Electric Vehicles

#155, New book, speed record (not), electric trucks, oh my!

A new book, a speed record (not), new truck towing capacities, autonomous vehicles and the future of electric trucks. There’s always a lot happening in the automotive industry, and periodically Bruce Aldrich I just talk about a lot on The Weekly Driver Podcast. We’re are each other’s guests this week to visit the above-mentioned news items. And it’s the 155th episode of our slightly more than three-year-old, 30-minute broadcasts. First up this week is a new book by author Mike Mueller. It’s The Complete Book of Corvette, a coffee table-sized book details all generations of the “America’s Sports Car.” The book is an all-encompassing volume showcasing more than 60 years of Corvette history. Created in cooperation with General Motors and

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New Ford F-150 EV: fastest, efficient, far less cost

Ford believes its pending F-150 battery-electric pickup truck is still about two years away from consumer sales. But the manufacturer is already touting it will cost about half as much to operate as its current gas-powered stablemates. The new version of the country’s best-selling vehicle will also be the most powerful Ford truck ever made. With zero gas and oil usage, low electric charging rates and lower maintenance costs, the Ford F150 EV truck will thrive on its efficiency, according to Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president of the Americas and International Markets Group. Ford Ford F-150: Fast, Furious Scheduled to begin production in mid-2022, the Ford F-150 EV will have the fastest 0-to-60-mph time and produce the most torque and horsepower

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New Hummer EV cruises tough terrain in ‘Crab Mode’

Could the revitalized Hummer EV get more unique than the original? Yes. How about a feature called “Crab Mode?” The soon-to-debut, all-electric Hummer EV truck will include a feature allowing the vehicle to move terrain diagonally like a sand-dwelling crustacean. Crab Mode will be enabled by the electric pickup truck’s four-wheel steering capability. Its functionality is “tailor-made for off-roading customers,” the manufacturer said. Planned for a May debut, the anticipated return of the Hummer was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hummer EV has a military heritage The odd-looking, testosterone-loaded Hummer was first marketed when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. The brand endured different owners and hiatus production time frames. GM announced earlier this

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Ford announces next F-150 plus first EV truck

With several pickup trucks, including the much-touted all-electric options, competition is increasing. The Ford F-150 still rules, but the manufacturer isn’t resting on its success. As such, the production of the next generation of the popular F-150 pickup trucks series has started. The trucks will be made in the company’s Dearborn, Michigan, plant. They’re expected to go on sale in November. The launch of the country’s top-selling vehicle is “on time and on track,” said new company CEO Jim Farley. Ford will debut electric truck in 2022 The manufacturer also simultaneously announced it will join the highly competitive electric truck market in mid-2022. It’s when a battery-electric version is expected to debut. According to the manufacturer, the battery-electric version of

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Tesla Cybertruck: build me big in Texas, color me rainbow

As if the pending Tesla Cybertruck hasn’t received enough attention, leave it to company owner Elon Musk to generate more attention for the futuristic-looking machine. After announcing the electric-vehicle manufacturer’s plans to build a new factory in Austin, Texas, Musk hinted at a few of his new truck‘s color choices. The possible options are as unique as the car. Musk suggested a pure white option or a treatment to offer a rainbow option. If the Cybertruck in rainbow adornment is ever offered, it will likely be an aftermarket option, not a dealership choice. And it wouldn’t the first rainbow-colored Tesla. Several models have received rainbow wraps in Tesla‘s support of various events. Tesla Cybertruck: Color me rainbow The rainbow option

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5K deposit for ghost truck: Gamblers’ delight or dilemma?

Here’s an investment adventure for hybrid truck enthusiasts: You can make a deposit of $250 to $5,000 on a hydrogen/electric pickup truck with an estimated range of 600 miles. The caveat: The Nikola Badger doesn’t exist — at least not yet. Nikola, named after Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and futurist, was announced in late June. According to the company based in Phoenix, Ariz., the powertrain has 906 horsepower and 980 lb-ft of torque and can accelerate from 0-to-60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds. The truck’s full cost ranges between $60,000 and $90,000. It’s touted to have a towing capacity of 8,000 pounds. Nikola pickup truck ready to battle Tesla Deposits start at $250 for

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2020 Toyota Avalon defines ideal hybrid sedan

Hybrid car owners often compromise. They embrace the superior gas mileage and environmental concerns mixed-engine vehicles offer. But odd-looking exterior designs, limited interior space and lackluster acceleration provide frustration. As such, many potential new buyers have dismissed the hybrid market. It’s why the segment has rarely reached 3 percent of yearly industry sales in the United States since the Toyota Prius debuted 20 years ago. It was the country’s first mainstream hybrid. The 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is largely unchanged from last year’s second-generation debut. The Avalon gas-only model was unveiled 25 years ago. The hybrid trim was introduced in late 2012 as a 2013 model. It’s also among the few alternative fuel sedans that don’t fit the staid stereotype.

