Lincoln Corsair PHEV review, Polestar referrals, California drought and CO2 cost: Today’s Car News
Volvo’s sales of plug-in models are gaining momentum, and Polestar is adding a referral program, but it’s not so Tesla-like. The California drought has a clean-air cost. And we drive Lincoln’s not-so-electric plug-in hybrid. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
The EVs haven’t yet arrived for Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand, but we recently drove the next closest thing: its Corsair Grand Touring plug-in hybrid. In a review of the Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring, we found its approach to embracing the electric side far from overt—but with some impressive numbers for hybrid gas mileage and electric miles.
According to a recent report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the prolonged drought in California will increase the carbon cost of the electricity that EVs plug into. About 15% of the state’s electricity comes from hydropower with normal levels of precipitation, but that shrinks to 8% in a drought year.
Volvo has been on a roll with its plug-in vehicles. Nationwide, its plug-in Recharge models—EVs and plug-in hybrids combined—topped 35% of its U.S. sales. And in California three out of four Volvos sold now have charge ports.
Polestar is rolling out a referral program for its EVs. But don’t expect anything close to the $1,000 incentives and free cars for top referrers that Tesla once doled out.
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