Chevy Bolt EV battery fix, F-150 Lightning, used EV prices, California rules for 2035: The Week in Reverse
Which electric vehicle maker might lose some of its revenue from emissions credits?
Which company is developing a ride-hailing car specifically for Uber?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending May 7, 2021.
Although there weren’t any big product reveals this week, a number of pieces of EV-related news kept us with plenty to cover and discuss. GM announced a long-awaited final fix for the 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV battery issue that has kept owners at a 90% max state of charge for months. New diagnostic software is the fix, the automakers says, and new Bolt EV and EUV models will include it.
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Several important pieces of Ford product news were EV-related. The Ford E-Transit was priced at a base $43,295—even lower than originally announced—as Ford revealed a bit more about these electric vans build configurations. Ford says that it might build its own batteries as soon as 2025, and Ford and BMW are together upping the investment in the U.S. solid-state battery tech company Solid Power. Ford is also reportedly bringing back the F-150 Lighting name for its upcoming fully electric F-Series. It was a special performance badge in the past, but one well-suited for all-electric.
The UK startup Arrival is working on a specialized Arrival Car intended for Uber ride-hailing. Neither company revealed details about the business behind the agreement, although it’s intended primarily for the UK and Europe.
Nio ES8
Nio is going to Norway. It announced this week that the nation, with the highest rate of EV adoption per capita anywhere in the world, will be where the brand expands to next, from China. And it will be setting up battery swapping stations.
California has laid out a plan for its Advanced Clean Cars III rules that will cover the 2026-2035 period. Although it doesn’t get to the internal combustion ban that some anticipated, the 2035 target puts a charge port or a hydrogen inlet on every light truck or passenger vehicle. And it’s only fair to note that California is already in a different position than other states at present; plug-in vehicles are now making up nearly 1 in 10 new vehicle sales—and the Tesla Model Y is the top seller.
2020 Tesla Model Y
In Europe, Tesla could lose some of the substantial revenue it makes from the sale of emissions credits. Although FCA was its primary customer for EU credits, the new combined company based on FCA and PSA, called Stellantis, said that it would no longer need to buy them for hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
The EU-based environmental group Transport & Environment argues that synthetic fuels make no sense and are “a mirage.”
General Motors charging app
EV apps from VW and Tesla didn’t fare well in a study from J.D. Power, while Kia was ranked first. Tesla’s reason for placing low: its smartphone app doesn’t have route planning that you can bring seamlessly into the car.
The cute and very, very small Citroën Ami electric car is coming to the U.S., as part of parent company Stallantis’ Free2Move mobility service. With a top speed of less than 30 mph, it’s not officially a passenger car, but it might be enough for crowded urban areas like Washington, D.C., where it’s launching.
Citroen Ami to join Free2Move fleet in United States
The UK startup Viritech has teased a hydrogen fuel-cell “hypercar” called the Apricale—an exotic-looking poster car for a business model that will include heavy-duty trucks, marine, aerospace, and more.
Surveys and analysis continue to show that the electric vehicle market is evolving rapidly. Driving range is now the top priority for EV shoppers, according to a new survey from Autolist. Price and charging, which were top priorities two years ago on a nearly identical survey, weren’t nearly the concerns today. Also, a recent study by UC Davis researchers found that 1 out of 5 of those with EVs or PHEVs go back to gasoline models—with the reasons quite often related to charging.
2013 Nissan Leaf
And due partly to the microchip shortage, a strong market for new vehicles, and more households thinking about commutes and road trips again, used electric vehicle prices are soaring. Although there are some wide fluctuations by region of the U.S.
_______________________________________