General Motors CEO Mary Barra said Thursday the company is accelerating its electric-vehicle efforts, pulling forward the schedule on many future launches, and expanding the number of EV models it sells globally to 30 by the end of 2025—a larger number than the dozen future EVs shown to journalists in a no-cameras presentation in March…. Read more »
Posts By: John Voelcker
Volkswagen ID.4 and Nissan Ariya bring EV drive to compact crossovers…chasing Tesla Model Y
Can new electric entries in a hugely popular segment convince US buyers to buy EVs from Nissan and VW as family vehicles? Two new battery-electric models from major global car brands are about to bring electric cars into a category where they’ve been notably absent: family crossover utility vehicles. The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 and 2022… Read more »
Shoppers buy more EVs if they understand charging—and now there’s proof (exclusive first look)
New-car salespeople have simple motivations: They want to spend the least time selling you a new car for the highest possible commission. You buy a new car every five years or so; they sell up to 25 cars a month. They make money on the difference in knowledge. That makes electric cars a problem: they… Read more »
BMW X3 PHEV—finally worth plugging in
One of a coming wave of low-volume luxury plug-in hybrid SUVs, the 2020 BMW X3 xDrive 30e offers 18 miles of electric range—and the ability to use it in the real world. The 2020 BMW X3 xDrive 30e is the first conventional plug-in hybrid model from BMW that’s actually worth plugging in. It’s one of… Read more »
GM to fund expansion of EVgo fast-charging network for electric cars
General Motors announced Friday that it would partner with the EVgo charging network to add an additional 2,700 fast-charging stations by 2025. The announcement comes a week before it unveils the 2022 Cadillac Lyriq electric luxury SUV, the first of up to a dozen new battery-electric vehicles it says it will offer in North America… Read more »
COVID-19 vs EVs: What happens?
EVs may experience minor hiccups, but they shouldn’t suffer much more than the rest of the auto industry. It’s the question everyone has to ask: How will the Covid-19 pandemic affect my business? For those in the electric-car world, the question is more pointed: Will the pandemic hurt the growth of electric vehicles over the… Read more »
Seven future electric pickup trucks. Maybe.
Over the first 10 years of their existence, most modern battery-electric cars have been compact hatchbacks or Teslas. While a few are marketed as crossover utility vehicles, none have been the full-size pickup trucks that make up a huge and very profitable segment of US vehicle sales. That’s about to change. What follows is a… Read more »
GM shows 12 future EVs, new Ultium battery system
General Motors opened the doors of its Design Center Wednesday to show off a promised lineup of future electric vehicles to be sold in North America by Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, and Buick—a dozen vehicles all told, part of the 20 new EVs by 2023 it promised more than two years ago. Sadly, the journalist-only event… Read more »
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E: An electric crossover with “the soul of a Mustang”
It’s almost enough to make you think Ford plans to offer electric cars shoppers may actually want to buy. The extended debut of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV culminated in its formal unveiling in an aircraft hangar last November, just before the start of media days at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The… Read more »
2020 Taycan: The Germans respond to Tesla with an excellent new Porsche and a valiant EV effort
Probably no manufacturer felt as stunned and threatened as Porsche by the 2012 arrival of the Tesla Model S – and the acclaim that followed. The German brand enjoyed an unparalleled reputation as the maker of fast, sleek, and pricey sports cars, and had lately expanded into high-end SUVs and then sedans. In early 2013,… Read more »