GM starts producing the Cadlllac Lyriq EV ahead of schedule

It’s all too common for electric vehicle makers to delay releases, but GM claims it’s bucking the trend. The company says it has started production of the Cadillac Lyriq at its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant about nine months ahead of the initial schedule. GM didn’t say how many of the sold-out reservations for the luxury crossover translated to real purchases, but it will take more orders for the Lyriq starting May 19th. The EV is due to reach dealers in the first half of the year.

The Lyric is Cadillac’s first EV, and the first passenger vehicle to use GM’s Ultium platform beyond the Hummer EV. It won’t be as brawny as the Hummer with its estimate 340HP motor system, but it’s expected to net 300-plus miles of range and 190kW fast charging at compatible stations. You can also anticipate plenty of tech, including a 33-inch OLED screen and Super Cruise hands-free highway driving. More importantly, the Lyriq will start at $59,990 — still not cheap, but it’s far more affordable than the $79,995 minimum you’ll pay for the Hummer.

The Lyriq doesn’t quite represent the next generation of mainstream GM EVs. For that, you’ll have to wait until Chevy’s electric Silverado ($39,900) and Equinox (roughly $30,000). It does serve as a bridge between the Hummer and more affordable models, though, and it’s certainly easier to justify for those that don’t need the Hummer’s off-roading abilities.

Porsche says 80 percent of its cars will be electric by 2030

Porsche is today updating the world on its financial results and, by extension, its plans to remain relevant in a world that’s clearly not going to survive climate change. The German luxury brand said that it had seen sales leap by €4.4 billion (around $4.8 billion) and plenty of interest in its models. For the third year running, Porsche’s pure-EV Taycan line managed to outsell the iconic 911, with 41,296 units of the electric ride out the door, while the flagship managed 38,464 units. To Mother Nature’s chagrin, however, both were outsold by the Macan and Cayenne SUVs, which sold around 171,433 units between them.

The company has said that it wants 80 percent of its sales to be “all-electric” by 2030, with an additional plan to be carbon-neutral at the same time. Part of that push will be led by a new version of the mid-engine 718, which will be released “exclusively in an all-electric form” at some point around 2025. Of course, it won’t be until we get an entirely electric 911 and Cayenne that we’ll see the real extent of Porsche’s commitment. But hopefully the baby steps so far will translate into much faster action the closer we get to the end of this decade.

Porsche has also announced that it will invest in “premium charging stations” and “its own charging infrastructure.” The company has experience in this area, after launching a high-profile charging station in Leipzig, but this is likely to be a neat euphemism for taking a leaf out of Tesla’s book, launching or franchising a wide network of own-brand EV stops explicitly designed to cater for its own customers. It’s something that (stablemate) Audi has also spoken about doing, and showed off a concept for an Audi-only, premium charging hub last year. The company added that it is looking to get new, high-performance battery cells from Cellforce which are due to begin shipping in 2024.

Maserati plans to go fully electric by 2025

Maserati announced on Thursday that it will offer electric versions of its entire vehicle lineup by 2025 and is starting its efforts off with the GranTurismo EV, a 1,200 HP roadster slated for release next year. 

Maseratti GranTurismo Folgore
Stellantis

The GranTurismo “Folgore” will be the first entry into Maserati’s new line of electric vehicles. Its thousand-plus horses will translate into a limitered top speed of 190 MPH and a sub-3-second 0-60. It will be joined by an electrified version of the new Grecale SUV and Grancabrio GT in 2023 followed by EV variants of the MC20, the Quattroporte and the Levante SUV by 2025. The company also announced its intention to halt production of internal combustion vehicles and go fully electric by 2030. 

The company, a subsidiary of the Stellantis Group, did not elaborate on the expected MSRPs for the upcoming vehicles, but given Maserati’s current offerings, interested buyers will likely be looking to pay anywhere from the high five-figures to the mid-sixes.   

Gogoro 發表搭載新一代 SSmartcore 電控核心的 SuperSport 車款

Gogoro 今天發表了次世代的電控核心，取名為「SSmartcore」。這更新了自 Gogoro 2 推出以來就未曾改動過的電子控制器（ECU）與馬達控制器（MCU），為次世代的車種做準備。Gogoro 今日也發表了第一款採用新一代 SSmartcore 核心的車種，取名 Gogoro SuperSport，讓消費者立即就能嘗鮮 SSmartcore 帶來的好處。…

Tesla raises prices across its entire EV lineup

Tesla has raised the prices of its electric vehicles for the second time within the month. After adding $1,000 to some long-range models last week, the automaker has now implemented a much larger price increase across its lineup. As Electrek reports, its prices now start at $46,990 for the base Model 3, $2,000 higher than before. The Model 3 Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive is now $2,500 more expensive at $54,490, and the Performance version now costs $3,000 more at $61,990.

Tesla
Tesla

Meanwhile, Model Y’s prices now start at $62,990, or $2,000 higher than before, for the Long Range version. Tesla has increased the Performance version’s pricing by $3,000, as well, which means it’ll now set you back $67,990. For both Model S options, Tesla has added $5,000 on top of their previous prices, so you’ll have to spend at least $99,990 for one. None of the other EVs got a price increase as big as the Model X, though, which now costs $10,000 more at $114,990.

