Which automaker claimed a botched EPA range test that short-changed its vehicle?
Which upcoming electric vehicle was officially canceled this week?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending May 1, 2020.
GCR recently spent some time with the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, which will be arriving to dealerships in June. Based on full driving impressions of the 2020 Sonata Hybrid, we found it to be one of the best hybrids for long, U.S.-style suburban commutes. But far more of you appeared to be interested in the Sonata Hybrid’s Solar Roof System, which can boost mileage pretty much any time the car is outside. And the Sonata Hybrid, like all other Hyundai hybrids now, gets rid of the heavy lead-acid 12-volt battery in favor of an innovative lithium-ion solution.
2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Several other big pieces of news in the green-car realm this week came out of Tesla’s quarterly update. Tesla reported a profit for the first quarter—as well as record deliveries—despite coronavirus concerns and plant shutdowns in China and the U.S. CEO Elon Musk also reported that the rated range of the Tesla Model S should be 400 miles, due to a botched EPA test that started at 98%—although the EPA refuted that.
The ongoing teardown from Sandy Munro has pointed out some smart cost-cutting choices in the Tesla Model Y, although Munro pointed out there’s no accommodation for future V2H tech.
2020 Audi E-Tron Sportback
Audi released pricing and range information for the upcoming 2020 E-Tron Sportback, which goes on sale in the U.S. this summer.
It was surprising to hear that the Lincoln-branded electric SUV that was to be built by Rivian in Illinois has been canceled; however both companies said the partnership isn’t over.
2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
Toyota reached 15 million hybrids sold globally, as it continues to boost availability of its hybrid vehicles despite an uncertain future for the Prius that started it all.
There will be a number of safety-feature firsts in the upcoming Polestar 2 electric car, including new inner airbags.
Bollinger Motors is providing something that no other EV maker has so far: a B2 Chassis Cab that can form the basis for various purpose-built, all-electric work trucks. And Lordstown Motors looked inside the former GM plant in Ohio that it will soon use to build fleet-oriented electric pickups.
Chicago, by Flickr user Mr Hicks46 (Used under CC License)
Chicago is aiming to avoid the charging deserts that keep urban residents from having electric vehicles—by requiring more charge points to be installed at commercial and large-scale residential developments.
The CHAdeMO 3.0 standard for DC fast charging is out. It harmonizes its interface with China’s GB/T standard, and unexpectedly teases the possibility of being back-compatible with the CCS standard that’s now increasingly common in the U.S.
One of the best-known market-research firms, J.D. Power, found last week that 70% of Americans have never been in an electric car—and from the rest of the survey they reached some pessimistic-sounding conclusions about EVs. And does interest in fuel economy get dashed at times like these when gas prices plunge? A new survey from Consumer Reports suggests that might not be the case.
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