EV battery recycling won’t become a major business until 2030, according to a new report from research firm Wood Mackenzie. Recycling used EV battery packs has been discussed as a way to lessen demand on resources, but it will be difficult for recyclers to achieve competitiveness on cost and volume, or even find enough battery packs to recycle… More…

The White House on Wednesday announced a goal to make all light-duty vehicles in the federal fleet electric by 2027, and to make all federal vehicle acquisitions electric by 2035. As a first step toward President Biden’s previously discussed goal of making the entire federal fleet electric, this was one of several new environmental goals announced… More…

As we announced at the start of the week, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Lucid Air, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Rivian R1T, and Volkswagen ID.4 are this year’s finalists for Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2022. All of the models on the shortlist met a series of qualifications, including a minimum EPA range of 125 miles—or 32 miles for any… More…

General Motors on Tuesdays announced the opening of the first dealership for BrightDrop, a new standalone business that’s initially focused on electric vans for commercial fleets. Located in Fontana, California, the BrightDrop Greater Los Angeles store will be operated by an existing franchised dealer, GM confirmed in a press release. The… More…

Alaska is slated to get its own EV charging network, making EV ownership more viable on the Last Frontier. By summer, the state-run Alaska Energy Authority plans to install DC fast-charging stations along the state’s main highway corridor, according to a recent Anchorage Daily News report. The planned route will connect the coastal cities of Homer… More…

The EPA has confirmed a 270-mile range for the 2022 Polestar 2 Single Motor, while Polestar prepares a performance upgrade for the Dual Motor version. The official EPA range rating comes with efficiency ratings of 107 MPGe combined (113 MPGe city, 100 MPGe highway). That means the Polestar noses ahead of the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus and… More…

Acura is moving to embrace electric cars at a faster rate than parent Honda, Emile Korkor, the brand’s assistant vice president of national sales, said in a recent interview with Automotive News (subscription required). The premium Acura brand is “going much faster” than the main Honda brand in having EVs make up an increasingly larger percentage… More…

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are the first two models to be built on Hyundai’s global E-GMP platform dedicated to electric vehicles. At least in theory, that means these new models aren’t bound to some of the drawbacks that can hinder design, packaging, and sometimes efficiency for models adapted from internal combustion platforms… More…

Ford is preparing to follow up the 2022 F-150 Lightning with another full-size electric pickup truck designed from the start for “incredibly high volume,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in an interview with Automotive News (subscription required). The new full-size truck, which likely won’t arrive for a few years, will have a new platform, and will be… More…

A North Carolina Toyota battery plant will make cells starting in 2025, bound for American-built electrified vehicles, including EVs, the company confirmed on Monday. The $1.29 million plant, in Randolph County, North Carolina, and called the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, will provide 1,750 jobs and builds on a commitment to U.S.-built batteries… More…

Finding new locations for DC fast-charging stations can be complicated, but Electrify America believes onsite battery storage can provide more flexibility. Battery storage enables Electrify America to roll out new DC fast-charging stations in new locations where it might otherwise be cost-prohibitive due to current utility rate structures, the… More…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday confirmed plans for a four-motor version of the Cybertruck electric pickup, along with four-wheel steering that will enable trick off-road maneuvering features. When the Cybertruck was unveiled in late 2019, a three-motor version was confirmed as the top model. But in response to a query on Twitter, Musk said that… More…

This past week, Nissan provided the brightest overview of its future product lineup and electric vehicle plans in years—and a very early look at what a Nissan Leaf successor might look like around the middle part of the decade. The summary, called Ambition 2030, marked a restart for Nissan—with a plan to introduce 23 electrified models… More…

The first Lexus EV sold in the United States will be a crossover SUV called the RZ, the automaker confirmed Thursday. The RZ is due to arrive in the U.S. in 2022, likely as a 2023 model, as is expected to be badged as the RZ 450e in this market. That corresponds to how Lexus has traditionally used the lowercase “h” for hybrids. A trio of teaser… More…

Nissan on Thursday unveiled an electric single-seat race car concept that uses the powertrain from its upcoming Ariya electric SUV. The goal of the straightforwardly named Nissan Ariya Single Seater concept is to tease the design language of future electric performance vehicles, according to a company press release. The concept sports the “V… More…

Polestar has provided a first, camouflaged look at its Polestar 3 SUV that will arrive in 2022 and be made in the U.S. The Polestar 3 is described as a “premium electric performance SUV,” and the brand has previously detailed that it will, unlike the Polestar 2 hatchback, be built on the modular Sustainable Experience Architecture… More…

There will be future Prime plug-in hybrids from Toyota. Just don’t necessarily expect them to raise the bar for the genre quite like the RAV4 Prime. That’s among the takeaways from a recent check-in on Toyota’s electrification strategy with Cooper Ericksen, Toyota Motor North America VP for product planning and strategy. But… More…

Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday unveiled a very different kind of EV concept for its Maybach ua-luxury sub-brand. The Project Maybach concept is an off-road coupe designed in partnership with the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who died earlier this week at the age of 41. The posthumously revealed concept combines exaggerated coupe proportions… More…

The added cost of manufacturing electric cars is “beyond the limits” for what the auto industry can sustain, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said in an interview with Reuters published Wednesday. EVs bring 50% additional cost over internal-combustion vehicles, Tavares said, adding that there is “no way” that added cost could be transferred to… More…

In order to produce affordable electric vehicles at scale, automakers need to both drive down battery costs and secure a stable supply of critical materials. For General Motors and its Ultium Cells LLC joint-venture battery plants with LG Energy Solution, that will be aided by plans announced Wednesday to form a joint venture between the automaker… More…