Drew Dowdell

During the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai displayed their SEVEN concept, a highly futuristic three-row EV roughly the size of the company's Palisade. It was assumed at the time that when this vehicle came to market in production form, it would wear the Ioniq 7 nameplate. A recent report to Automotive News (subscription required) has said that the name will now change to Ioniq 9 to better align with Kia's EV9 SUV and also give space below for additional Ioniq models to come. Hyundai is busy making Ioniq into its own brand, with several vehicles planned in the coming years, including some Hyundai Ioniq trucks. The Ioniq 9 is expected to break cover in June this year and Hyundai hopes to mirror the out of the barn success of the Kia EV9 that it shares a platform with. Like the Kia EV9 range, we can expect the Ioniq 9 to have a similar 230 mile base range, up to a 304 mile long-range RWD model, and all-wheel drive models landing with about 270 miles - 280 miles of range. Related: All-Electric IONIQ-6 Streamliner Sedan is Unveiled 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Kicks Off A New Sub-Brand Hyundai's Ioniq 5 N Is Only 2.6 Seconds Slower Than the BMW M2 CS At The Nürburgring View full article

Kinda weird seeing William reviewing back then what would be my future truck.

I think you're both right and wrong. Rivian will make it. I think Lucid will make it too as a pride project for the Saudis. Fisker might have just gotten a lifeline from Nissan, and I hope it works because the Ocean, in concept, is excellent. I think this will be the last of the current wave of EV manufacturers that make it. Then, there will be a long pause of around ten years while the market settles. Then we'll start to see other manufacturers who can pluck stuff from the big manufacturer's parts bins and start making specialty vehicles like roadsters and other niche stuff.

Fisker issued a stark warning yesterday that it might not be able to continue as a going concern after announcing $463.6 million in losses. Though building more than 10,000 of Fisker's initial model, the Ocean, the company was only able to deliver about 4,700 units in 2023. Fisker initially pursued a direct-to-consumer sales model, but just last month announced it would add dealerships alongside the existing distribution with 13 dealerships across the U.S. and Europe signed up so far. Fisker said its business plan was highly dependent on the success of the dealership model. Fisker aims to deliver 20,000 to 24,000 units in 2024. CEO Henrik Fisker said, "2023 was a challenging year for Fisker, including delays with suppliers and other issues that prevented us from delivering the Ocean SUV as quickly as we had expected". Fisker additionally said it would be cutting 15% of its workforce and pursuing a partnership with another automaker for investment and joint product development. This afternoon, a source close to the company revealed that Nissan is the sole manufacturer in "advanced talks" with Fisker. While details of the deal are preliminary and not finalized, Nissan would invest more than $400 million into Fisker's truck platform, which the two companies would share. Nissan would build its own version of the EV truck at one of its U.S. Assembly plants. Nissan was one of the earliest entries in the EV space with its Nissan Leaf hatchback debuting in 2010 but had since failed to gain ground against upstarts like Tesla and industry giants like Hyundai. The deal could close by the end of March. Related: Fisker Ocean Extreme Receives 360-mile EPA Range, Starts Deliveries This Month Fisker Ocean Can Gain 200 Miles Range in 30 Minutes Fisker Joins Others to Adopt Tesla's NACS Charging View full article

The did not give a reason. The color could simply be an indicator of the charging speed.

That’s a side effect, but no. It’s harder to do both engine and vehicle platform at the same time than it is to have them alternate in cadence. but that’s kinda true of all major projects with large separate components.

