Author: news@greencarreports.com (Stephen Edelstein)
General Motors has hired former Tesla battery-development boss Kurt Kelty as its recent vp of batteries. On this newly-created position, Kelty will likely be tasked with bringing together GM’s development resources “to more quickly deliver profitable, lower-cost, higher performing electric vehicles to customers at scale,” and can report on to GM president Mark Reuss, the automaker said in a press release. GM Ultium battery – cell stacking Kelty was most recently vp of battery firm Sila, helping to push adoption of that company’s silicon anode tech that is slated to be used within the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQG electric SUV. Prior…
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has launched a certification program it claims can turn automotive salespeople into EV experts in only 90 minutes. Called ElectrifIQ, this system goals to arrange dealers to handle common consumer questions, regarding things like charging times and costs, total cost of ownership, and available incentives, in line with an NADA press release. All that knowledge comes at a price of $199 per person or $495 per dealership. 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 This system was developed with input from the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), which has already administered statewide EV incentive programs and worked…
Plug-in hybrids reached record sales in 2023, with greater than 250,000 vehicles sold, or about 20% of total plug-in vehicle sales, in keeping with the Department of Energy. Last yr saw strong sales for EVs as well, which surpassed a million units for the primary time. The combined market share of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs rose to 16.3% of total light-duty vehicle sales within the U.S., up from 12.9% in 2022. Plug-in vehicle sales by calendar yr, 2010-2023 (via U.S. Department of Energy) Yet by themselves, plug-in hybrids still have not reached 2% of new-car sales. With the value…
Stellantis last week detailed its STLA Large platform, which the automaker claims can house powertrains able to hurling an EV from 0-60 mph in 2.0 seconds. That breathtaking acceleration figure could also be something Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares now claims is a security feature. That is because quick acceleration allows for quicker overtaking, Tavares told Top Gear and other media, using the necessity to overtake a slow-moving truck on a two-lane road for example. STLA Large platform “The more acceleration you might have, the safer the conditions under which you overtake may be,” Tavares said, “and from that perspective the…
U.S. EV sales are growing, but not enough to offset gasoline cars. That is because sales of those vehicles are growing faster, in accordance with a brand new report. Experian’s Automotive Market Trends report for the third quarter of 2023 showed that while electric cars now account for a bigger share of the U.S. vehicle fleet than they did just a few years ago, the dimensions of that fleet has grown overall—with gasoline cars accounting for many of that growth. Despite EVs growing from 1 / 4 of a percent of the U.S. fleet in 2019 as much as greater…
Aerodynamics are a crucial consideration in modern EVs. Lowering aerodynamic drag improves efficiency, allowing for more range from a given battery-pack size. But it surely bears emphasis: This is way from a brand new obsession. A brand new exhibit curated by Audi in Germany highlights an earlier era of aerodynamic experimentation. Within the Thirties, engineers on the German automaker’s predecessor firms developed wild recent body shapes to assist reduce drag in combustion-engined cars. Audi Performance was as much a motivating factor as efficiency. Auto Union—one among the automakers later merged into the trendy incarnation of Audi—applied streamlined bodywork to its…
Most Americans are unlikely to purchase an EV as their next automotive, yet a slim majority of Americans support government incentives for people who do wish to go electric, based on a recent Ipsos/Yahoo Finance survey. The survey, based on what Ipsos described as a “nationally representative probability sample of 1,025 general population adults age 18 or older,” found that only 31% of Americans are more likely to purchase an EV as their next vehicle. Likelihood of EV interest varied based on a lot of aspects. As an example, those with college degrees were more likely to contemplate an EV…
The 2023 Tokyo auto show is chock filled with latest concept cars and production models, but perhaps none as novel because the Toyota Kayoibako concept. The Kayoibako is an electrical van that, at about 157 inches long and on a 110.2-inch wheelbase, is near the length of a Mini Cooper. Fittingly, the word Japanese word “kayoibako” refers to shipping containers with reconfigurable inserts for various uses, and sized for efficient use of space. Toyota Kayoibako concept Like its namesake, the Toyota Kayoibako was designed with efficiency packaging that may also be adapted to a wide range of different uses, in response…
The most important Rivian battery pack, dubbed the Max pack, is now entering production, but with less capability than original discussed. When it announced the Max pack about two years ago, Rivian mentioned a gross capability of 180 kwh. But this past week, Rivian confirmed to Automotive and Driver that it’s largest pack has a gross capability of just 149 kwh. Since then, Rivian has also confirmed that number to Green Automotive Reports in addition to something even perhaps more meaningful: why it is not 180 kwh. Rivian R1T, green, vs. Rivian R1S, silver Briefly: The Max pack utilizes a…
