F-150 Lightning worth lower, Cybertruck batteries, Tesla and EV satisfaction: The Week in Reverse

Why are Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid house owners being suggested to not plug in?

Which SUV prices much less to lease as a plug-in hybrid than in customary gasoline kind?

That is our look again on the Week In Reverse—proper right here at Inexperienced Automotive Stories—for the week ending July 21, 2023.

Probably the greatest-received items of reports of the week got here Monday, when an almost $10,000 worth lower on the Ford F-150 Lightning introduced the bottom Professional again all the way down to $51,990. However to place all of it in contact, meaning the bottom Lightning Professional now prices solely 25% greater than it did final yr.

There are a whole lot of nice offers on the market—when you’re keen to broaden your buying to leasing. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid presently prices much less to lease than the non-hybrid Wrangler, thanks partly to the Business Electrical Automobile Tax Credit score that is serving to subsidize a variety of EV leases.

Tesla introduced final weekend that it made the primary Cybertruck in Austin—though it included no particulars on the eagerly anticipated electrical truck and even whether or not this means mass manufacturing will ramp up any earlier. However on Wednesday, throughout its quarterly monetary replace, it revealed just a few extra tech tidbits about its Cybertruck—most notably, that Cybertruck battery cells will get a ten% enhance in vitality density versus these used within the Mannequin Y. It hasn’t stated, although, whether or not this implies extra vary than the 250 to 500 miles initially claimed. The corporate has reportedly been making ready a high-nickel model, so there could also be room to develop past this within the close to future.

Based on outcomes from the newest JD Energy APEAL examine, trying on the first 90 days of possession, proprietor satisfaction is down for Tesla, whereas it is up for different EVs. Standouts for top satisfaction this yr have been the BMW i4 and Genesis GV60.

The checklist of automakers confirming the swap to Tesla’s NACS cost connector continues to develop. Nissan on Wednesday grew to become the primary Japanese automaker planning to undertake NACS in new US-bound EVs in 2025, with an adapter arriving in 2024.

As a part of a roundup of probably weight-saving, range-boosting improvement and analysis work being accomplished by the Volkswagen Group within the US, VW confirmed it is engaged on high-power wi-fi charging—with potential cost charges which are properly into DC fast-charging territory. There was nonetheless no affirmation of the Tesla NACS cost port, though it’s into account.

Hyundai revealed the look of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe lineup, probably set to proceed together with Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid variations. To sum up, it will get rather a lot boxier and extra angular, with a glance and added performance that Hyundai says makes it optimized for the outside. It might even be a greater match alongside the upcoming Ioniq 7 electrical SUV.

All of the Audi electrical SUVs get the Prime Security Decide+ nod from the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security (IIHS), the group underlined this week. That features the 2024 Q8 E-Tron household—previously often called E-Tron SUV and Sportback—in addition to the This fall E-Tron household. Though it does not embody the unique E-Tron GT sedan.

Chilly-weather charging of the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Lexus NX 450h+ is being suggested towards as a part of a recall of those plug-in hybrids for a defective part which may result in a hearth. That is the primary propulsion-related recall of this much-loved PHEV that is not a software program repair.

This was an enormous week for EV-production-related information—together with future EVs, recalibrated expectations, and new markets. GM, as an illustration, has paused manufacturing of BrightDrop electrical vans at its Canadian meeting plant as a consequence of a reported battery scarcity—all whereas the automaker claims to be accelerating momentum. Within the second quarter GM offered lower than 2,000 of its EVs that are not the soon-to-be-discontinued Chevy Bolt EV or EUV.

Mazda is planning two EVs for North America set to be launched within the 2025-2027 timeframe, and it is trying to localize American EV manufacturing quickly after that. However as a report not too long ago underscored, Mexican-made Mazda EVs are trying more and more probably.

Based on a report, Tesla and BYD are searching for to make inexpensive EVs in India—not collectively, however independently. Tesla would possibly doubtlessly use India as an export base, reportedly, whereas BYD is likely to be pursuing a partnership with a neighborhood firm that might embody batteries and a full line of EVs.

And the Jeep model seems to have backtracked on its EV plans for Europe. Jeep revealed the Avenger final yr with the intent to promote a gasoline model on a really restricted foundation on the Continent—nevertheless it’s reportedly since expanded availability of the tank-and-tailpipe mannequin as a part of what the pinnacle of Jeep in Europe calls a “pragmatic” choice that will not have an effect on the model’s goal to go all EV there by 2030.

Lastly, the EU has added new necessities for extra carefully spaced DC fast-charging stations in Europe. It features a charging community supporting heavy-duty vans and a requirement for hydrogen fueling stations by 2031—though if the formation of US and European hydrogen networks up till now are any indication, the plan might have some fine-tuning alongside the best way.

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