Which EV requires that owners return to the dealership for an upgrade, so they can then get future upgrades?
How are shoppers’ priorities shaping up for future electric trucks like the Tesla Cybertruck?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending December 13, 2019.
This week there was a whole lot of news about the Porsche Taycan electric car. At center stage, we reported our first drive impressions of the Porsche Taycan 4S, which will almost certainly be the top seller of the lineup—with both a dynamic drive of the Taycan 4S on California canyon roads and the Arctic north, and with impressions of the Taycan’s real-world range.
2020 Porsche Taycan 4S first drive - Los Angeles, CA
The sports-car brand has been doing a lot of boasting about its charging rate, which can be as fast as 22.5 minutes from 5% to 80% when it takes advantage of its 270-kw, 800V charging. It turns out markets that don’t have access to CCS, like Japan and China, won’t see their other fast-charge systems (CHAdeMO and GB/T) compatible with that fastest rate.
Porsche later in the week faced the reality of an unexpectedly low EPA range rating for its Taycan Turbo electric car—with a reminder that it is, after all a performance car, and a study from an independent testing agency suggesting it’s better than that.
Jaguar I-Pace - Times Square
Earlier in the week, Jaguar announced it’s finally offering a software update that could improve real-world driving range for the I-Pace electric SUV—and solve some of its issues with a misleading range meter. It also sets I-Pace models up for receiving true over-the-air updates.
The first plug-in vehicle from Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand was rated by the EPA for range and efficiency this week; let’s just say that it’s competitive with other PHEVs. And the Ford Escape Hybrid managed, at least in one of its versions, an EPA fuel economy that tops that of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is being recalled for an issue with a brake component that can corrode when too much moisture gets in.
Final fuel economy figures aren’t out quite yet for the 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, likely to be the best in class for three-row vehicles without a charge port, but the Highlander Hybrid has a bargain starting price—at less than $40,000.
Cadillac electric crossover SUV based on GM BEV3 modular platform
Cadillac is getting rid of its alphanumeric model names and ramping up to be the “lead electric vehicle brand” at GM. That means mostly fully electric vehicles by 2030.
Valvoline isn’t the first company to reveal a motor oil it claims is specially formulated for hybrid-vehicle engines. They make a good argument, but hybrids also have a great record for doing without such a thing.
Tesla electromagnetic wiper patent
We rounded up a couple of recent patents published for innovative Tesla technologies aimed at potentially revolutionizing how windshields are kept clean of water, snow, and debris. Will they appear on the Cybertruck or Roadster?
On the policy side, Connecticut wants to restructure its state incentive program for plug-in vehicles so that it prioritizes low-income households and areas. And Germany is on track to pass Norway this year in total electric-vehicle sales. For the heartland of Europe’s vehicle industry, and a nation that has more than 15 times the population, it’s about time.
2018 Xpeng G3
In what might have been—or what could still be—for Tesla: Chinese automaker Nio has invested big in infrastructure and charging services, but it hasn’t sold as many vehicles as intended. This week it announced a partnership that gives drivers of Xpeng vehicles access.
Survey results in the wake of the Tesla Cybertruck appear to indicate that priorities in a fully electric truck vary widely, and there’s space for everyone.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, 2019 LA Auto Show
We started the week with a deep-dive into the origin story of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, and how it started out as something more cookie-cutter. We’re glad they pushed some boundaries into pony-car territory.
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