VW plans 25 EVs qualifying for $7,500 tax credit by 2030

2023 Volkswagen ID.4Volkswagen plans to sell 25 all-electric models in the U.S. by 2030, all of which will qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit under new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) rules, the top U.S. executive of VW said in an interview with Bloomberg (via Automotive News Europe). "We have a great opportunity in the U.S.," VW Group of America CEO Pablo...

500-mile Ram 1500 REV: Will it be upstaged by range-extended XR?

2025 Ram 1500 REV at the 2023 New York auto showLast week at the New York auto show, Ram wowed with a new goal post for electric trucks: a targeted range of 500 miles for its 2025 Ram 1500 REV. That range number, introduced by Ram Brand CEO Mike Koval Jr., could make the 1500 REV king of the EV hill in what matters most to many shoppers, and second only to the Lucid Air sedan’s 516 miles...

BYD active suspension bows with dancing U9 electric sports car

BYD Yangwang U9Chinese automaker BYD recently demonstrated a new active suspension system for future EVs in dramatic fashion—with a jump. From the car itself. The system, formally known as the BYD DiSus Intelligent Body Control System, is similar to active suspension systems like Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control and Mercedes-Benz Magic Body Control. BYD...

EPA might ensure 60% EV sales by 2030, align with California

U.S. production of Genesis Electrified GV70 in AlabamaThe EPA is expected to propose stricter emissions rules that would ensure more than half of new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. are electric, The New York Times reports. The proposal would not mandate a specific percentage of EV sales, but would set emissions limits so stringent that it would essentially force automakers to ensure that EVs...

Should future EPA rules incentivize more efficient EVs?

2024 GMC Hummer EV SUVAs the auto industry awaits an EPA proposal for the next round of emissions rules for internal-combustion vehicles, an environmental advocacy group argues that similar standards should be applied to EVs. The EPA has historically rewarded gasoline cars and trucks for being more fuel-efficient, but current standards count all EVs as having zero CO2...

Walmart plans its own EV charging network, Electrify America aside

Walmart announces plans for EV fast-charging networkWalmart plans to build its own EV fast-charging network, in what reads as an aspiration to create something much larger than what it currently has with Electrify America. The company on Thursday announced plans to install "thousands" of chargers at its Walmart and Sam's Club stores nationwide by 2030. That's in addition to almost 1,300 fast...

Hyundai skips Kona Hybrid in US, adds lower-priced Kona EV instead

2024 Hyundai Kona ElectricHyundai this week, at the New York auto show, revealed U.S.-spec details for the redesigned 2024 Kona Electric, along with the Kona Limited and Kona N Line gasoline models. What was missing from the announcement was the Kona Hybrid, a model that had been emphasized as a growing and important model in the revised Kona’s global rollout. Hybrid...

Toyota plans to push plug-in hybrid EV range beyond 120 miles

2023 Toyota Prius PrimeToyota on Friday announced plans to greatly increase the electric range of its future plug-in hybrids, develop next-generation EVs with double the range, and expand hybrid sales to emerging markets. In an update on the company’s direction issued Friday morning, Toyota’s executive vice president in charge of product, Hiroki Nakajima...