#evs

Last week, BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse reportedly claimed that political agendas would not influence its electrification plans. Though the entire discussion was prompted by exactly that, forcing the automaker to address supply chain logistics that likely prohibited it from qualifying for the United States' rejiggered EV subsidy scheme. 

I just turned in an Audi Q4 loaner, and its interior tech was a bit -- futuristic. From its ability to turn off the radio only when your butt left the seat after parking to its shifter to its oddly-shaped steering wheel, the car's cabin is meant to give off an impression of being tomorrow's future today.

The United States is in the midst of expanding its electric vehicle charging network to ensure there’s sufficient charging capacity for the planned deluge of EV sales. Companies are even getting government money earmarked within the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to ensure that the Biden administration’s lofty environmental goals are maintained. However, a recent report by S&P Global Mobility has suggested the U.S. is nowhere near on pace to meet projected EV demand. 

General Motors and Ford Motor Company have joined forces with Google – and a collection of businesses focused on solar power – to advance “virtual power plants” (VPPs). If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it basically entails leveraging distributed energy networks to create a more flexible and efficient power grid. Though the entire concept hinges on networking countless devices together via collective energy rationing whenever demand spikes.

Happy New Year, TTAC! We’re less than a full week into 2023 and there’s already a ton of EV and EV-adjacent news to cover that I was struggling to figure out where to start — that is until Stellantis took the wraps off the new Ram Revolution BEV concept truck at CES last night!

The Ram Revolution Concept is here. Ram took the wraps off its competitor to the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today.

If you were hoping that Chrysler would show off a new model at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, well we've got disappointing news for you.

I was scrolling through Twitter to kill time during halftime of whatever football game I was watching the other day -- god, I watched so much football this weekend, not that you care -- and I came across this column from Motor Trend editor Angus MacKenzie.

Automotive executives are reportedly scaling back their expectations for EV adoption, according to an annual survey conducted by KPMG International. Last year, professionals working at the top of the industry reported that they believed (on average) that over half of all new vehicles sold in the United States by 2030 would be battery-electric. But their faith in electrification appears to be evaporating, with most respondents suggesting that particular goal is no longer achievable. 

The Canadian government will mandate the sale of EVs by the middle of the next decade. That's the message from the country's Environment minister Steven Guilbeault in new regulations his office announced earlier this week.

Porsche released a fairly impressive update for the Taycan EV this month, one that effectively halves the sport sedan’s charging time whilst using a Level 2 charger. 

On Monday, the United States Treasury Department said it will issue proposed guidance for the updated EV tax credit scheme in March of 2023. However, the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376) directed the department to finalize its recommendations before 2022 was over by setting a December 31st deadline. While it sounds like bad news for automakers, the delay may actually work to their advantage by delaying new mineral and battery component requirements that may have made vehicles using foreign-sourced batteries ineligible.

As the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. and very nearly a brand (if not an entire economy) unto itself, major news about the Ford F-series pickup is almost always going to be the most significant automotive news of a given week – but, while there is huge F-150 news this week, the Blue Oval brand is going to have to take a back seat to this shocker: For the first time in well over a decade, the cost of making an EV battery has gone UP.

Reuters is out with a report today showing that while the industry continues to make a strong effort to transition to electric vehicles, the ride won't be smooth, especially for investors.

With automobiles becoming heavier every year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced that it’ll be updating its crash-testing rigs to handle more weight. Up until now, the heaviest model to see an IIHS sled has been the roughly 6,000-pound Audi e-tron. While all vehicles have been packing on mass lately, EVs tend to be substantially heavier than their combustion-reliant counterparts due to the battery. For example, the new GMC Hummer is so insanely heavy that there are roads that its 9,600-pound frame simply cannot handle. All that mass likewise means the IIHS is going to have a hell of a time doing any crash testing if its equipment isn’t ready.