Where will Tesla owners soon be able to fast-charge—other than a Supercharger station?
Which automaker claims the most energy-dense battery pack for an upcoming vehicle?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending December 20, 2019.
2020 Jeep Wrangler Sahara EcoDiesel
We finished the week looking at what many Americans see as the ultimate weekend adventure machine. Off-road enthusiasts have been wanting a diesel Jeep Wrangler for decades. Now they have it—and a plug-in hybrid Wrangler is less than a year away.
Tesla vehicles will soon be able to fast-charge on EVgo’s network—not just on the Supercharger network. And Electrify America is adding some Bank of America locations to its fast charger network.
The 2020 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell gets a few improvements—including better cold-weather startup performance—although here the infrastructure continues to be the limiting factor.
2020 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell
More details emerged about two EVs that we’re expecting to arrive in 2020. The order banks (and a detailed set of features) opened up for the 2020 Mini Cooper SE electric car, which should reach dealerships in March. It could cost less than $20,000 in some states. And the Polestar 2 electric vehicle, which will arrive in the U.S. this summer, will be good to tow up to 3,300 pounds.
Meanwhile, one electric SUV we thought was coming in 2020, the Mercedes-Benz EQC, isn’t going to arrive in the U.S. now until at least 2021.
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC
The BMW iX3 is coming to the U.S., BMW reiterated—possibly by the end of 2020—and it will mark the debut of the carmaker’s fifth-generation eDrive system. But its China assembly could potentially boost its sticker price—and dent its appeal.
The plug-in hybrid from Mini, badged the Cooper S E Countryman All4, got a big boost to its plug-in range, and higher mpg as well. We still wondered if it’s enough for the target buyer.
Ford confirmed its electric F-150 pickup, the F-150 hybrid, and the battery packs for the electrified trucks all to be in Michigan. The hybrid’s coming in 2020, with the electric version likely in 2021.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
Green Car Reports also examined why Ford has been a little more particular with its dealers about how it wants them to talk about the price of the upcoming Mustang Mach-E electric SUV.
Rivian claims that it has a more energy-dense battery pack, by volume, than that of any other EV—which frees up more space, provided its different cooling strategy works.
Even after a whole lot of bipartisan support, what was described as “significant opposition” from the White House this week probably nixed the possibility of an EV tax credit extension.
General Motors Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan
Last weekend we wondered why the symbolic centerpoint of the U.S. auto industry, Downtown Detroit, has been a charging desert.
And last but certainly not least, we announced our nominees for Green Car Reports’ Best Car to Buy 2020—as well as some green vehicles (many of them quite good) that didn’t quite make the cut.
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