Motor News

In his inaugural State of the State address, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo announced a new Tesla plant to be unveiled sometime today.While it’s still unofficial, Lombardo said the Tesla Semi is set to be produced at the new facility.Lombardo also said the manufacturing plant will be built in northern Nevada and cost an estimated $3.5 billion.Tesla is expected to build a new manufacturing facility in Nevada that will produce its electric semi-truck. While Tesla isn’t expected to officially announce the plans until sometime today, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo mentioned the deal last night during his State of the State address.TeslaLombardo said the new facility is planned to be built in northern Nevada. He also said it’ll cost an estimated $3.5 billion. The advanced manufacturing facility is said to be the production site for the Tesla Semi, the first batch of which was delivered to Pepsi last month. This is a developing story. We will update this story as more information becomes available. Other Tesla Semi-Related News More

Polestar is updating the 2 for the 2024 model year with additional range and power.The base model, which previously had a single motor powering the front wheels, is now rear-wheel drive.Range increases to 300 miles for the single-motor version and 270 miles for the dual-motor version.Polestar has been continuously improving the 2 electric car since its debut, and the 2024 model year brings some significant revisions that improve the four-door hatchback’s range and power. There are also some visual differences and additional equipment.Power is up across the board, with the base single-motor model going from 231 horsepower up to 299 horsepower, the dual-motor model increasing from 408 horsepower to 421 horsepower, and the 2 with the Performance package offering 455 horsepower. More significantly, the single-motor car now has its electric motor powering the rear wheels rather than the fronts. Even the all-wheel-drive dual-motor model now has more of a rear bias, Polestar says, and the front motor can disengage under certain circumstances. The company claims that each model is quicker than before, and we look forward to driving the updated cars to see how the shift to rear-wheel drive (and the reconfigured AWD system) affects handling. More on PolestarA larger battery for the single-motor car increases range from 270 miles up to 300 miles. The dual-motor cars have the same battery as before, but Polestar says that improvements in efficiency help it deliver a bit more range than before, too, with the EPA estimate rising from 260 miles to 270 miles.Polestar has not yet released pricing, but we expect it to rise somewhat from the current car’s starting price of $49,800 for the single-motor car and $53,300 for the dual-motor car. You’ll get more equipment for your money, though, as the base car now has driver-assistance features as standard and the dual-motor car now comes with the Pilot package as standard. Polestar says the updated car will go on sale later this year.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

DC fast-charging is the gold standard for electric vehicles, but providers of the service—other than the better-established Tesla network—haven’t got the user experience down quite yet.Even experienced EV drivers find they have to use multiple apps to find a charging station, and even then they too frequently find non-working charging equipment or reduced power levels.In response, the California Energy Commission is looking to make charging networks more accountable and responsive to complaints as EVs continue to proliferate.It’s no secret among electric-car drivers that the public DC fast-charging experience, Tesla aside, is nowhere near as reliable as it should be.Now it appears California will take the initiative and set rules on how the reliability and availability of public EV charging stations is evaluated. The state’s California Energy Commission plans to open a public feedback process it expects will lead to a definition of station “uptime” that does not “allow excessive exclusions” of the sort often used by charging networks to evade accountability.What Does “Working” Actually Mean?Today, for example, an EV charging network may define a charger as “working” simply if it receives a response after pinging the station from a remote control center. But cellular connectivity with a charging station is far from a guarantee it can actually charge an EV, at the appropriate power level. Its payment validation software may be down; the credit-card reader may be jammed; station software may have bombed (showing only Windows code on the screen); the site may receive reduced power levels, and so forth. None of these issues may be visible to the charging network, which thinks its station is operating fine because it pinged back. In many cases, user feedback—from angry tweets to comments and ratings on apps such as PlugShare or Chargeway—receives a response only 24 to 72 hours later, if at all, generally