Author: EVAI

Ford and SK On will receive a $9.63 billion government loan for their BlueOval SK battery joint venture, according to a report Monday from Reuters.

The news ups the original loan amount, which was $9.2 billion, reported in June by The New York Times.

The Department of Energy loan—the largest so far by the Biden administration related to EV manufacturing—will help finance construction of battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Ford announced the plants in 2021, quoting a record $11.4 billion investment and the creation of nearly 11,000 new jobs at the two mammoth manufacturing complexes. The automaker and SK On said in 2021 that the BlueOval SK joint venture would target 60 gigawatt-hours of annual battery cell production by the middle of the decade.

BlueOvalSK Battery Park – rendering, September 2021

The plans include Blue Oval City, in west Tennessee, and BlueOval SK Battery Park, with twin battery plants at the same site, in central Kentucky. Ford said in 2021 that it would build both complexes, and planned to have them operational by 2025.

Blue Oval City encompasses not only a battery plant, but also a supplier park and vehicle assembly plant that will produce electric trucks, including the next-generation F-150 Lightning. SK On is already manufacturing cells for the current-generation Lightning in Georgia.

The BlueOval SK Battery Park complex in central Kentucky will consist of two battery plants producing cells for future Ford and Lincoln EVs.

BlueOvalSK Battery Park – rendering, September 2021

In addition to the BlueOval SK complexes, Ford in February announced a deal with CATL for a $3.5 billion battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. The automaker also continues to assemble the Mustang Mach-E in Mexico using LG cells sourced from a factory in Poland.

The Energy Department loan is the largest so far under a revived program once used by the Obama administration to fund Tesla, Nissan, and Ford, among others, but ignored by the Trump administration. Under President Biden, the Energy Department has extended a $2 billion loan to Tesla veteran JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials battery-recycling company and a $2.5 billion loan to General Motors’ Ultium Cells LLC battery joint venture with LG.

Note – This story was update to reflect a new loan amount as of December

Lamborghini is delaying its first fully electric model by a year, hoping that market conditions will be more favorable at that time, Reuters reports.

“We do not think 2029 is late to have an electric cars,” CEO Stephan Winkelmann told Reuters and other media outlets Monday at Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy. “We do not think that, in our segment, the market will be ready in 2025 or 2026.”

Lamborghini Lanzador concept

Winkelmann said Lamborghini is also waiting for regularity clarification in Europe. In 2026, the European Union is scheduled to undertake a review of its plan to phase out sales of new internal-combustion vehicles by 2035 that Winkelmann believes could give Lamborghini an out from going all-electric.

“There are discussions around synthetic fuels and this is an opportunity for our kind of cars,” the Lamborghini CEO said.

In 2023, Lamborghini confirmed that its first EV would be a 2+2 grand tourer targeting 300 miles of range and a comfortable rear seat. It subsequently previewed this model with the Lanzador concept, announcing a 2028 target launch date.

Lamborghini Lanzador concept

Lamborghini has maintained throughout that its signature supercars will be the last to go electric. The automaker plans to stick with plug-in hybrid powertrains in those models for now, while reserving all-electric powertrains for other vehicle types. That view is shared by rival McLaren. In 2023, the British automaker’s CEO said he didn’t expect an electric supercar to be viable until 2030.

Meanwhile, Lamborghini’s traditional rival, Ferrari, is moving ahead with plans for its own $500,000 EV. Due for a later 2025 reveal, the electric Ferrari will be assembled at a new factory just north of the automaker’s existing campus in Maranello, Italy.

• Base price of $34,270 secures a 200-mile EPA range from less than 50 kwh
• Fast-charging times lag Hyundai’s E-GMP (Ioniq) EVs, but V2L adds usefulness
• Smart interior design, latest infotainment system amount to a modern look and feel 

The Hyundai Kona Electric is one of Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2025 finalists, and it exemplifies a formula that’s in short supply in today’s U.S. electric vehicle market: that of the roomy, affordable small car that makes good driving range from a relatively modest battery pack.

