Toyota solid state update, Tesla charging connector, Telo truck, mpg and EV hybrid mode: The Week in Reverse
Which button press can get you better hybrid mpg?
Which EV outsold all but the Ford F-150?
Here’s our look back at the Reversal Week—right here at the Green Car Report—for the week ending Friday, June 16, 2023.
The Telo startup says it can match all the conveniences and capabilities of the Toyota Tacoma, in an electric pickup the size of a Mini Cooper SE, by actually adopting the packaging innovations that skateboard designs allow. With some of Tesla’s original brains behind it, will Telo bring the idea to market?
In coordination with this week’s annual shareholder meeting, Toyota has released several updates on key technologies, focusing on electric vehicles. In future electric vehicles, it finds uses a set of efficiency-enhancing technologies, including miniaturized electronic axes, next-generation silicon carbide inverters, and edge-class aerodynamics from rockets. The Toyota Crown electric sedan is also on the way.
Toyota Crown family
As part of this, Toyota has provided a comprehensive, albeit somewhat confusing, update on its battery strategy for future electric vehicles—including solid state technology allows for 10 minutes of charging, as well as bipolar LFP technology, next-generation NCM technology and chemical combinations. They could allow future EPA better range 500 miles later in the decade.
After last week’s announcement that GM will install Tesla charging port (NACS) in its vehicles starting in 2025—following Ford’s announcement last month—networks and charging stations are rapidly joining support. Although it is not clear if only the CCS adapter allows stations with Tesla connectors to mine federal funds.
2024 Polar Star 2
The 2024 Polestar 2 accelerated to 320 miles of the EPA scope. But that might not even be the biggest news for many shoppers. Notably, it switches to rear-wheel drive in the form of a single engine or a rear-biased AWD system in the form of a dual engine. There are more standard features with the new model year.
Effective Hyundai undercut Tesla Model 3 with $5,000 discount on Ioniq 6, if you don’t count the federal EV tax credit that Tesla buyers may be eligible for. While it doesn’t drop in price permanently, it does indicate that this space is becoming more price-competitive.
2023 Tesla Model Y – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Besides the large pickup trucks, Tesla Model Y tops sales charts in the US earlier this year, outselling a long list of other bestsellers. Why are Teslas still not a popular site on US roads? Simply put, it takes a long time for the fleet to turn around.
Two U.S.-origin electric vehicle startups are reaching out to the world. Lucid and Fisker are Preparing to sell cars in China, both confirmed this week. Lucid also reported that deliveries have begun in Saudi Arabia, while Fisker laid out plans to open a “delivery center” in China later this year, with sales starting in the first quarter of 2024. .
Ford Maverick 2023
More than 125,000 won Ford Maverick and Escape hybrid are being recalled—as well as the Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring PHEV—because the problem was not related to the hybrid system or the battery system. In those vehicles, engine failure can lead to a vehicle fire.
A study from the giant survey company Ipsos has found that interest in electric vehicles may be dwindling—partly due to misconceptions about the cost of electric vehicle ownership, although the usual doubts about recharge time and driving range remain high on the list. In any case, it’s a worrisome trend as many automakers are finally starting to increase the number of their electric vehicles. And according to results from J.D. Power’s annual study of electric vehicle considerations, on Friday, public charging—more than home charging—is hindering electric vehicle adoption. Almost half of shoppers see public charging as an EV problem solver. While it’s too early to know the impact of recent decisions by Ford and GM to adopt Tesla’s standard, the survey giant emphasized that those considering Tesla consider the availability of Charging capacity is a driving factor.
Nyobolt . electric sports car
A UK battery company is restart the original Tesla Roadster recipe with 6 minutes of charging and, effectively, 1,600 miles per hour restored, supplied with sufficient charging power. That’s claimed to be based on Nyobolt’s proprietary niobium anode cells, which could allow for smaller, fully charged battery packs quickly, though the company’s durability claims are yet to be proven with a full scale package.
Does the brake light come on when you lift the accelerator in one of the EV’s more aggressive regenerative braking modes? The short answer, highlighted with a recent look from Consumer Reports, is just maybe. Don’t trust EV brake lights if you don’t press the brake pedal.
Kia EV6 2022
According to a recent report, Toyota is considering engine sounds for an upcoming electric sports car—as well as manual transmissions and even stall-like behavior. Is recreating the internal combustion experience necessary for a sports car or is it possible to create a rewarding car using an electric motor?
And get more mpg from your hybrid car—especially if it’s a Toyota—can be as simple as making sure it’s in Eco mode. But be aware that EV mode may not make as much sense as you think and may not improve your efficiency.
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