Tesla undercuts rivals, $7,500 tax credit shortlist, Polestar 4, Mercedes GLE PHEV review: The Week in Reverse
What kind of fuel is being tested by Toyota in plug-in hybrids?
Which Jaguar and Land Rover EVs are in the works?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at City Dwellers—for the week ending April 22, 2023.
In a review, we found the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450e plug-in hybrid manages to go about 40 miles without the gasoline engine starting. That’s thanks to a bigger 23.3-kwh battery pack. It’s also one of the few plug-in hybrids that can be fast-charged—in about 10 minutes.
2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450e 4Matic
GM on Friday released new range estimates for the GMC Hummer EV—specifically, the 2023 GMC Hummer EV Pickup in 3X form, and the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, and they underscored what a difference tires can make on EV range. With the 3X model’s more road-focused tires, it achieves 355 miles, versus the Edition 1’s 329 miles. Meanwhile, the Hummer EV SUV, with a somewhat smaller battery, returns up to 314 miles. Keep in mind both aren’t official EPA numbers, as the Hummer EV is too heavy for the test to apply (or compare to other models).
2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV
Which American-made EVs qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit? A list from the IRS first posted Monday breaks down the short list of American-made models. Rivian was added to the list of tax-credit-eligible models on Tuesday, while Volkswagen on Wednesday confirmed that the 2023 VW ID.4 is eligible for the full $7,500 Clean Vehicle Credit.
Wednesday brought another round of Tesla price cuts—its sixth yet this year—bringing the price of most Model 3 and Model Y versions down by $2,000 and $3,000, respectively. These cuts arrived less than a day before Tesla’s presentation of quarterly financial results to analysts and shareholders, then prices were again adjusted up on Model S and X later in the week. And whether you look exclusively at EVs or not, the Tesla Model Y now costs less than the average new vehicle. According to a recent analysis from Bloomberg, figuring in the effects of the federal EV tax credit, the Model Y’s recent price cuts suggest that Tesla has started a price war with makers of internal-combustion cars.
2023 Tesla Model Y – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
As part of an announcement confirming an $18.7 billion investment in Jaguar and Land Rover EVs over five years, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed an electric architecture for Range Rover SUVs, including a “medium-size” Range Rover EV it will start taking orders for later this year. It also announced the first of three new Jaguar electric models—a “4-door GT” due to cost about $125,000, with more power than any previous Jaguar and a targeted range (WLTP) of 430 miles.
And it seemed that there were far more new-vehicle and concept introductions at the recent Shanghai Auto Show than at the recent NY show. On Monday, Nissan revealed the Arizon electric SUV concept. Designed by a Chinese team, it’s built on the same global platform as the Ariya but aims to wrap in technology that will appeal to that market.
Nissan Arizon concept
The Polestar 4 was revealed in China on Tuesday and in its top form it’s looking like a direct, performance-oriented rival to the Tesla Model Y Performance, Kia EV6 GT, and Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, among others. A starting price around $60,000 and a range up to 300 miles could also help make it the brand’s most popular model yet.
2024 Lincoln Nautilus
The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus bowed as the Ford luxury brand’s first model due for importation from China. Leaning on hybrid tech for a big part of the lineup rather than a V-6 could yield EPA ratings approaching 40 mpg, based on the system it inherits partly from the Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring. But don’t expect a plug-in hybrid here.
The MG Cyberster electric roadster represents Chinese design from parent company SAIC, paired with heritage cues from sports cars popularized by the British marque from the 1940s through 1960s. Chances are slim that this model will ever make it to the U.S., though.
2024 MG Cyberster
And a four-passenger Volvo EX90 Excellence demonstrated—for China, first—how this electric SUV might be used as a limo.
Over to Europe, the UK company Ineos Automotive announced that in 2026 it will launch a rugged Ineos electric SUV, built by Magna in Austria, with “world-class off-road capability.” The Magna plant already builds the Jaguar I-Pace and Fisker Ocean.
Toyota is testing low-carbon fuels from ExxonMobil in its RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid, and potentially sees them as a future solution in combination with PHEVs—perhaps even the 125+ mile PHEVs it recently teased.
CATL unveils battery for electric aircraft
CATL unveiled a “condensed battery” with a claimed energy density of 500 watt-hours per kilogram—much higher than electric-car batteries—that effectively pulls out all the technology stops for potential use in commercial aircraft. The economics of it weren’t mentioned, perhaps an indication that this comes at a much higher price.
And on a special Saturday we asked an Earth Day question: When will buying new vehicles with tailpipes be seen as morally wrong? Consider that many vehicles last 15 or 20 years, and the array of EV choices is growing rapidly. Let us know with your vote.
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