The Volkswagen ID.4, which went on sale in the US earlier this year, could turn out to be a very important vehicle for a couple of reasons. It’s the first of VW’s new-generation EVs to reach the US. That is, it’s the first to be built by the post-scandal, reformed and repentant VW, and the… Read more »
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Parsing the latest proposal to revamp the federal EV tax credit
The House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee have released proposals to revamp the federal EV tax credit program. The two proposals will be reconciled, and the final version is expected to be included in the pending reconciliation package. The Zero Emission Transportation Association has published a detailed description of the two,… Read more »
Toyota actively lobbies against support for EVs
Toyota has earned a place in the history of transport electrification. The Japanese automaker’s introduction of the Prius hybrid in 1997 was a milestone. Since then, the company has sold some 15 million hybrids worldwide, and has gradually added hybrid powertrains to more of its offerings—a majority of Toyota and Lexus models are now available… Read more »
Five companies produce almost all EV battery cells for the US market
Five companies (AESC, LG Chem, Panasonic, Samsung and SK Innovation) produced almost all the battery cells used in plug-in vehicles for the US market over the past decade. Total capacity produced was 75,933 MWh. Panasonic supplied 74% of all the cells, and a majority of these were installed in Tesla battery packs. A small percentage… Read more »
Former EPA exec surveys the road ahead for US emissions standards
Q&A with former EPA exec Margo Oge Federal emissions and fuel economy regulations have been instrumental in encouraging (or coercing) automakers to produce EVs, and to make their legacy vehicles cleaner. Since President Nixon signed the Clean Air Act in 1963, federal regulations aimed at reducing air pollution have gradually grown stronger. Under President Obama,… Read more »
Japanese consortium agrees on standardized swappable batteries for e-motorcycles
The Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles, a joint project of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, has reached an agreement to standardize swappable batteries for electric motorcycles in Japan. Since its 2019 inception, the Consortium has been formulating standards for mutual-use swappable batteries and their replacement systems, in order to encourage the adoption of electric… Read more »
Who’s behind the current wave of hype about hydrogen?
Hydrogen fuel cells are controversial—several automakers, including Daimler, Honda, GM and Volkswagen, have abandoned the technology, while Toyota continues to pursue it. Hydrogen opponents cite its inefficiency relative to batteries, and question the wisdom of building a complex and costly new infrastructure. On the other hand, many believe that hydrogen may have a role to… Read more »
Toyota announces new EV platform, revamped version of fuel cell-powered Mirai
Toyota has announced that it will someday release a preview of a possible electric SUV for the European market. Details are “to be announced in the coming months.” The unnamed “preview model” will be based on Toyota’s new e-TNGA platform. The new platform is designed to be easily adaptable for a range of vehicle types—some… Read more »
GM changes course, no longer backs Trump’s crusade against California emissions rules
Elections have consequences. GM has announced it will reverse course, and no longer back the Trump administration’s effort to bar California from setting its own emissions rules. GM CEO Mary Barra said in a letter to environmental groups that the company is “immediately withdrawing from the preemption litigation and inviting other automakers to join us.”… Read more »
Nissan to sell only electrified cars in China by 2025
Nissan has become the latest automaker to announce a regional phase-out of gas-only cars (Honda recently announced it would sell only hybrids and EVs in Europe after 2022). Now Nissan says all models sold in China will be either electric or hybrid by 2025. The Japanese automaker will introduce nine electrified (EV or hybrid) models… Read more »