Although Tesla has quietly raised prices overnight, the move didn’t come out of left field. On Twitter, company chief Elon Musk hinted at the possibility of a price hike. He said both Tesla and SpaceX are seeing “significant recent inflation pressure in raw materials [and] logistics.” He didn’t elaborate, but he linked to an article about commodity prices soaring due to fears over the shortage of raw materials that Russia exports. 

One of the materials affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine is nickel, with its prices soaring and more than doubling since the war started. Russia is a key supplier of the metal, which is a critical component of lithium-ion batteries used by Tesla and other EV manufacturers. In addition, Electrek says Tesla is experiencing a massive surge in new orders due to heightened interest in electric vehicles caused by the rise in gas prices.

Ford will introduce seven new EVs in Europe by 2024

Ford is quickly making good on its promise to go all-electric in Europe. The company now plans to introduce seven new EVs in Europe by 2024. The lineup will focus on crossovers, including an electric version of the compact Puma as well as a five-seat “medium-size” and “sport” models. You can also expect new editions of the Transit and Tourneo vans, including smaller Courier trims as well as Custom models.

The medium crossover will be the first mass-produced passenger EV from Ford’s new Cologne facility and will include five seats and a claimed 310-mile range. Ford will formally reveal the vehicle later this year and start production in 2023.

The Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom are also slated to arrive in 2023, while the Puma, the sport crossover, the Transit Courier and the Tourneo Courier are due in 2024. The Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit are already part of Ford’s European lineup. Ford hopes to move to an all-EV passenger range in Europe by 2030, and to completely eliminate gas and diesel from its stable by 2035.

This still leaves much of Ford’s lineup dependent on combustion engines, and we wouldn’t expect most (if any) of the roster to reach the US — the Puma hasn’t ever been sold in the country, for instance. However, the strategy isn’t surprising. Ford says the Puma is its best-selling passenger vehicle in Europe, and vans like the Transit are very common among European businesses. This roadmap fully electrifies some of Ford’s best-known models in the continent, and even the completely new crossovers will tackle popular segments. Ford clearly wants its EVs to be seen as mainstream models, not to mention compete against the VW ID.Buzz (which will come in a Europe-focused cargo variant) and other rivals.

Ford will sell some Explorer SUVs without rear climate controls due to chip shortages

With no end in sight to the global semiconductor shortage, Ford will temporarily offer some Explorer SUVs without the electronics necessary to access the car’s heating and air conditioning controls from the rear passenger seats. Following a report from…

Holoride’s in-car VR tech arrives in Audi vehicles this summer

Virtual reality is coming to Audi vehicles. On Saturday, the automaker announced it would support Holoride’s in-car VR technology starting this summer. In June, select Audi models with the company’s MIB 3 infotainment system, including the A4, A6, A8, Q5 and e-tron GT, will ship with the necessary software to sync with Holoride-compatible headsets, with the company planning to support the feature first in Germany, the UK and US before making it available in other markets.

At the center of the experience is something Holoride calls “Elastic Content.” When passengers play an interactive video or game, the experience adapts to the car’s movements. So say you’re playing something involving a spacecraft. When the vehicle accelerates, so will the spaceship. In that way, not only is the experience more immersive, but it’s also less likely to lead to motion sickness, according to Holoride.

Holoride spun out of Audi, but the startup’s system is brand-agostic, which means other automakers have the option to support the tech in their vehicle. The software for making Holoride content is open-source as well.

Uber adds fuel surcharge due to spike in gas prices

Unusually high gas prices throughout the US and Canada has led to Uber tacking on a fuel surcharge to rides and deliveries, according to a blog post on the company’s website. This likely won’t surprise anyone who’s gotten behind the wheel recently. A rapid spike in crude oil and gas prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made paying anywhere from $50 to $80 to fill a tank the norm.

“We know that prices have been going up across the economy, so we’ve done our best to help drivers and couriers without placing too much additional burden on consumers. Over the coming weeks we plan to listen closely to feedback from consumers, couriers and drivers. We’ll also continue to track gas price movements to determine if we need to make additional changes,” wrote Uber spokesperson Liza Winship on the company’s website.

Uber’s fuel surcharge will vary by state and by the amount of miles driven. For Uber rides, the fuel surcharge will be anywhere between $0.45 to $0.55 per trip. For Uber Eats deliveries, the fee will be between $0.35 to $0.45 per trip. The company says the additional fee will go straight to Uber drivers, who pay for mileage out of their own pockets. The policy won’t apply at all in New York City, where drivers have a pay floor and the majority of delivery drivers are on bikes.

Interestingly enough, riders will have to pay the fuel surcharge even if they’re riding in an EV. According to The Verge, Uber hopes this will be an additional incentive for drivers to switch to electric vehicles. But given that Uber already charges passengers an additional $1 for its Uber Green option — which only deploys hybrid or electric vehicles— this could lead to some Uber Green customers opting for cheaper ride options.

High gas prices have led to some Uber drivers working for below minimum wage, especially in California, where the average price of a gallon of regular gas on Friday was $5.802, significantly higher than the national average. Some Uber drivers have opted to not work at all due to the price of gas.

Uber’s fuel surcharge will go into effect on March 16th, 2021, after which the company will re-evaluate the policy.