2020 Ford Escape First Impressions

WOW, California now has 48% more chargers than gas pumps. California Just Crossed an EV Milestone. Here's How

Showcased as a Concept in Tarragona, Spain for Kia EV day, the Concept EV2 is a agile B-segment electric SUV that show cases what a production model could be for people to experience urban spaces in new immersive ways. The Concept EV2 is designed for the lifestyle-driven buyers who want cutting edge technology with a connected inspiring driving experience. Kia stated the key exterior features of the Concept EV2: Clean, confident exterior look with vertical DRLs, Kia’s Star Map signature lighting, and a dynamic appearance Compact design, with a strong silhouette and rugged bumpers, gives the Concept EV2 a bold, premium feel Profile combines solid stance with a dynamic shoulder line, robust fenders, and geometric glass and wheel arch details for a refined, technical look Kia President and CEO, Ho Sung Song stated the following: “The Kia Concept EV2 represents a bold step forward for the future of urban mobility. With the Concept EV2, we challenged ourselves to create a vehicle that defies expectations, offering innovative technology and practicality beyond its size. This concept previews Kia’s future vision to redefine the segment, bringing a new level of sophistication and usability to urban drivers. It's a clear signal of our dedication to making electric vehicles truly accessible for everyone." Kia stated that the Concept EV2 is a preview of an accessible sub-compact SUV for the masses that is a B-segment EV that hits above its class. Offering innovative experiences with beyond class features. The vision of the Concept EV2 is to bring sustainable mobility to everyone. The Concept EV2 is clearly identifiable as a part of the Kia EV Family. A clean design that projects a unique confident character as the EV2 starts off with DRLs or Daytime running lights. Kia believes they have delivered a sophisticated focus of style in a city-friendly dimension while also projecting a rugged appearance. This dynamic character on the outside continues with a dynamic interior. Key features of the Concepts EV2 interior: Sustainable interior with flexible seating, vibrant design, and functional LED lighting Easy access and versatility with rear-hinged doors, flat floor, and wide-opening tailgate for active urban lifestyles Concept EV2 features pop-up luggage dividers, message window tech, and removable triangular speakers for customizable audio experience Kia is focused on an interior that hits above the beltline for its b-class and yet also allows innovation so that folks can adjust for just about any reason / experience. The Kia Concept EV2 continued to hit above what other companies have done by stating that this B-Segment sub-compact will offer features usually found on larger class EVs. Second row folding seats V2L or Vehicle-to-Load charging OTA or Over-the-Air updates If you were in bad weather but still wanted to have a picnic, the EV2 has a flat floor where one could fold up the rear seats, slide the front seats up against the dash and enjoy a picnic in a segment leading interior floor space. The creation of an expansive area that users can take full advantage of when parked continues with no central pillar and rear-hinged rear doors. The Concept EV2 will have a diagonal LED lighting throughout allowing lighting to be available where one needs it for the lifestyle you want to live. Music can be played through the Concept EV2 triangle speakers found in the front doors and in strategically placed interior areas. Concept EV2 features an innovative pop-up sliding luggage dividers and straps that secure items of all size. Kia's unique message lighting allows occupants to display text messages through the windows allowing communication with pedestrians and other road users. Kia has since stated the EV2 will go into production globally with a launch in early 2026 in Europe and spreading out across the quarters to Asia and North America. Pricing and full options details will be released closer to launch. Kia/Hyundai/Genesis has also announced that they will be investing 21 billion U.S. dollars in expanding their U.S. production capabilities. This will cover the following: The Group to invest a total of USD 21 billion in the U.S. from 2025 to 2028 USD 9 billion to expand U.S. automobile production to 1.2 million units annually USD 6 billion to enhance parts, logistics and steel business, increasing the localization of auto parts and strengthening supply chains USD 6 billion to expand future industries and strengthen external partnerships and energy infrastructure, including EV charging Investment is expected to create more than 100,000 direct and indirect job opportunities by 2028, including 14,000 direct full-time jobs Expansion of production will happen in Alabama and Georgia as well as a production of a Electric Arc Furnace steel mill in Louisiana producing 2.7 million tons of high-strength light weight steel products. This investment will expand the robust nature of their supply chain across the U.S. This investment has a commitment that goes beyond what most companies do in that six billion will cover the following investments: Collaborating with Boston Dynamics to expand the U.S. ecosystem for robotics components and establish a mass-production system Partnering with NVIDIA to accelerate the development of AI solutions for future mobility, including autonomous driving and robotics Advancing R&D with Supernal, the Group’s US affiliate for AAM business, to commercialize an eVTOL vehicle by 2028 Supplying robotaxis to Waymo as part of its strategic partnership with Hyundai Motor Company, and co-developing autonomous driving services with Aptiv Investing potential startups through venture capital and other funding mechanisms to support U.S. startups specializing in mobility, robotics, and AI Strategic cooperation between Hyundai Engineering & Construction Holtec International on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology Establishing infrastructure to bolster use of renewable energy Investing in IONNA EV charging alliance to expand infrastructure This commitment of investment is expected to generate 570,000 jobs nationwide as Kia presses on to become the dominate ICE / Hybird / EV producer in North America. This brings it back to the question that started it all, will the public love and want the EV2? View full article

The upcoming quarterly report of Tesla is going to be interesting and I suspect major drop in sales. Edmonds is reporting registrations across the U.S. has dropped big time. The bad news continues for Elon Musk: Tesla users are switching to other car manufacturers at record levels

Have you had Albert look at the Kia/Hyundai/Genesis portfolio? Maybe a GV60?

yeah, I got the e-mail about it because I'm a reservation holder.  I technically need to cancel that. Albert decided he didn't like the R2.