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2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid: bright future now

No one ever calls the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle or a Compact Recreational Vehicle. But like other vehicles known by acronyms, the CR-V is Honda‘s mid-range and most popular sport utility vehicle. It’s quickly likely to become further favored. The SUV segment, according to industry analysts, is expected to approach half of all new vehicles in the United States this year. Which makes it surprising one option hadn’t been previously offered. The Honda CR-V Hybrid, with documented histories to two original given names, debuts this year in a hybrid trim. The Honda CR-V Hybrid has increased in popularity for 11 straight years beginning in 2009 when slightly more than 191,000 sold. Yearly sales more than doubled

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Rivian EV debut delayed by Covid-19 crisis

The debut of the Rivian Automotive pickup truck, the much-anticipated and hugely financed potential competitor of Tesla, has been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon, Ford and Cox Automotive have combined for nearly $3 billion in investments for the innovative truck and sport utility vehicle. And the unveiling was scheduled for later this year, perhaps at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. The vehicle received global attention when prototypes were unveiled at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. With its investment, Amazon ordered 100,000 custom-designed electric delivery vehicles. Rivian has best EV range Industry analysts predict the R1T and R1S trucks, marketed with a range of 400 miles per charge, can challenge Tesla. The efficiency estimates would be the

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GM adds to new corps of pending electric trucks

General Motors has joined several other manufacturers and will debut a Chevrolet electric pickup by 2025. It’s another boost to the truck industry as buyers continue to abandon sedans for trucks and sport utility vehicles. The manufacturer, which revealed concept sketches of the pending vehicles to Car and Driver, reports the electric truck won’t be identical to the recent announcement of the electric GMC Hummer. The Ford F-150 electric, Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, Bollinger B2, the Lordstown Motors Endurance are all predicted to debut within the next few years. The Hummer EV SUT will debut in the fall of 2021. While the Hummer is being billed as a lifestyle vehicle, the new Chevy truck is expected to more resemble a

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2020 Lexus LC 500h defines large luxury hybrid coupe

Car buyers can be particular and manufacturers are willing to oblige. With various trims and optional equipment, some vehicles are available in several-dozen configurations and with widely varying prices. Lexus knows the game as well as any carmaker, which is why it offers the 2020 LC 500h. It’s uniquely positioned in the marketplace as a large luxury coupe with sports car tendencies and impressive hybrid fuel efficiency. Unlike its gas-only sibling, the hybrid trim features a 3.5-liter V6 engine and two electric motors. It’s called the Lexus Multi Hybrid system, combines 354 horsepower and is matched with a unique transmission. It’s a four-speed automatic transmission enclosed within a continuously variable transmission and it works like a 10-speed automatic transmission. Lexus

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2020 Lexus ES 300 hybrid a luxury sedan showcase

An open-road, long-haul cruise in a luxury sedan is a driving devotee’s joy. But making the trip efficiently can be perplexing. Lexus realized the dilemma a decade ago and debuted hybrid models, including the current seventh generation of its ES series. The 2020 Lexus ES 300h, largely a holdover from the 2019 model, is among only a few luxury sedans combining upscale comfort with economic travel. It’s rated at 43 miles per gallon in city driving and 44 mpg on the highway. They’re segment-best ratings. Lexus also decided variety is important. As a midsize, five-passenger sedan, the ES 300h is available in Base, Luxury and Ultra Luxury models. All trims are equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine matched with an

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2020 Hyundai Ioniq: Underdog defines value, economy

The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq, the fourth year of the South Korean liftback hybrid and all-electric, maintains the brand’s status as the country’s most fuel-efficient vehicle. Its top-line trim costs several thousand dollars less than the average price of a new vehicle in the United States. The combination of price and economy warrants consideration. What can a new car buyer expect from a vehicle that costs $32,000 and gets at least an estimated 55 miles per gallon? Key Takeaways 55 to 58 mpg combined makes the Ioniq America’s most fuel-efficient non-EV: The Blue trim hits 58 mpg combined; other hybrid trims deliver 55 mpg combined from a 1.6-liter gas engine paired with a 32-kW electric motor. Top-line Limited is priced around

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Aptera Motors touts an industry first, a no-charge EV

Range anxiety will disappear in electric vehicles if Aptera Motors can make good on its latest promise to offer an EV that never needs charging. The San Diego, California-based maker of the self-advertised “world’s most efficient passenger vehicles,” has introduced Never Charge. It’s an integrated solar-charging option that means never having to charge your car again. Aptera says it’s going to offer the first solar vehicle-charging system capable of meeting well over the mileage needs of most drivers. The carmaker further says: “Power required for most driving comes from the sun, not the grid.” The Aptera, which can go 1,000 miles on a single charge, is four times more efficient than the average EV. At 100 watthours per mile, it

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Nissan concept EV defines brilliantly bizarre city car future

Concept vehicles are polarizing, preposterous and brilliant, and sometimes simultaneously. Nissan has added to the wacky category with its new, all-electric IMk. Designed with the ideas of Japanese “city cars,” the IMk has been defined by Nissan as a chic vehicle and with the clever marketing phrase, “reduces driver stress.” What car has ever reduced driver stress? Built on a new electric vehicle platform, the IMk features ProPILOT advanced driver-assist technologies and seamless connectivity features. The carmaker reports the concept “gives a glimpse at what urban-oriented cars might look like and feel like in the near future.” The design and proportions of the IMk are meant to reflect a minimal aesthetic drawing on the Nissan design philosophy called Timeless Japanese

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