Ultium is a sound concept but GM's execution has been terrible. I would equate it to Alfa's rollout of the Giorgio platform that went horribly, but if you think about it, it has parallels. Have you not noticed that no manufacturer, not GM, not Toyota, not VW, ever rolls out a truly all-new car? When a new platform comes out, they usually carry over powertrains or pluck a newer powertrain that has been running in some other vehicle for a few years. Then, once they're 2 years in, there is an engine'/transmission update. You used to be able to set your watch to the "All new Camry with same engine" / 2 years later / "Camry gets all new engine" / 3 years later / "All new Camry with the same engine" cadence. The reason for that is that it is incredibly difficult to set up a whole vehicle platform AND engine / transmission platform all at the same time. The latest "all-new" CR-V came out in 2022, but the engine platform dates back to 2014 when it debuted in a mid-cycle refresh of an overseas market Honda Fit. And that is why the Alfa Romeo Giorgio platform had so many issues at the beginning. The Giorgio, which debuted under the Giulia and later the Stelvio, was the first truly "all-new" vehicle we've had in decades. It was a new platform, on a new production line, with a new engine. The only off-the-shelf component in that car was the ZF 8-speed automatic. These days, Giorgio seems to be doing just fine as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L Now take that task and multiply it by 10. Not only did GM build a new platform, they built a new powertrain, and a new battery pack, and then they had to build the plants to build that battery pack, which they'd never done before. They called in LG for help, but it is still a massive undertaking. The early Teslas were utter rubbish (some would argue they aren't much better today). Worse than anything GM is experiencing at the moment. GM, for all its faults, at least had the wisdom to stop production so the issues could be addressed instead of pushing out sub-par beta-test products like Tesla did. Keep in mind that the earliest Tesla Model-Ses are now 12 years old, one year OLDER than my Avalanche. I've been in a battery presentation for Ultium, and I do believe that GM is on the right track. Their modular design makes it easy to future-proof the design for new chemistries as they become available. They'll get there, they're further ahead on the curve than Tesla was 12 years ago simply because, unlike Tesla, they can make a door that shuts properly.

Owners of Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning vehicles have nearly doubled their charging location options overnight with 15,000+ new chargers added to the Ford BlueOval Charge Network. Last May, Ford announced they signed an agreement with Tesla for Ford EVs to gain access to Tesla Supercharger locations. Currently, the access is limited to just the two retail EVs that Ford sells and not the commercially oriented Ford e-Transit van. A Ford representative indicated that a future announcement for e-Transit drivers could be coming. In addition to access to the Tesla network, Ford will begin transitioning its EVs to use the new Tesla-designed NACS plug that is backward compatible with the existing Tesla design. Ford vehicles already built and sold with the CCS plug are eligible for a complimentary NACS to CCS adapter from Ford. Owners may register their VIN to receive their adapter in the Ford Pass app or at ford.com/FastChargingAdapter. Owners are allowed one free adapter per VIN. Charging a Mustang Mach-E or F-150 Lightning takes just two steps. Plug the adapter into the vehicle and plug the Supercharger cable into the plug in a simple Plug-to-Charge process. Drivers are charged for their session directly through the BlueOval network with whatever payment method is already set up. While 15,000+ Tesla Superchargers are available for Ford drivers' use, not every Tesla charger is compatible. Tesla Superchargers that have peak rates of 250+ kilowatts (kW) and an all-black charge cord and handle are compatible with Ford EVs. L2 Destination chargers and 150kW stations with a silver collar on the charge plug are not compatible. View full article

Right on all points, though Honda is working on a version of this for semi-trucks. The only reason companies are pursuing this right now is because there are federal research grants for it. It may be a waste of money if a hydrogen vehicle is the goal, but it should provide some R&D dollars for all of the components south of the fuel-cell stack..... which is all usable in EVs. The speed at which Honda could swap out the H2 containment and the fuel-cell stack to replace it with some batteries with real range is probably measured in weeks if it wasn't designed with that in mind in the first place. Tada! CR-V EV!

There is one very important distinction with the battery; this is the first Hydrogen Fuel Cell that offers regenerative braking.

Honda unveiled the first hydrogen fuel-cell plug-in vehicle today on their website. The 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV has a total EPA-rated range of 270 miles and a battery-operated range of 29 miles. Only available in front-wheel drive, the powertrain offers 174 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. Honda has reworked the suspension setup with tuned dampers and springs. The fuel-cell stack has an estimated 92.2 kW production capacity feeding from 4.3 kg of stored hydrogen. Drivers can charge the battery with Level-2 charging or visit a hydrogen filling station for fast fill-ups. Offered only in a well-equipped Touring trim, the CR-V e:FCEV receives unique styling to identify it as a fuel-cell model and includes a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster, 9-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, wireless phone charging, a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system, power-adjustable heated front seats, heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, handsfree access power tailgate, parking sensors and sustainable materials including bio-based leather seat upholstery. The 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV also offers a 1,500-watt, 110-volt power supply to power small appliances, power tools, and camping equipment. Honda will only offer the 2025 CR-V e:FCEV as a lease for drivers in Southern California beginning later in 2025. View full article