Battery costs have been falling for years, but rising raw material costs are pushing them up. At least one executive doesn’t see how the premiums of electric vehicles can be passed on to consumers. A solid and luxurious electric 2-door Maybach concept model. Toyota is slowing down with electric vehicles, we take a look at what it plans to do with its Prime plug-in hybrid. This and more, here at Green Car Report.
How many kilometers will the upcoming Toyota Prime plug-in hybrids have, and will they lead the way in performance like the RAV4 Prime? We recently asked a top US executive who replied that as part of a top-level view of where it might go with future Toyota Prime models.
Mercedes-Benz has revealed a very different kind of EV concept for its super-luxury sub-brand Maybach. NS Project Maybach off-road coupe concept accentuates heritage long convertible proportions and luxurious interiors with a rugged post-apocalyptic aesthetic. Bond meets Mad Max, perhaps?
The CEO of Stellantis, the parent company of Ram, Jeep, Dodge, and other brands that now has big plans for electric vehicles, said in an interview with Reuters that 50% higher cost for EV is “off the limit” for what the industry can sustain and it cannot be completely transferred to the consumer.
Meanwhile, adding to this price pressure, the average EV battery price has fallen between 2020 and 2021, an annual battery price survey published earlier this week reported that higher Raw material prices pushed battery prices up again—And hinting that they will increase to 2022 the first time they are tracked. That would delay the $100/kwh milestone (on a package basis) seen by many as the threshold for EV affordability relative to gas-powered models. Will it also push back EV adoption?
And ends at Advocacy agency: Jaguar Land Rover’s Plans relaunch the entire Jaguar brand—And that means new model lines, not just redesigns of existing models with the switch to electric. That helps explain why the plans for Flagship XJ is fully electric, which executives have said is almost ready, was scrapped last year.
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