Category: General

Amid uncertainty about the future of the Tesla Supercharger network, rival charging networks see an opportunity to grow.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently fired most of the Tesla Supercharger team, but has since reversed that move and attempted to hire people back. Tesla has also made it clear that it will continue the buildout of whatever new infrastructure is in process, but may still shift way from further fast-paced growth of the Supercharger network. That, reports Politico, creates an opening for other networks.

Those networks are now planning more charging stations and seeking to hire jilted Tesla employees, according to the report. For example, Atlanta-based EnviroSpark Energy Solutions hired “a dozen Tesla castaways” in the last month, and landed $15 million in funding in the days after the Tesla layoffs. The company started out installing chargers for Tesla before looking to create its own network.

Rendering of EnviroSpark EV chargers at at Waffle House

New York City-based Revel last week hired Tesla veteran Edward Noseworthy to lead its design and construction team, Politico notes. And EVgo vice president Sara Rafalson told Politico that the company was having “a lot of conversations with talent.”

Immediately after the announced of the Supercharger-related layoffs at Tesla, BP also announced that it was seeking to buy stranded sites from the charging network for its own use. The oil giant reportedly plans to spend $1 billion by 2030 to install over 3,000 chargers in the U.S.

Part of the motivation for this is to grab some of Tesla’s share of the $5 billion federal EV charging infrastructure push, Politico reports. Part of the Biden administration’s infrastructure law passed by Congress in 2021, this National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program is slated to spend that money on road-trip fast chargers over five years.

2023 Nissan Ariya at EVgo charging station

Installations for the NEVI-funded network started last year, with the first site opening in Ohio in December. NEVI is one of the factors related to how the national fast-charger network is filling in, but the buildout still has a long way to go.

Federal guidelines for the NEVI funding call for four 150-kw connectors every 50 miles. A 2023 analysis found that 1,104 new EV fast-charging stations will be needed to meet those parameters.

• Papin to Nissan dealers: Throughput coming

• Wagoneer S to be built in Mexico

• Supply chain on fire

• VinFast considers another plant delay

 VW gets on board with affordable EVs. Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda commit to a new generation of engines. And Cadillac’s most affordable EV makes its debut. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. 

The 2025 Cadillac Optiq EV arrives later this year, and Green Car Reports recently got up close with it. All-wheel drive, a vast fixed-glass roof, lots of screen space, and an interior that looks all the part of a luxury vehicle will distinguish this 300-mile EV that turns to lighting to sharpen its look. 

Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda are allying to build downsized engines for hybrid models—engines that would potentially burn hydrogen or e-fuels in addition to gasoline. Subaru suggested the next-generation tech could be headed to its next Crosstrek Hybrid. 

And Volkswagen has confirmed that it’s working on a $22,000 VW EV created in Europe and intended primarily for the European market—at a price of only about $22,000. Would such a vehicle also make waves in the U.S.?

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• A small electric SUV, the Optiq joins the Ultium family of GM EVs that includes the Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and Lyriq
• Prices start in the mid-$50,000s—and the Mexico-built Optiq should qualify for tax incentives
• Cadillac promises fully-charged driving range of about 300 miles

Cadillac has revealed an entry EV for the GM luxury brand that doesn’t seem so entry-level in size, technology, or price. 

The 2025 Cadillac Optiq will cost about $54,000 including destination when it arrives later this year with a range of around 300 miles, according to Cadillac. While that price tag won’t be anywhere as affordable as the XT4 ($39,090 base), Cadillac’s gasoline-fueled compact entry SUV, if it qualifies for the $7,500 EV tax credit it will cost about the same, effectively, as today’s XT5 SUV ($47,290 base) while providing much more cargo and passenger space. 

