-EV by 2030 as previously said. The brand has clarified that while its EV rollout may proceed as planned its retirement date for ICE models may be extended. 

Are electric vehicle sales down in California? A quarterly report out this week underscored some of the complexities of the current EV market. Overall EV deliveries were pulled downward by sagging Tesla sales but mostly countered by strong sales of EVs from other brands, including Hyundai. So overall, EV sales are up in California versus the previous quarter, but with growth of the market as a whole they’ve skewed downward in market share. 

The Biden administration provided updated EV tax credit rules for manufacturers and suppliers on Friday, and they amount to an easing of critical-mineral origin requirements over the next two years that could result in more vehicles eligible for the top $7,500 credit. But foreign entity of concern requirements that will keep Chinese automakers and suppliers out are remaining in place. 

Polestar 5 prototype

Polestar reports that with StoreDot’s “silicon-dominant” cells it has a prototype EV capable of 10-minute 10-80% charging. Although it might still be years away from large-scale production and the Polestar 5 used as a basis for the testing will launch with different batteries, it’s a proof point for the tech. 

The company behind the Emily GT EV, engineered by a braintrust of former Saab engineers, might build it in Italy, as part of a whole electric vehicle family with other body styles including a wagon, coupe, and convertible. 

NEVS Emily GT

Toyota is looking to localize U.S. hydrogen fuel-cell development of all kinds with the opening of a California Hydrogen Headquarters. Toyota’s H2HQ will showcase a flexible microgrid and lead the application of fuel cells in trucks, stationary power generation, and more.

According to a recent brief from Department of Energy researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, more flexible controls and a gas-station-like layout might go a long way in boosting EV charging station reliability.

2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

An annual update from the used-vehicle retail giant CarMax revealed that the most popular used EVs cost up to $5,000 less than last year. Once again, that list includes the Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, and Nissan Leaf—all down significantly. And this year’s list of top-selling EVs included fewer non-Tesla luxury EVs. 

Or if you’re looking for the best price on a new EV, it might pay to first head to Costco first. The big-box retailer is now offering incentives of $1,000 applying to the the Volvo XC40 Recharge, C40 Recharge, and EX40 EVs,, several Volvo plug-in hybrids, and three General Motors EVs—the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, and Chevrolet Equinox EV. Or they’re offering a $2,000 incentive on the Polestar 2.

Matchbox Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology premium die-cast

And while last week marked the debut of the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology—the electric G-wagen to the rest of us—this week a more affordable version arrives. With a premium die-cast electric G-wagen made of recycled metal and sustainable plastic from Mattel’s Matchbox, and a mass-produced version of that on the way this fall, those dreaming of electric off-roading have a way to show it off.

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