Charged with Electric Vehicle News and Views
Which electric vehicle maker might lose some of its revenue from emissions credits? Which company is developing a ride-hailing car specifically for Uber? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending May 7, 2021. Although there weren’t any big product reveals this week, a number... 
Powertrain kits for the 2022 World Rallycross electric supercar class will include two 250kW motors, one on each axle, two inverters and a 52.65kWh battery with an innovative cooling system. The power units will develop 500 kW (680 horsepower).
The kit can be retrofitted to existing internal combustion-powered World RX Supercars or built into an all-new chassis.
The electric kits are priced at €300,000 with an additional €100,000 for four years of technical support. The cost is lower than the current Supercar power units over the same period. Performance levels of RX1e will be higher than existing ICE Supercars, with a significant power and torque increase and with a contained weight gain.
Kreisel Electric, the official supplier of the electrification kit to the world championship, is collaborating with GCK Energy, the approved energy supplier. A prototype World RX1e car has already been tested by Kreisel with impressive results.
Having track tested the RX1E powertrain kit installed in a Skoda WRC chassis Andreas Mikkelsen said "It's on another level – absolutely insane"
Philipp Kreisel, managing director of Kreisel Electric, said: "We are very happy to confirm that there is good progress on the World RX1e kit and we are fully on schedule. Despite the COVID-19 crisis and the postponement of the series to 2022 we were able to finalize the design of the performance kit and start testing with the mule-car. Beyond this I would like underline the outstanding collaboration with the FIA who make this ground-breaking project possible.”
The original intention was to introduce full-electric racing to the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2021. However, following a World Motor Sport Council e-vote in April this year it was decided to delay the implementation until 2022 due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a delay to introducing electrification to the FIA World Rallycross Championship,” said Gyarfas Olah, president of the FIA Off-Road Commission.
“Nonetheless, we are committed to a new, electric future which has as guiding principles cost control and demonstration of the huge power capabilities of full electric road car-based Supercars. Together with Kreisel we are developing a performance package which is sustainable and enables teams to be part of a highly-competitive electric racing series. The fans, who are used to very spectacular races in rallycross, will be thrilled by the acceleration power of the coming RX1e cars.”
China’s Nio heads to Norway. The Tesla Model Y is California’s top-selling EV. And CARB lays out a plan that’s not quite an ICE ban. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. California has laid out a proposed framework for its Advanced Clean Cars II rules, and while it doesn’t quite ban the internal combustion engine, it... 
Last September, an executive order from California governor Gavin Newsom said that the state will plot a course to “end sales of internal combustion passenger vehicles by 2035.” The Trump administration had already removed California’s emissions authority, been dismissive of electric vehicles, and replaced the existing emissions... 
Chinese automaker Nio announced Thursday that it will make Norway the first market for its electric cars outside of its home country. Plans include a small network of company-owned showrooms and battery-swapping stations. Nio plans to open its first Norwegian showroom in Karl Johans Gate, the business district of the capital city of Oslo, in the... 
Plug-in vehicles—including battery-electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell cars—are nearing one in 10 new-car sales in California, according to a periodic update from industry group Veloz, referring to the latest data from the state. Californians purchased 59,000 plug-in cars in the first quarter of 2021, accounting for... 
Driving range is back at the top of the list in EV shopper priorities. Smartphone apps for EVs are lacking some key elements to ease the transition to fully electric. And will Tesla’s revenue from emissions credits disappear? This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Range is now at the top of the list of priorities for EV shoppers, a new... 
Driving range is back at the top of the list in EV shopper priorities. Smartphone apps for EVs are lacking some key elements to ease the transition to fully electric. And will Tesla’s revenue from emissions credits disappear? This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Range is now at the top of the list of priorities for EV shoppers, a new... 
Tesla’s smartphone app for its vehicles doesn’t get anything close to a top rating versus other EV brands in a recent study combining customer feedback and an expert assessment. The app ranks sixth out of 14 EV automakers considered in the J.D. Power “OEM EV App Benchmark Study” after Kia, Ford, Porsche, Chevrolet, and... 
Tesla has relied on selling emissions credits to boost its revenue, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been one of its biggest clients. But now that FCA has merged with the PSA Group to form Stellantis, it won't need Tesla emissions credits anymore, the Financial Times (subscription required) reported this week, based on executive comments... 
Range is the most important consideration for electric-car shoppers, according to a new Autolist.com survey, marking a change from a similar survey conducted by the listings and analysis firm in 2019. Price and charging concerns were top priorities then, but this time 61% of respondents listed range as their top priority, with price (50%) and... 
Arrival and Uber see a future for an EV designed for ride-hailing. Ford is offering its E-Transit for a lower price. And the used EV market is surging. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Ford has revealed more details about specs and build configurations for its E-Transit electric vans—and that includes a lower base price than the... 
The market for used electric vehicles was an ailing buyers' market early on in 2021. Over the past 60 days, however, the tide has turned and the average price of used electric cars has skyrocketed. From March to May, the average used EV price for all model years jumped $1,500, and pre-2019 models are up by $1,200, according to Recurrent, which... 
The startup Arrival plans to work with Uber to develop an electric car specifically for ride-hailing, but it's unclear if any version of the vehicle might make it to the United States. The so-called Arrival Car will be designed with input from Uber drivers, with the final design expected to be revealed by the end of this year, Arrival said Tuesday... 
The 2022 Ford E-Transit electric van will start at $43,295 when order books open in July, Ford confirmed Tuesday in a press release that also included more details about build configurations and the ordering process. As with most commercial vans, Ford will offer the E-Transit in a variety of configurations. Options include a Low Roof (83.6-inch)... 
Synthetic fuels don’t make sense, argues an environmental group. Ford could ramp up production of EV battery cells by the middle of the decade. And a fix is in at last for the Bolt EV issue that’s kept owners from tapping into full range. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Ford says that it might build its own batteries as soon...