Green Car Reports was able to get up close with the Optiq a few weeks ago, and as far as first impressions go, this vehicle sheds the last remaining design bits of Cadillac’s long-held Art & Science themes that held onto chiseled corners, sharp edges, and straight lines. With the Optiq, the brand is veering toward softer side sculpting, a lower hoodline, and more of a rounded approach to the roofline. In front, it’s way less imposing and chiseled than the rest of the lineup, including the larger Cadillac Lyriq EV, and the Optiq cleverly depends on lighting—not actual sharp edges—to maintain its sharp-edged look and accommodate a more aero-savvy shape.

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Aero and lighting rule Optiq design

“The sporty, aerodynamic look was the main focus on the Optiq,” Cadillac design manager Hoon Kim told me. “That’s why we tried to keep it as low as possible.”

There are many details to linger on. Cadillac also uses a crisscrossing laser-etching process for the grille area, to establish the lighting signature, and it precision-prints a graphic pattern on the rear quarter panel—on acoustic laminate glass—that corresponds to the Cadillac crest. All Optiqs will have a fixed glass roof.

2025 Cadillac Optiq

One of the coolest design traits is the way that the rear lights seem to visually drop down the rear pillars, seemingly disappearing momentarily under the corners of the beltline then reemerging below. 

What’s a bit surprising is that in this era of “the sky’s the limit” EV skateboard design, the Cadillac Optiq follows so closely in silhouette to its cousin, the Chevy Equinox EV. The Optiq shares that model’s 116.3-inch wheelbase and approximately 190-inch length, as well as its 85-kwh battery pack. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Optiq has AWD, Blackwing performance connection

Likewise, it opts for a front-wheel-biased all-wheel-drive system, with a stronger permanent-magnet motor in front, making around 200 hp, while an induction motor for the rear wheels backs it up with about 90 hp. That allows it to run as a front-wheel-drive vehicle when cruising at steady speeds, and the combination provides an estimated 300 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque.

While the Lyriq is about prestige, the Optiq is more about the sporty, youthful, dynamic side of Cadillac, according to Cadillac officials. With a performance engineer just off the team that created the Blackwing models, Cadillac aimed to give the Optiq a sportier experience that should extend to the way the vehicle rides and handles. Meanwhile, towing capability will be 1,500 pounds, and hitch accessories will provide the means for carrying other types of gear. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

The Optiq will offer Tour, Sport, and Snow/Ice modes, along with personalized My Mode settings. A one-pedal driving mode will allow the vehicle to slow and stop without touching the brake pedal under some driving conditions. At the time of the preview Cadillac was still considering propulsion sounds for the cabin and confirmed that they’ll be different than Lyriq.

A new charge port for Cadillac EVs

One other thing that’s different versus the Lyriq is the charge port door. It’s a new, simplified design that will appear in other upcoming Cadillac EVs—including the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ—and the headlights will show at a glance what your state of charge is as you go. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Charging time and a beautiful interior are among some of the top concerns for that crowd, Cadillac said; it’s aiming to recover 79 miles in 10 minutes in DC fast-charging but didn’t state a maximum charge rate. 

What sets the cabin apart are some distinctive trims—including patterned accent fabric made from 100% recycled materials, and PaperWood veneer made of tulip wood and recycled newspaper. Yes, you can still read some of it.

Back support for “older Millennials”

Cadillac targets first-time luxury buyers with the Optiq and sees the target buyers as “older Millennials” in their late 20s through 30s (and yes, some Millennials already top 40). For them, it’s bringing on the comfort. There are massaging seats, and the seats are generous on back support, with a new design adapted from one developed by GM in Europe but made wider. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

2025 Cadillac Optiq

2025 Cadillac Optiq

2025 Cadillac Optiq

The expansive front floor takes advantage of the flat battery pack underneath, and the cargo floor is relatively low, but there isn’t a front trunk (or frunk). The back seat has loads of legroom, but my head touched at the back of the glass roof frame. 

The 33-inch dash display has a 9k resolution and can project more than a billion colors, GM claims. While it’s the centerpoint of the dash, it doesn’t support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but has a “Google built-in infotainment experience”—meaning you’ll need to subscribe to separate data coverage for the vehicle rather than sharing it from your phone. GM has also considered the breakout between screens and switchgear and given the Optiq hard buttons for climate control.