during standard weekday business hours.California Department of EnergyNetworks can also exclude from their uptime calculations any times when their cellular connection to a station is lost. Electrify America says it defaults to free charging if this happens, but not every network follows suit—meaning if the network can’t get paid, the EV driver can’t recharge, period.If you arrived at a gas station that had eight separate hoses and only one provided gasoline, would you grade it 100%?An Assemblyman’s QuestionsCalifornia’s plans for accountability were flagged in the below tweet by Loren McDonald, CEO of the EV and EV charging analysis and consulting firm EV Adoption. He highlighted a response by the Energy Commission to a letter it received from California State Assemblyman Phil Ting, who has proposed state legislation on charging reliability. This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Broadly speaking, the Commission said it will no longer rely on the networks’ self-reported claims about the uptime and availability of their charging stations. Instead, it will survey multiple data sources and qualitative feedback from the public—which could include, say, reports of dead charging stations on apps—to assess the reliability and availability of chargers.One further note: California plans to measure uptime at the individual charging station (cable or pedestal) level, unlike draft standards being developed by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program that may look only at the overall site. If one charging station functions at a given location, that would be considered a 100 percent score. That’s what charging networks prefer, because it’s easier. But ask yourself this: If you arrived at a gas station that had eight separate hoses and only one provided gasoline, would you give it a 100 percent score?George Rose|Getty ImagesTesla Works; Others May NotThe exception to often unreliable public charging sites is Tesla. The company operates its own Supercharger network, open only to Tesla drivers, which was designed from the start as a seamless part of the EVs’ navigation. The company designed and installs its own charging stations, with software tightly integrated into the Tesla ownership experience.For other brands of EVs, long-distance travel can be more fraught. Multiple competing EV charging networks have spent five years in a furious arms race to get as many stations into the ground as they can. There are major incentives to do so—primarily increased footprint they hope will boost their valuations as the industry ancticipates future consolidation. There are virtually no incentives, however, to keep the damn things working once they’ve been installed.To be fair, non-Tesla networks must cope with tougher integration than Tesla does. Historically, they have bought off-the-shelf DC fast-charging hardware, often using multiple vendors within a network. Their software must accommodate dozens of different EV models from automakers who may update the cars’ operating software without re-testing at every station operated by every network. They must offer multiple payment options, from credit cards to RFID fobs to phone apps, with membership plans and variable prices from state to state. None of that is easy.The list of reasons a charging station may not work could fill a book, but it’s quickly getting to the point where EV users no longer care what went wrong. Take, for example, the recent bitter cold snap over much of the United States. Some customers complained that a new station design, launched by a large EV charging network, had failed to work in extreme cold. Gasoline stations, by and large, worked just fine during the same weather.While glitches may have been tolerable in the early days of EVs, public DC fast-charging has existed for around five years now—but experienced EV drivers must still check multiple apps to ensure critical fast-charging sites along a planned route are actually functioning. California’s efforts to get more data on public-charging reliability, and its efforts to institute some kind of accountability among networks, are long overdue. Let us hope other states follow its lead. This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

GM might be pushing hard into electrification, but it’s not done with internal combustion yet. Last week, the company announced an $854 million investment into a variety of its plants to build the sixth-generation small-block V-8. It’s the first confirmation that GM is working on a new small-block, though the company isn’t yet releasing any technical details on the engine.Of the $854 million, $579 million will go to GM’s Flint engine plant, which will machine blocks, cranks, and heads, and assemble the complete unit; $216 million will go to the Bay City, Michigan plant, which will build camshafts and connecting rods, and machine blocks and heads; $47 million will go to the Defiance, Ohio plant, which will make block castings; and finally, $12 million will go to the Rochester, NY plant, which will build intake