2024 Lucid Air, Rivian battery pack, Toyota Urban SUV: Today’s Car News

Toyota Urban SUV ConceptRivian is reportedly simplifying its battery packs. Lucid is revamping its range-topping Grand Touring trim. And is Toyota still seeing the U.S. as a key market for a compact electric SUV? This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Toyota has revealed a compact EV, called the Urban SUV Concept, for the European market. Could it be a further...

Will reengineered battery packs for Rivian R1S, R1T lower prices?

Rivian R1T, green, vs. Rivian R1S, silverRivian is developing a simplified battery-pack structure for its R1S electric SUV and R1T electric pickup truck, CFO Claire McDonough said in a recent interview. Around the 14-minute mark in the roughly 40-minute interview, conducted during Barclays' 2023 Global Automotive & Mobility Tech Conference (and first spotted by Electrek), McDonough...

2024 Lucid Air: Revamped Grand Touring range leader coming soon

2024 Lucid AirLucid on Tuesday announced a number of changes to the 2024 Lucid Air lineup, which now starts at $78,900 with destination. That base price is $5,000 lower than before, but that's because all-wheel drive is no longer standard on the base Air Pure model. The Pure launched with all-wheel drive, but a rear-wheel drive version that launched in October...

Toyota shows small electric SUV focused for Europe: Is it US-bound?

Toyota Urban SUV ConceptToyota this week unveiled the Urban SUV Concept, previewing a small electric SUV for the European market. But such a vehicle could also makes sense in the U.S. The concept measures 169.2 inches long, 71.6 inches wide, and 63.7 inches tall, making it a few inches shorter than a Toyota Corolla Cross. The eventual production version is aimed at the...

Toyota shows small electric SUV for Europe; is it US-bound?

Toyota Urban SUV ConceptToyota this week unveiled the Urban SUV Concept, previewing a small electric SUV for the European market. But such a vehicle could also makes sense in the U.S. The concept measures 169.2 inches long, 71.6 inches wide, and 63.7 inches tall, making it a few inches shorter than a Toyota Corolla Cross. The eventual production version is aimed at the...

First stations of Pilot-GM EV fast-charging network are open

GM and Pilot Company's EV charging networkGeneral Motors and Pilot Travel Centers announced Tuesday that the first 17 locations of their national EV charging network are up and running. The initial locations span 13 states and include multiple stalls at each site with chargers that can deliver up to 350 kw. As the companies note, many of the locations include canopies, pull-through stalls...

Toyota electric sports car teased with advanced battery tech

Toyota FT-Se conceptToyota is once again showing its FT-Se electric sports car concept—this time with a bit more information. The automaker revealed the FT-Se last month at the 2023 Tokyo auto show, but didn't provide much technical info at that time. Now Toyota has published dimensions and hinted at next-generation battery tech that could be included if the...

2024 Fiat 500e: 149-mile electric mini returns to US cities at $34,095

2024 Fiat 500eFiat has revealed that for the U.S., the 2024 500e will start at $34,095, including the mandatory $1,595 destination fee, and it will arrive to U.S. dealerships—and focused on urban areas—starting in the first quarter of 2024. In U.S. spec, the 500e delivers 118 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque from its single permanent-magnet motor, and it...

2024 Fiat 500e: 149-mile electric minicar returns to US cities at $34,095

2024 Fiat 500eThe 2024 500e will start at $34,095, including a mandatory $1,595 destination fee, Fiat revealed Tuesday. It will arrive to U.S. dealerships—and focused on urban areas—starting in the first quarter of 2024. In U.S. spec, the 500e delivers 118 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque from its single permanent-magnet motor, and it has a 42-kwh nickel...

Best Car To Buy 2024: Green Car Reports names 4 finalists

2023 Toyota Prius PrimeOnce again, Green Car Reports is deciding which of this year’s new vehicles are cleanest, greenest, and best for treading lightly when thinking about the whole ownership experience. One of these will be named Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2024 on Jan. 3. To kick off the competition, we’ll explore each of these models in greater...

DOE rules on foreign content could cut tax credit on some EVs

Stack of Rivian battery cellsThe Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday issued proposed guidance on foreign battery content in EVs that could cut the federal tax credit for some models. But it also provides a clearer picture for automakers and battery suppliers. Starting Jan. 1, EVs are ineligible for the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 if they have key battery components...

Could a glut of lithium supply spur an EV price war?

Lithium SaltsMarket experts are carefully watching a drop in lithium prices—and what impact that could have on EV costs—according to a new Bloomberg report. Lithium's benchmark price in China—the world's largest new-car market and a center for battery production—is down about 80% from its November 2022 record high, the report noted...

EVs are more than one-third of the US luxury vehicle market

2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5U.S. sales of EVs and hybrids are both soaring, but there’s a key difference that distinguishes EVs: By and large, the ones that are selling well remain priced as luxury goods. That’s one of the takeaways from an electrified vehicle sales update, released Monday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Harnessing data from...

Volvo and Polestar parent signs up for EV battery swapping with Nio

Nio PowerChinese automaker Geely—parent company of Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus—has signed an agreement with Nio to use the latter's battery-swapping tech in the Chinese market. Under the agreement, the two companies "co-develop two battery swapping standards for private cars and commercial vehicles," promote adoption of the technology, and scale...

Powershare in Tesla Cybertruck can power home, charge other EVs

2025 Tesla Cybertruck  -  Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.With the rollout of the production 2025 Cybertruck on Thursday, Tesla included a couple of battery-related surprises—including a long-awaited turnaround on the ability to use its EVs for home-energy backup in power outages. While one of those battery surprises involved a separate range-extender, mounting inside the pickup’s bed and...