2025 Cadillac Optiq

2025 Cadillac Optiq

2025 Cadillac Optiq

GM will be including three years of Super Cruise driver assistance tech with the Optiq, and adaptive cruise control, an automatic parking system, and a full suite of active safety features are all included. 

Optiq is one of many GM EVs from Mexico

The Optiq will be made in Mexico starting this fall, at the same Ramos Arizpe plant that makes the Chevy Equinox EV and Blazer EV, along with the Honda Prologue. Production is also ramping up soon in China, and GM is banking on China, the U.S., and Europe as key markets.

Luxury and Sport trim levels of the Optiq will be offered, but Cadillac hasn’t yet confirmed all the differences. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

As GM rolls out more Ultium EVs, and specifically more Ultium electric Cadillacs including the larger Lyriq, the 1980s GM and the luxury-on-a-shoestring Cimarron comes to mind. How do you build more distinct EVs while avoiding the badge-engineering awkwardness? We’ll just have to wait and see later this year, when Cadillac will share more specs and feature details. But for now, the Optiq’s sharp-looking, super-comfortable interior is a great indication the brand gets it.

• Nissan adopts EV gigacasting

• Scout Motors plant’s green focus

• Tesla shifts on advanced manufacturing

• Hyundai combines hydrogen, autonomy

Volkswagen on Tuesday announced a goal of launching an EV priced at 20,000 euros—equivalent to $22,000 at current exchange rates—in 2027.

This affordable EV is aimed at the European market, with a high degree of manufacturing and supply-chain localization entailed in the project, VW said in a press release. This will allow for shorter transportation routes for components, helping to lower the overall carbon footprint of the vehicles produced, the automaker noted.

“It’s about entry-level electric mobility from Europe for Europe,” Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said in a statement. “In doing so, we combine a clear commitment to Europe as an industrial location, a European industrial policy, and ultimately act in the interests of European customers.”

Teaser for $22,000 Volkswagen EV for Europe debuting in 2027

The Euro-centric rhetoric hints that this project may be a reaction to an influx of Chinese-branded EVs into the European market. France in 2023 announced that it would exclude China in its EV incentives to help staunch the flow.

It will take some heavy lifting to establish a battery-manufacturing base in Europe. China, meanwhile, now makes enough batteries to supply all global EV production, according to recent Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates.

In the U.S., the Biden administration has hiked tariffs, effective later this summer, to keep Chinese EVs out. That may help protect manufacturers, but may not be universally favored by consumers. Last week, survey results suggested that younger U.S. drivers are more open to Chinese EVs. Unlike Europe, though, no Chinese brand currently sells EVs in the U.S.

2020 Volkswagen ID 3 production at plane in Zwickau, Germany

The $22,000 EV project is just one of many VW efforts to produce a more affordable EV. The automaker has also embarked on a project for a sub-$35,000 for North America, which should arrive in the 2027 timeframe as well.

In Europe, VW also plans an “Electric Urban Car Family” with four EVs priced under 25,000 euros ($27,000) debuting in 2025. The four models include compact cars from the main VW brand and Cupra, as well as small SUVs from VW and Škoda. All four models will be built in Spain.

• U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made products

• Highlights from ACT Expo

• Toyota will continue making sedans

Volkswagen is recalling nearly 80,000 of its ID.4 electric vehicles in the U.S.—plus more than 8,000 in Canada—due to gauge clusters and infotainment systems that either unexpectedly reset or don’t start up in the first place. 

The issue, which likely covers some or all of the many flickering screens and sudden reboots that owners have reported and documented, can result in the temporary loss of active safety systems while driving. VW has already rolled out some remedies to this trouble-prone system. 

As VW notes, this issue can mean the loss of speedometer information and the rearview camera image, so it would mean they’re out of compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards. 