manifolds and fuel rails.The Chevrolet small-block V-8 dates back to 1954, with the current, fifth-generation debuting in 2013. Along with Stellantis’ Hemi and Ford’s Godzilla truck engine, the small-block is the only surviving overhead-valve V-8 sold in new cars today. (All three manufacturers offer pushrod V-8 crate engines as well.) Currently, you can find small blocks in GM’s lineup of full-size trucks and SUVs, plus the Camaro, Corvette, and Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. In its press release announcing the investment, GM made only specific reference to full-size trucks and SUVs. We already know that the CT5-V Blackwing is a one-and-done, with the Cadillac brand headed for full-EV sales, and the current Camaro is likely the last of the breed. We’d imagine the small block will soldier on in some capacity for the Corvette for as long as Chevy is allowed to sell it. The new hybrid E-Ray gives a good look at the Corvette’s future—old-school naturally aspirated V-8 assisted by electric power. We probably won’t see the Gen-VI small block for at least a couple of years. We also can’t help but wonder if this will be the last of its type. More

A reader reached out to Car and Driver, providing a screenshot from a customer survey that shows potential specifications for the upcoming electric Kia EV9 mid-size SUV. The survey shows the EV9 starting at $56,000 with rear-wheel drive, with the highest trim bringing all-wheel drive and costing $73,000.The range will allegedly be between 220 and 290 miles, while horsepower will rise from 200 ponies in the base model to 400 hp in the top trim.Car and Driver has obtained a document from Kia that could show specifications for the upcoming electric 2024 Kia EV9. A reader, who says they own a Telluride, contacted C/D after they received a survey for prospective EV owners and sent a screenshot purporting to show details about the powertrain, pricing, and range for the electric crossover. While these potential specifications could easily change before the EV9 reaches production, the information in the survey gives a good idea of Kia’s targets for its new three-row EV SUV. In a statement to Car and Driver, Kia said, “Like other car companies, we are constantly evaluating the market and often conduct research on a regular basis to inform future product development.”KiaThe trim-level names for the five EV9 models listed remain a mystery, but the document states that the two lower trims will come with rear-wheel drive, 200 horsepower, and 250 pound-feet of torque. The base model will apparently start around $56,000, providing 220 miles of range and a claimed 8.5 second 60-mph time but with no towing capacity. Stepping up to the $61,000 RWD trim, which presumably has a larger battery pack, lets you tow 2000 pounds and adds an extra 70 miles of range at the expense of 0.4 seconds in the sprint to 60 mph.Opting for all-wheel drive will set you back at least $63,000, but this upgraded powertrain allegedly brings 400 horsepower and 380 pound-feet. Range drops to 260 miles, but towing capacity jumps to 3500 pounds and the 60-mph time is slashed to 6.0 seconds. Paying $68,000 for the next trim up adds 20-inch wheels in place of the standard 19s, cutting range to 240 miles. The Kia EV9 concept from 2021.KiaThe top trim, at $73,000, features the same range estimate, but torque is boosted to 480 pound-feet and the claimed dash to 60 mph goes down to 5.2 seconds. The towing capacity increases to 4500 pounds. This version also gets black 21-inch wheels, black exterior trim, and an extra 0.4 inches of ground clearance.More about Electric KiasThe EV9 will be an electric counterpart to the popular Telluride mid-size SUV, will ride on the e-GMP platform that will also underpin the Hyundai Ioniq 7, and is set to go on sale in the second half of 2023. Teaser photos show a design that will hew closely to the concept shown at the 2021 Los Angeles auto show, and now we might have a decent idea of what to expect from the EV9.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

In our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, we found the fuel economy of our long-term Kia Carnival improved by 3 miles per gallon (or 12 percent) with its factory crossbars removed.Having those bars hanging out in the airstream increases aerodynamic drag, which increasingly hurts fuel economy the faster the vehicle is traveling.Our results with the crossbars removed equate to a highway driving range increase of roughly 60 miles and a fuel cost savings of about $14 every 1000 miles based on current national average gas prices.During the long-term test of our 2022 Kia Carnival, we were initially disappointed in our observed fuel economy. Speculating the crossbars installed from the factory, a $360 option, to be the culprit, we opted to remove them to see how much of a difference it made. Removal takes roughly 10 minutes and all the tools are included: remove the endcaps on either side of the crossbars and loosen clamps that attach the bars onto the roof rails that are included