Lucid Air and Mazda MX-30 tested, Hummer EV driven, Rivian origin story, Tesla Texas: The Week in Reverse
Which automaker confirmed it’s moving its headquarters to Texas?
Which global automaker revealed an EV costing less than $10,000—in China?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending October 8, 2021.
We got some first time behind the wheel of the 2022 Lucid Air, and discovered that, while this electric sedan throws down quite an impressive set of numbers, it’s a true driver’s car at the core.
2022 Lucid Air
In a first drive of the 2022 Mazda MX-30 EV, we found it to handle well but couldn’t get past its 100-mile range, cramped cabin, and limited availability.
And in some first time piloting the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1, in prototype form, we got to sample some of this supertruck’s on- and off-road capability and get a greater understanding of how it gives GM the toolbox for affordable Chevy and GMC electric pickups.
2022 GMC Hummer EV prototype, engineering drive, September 2022 at the Milford Proving Grounds
We chatted with Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe and some key people at the company about its origin story, and discovered that it’s all about the people, of course—and choosing your favorite ice-cream flavor, perhaps.
It was a big week for both GM and Tesla, which both hosted big events for investors and analysts. On Thursday, at an annual shareholders’ meeting, Tesla CEO Elon Musk provided several product updates—including that the electric ATV that’s been referred to as “Cyberquad,” complementing the Cybertruck, will likely be made in Texas and will be “the least-dangerous ATV.” He also made official that Tesla is moving its headquarters to Texas. Tesla also this week raised prices on its Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover—by an additional $2,000 for the base model of each, which brings the base Model 3 to $5,000 higher than just earlier this year. It pointed to supply chain issues as the reason behind that.
Tesla Cybertruck
On Wednesday, GM held an annual investors’ day and made two important product-related announcements: It’s offering a glass roof on its upcoming Chevrolet Silverado E electric pickup, and it confirmed a GMC Sierra electric truck is on the way. It also announced Ultra Cruise, a driver-assistance system due in 2023 and offering extended functionality that sounds a bit like Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot—but with lidar. GM also earlier in the week announced that it’s opening a new battery innovation center that it hopes will play a key role in enabling affordable electric vehicles with longer range.
Chevrolet Silverado EV glass roof teaser
Tesla is alleging the theft of battery trade secrets by Rivian, in new allegations that have been added to a pending case that originally started earlier in 2020.
Mercedes-Benz released EPA range ratings for the 2022 Mercedes EQS flagship electric car, and at up to 350 miles, they’re a bit lower than what the brand had previously anticipated—also far off the Lucid Air’s numbers.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS first drive (EQS 580)
Stellantis has announced that the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid will go an EPA-estimated 25 all-electric miles, as well as an off-road low range and a towing capacity of up to 6,000 pounds.
The Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid, likely due for the 2023 model year, will get an “evolved” all-wheel hybrid drive system that emphasizes handling and adds torque vectoring at the rear wheels.
Daimler Trucks reported that its Freightliner electric trucks have already covered a million miles, in a series of fleet tests. They provided a few updates on what they’ve learned already.
Geometry EX3
Geely, the parent of Volvo and Polestar, recently unveiled big plans for battery swapping, as well as a $9,200 electric crossover for China, under its all-electric Geometry brand.
A memorandum of understanding between five Midwest governors underscores the need for EV charging infrastructure, including for commercial trucks, but it doesn’t commit funds quite yet.
Porsche 912 electric conversion by Zelectric
And last weekend we took a look at the vintage Porsche that goes all-electric with Tesla Model S hardware—and thanks to Zelectric, manages to stay lightweight in the translation.
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