The Chevy Bolt EV and EUV reach the end of the line later this year, and GM plans a battery plant with Samsung. Lucid teased its Gravity as it nears a debut. EPA range ratings aren’t highway ratings. And should EV policy look at those most dependent on gasoline? This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
General Motors this morning confirmed that it will discontinue the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV electric cars at the end of the year, as these models’ Orion Assembly plant in Michigan transitions to electric truck production at high volume. GM hasn’t yet said what comes next, but it’s working on next-generation Ultium tech for affordable EV underpinnings with Honda.
GM also announced that it will form a joint venture for battery production with Korea’s Samsung SDI. The $3 billion venture will result in one U.S. battery plant due to produce up to 30 gigawatt-hours annually of “high-performing” prismatic and cylindrical cells—different than the large-format pouch cells being made by Ultium LLC plants and perhaps the basis for an electric Corvette and Camaro.
California’s Lucid Motors revealed some first photos of its Gravity SUV undergoing testing on U.S. public roads. It’s due for a production start in 2024, with a full reveal sometime later this spring.
A roundup of real-world highway test results from Car and Driver helped emphasize that EPA-rated range consistently falls short on high-speed road trips. That’s because it represents a combination of driving cycles and isn’t based solely on a highway cycle.
And should EV policy be shaped around those who use the most gasoline? That’s what one advocacy group is focusing on—with the claim that switching so-called gasoline superusers to electric vehicles will make a bigger economic and environmental difference faster.
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