Charged with Electric Vehicle News and Views
An electric van is in the works from Lordstown Motors. Lucid Motors is planning for going big in the future with its Arizona plant. And Faraday Future gets yet another chance. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Ohio-based Lordstown Motors disclosed in an update that it’s started development work on an electric van, and that it will... 
On Thursday Faraday Future announced a new plan to finally push ahead with development and production of its vehicles—by becoming publicly traded through the combination with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). But there's much more to it than that; it also announced that one of its new strategic partners will be “one of... 
Ohio-based Lordstown Motors released the most substantial update on its business in many months, detailing, among other things, the battery supplier for its Endurance electric pickup truck, and confirmation of an electric van for 2022. Lordstown confirmed that it recently signed a "multi-year" battery-supply agreement with LG Chem for the... 
Lucid Motors has a big American manufacturing advantage over Rivian, Lordstown Motors, or even Tesla: Rather than adapting a plant from a legacy automaker, Lucid was able to build a new plant from the ground up—thus designing the facility around sustainability, how electric vehicles are built, and future expansion plans. The setup of the... 
The Tesla Model S gets its most extensive set of changes in nearly a decade. Tesla updates on its proprietary cells, and how it will enable the Semi’s arrival. Diesel truck sales are surging, even as electric pickups are on the verge of arriving. And GM and Nissan commit to climate and EV targets. This and more, here at Green Car Reports... 
General Motors on Thursday announced the intent to achieve net-zero carbon status by 2040—and that includes “an aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035.” The carmaker has spent much of the past year building a vision of what it sees as an “all-electric future,” including its... 
A decade ago, Nissan helped kick off the modern era of electric cars with the first-generation Leaf. But now the automaker is setting fairly conservative targets for emissions reductions. A Nissan press release said the automaker aims to achieve carbon neutrality for its operations and vehicle life cycles by 2050. To achieve that goal, Nissan will... 
As automakers work to launch electric pickup trucks, sales of diesel vehicles are surging. Sales of diesel pickups and SUVs increased 28% in 2020, even as overall new-car sales declined 14%, according to the Diesel Technology Forum, which represents manufacturers of diesel engines and related components, as well as fuel producers. In addition... 
Tesla plans to deliver its first Semi by the end of 2021, it announced in its quarterly update Wednesday. What will allow the company to resume the Semi project is something the company hasn’t discussed much since its Battery Day last September: its new-format 4680 cell. And battery supply, the longtime production choke Tesla has had to... 
The upcoming refresh due for the Tesla Model S and Model X will include a lot more than the long-rumored cabin redesign. Ahead of its quarterly and year-end call with investors on Wednesday, Tesla released more information than it had yet about the extensive refresh, which includes a completely new powertrain, a new look inside and outside, and an... 
The Mini Cooper SE gets some updates—but not to its 110-mile range. GM fuel cells will power International fuel-cell semis. EV maker Xpeng offers an expanded suite of assisted-driving features that closely follows Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. A modest update to the 2022 Mini Cooper SE... 
The commercial truck maker Navistar International is teaming with General Motors to put 2,000 fuel-cell semis, each with a range of more than 500 miles and 15-minute refueling, into use “in the near term,” the companies jointly announced Wednesday. For the project, which fits in alongside GM’s $27 billion electric vehicle plan... 
Chinese automaker Xpeng has launched an over-the-air (OTA) software update for its P7 electric car, adding features similar to Tesla's Navigate on Autopilot. Xpeng used the OTA update to deliver the latest version of its operating system—Xmart OS 2.5.0—to Chinese customers. The update adds over 40 new functions and 200 "optimized"... 
The 2022 Mini Cooper SE gets a slight mid-cycle refresh that updates the car’s styling and adds new standard features, but leaves the rest of its fundamentally playful nature and scant range intact. The carryover powertrain features a 181-hp electric motor powering the front-wheels, and the through a single-speed transmission. The Cooper SE... 
An oil giant is getting in on EV charging at the neighborhood level. Biden is plotting an all-electric, American-made future for the federal government’s fleets. And many pickup shoppers say they’ll consider fully electric—if the price is right. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. President Biden on Monday announced an...