Despite delays in electric vehicle growth from the pandemic, battery-pack price targets will be reached even earlier. Nio makes a move to offer its battery swapping—and now the battery packs themselves—as a separate service. A California program puts battery-backup systems into low-income households. And some Ram and Jeep models with the EcoDiesel engine have been recalled for a stalling risk. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
The Chinese automaker Nio last week announced plans to lease the battery packs in electric cars separately. Combined with the battery-swapping services that Nio already offers, that will knock more than $10,000 off the sticker price of the vehicle while allowing owners to subscribe to the battery services they need.
According to a report from the research firm Wood Mackenzie, the cost target of $100 per kilowatt-hour, on a pack basis, will arrive a year earlier than previously anticipated—even though the pandemic is delaying electric vehicle growth. That’s a good sign for EV affordability.
2014-2018 Ram 1500 and 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee models with the turbodiesel V-6—badged EcoDiesel—are being recalled for a potential stalling risk.
A California program is enabling some low-income households to get free battery backup systems—a good segue to solar, and a remedy for the increasingly frequent blackouts.
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