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 – First drive, Portland OR

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 – First drive, Portland OR

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 – First drive, Portland OR

The issue affects about 1% of the 88,004 vehicles recalled (79,953 in the U.S., 8,051 in Canada), VW estimates—which would point to nearly 9,000 North American vehicles that might be experiencing the issue. Through February, VW already points to 354 warranty claims relating to the issue. 

The ID.4 recall remedy is a software update for a control unit and infotainment module that has already been introduced into production. Paperwork filed with the federal government indicates that, as of yet, it’s not available for the recalled vehicles, but when it is, the issue will require a trip to the dealership for the update, with owner notification starting as soon as July 12.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 – First drive, Portland OR

The VW ID.4 has had a trouble-prone interface from the start while otherwise hitting the mark in most other respects. Green Car Reports experienced some of those issues, ranging from excessive screen latency to haptic controls that were momentarily unresponsive, in earlier versions of the ID.4.  

VW promised that many of these issues would be fixed with over-the-air updates, but they weren’t for some owners. A recent review of the 2024 VW ID.4 with its larger 12.9-inch touchscreen (included with the larger 82-kwh battery pack) showed us that with revamped infotainment hardware, those issues have been purged. 

The Mach-E is Ford’s only dedicated electric vehicle, with no gasoline equivalent. Yet it won’t let you, or anyone driving near you, mistake it for anything but a member of the Mustang family. 

On the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, the design cues and prancing-horse logos still deal out an overstated hand of pony-car attitude. I reach over and select this model’s performance mode—called Unbridle, which doubles down on the impression—and an overdubbed combustion-synth soundtrack breaks the conversation like a record scratch. 

I ask my drive partner: “Ya like horses?”

Mustang Mach-E is an EV original

The Mustang badge does indeed get the Mach-E some name recognition, while its best attributes have always stood starkly aside from the Mustang lineup. 

With the exception of the Chevy Blazer EV and Equinox EV, all its rivals are strong departures from their ICE equivalents. 

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

The Mach-E is one of the mainstream EV market’s originals—a leader in the cohort of electric compact crossover SUVs that have rakish rooflines and curvaceous sculpting meshing with futuristic cues and leading edge interfaces. When deliveries of the Mach-E started in late 2020, only the Tesla Model Y was being delivered, and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Nissan Ariya hadn’t yet arrived. 

While the Mach-E GT isn’t at all a track-focused model like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, a series of engineering changes and smart optimizations make this version an even better-driving EV for the backroads, as Green Car Reports recently experienced. Meanwhile, the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally, tuned for dirt-track thrills, is the closed-circuit thriller instead, and we’ll have a first drive of that model soon on companion site Motor Authority. 

Mach-E has good range, GT included

The 2024 Mach-E GT is a leader among performance-oriented crossovers with respect to range. It beats the Tesla Model Y Performance by a mile in official EPA ratings. It also beats the Kia EV6 GT and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N by a much more significant amount; those models are at 206 miles and 221 miles, respectively.

It’s not all in the name of efficiency; the Mach-E GT’s battery is indeed larger than the packs in all of those rivals. It comes with a 91-kwh (usable) Extended Range battery pack and a 280-mile EPA range rating. Mach-E Select and Premium models can also be had with a 72-kwh Standard Range pack providing 230 miles with all-wheel drive or 250 miles with rear-wheel drive. 

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Outside of the GT, the Mach-E remains a standout for range with its Extended Range pack, the Mach-E can return up to 320 miles with rear-wheel drive, and it gets a 300-mile rating with all-wheel drive—better than the Ioniq 5 or EV6, albeit with the larger battery. All Mach-E models can now be charged on the Tesla Supercharger network, via a complimentary, Ford-provided NACS adapter plus the inclusion of that network in the aggregated locations of its FordPass charge-finding and route-planning app.

Versions of the Mach-E with the Standard Range pack have a completely different battery pack chemistry and configuration. In the smaller one there are 108 lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cells rather than the Extended Range version’s 376 cells. 

From the vehicle’s trip computer, I observed 2.8 miles per kwh in a couple hours mixing freeway, fast-moving back roads, and urban traffic conditions, while using the climate control for best comfort (temps in the 60s) and driving without any heed to efficiency. That indicates a real-world range of around 250 miles.

