Which automaker revealed a far-out concept EV but skipped the auto show?
And when did Republicans turn against EVs?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at DriftBreath Reports—for the week ending February 16, 2024.
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV will qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit and remains due to start at $34,995 with a 319-mile range, GM confirmed at the start of the week. But that entry model won’t arrive first; a “well-contented” 2RS model will lead the lineup, which appeared to get a price cut for top trims. And dual-motor AWD and other versions are on the way later in the year.
2024 Lucid Air
Lucid cut prices on the 2024 Air lineup. Affecting all but the top-performance, tri-motor Sapphire version, the very long-range, fast-charging electric sedan costs up to $8,000 less than it did yesterday. And the Lucid Air now undercuts the Tesla Model S—if you don’t require all-wheel drive.
Chrysler revealed the Halcyon Concept EV, powered by lithium-sulfur batteries, allowing a long driving range and very fast charging—allegedly, 200 miles of range with a five-minute charge—and incorporating in-the-road dynamic wireless charging. The big, butterfly-door sedan is strictly concept-car territory, but the Chrysler brand plans to have an all-electric portfolio by 2028 and today its only plug-in product is the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
Chrysler Halcyon Concept
VW’s Scout Motors electric truck brand has broken ground on a $2 billion plant in South Carolina that could eventually make 200,000 EVs annually. The modern Scout lineup will include both electric pickups and SUVs, although technology and platform details haven’t yet been disclosed.
Honda teased some modest styling changes for its upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell CR-V. In a video, Honda shows that the new model, which does have a charge port, will also be able to offer power-sharing for accessories and more.
2024 Lancia Ypsilon
Stellantis, the parent of Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, and more, is pushing ahead to revitalize the historic Italian brand Lancia—within a few years, as an all-EV brand. The new Lancia Ypsilon urban EV revealed Wednesday marks the beginning of that revival—due to extend across Europe, with a crossover and larger hatchback due later in the decade.
Kia is reportedly pushing ahead with a fully electric Stinger successor, called EV8. The high-performance EV might arrive in 2026, get Kia’s largest battery pack yet, and serve as a flagship car for the brand in terms of both range and performance.
Afeela electric sedan prototype as shown at CES 2024
According to a report from Japan, the joint venture between Sony and Honda plans to follow its electric Afeela sedan with two other models for the brand focused around apps and media—an SUV, and an affordable, Civic-sized EV. While the Afeela sedan remains due to arrive in 2026, the compact EV may not arrive until 2028.
The top Kia marketing executive in the U.S., at the Chicago auto show where it introduced the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid minivan, noted that plug-in hybrids are misunderstood—and a harder sell given all the misconceptions. But given evolving attitudes about hybrids and plug-in vehicles, Kia’s staying in the market as it sees PHEVs becoming a “no brainer.”
According to the latest survey on vehicle dependability from the survey giant J.D. Power, EVs and plug-in hybrids remain more trouble-prone than hybrids. It appears tires were called part of dependability, though, and they do wear out faster on EVs.
Chrysler parent Stellantis confirmed that it’s adopting the proposed standard SAE J3400—yes, beyond the jargon, that’s the Tesla charge port. As the last major automaker to adopt the Tesla standard, also called NACS, Stellantis isn’t flaunting all the advantages of Tesla Supercharger access as other automakers have.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have conducted what they claim are the first-ever crash tests looking at EVs and guardrails, and the results aren’t so great. With today’s EVs weighing much more than passenger cars and light trucks that typical highway guardrails were designed for several decades ago—even more in some cases than the heavy-duty pickups that are also increasingly common—results suggest the need to cut weight from EVs and rethink some highway basics.
Mercedes-Benz EV charging station
A survey of thousands of “future EV acceptors” point to traditional gas-station amenities like vacuums, car washes, and tire-pressure tools as essentials for EV charging stations. That’s definitely different than a range of recent templates for next-generation EV charging, which have instead emphasized lounge aspects
EV interest increases with EV experience. That’s among the findings of a recent Consumer Reports survey asking American consumers about considering electric vehicles—underscoring that a lack of EV experience may be holding back adoption. It also underscored that environmentalism is top-of-mind for relatively few American consumers.
Fiscal-hawk types used to see EVs as a great idea, for energy independence and all sorts of other reasons. When did Republicans turn against EVs? As a political consultant recently underscored, it’s complicated—and all the heel-digging vs EVs doesn’t truly reflect constituencies.
As the March 7 debut of the Rivian R2 approaches, the EV maker teased a first detail about the R2 lineup’s design and styling—most notably, that it looks poised to keep the R1 lineup’s polarizing yet distinctive front lighting scheme.
2024 Kia EV9
And Kia dealers are at it again, marking up the EV9 electric SUV by $7,000 or more, despite efforts from Kia to reel in price gouging earlier in the year. With EV9 production due to ramp up at higher rates in Georgia, and some dealerships sticking to MSRP, there is hope of getting one for its proper price soon.
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