on SX and SX Prestige trim levels. Upon removal, we instantly saw increased efficiency numbers, prompting us to make a second attempt at our 75-mph highway fuel economy test. In the second run, we bested our prior attempt by 3 mpg (25 mpg to 28 mpg), a 12 percent increase and also better than the EPA’s highway figure of 26 mpg.Even though the units fitted to our Carnival are shaped to be aero friendly, they still take quite a toll on its ability to slice through the air. This uptick in drag increases exponentially as speeds rise, so around-town driving will result in a lesser hit to fuel economy than highway motoring. Testing, TestingThe additional 3 mpg we gained after parting ways with our crossbars means a roughly 60-mile uptick in highway driving range, from 470 to 530 miles. Hypothetically, if a driver were making a 1000-mile road trip, this makes it possible for only one fuel stop when starting with a full tank as opposed to two stops with the crossbars installed. And, using today’s national average gas prices, overall fuel costs would decrease as well, with $14 savings every 1000 miles when using regular 87 octane fuel. Stretching that over a year, and assuming half of driving miles are completed on a highway, a driver could see near triple-digit savings based on the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s average annual mileage of 13,476. That’s roughly enough to cover an entire year of a Disney+ subscription. Michael Simari|Car and DriverThe Carnival’s increase in efficiency doesn’t exactly take it to world-beater territory. The most recent, hybrid-only Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica eHybrid we tested lead the pack among minivans at 33 mpg, with the Sienna’s figure being a bit more impressive given that our test car had all-wheel drive. Taking home the bronze is the gas-only Pacifica at 31 mpg, followed by the Honda Odyssey at 30 mpg. Even with this newfound efficiency, the Carnival remains last relative to other minivans in our highway fuel-economy testing. Ultimate driving range, however, is a different story. The Kia, sans crossbars, trails only the Toyota in that category, and by a mere 10 miles (530 and 540 miles, respectively).Of course, attaching a cargo carrier, kayak, paddle board, or other large accessory to those crossbars will reduce fuel economy by an even greater amount. But the point is, it’s worth taking a few minutes to remove the crossbars when you’re not using them. More

Ford still can’t build enough Broncos, and the issues aren’t about to go away if our reading of the tea leaves in a new “2023-Model Bronco Cancel Order & Purchase Replacement Offer” are correct.The letter, which Ford recently sent to dealers, says that customers can get a $2500 discount if they order a different Ford model before early April.Another option is to switch to a lower-trim or lower-content Bronco by removing “constrained commodities.”Ford has a problem, and it thinks $2500 might make it go away. The problem—admittedly, a good one to have—is that demand for the Ford Bronco has remained strong since the Jeep-esque off-roader debuted in 2021. But, supply chain and production challenges have meant that Ford has had to repeatedly delay Bronco orders. Now, Ford is going to force, in Ford’s words, a “small number of existing Bronco reservation and order holders” who ordered but have not yet received their 2023 Bronco to choose among four options, none of which will result in these customers getting the vehicle they ordered.Specs and Details, but Don’t Expect to Get One (Yet)First reported by Cars Direct, Ford has sent an incentive bulletin to dealers that offers anyone who’s ordered a 2023 Bronco a $2500 discount if they switch to another Ford model. The 2023-Model Bronco Cancel Order & Purchase Replacement Offer says Ford is prepared to give “an additional incentive to cancel their current 23MY Bronco Order and retail order an eligible 23MY Ford vehicle,” according to Cars Direct. Customers can get the discount if they make the switch to one of seven other Ford models before April 3. The qualifying list of non-Bronco vehicles includes the Escape, Bronco Sport, Edge, Explorer, Expedition, Ranger, and F-150.The Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Tremor, and Raptor apparently do not qualify.Ford told Car and Driver that the causes of the problems are, unsurprisingly, ongoing supply-chain challenges. The missing parts mean that certain “constrained features,” like the Sasquatch and Lux packages and the Molded in Color Hard Top, are not going to be available for 2023 model Bronco customers who ordered them and have not yet received their vehicle.”Customers who remove constrained features are expected to receive a 2023 model year Bronco along with a $2500 rebate toward purchase or lease in addition to existing MSRP price protection they may have,” Ford spokesperson Mike Levine told C/D.Customers who don’t want to modify their reservation will have to accept one of four options. As mentioned, there’s the $2500 rebate. Customers can