Mach-E performance: Satisfying, smooth on back roads

The 2024 Mach-E GT makes 480 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque and can accelerate to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. Opt for the $745 Performance Upgrade (fitted to my test car—$995 without a wheel and tire upgrade) and you bump the torque rating to 700 lb-ft and the 0-60 mph time down to 3.3 seconds. At that price, why not?

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E near rear motor

When you get that upgrade, the 2024 Mach-E makes the most of a shift to a new, more powerful rear motor—the same Ford-made part number shared with the F-150 Lightning and a unit that Ford plans to scale up even more into future EVs. 

For now Ford is only making the rear motor itself, while for the Mach-E it will continue to get the inverter for that motor, as well as front motors, from suppliers. 

The Mach-E still doesn’t have a heat pump, but Ford has consolidated its three cooling circuits down to two primary circuits plus climate control. According to product development engineer and EV energy management expert Ling Gong, Ford also shifted the ratio to 9.7:1, versus the previous 9.0:1, to better match the characteristics of the new motor. And it switched out its wheels for aero wheels that collectively improve the model’s coefficient of drag by about 0.007. 

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E changes

The propulsion sounds arguably undercut a lot of hard work that the development and engineering teams have continued to do in Mach-E refinement and sealing out wind and road noise as well as elements like gear whine. Turn the supplemental sound off, as you should, and the Mustang Mach-E GT now feels like it could wear a European luxury badge. 

That sense of refinement is enabled partly by the magnetic damping system that’s now included in all GT versions, allowing different tuning across the Whisper, Engage, and Unbridle modes.

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

The Mach-E rides on a four-wheel independent suspension with struts in front and a multilink arrangement in back, both complemented with a hollow stabilizer bar.

All Mach-Es have four-wheel disc brakes. The GT gets larger discs, and the regenerative braking varies across those modes, too. There aren’t any steering wheel paddles, but a one-pedal driving mode ramps up regen so much that you might rarely need to press the brake pedal except the last few feet of a stop. The auto-hold mode in the Mach-E doesn’t offer a lot of subtlety when parking, so remember to turn it off if you just need to inch ahead into a parking space. 

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

While the Mach-E does a great job masking all its weight the vast majority of the time, choppy back roads with heaved surfaces did underscore this model’s nearly 5,000 pounds (4,952) in GT guise. 

The Mach-E’s packaging and cargo space haven’t changed at all, including reasonably good back seat space and a large frunk with a drain plug (tailgating time!). All GT models now include Ford Performance front seats that offer up great back support as well as thigh support without feeling too confining on the sides. Just as in other Mach-E versions, as a taller driver, I wished the hip point of these front seats could be lowered another inch or two—a choice that would also allow its roll center in handling to feel more natural.

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Mustang Mach-E features and options

The GT starts at $55,890, including destination, and it gets a whole lot of standard equipment. It carries over the Premium’s 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen premium sound system (including subwoofer), ambient cabin lighting, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, memory settings, and power tailgate, and it adds an aluminum instrument panel appliqué and accent stitching.

Ford’s BlueCruise driver-assist system, in its current iteration, costs $2,100 for three years and provides improved lane placement plus smoother automated lane changes—including multiple lanes as needed. Other options on my test vehicle included the panoramic fixed-glass roof and bronze-painted wheels, for a grand total around $61,000.

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

All Mustang Mach-E versions get an updated version of Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system with a vertically oriented 15.5-inch capacitive touchscreen—nearly flat in its menu layout, which is a great thing—plus a reconfigurable 10.2-inch instrument screen, wireless phone charging, and front and rear USB ports. 

Yes, the Mach-E still leans hard into its pony-car lineage; but love it or hate it, it amounts to an engaging personality and a good EV. All those horses in and out of the vehicle made sure of it. 

Ford paid for travel and lodging for Green Car Reports to bring you this firsthand report.