The legacy automakers are like a hopelessly lost driver, stuck at a fork in the road with no clue which direction to take. Two days after Trump’s election in 2016, they sent him a letter asking for previously-agreed fuel economy standards to be watered down. The new administration enthusiastically agreed, and began dismantling these and… Read more »
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The auto industry is finally advertising its EVs
Over the past few years, we in the EV media have been highly critical of automakers for failing to advertise their EVs (and then claiming that there’s no consumer demand for them). So it’s only fair that we praise them now that they’re starting to release some pro-EV ad spots. Several TV campaigns have referred… Read more »
PlugStar aims to break the EV dealership deadlock
As anyone who follows the EV scene has surely noticed, auto dealerships are widely considered to be a major bottleneck on the road to EV adoption. Sales staff tend to be poorly informed about plug-in vehicles, and many dealerships make little effort to present them to buyers as an option. In the worst cases, salespeople… Read more »
Rivian plans to use dealerships to service its electric trucks and SUVs
Following Tesla’s lead, EV startup Rivian, which turned heads at the LA Auto Show with its prototype electric pickup and SUV, doesn’t plan to use traditional dealerships to sell its vehicles in most areas. Buyers will order Rivians directly from the company – it’s already accepting pre-orders, secured by refundable $1,000 deposits. Unlike Tesla, however,… Read more »
Porsche dealers will have to share the cost of fast chargers
Back in March, a Porsche exec said that the brand expected to make a profit from its planned network of fast chargers, a comment that was met with much skepticism in the EV industry. Now the company is sending a rather different message, saying that its US dealers will be expected to pony up between… Read more »
So much for Audi’s “Tesla killer” – no e-tron inventory for US dealers
Mea culpa. Fooled again. Audi must have dropped several million bucks at a recent extravaganza in San Francisco, all for the launch of the e-tron, the brand’s first pure electric model, and it convinced this correspondent that this time, the company was serious about selling an EV in volume. Then came the news that Audi… Read more »
Colorado moves to join 13 Advanced Clean Car states, automakers howl in protest
As the EPA proceeds to weaken federal emissions standards, Colorado has become the latest state to implement the LEV regulations included in California’s Advanced Clean Car Standards. Alphabet soup department: The California Air Resources Board (ARB [and sometimes CARB]) adopted the Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) program in 2012. The components of the ACC program are:… Read more »
Even in the Nordic countries, car dealerships are a major barrier to EV adoption
It’s not really news that auto dealerships are a significant roadblock to wider EV adoption. A 2017 study found that most traditional dealers have few EVs in their inventory, and are unprepared to answer customers’ questions about EVs. In some cases, dealers actively discourage buyers from going electric. A new study from Aarhus University in… Read more »
Bob Lutz laments the end of the automotive era
Quintessential car guy Bob Lutz, the father of the Chevy Volt and one-time Tesla admirer turned harsh critic, had some bad news for an audience of engineers at SAE International’s recent annual meeting in Detroit. Once vehicle autonomy reaches its logical conclusion, humans will be reduced to passengers in standardized, soulless automated vehicles. People who… Read more »
Porsche plans fast chargers at all US dealerships, exec disses Tesla
Porsche’s upcoming Mission E sedan is expected to feature a 95 kWh battery pack and 310 miles of range. Such a generous range is sure to create demand for faster charging times, so the German luxury brand has developed a new charging system that can deliver up to 800 V and 350 kW. Now Porsche… Read more »