also just cancel their reservation and get their original $100 deposit back. Third, they can try to find a “suitable Bronco” at a dealer that happens to have one. Finally, they can just cancel their order and place a new one for a 2024 Bronco.”If we are not able to schedule a reservation or order for production, it will be canceled for the 2023 model year and their $100 reservation deposit will be refunded automatically,” Levine said. One problem with all of this is that no one can order a new Bronco at the moment. While the configurator remains active, Ford’s consumer site also says, “Due to high demand, the current model year [2023 Bronco] is no longer available for retail order. Limited inventory may be available at selected dealers.” There’s also no way to order a 2024 Bronco through the site just yet. Ford’s site also says, “[Bronco] supplies are limited and there are no guarantees.” You don’t say. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.A Range of Broncos, Tested More

It’s not easy keeping city passenger buses up and running, especially in cold climates. Swap out the diesel for electrons, and you’ve got a new set of challenges, like reduced range and slower charging times.Juneau was the first city in Alaska to buy an EV for its bus fleet, but repeated problems with a wiring harness have often kept it sidelined. Manufacturer Proterra said it is working on a more robust harness for the city’s bus.Even with this EV speed bump, Juneau has ordered another seven electric buses. This time, though, they will be made by Proterra competitor Gillig.Colder climates can be a challenge for many electric vehicles to perform well in, but it’s not just the temperature causing problems for Juneau’s public transit system. The Alaskan capital announced in 2021 that it would add a 40-foot, all-electric passenger bus to its fleet, but the zero-emission model has recurring mechanical problems that force Capital Transit to park the bus in the garage for weeks on end.This version of Proterra’s electric bus is going to the city of Victoria, British Columbia.ProterraThe issue is a faulty wiring harness that the transit agency has repeatedly tried to fix but sometimes still disables one of the bus’s two motors. Alaska Public Media (APM) reports that the bus’s manufacturer, Proterra, still needs to supply Juneau with a replacement part. Still, electric buses are coming to Alaska. While Juneau was the first to purchase an EV for its bus fleet, the city of Anchorage tested an electric bus in 2018. Smaller municipalities including Ketchikan and Metlakatla have also announced plans to add electric buses to their fleets.Range Dropped with the TemperatureWhen Juneau’s lone electric bus was able to ferry passengers around town, drivers and city managers sang its praises. As might sound familiar to electric passenger-car drivers, bus drivers liked the quieter ride, and the bus needed less maintenance. In frigid weather, though, the 440-kilowatt hour (kWh) battery’s 210-mile range dropped to 100 miles, and the battery took longer to charge. Capital Transit superintendent Rich Ross told APM that the faulty harness and other issues aren’t putting Juneau’s transit authority off electric buses. “There’s going to be learning curves along the way,” Ross said. “So while this bus has been a lemon—somewhat of a lemon—we also understand the technology is improving in leaps and bounds as time goes on.”Proterra agrees.”With the introduction of any new technology, we expect there to be some learning curves along the way,” the company told Car and Driver. “These learnings allow us to improve products. In this case, we are working to design and source a more robust harness to support Juneau’s bus.”We Checked It Out Juneau’s faulty bus is a 2020 model, and in 2022 Proterra announced that its 40-foot ZX5 electric transit bus could be equipped with a 738.0-kWh battery. “This newer product is now the preferred choice for municipalities in northern climates to buffer against the additional heating requirements of extreme cold-weather days,” Proterra said. Gillig electric bus.GilligCapital Transit has already ordered seven more electric buses, but this time they will come from one of Proterra’s competitors, Gillig. Gillig also manufactured the 17 diesel buses used in Juneau’s fleet. Gillig’s electric buses are already in use in places with intense winter weather, like Missoula, Montana. The company announced last month that it had received the highest-ever score for a battery electric bus, 89.5, at the Federal Transit Administration’s Bus Test Program in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Basically acing that reliability test meant that Gillig’s e-buses could qualify for purchase with federal funding dollars. Gillig has also announced that 45 transit agencies across the country would use money provided in part by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to purchase Gillig’s low- and no-emission buses. The Proterra bus remains in Juneau’s fleet.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More