Used EV prices, EV battery pack costs, AAA mobile charging, ID.4 software upgrade: The Week in Reverse
Which automaker has unveiled a hydrogen combustion performance car concept?
Can Government Agencies Really Get the Ford F-150 Lightning?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse – right here at Green Car Reports – for the week ending December 9, 2022.
In a series of launches in Europe over the past week, Toyota has continued to go against the EV grain — or, at least, the united front some other automakers have in seeing EVs as the future. The C-HR Prologue Concept, which previews a next-generation C-HR plug-in hybrid, is set for Europe. It also unveiled the hydrogen-burning Corolla Cross H2 concept—featuring a hydrogen-powered turbo-3 engine and manual transmission, but borrowing hydrogen storage expertise from the Mirai fuel cell vehicle. Hydrogen combustion still produced tailpipes, but Toyota said the technology “illustrates another possible alternative path to zero emissions.”
Toyota Corolla Cross H2 Concept
Polestar offers an over-the-air update that increases the power of almost any twin-motor Polestar 2 by 58 hp and 15 lb-ft. It’s a permanent upgrade, for a one-time fee of $1,195, and it’s the first time an automaker has offered such a boost to the U.S. market.
A battery change has slightly increased efficiency for the 2023 Nissan Leaf. Leafs with the larger battery now get a 60-kwh pack, as opposed to 62-kwh before, but driving range is only 3 miles off most previous numbers, Nissan has verified that there are battery chemistry changes plus “minor aerodynamic improvements for this model year.”
2023 Nissan Leaf
Volkswagen is preparing to release a long-awaited software upgrade for its ID.4 electric crossover that will improve infotainment performance while adding other interface features. It will be offered to 2021 models first, then some 2022 models, but those with the 2021 will need to make a dealer visit.
Ford confirmed on Monday that its Ford Pro unit will deliver 2,000 E-Transit electric delivery vans to DHL by the end of 2023. a win-win for Ford as it lets a business push around software.
Hyundai has teased two “rolling lab” N Brand performance cars—including the hydrogen fuel cell-powered N Vision 74. It says development of the car’s powertrain has continued—with suggestions that a performance fuel cell vehicle may be in the brand’s future.
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro
The US Forest Service is currently evaluating the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck, but cannot actually place orders for it. The coveted model was the first electric pickup to make the vehicle list of the federal government’s GSA, which handles vehicle purchases, but it has since been dropped because Ford is not taking orders.
After looking at dealer proposals, General Motors is poised to begin deploying up to 40,000 Level 2 chargers to communities in the US and Canada, to expand charging access in “underserved rural and urban areas where EV charging is often limited or unavailable doesn’t exist.”
AAA mobile EV charging availability
AAA has launched a new pilot program for mobile EV charging. The expanded offerings, which would initially cover 14 US metropolitan areas, come more than a decade after the group first tested mobile charging with its own prototype mobile charging trucks.
While prices on used EVs are finally coming down, several price experts recently noted that they aren’t dropping as much on long-range EVs. Load time can also play a role.
Polestar 2 battery pack
And last week’s record breaking moment came in the form of an annual survey of lithium-ion battery pack prices from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which found that they reached $151/kwh this year, up 7% from 2021. This is the first time average pack prices have risen since BNEF began tracking prices in 2010, delaying EV price parity with internal combustion models.
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