Facing slowing sales growth — and pressure from automakers and their dealers — the Environmental Protection Agency may delay proposed emissions rules that would require EVs to account for as much as two-thirds of the new vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2032. The move would provide more time to address issues blamed for slowing adoption, including the high cost of EVs, as well as the lack of a robust public charging network.
Headlight News for the Week of 2-19-24 – Ford Plans Low-Cost EVs – Cybertruck Rust – Rivian Teases New EV – Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Review – and a Week in Automotive History.
Stellantis will adopt the Tesla-style North American Charging Standard. The parent of brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram was the last holdout among major automakers to go with the NACS plug. It means owners will have access to a substantial wider network of plugs and formalizes Tesla’s Superchargers as the de facto winner in the charging battle. Tesla, meanwhile, is taking steps to prevent the embarrassing charger failures many owners ran into during a recent Midwest cold snap.
UAW President Shawn Fain clapped back at Ford CEO Jim Farley after the automaker’s chief expressed disappointment in the union’s decision to strike Ford and concern about how it may change the relationship between the two. Fain suggested it may be time for the automaker to get a different CEO, among other things. Find out more at Headlight.News.
The stagnation of electric vehicle sales isn’t slowing the charge of automakers into the market. Scout Motors, Volkswagen’s U.S. EV subsidiary, broke ground on its $2 billion plant in South Carolina. The company expects vehicles to begin rolling off the line there in 2026. Headlight.News has details.
After delaying billions of dollars in investments, Ford is shifting its EV strategy to put more focus on smaller, more affordable models – but ones that will also deliver quick profits, CEO Jim Farley said during an automotive conference in New York on Thursday. EV...
EV maker Rivian plans to roll out its second product line, the R2, on March 7. However, to whet the appetites of the company’s aficionados and others who are interested in a smaller, less expensive electric SUV, it offered a short teaser video of what’s coming. The...
When Tesla delivered its first Cybertruck during a livestreamed event last November, CEO Elon Musk made a point of talking about just how tough and “literally bulletproof” the electric pickup is, even showing a video of it being raked by gunfire. Rust, however, may be Cybertruck’s Achilles Heel. Reports by some members on Cybertruck owner forums indicate the panels on their trucks have begun showing corrosion. The extent of the problem is uncertain, as is the cause. But, if it proves to be more than a rare fluke it could cause serious problems for Tesla, as Headlight.News reports.
The fight for hands-free driving supremacy went another round with General Motors announcing plans to expand its Super Cruise network to 750,000 miles in the U.S. and Canada. The process is underway and expected to be complete next year. Get details at Headlight.News.
The struggling market for fuel-cell vehicles was handed another setback as Shell announced that it was shutting down all seven of its hydrogen refueling stations open to retail customers in California. That might seem an irrelevant number were this to involve its gasoline service network. But it represents nearly one in six of the hydrogen facilities in California and about 12% of the 59 open to the public nationwide.
Anyone who may have wondered about the potential success of offering EV buyers the option to get their tax credit at the time of sale, including using it as a down payment, can stop thinking about it — it’s working. The U.S. government’s paid out $135 million in electric vehicle tax credits in a little more than a month. Get details at Headlight.News.
General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Cruise, took another step in the rehabilitation of its image, making good on plans to hire a Chief Safety Officer. In the wake of last October’s incident with a pedestrian in San Francisco, the company said it would take steps to improve the safety of its vehicles. AV development veteran Steve Kenner is the new hire. Get details at Headlight.News.