The Kona Electric isn’t built on a dedicated electric-vehicle platform, but it might be mistaken for it. Despite its 171.5-inch length, the Kona Electric can fit four adults comfortably—or five in a pinch. Packaging is smart, allowing a roomy 25.5 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.7 cubic feet when folded forward. 

This time around, the Kona Electric outshines gasoline versions of this small-car family in performance, ride, and refinement, with all but the base SE getting a perky 201-hp electric motor at the front wheels. It drives with a lean, responsive feel, and its crisp, modern displays and switchgear feel directly inherited from Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 EVs. All models get a large 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a built-in wifi hotspot, over-the-air update capability, and V2L (vehicle-to-load) compatibility in all versions offers up to 3.6 kw of AC power for worksite tools, camping accessories, and more. 

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric

The Kona Electric runs on 400 volts, unlike those 800-volt Ioniq models and their E-GMP platform, but its DC fast-charging time of 43 minutes from 10-80% is respectable for urban commuters who take the occasional highway trip. 

With the Chevrolet Bolt EV on hiatus until at least late calendar-year 2025 and the 2026 model year, the Kona Electric is the closest modern-EV alternative, landing in a corner of the market—high value, small size—that’s otherwise not well represented in the American market. The Kona Electric starts at $34,270, including the $1,395 destination fee. That’s for the SE, with the 48.6-kwh battery pack and 200-mile EPA range rating. SEL models, which step up to the 64.8-kwh battery pack and 261-mile range rating, cost $38,270, get heated front seats and a power driver seat, and are probably the sweet spot of the lineup for most considering this model. 

Sporty N Line versions start at $40,270, and get various sporty cosmetic upgrades plus Bose premium audio, while top $42,445 Limited versions have a hands-free tailgate, a surround-view camera system, and several additional active-safety systems. At that price, however, you run into some of the same value-for-money hurdles we’ve pointed out for the Kia Niro EV.

2024 Hyundai Kona Electric

Competition is sparse—only the dated Nissan Leaf; the Fiat 500e, which is a two-door model; and the Mini Countryman SE ALL4, which starts at $46,195 and is now a larger vehicle than the Kona. The overdue-and-delayed Volvo EX30, which was due to start at $36,245 will make an especially strong rival to the Kona Electric, when it does arrive. 

Does the Hyundai Kona Electric make a big enough impact on the EV market to top the other four Best Car To Buy 2025 Finalists? Check back Jan. 6.

What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Subaru WRX? What does it compare to? Subaru’s WRX is a compact sedan with a potent turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, a standard manual transmission, and a rally-ready chassis. Competitors include the Volkswagen Golf R and Hyundai Elantra N. Is the 2025 Subaru WRX a good car? It’s very good at what…

While many Americans aspire to own an RV, renting from companies like Cruise America is also a popular option. Now a Silicon Valley startup aims to offer an electric alternative.

RollAway broke cover in 2023, announcing plans to rent out a fleet of electric RVs based on General Motors BrightDrop vans. It’s now accepting online reservations as of this week, Electrek reported, although the website notes that rentals appear to already be almost entirely booked up through fall 2025.

RollAway electric RV rentals

Reservation holders will get the key fob to an electric RV with what RollAway estimates is 270 miles of range, more than the 250 miles the startup originally quoted in 2023. The conversion incorporates a roll-open rear door that creates a large picture window when opened, and RollAway plans to offer hotel-like add-ons like a virtual concierge, breakfast packages, and toiletries and spare bedding to order.

While the rental angle is new—and taps into a large potential market—RollAway isn’t the first company to use GM’s BrightDrop vans for RV conversions. Detroit-based startup Grounded announced its own, less luxurious BrightDrop RV in 2023.

RollAway electric RV rentals

Mercedes-Benz vans have long been popular RV candidates, and the automaker aims to keep that momentum going with its next-generation electric vans debuting in 2026.

Conversions of commercial vans still result in vehicles smaller than traditional motorhomes, and fully-electric versions of those behemoths may be a bit further out, mainly due to charging infrastructure that isn’t scaled to these larger vehicles. In the meantime, plug-in hybrid RVs like the demonstrator shown by Airstream owner Thor Industries earlier this year could provide an electric motorhome alternative while addressing the charging conundrum.

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