What model emerged the energy-efficiency champ of the U.S. vehicle market?
And what do the Karma Revero and upcoming Lordstown Motors Endurance electric pickup both have in common?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending November 8, 2019.
2020 Karma Revero GT
A number of fresh 2020 EPA range and fuel economy ratings were released this past week, and they included some surprises. The 2020 Karma Revero GT managed to hit 61 miles of EPA-official plug-in range (or up to 63 miles, according to Karma, depending on wheels) because of a larger battery pack. The Hyundai Ioniq Electric was rated at 170 miles of range with its bigger 38-kwh battery pack, and its efficiency ratings had it a hair ahead of the Tesla Model 3 by about a day. And then the release of a few more ratings turned the tide, underscoring that the new champ of the efficiency scales is the 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus.
Hyundai announced that it was planning to increase the variety of electrified, plug-in, and hydrogen fuel-cell models over the next few years—with a total of 13 arriving by 2022. Although production and sales volume were left out of the announcement.
Lordstown Motors Endurance
GM announced that it had completed the sale of its Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant to a new entity that’s picking up the technology and design of the fleet-oriented Workhorse W-15 extended-range electric pickup, which already had about 6,000 orders. It wasn’t the only electric pickup that at least semi-officially found a home. Earlier this week it became known—through UAW negotiations—that both the upcoming Ford F-150 hybrid and the electric F-150 will be built in Michigan.
Volkswagen gave us a better look at the concept car that’s on the way for the upcoming LA auto show. Think big electric sport wagon.
Teaser for Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion concept debuting on November 19, 2019
Wednesday, Tesla set a date, and confirmed that it will reveal its upcoming electric pickup truck in Los Angeles on November 21—”Blade Runner” reference and all.
Back in the middle of the week we also brought you some unexpected surprises from the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas—vehicles that were one-off examples for the show and more eye candy than anything else. One such example was the all-electric 900-hp Ford Mustang concocted between Ford and supplier Webasto—with 800V systems, but a stick shift. And the vintage Chevy C-10 pickup with the “electric crate” setup made up of two bolt motors and twin 60-kwh battery packs was perhaps a little more of a hint of possibilities.
Separately, Kia this week showed a “sports car on an SUV platform”—called the Futuron and packing a long hood and in-wheel motors.
Kia Futuron Concept
On Tuesday we brought you a first drive of the very exclusive Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid performance car. It’s a rock star in the curves, but not entirely cohesive.
And Monday we told you about the Infiniti luxury brand is planning to bet much of its future on a new platform and a series-hybrid system, on the way to fully electric vehicles.
Infiniti Q Inspiration and QX Inspiration concepts
The big annual energy efficiency report was released from the IEA, and it found the popularity of SUVs and the VW diesel scandal both to have factored into slowing progress in carbon reduction.
And a company in Australia is converting old Toyota Land Cruisers into electric work trucks that it will maintain and support for the long haul.
Reform of the EV tax credit is getting a new push on Capitol Hill, and it still has bipartisan support—just maybe not support from the White House.
2020 Peugeot 2008
The combined company of FCA and PSA might be a stronger one for electric cars—but we’ll have to wait and see.
In other wait-and-see situations, the federal government had a very long list of questions for Tesla and its batteries. They have a few more weeks to reply.
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