Category: General
Lexus engineering boss: 800-volt system done, electric is the future
Lexus and Toyota might not be asleep at the EV wheel after all. The automaker, known for biding its time and taking a cautious long-game approach on anything that it sees going big, appears to be applying the same mindset here. In an interview with Lexus chief engineer Takashi Watanabe at a prototype drive for the 2023 Lexus RZ 450e in Barcelona…
Ford F-150 Lightning home power backup system has a price tag, though installation cost will vary
As it gets ready to deliver the first F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks to customers, Ford has confirmed pricing for the trucks’ home backup power system hardware. Customers wanting to use their pickups as a backup power source will first need the Ford Charge Station Pro, Matthew Stover, the automaker’s director of charging and energy…
Stellantis is investing in Canada for EV manufacturing—and battery braintrust
The automaker Stellantis, the parent of Jeep, Chrysler, and Ram, among many others, announced Monday that it plans to spend about $2.8 billion on a manufacturing overhaul of its Canadian plants, preparing for flexible architectures for EVs and electrified vehicles in general—including a “multi-energy” strategy. The new investment…
Lexus RZ and Kia Sportage Hybrid reviews, Bolt EV recall update, Tesla and Kia cord-cutting: Today’s Car News
We drive Lexus’ first electric vehicle for the U.S., and in a drive of the Kia Sportage Hybrid find its value irresistible. The federal government tipped us on how the Chevy Bolt EV recall is going, and we look at why Tesla and Kia might have stopped offering charge cables with their EVs. And Tesla sales continue to surge in California. This…
Chevy Bolt EV battery recall update: Nearly half have been remedied
General Motors has remedied nearly half the vehicles in an expanded, ongoing Chevrolet Bolt EV battery recall, according to a quarterly report on the recall campaign published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Wednesday. First spotted by Reddit users, the report shows that as of April 22, 26,925 vehicles out of a total…
Tesla stopped including a mobile charger with its vehicles; it’s not the only one
Tesla’s recent move to stop including its mobile charger as standard equipment has raised eyebrows, but Tesla isn’t the automaker to do that recently. Tesla removed the mobile charger, which is a cable with a NEMA 14-50 plug that allows cars to charge directly from those outlets, in late April. Explaining the decision, CEO Elon Musk claimed on…
US plug-in vehicle sales hit a record high in Q1, led by Tesla and California
Electric vehicle sales were at a record level both in California and nationally, according to numbers released by the California Energy Commission and interpreted by the electric vehicle advocacy organization Veloz this past week. And once again, they were led by Tesla—by an astounding lead, despite a series of price hikes. Californians…
Vinfast preview drive, Subaru Solterra pricing, Nissan solid-state tech, electric Chevy Corvette: The Week in Reverse
Which company is rethinking the minivan as an EV? Which eagerly anticipated electric pickup went into production this week? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending April 29. 2022. In a preview drive of the 2023 Vinfast VF 8, the first of two electric crossovers from the…
VW Flexpole charging, USPS gas-truck opposition builds, first-gen Kia Niro EV lives on: Today’s Car News
A “Flexpole” fast-charger is at the center of a push for more charging in Europe from VW and BP. With a second-generation Kia Niro EV arriving in months, Kia sees a reason to keep making the first-gen Niro EV. And states and environmental groups ally in a suit against the USPS. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. The controversy…
First-generation Kia Niro EV continues as zero-emission taxi special for home Korean market
As a redesigned, second-generation 2023 Niro lineup ramps up for a fall arrival at U.S. dealerships, Kia isn’t just discontinuing the first-generation Niro EV. Instead, the much-loved first-gen Niro EV, which would likely have been Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy had it been more widely available from the start, is seeing a (new)…