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Q&A: Green Car Pioneer Ron Cogan Offers Sage Insights

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Green Car Journal Publisher Ron Cogan at the 2020 Green Car Awards. He’s been covering the shift to environmentally friendly vehicles for three decades.

The automobile has transformed we live, work and play. Unfortunately, it’s also had a seriously detrimental impact on Planet Earth. And now, as it becomes more crucial to address issues like climate change, the automobile is in the crosshairs.

That’s a message many have come to just lately. Not Ron Cogan. The veteran automotive journalist was among the first to recognize the need to clean up the car, in 1992 launching Green Car Journal. Where some have focused exclusively on electrified vehicles, pure battery-electric models, in particular, Cogan and his magazine have looked at all the various green car technologies that have come — and, in many cases, gone — during the past three decades.

The latest issue of Green Car Journal focuses specifically on battery-electric vehicles. But, as is Cogan’s style, it takes a pragmatic, even somewhat skeptical, look at this potentially game-changing technology, recognizing there are still many challenges to be overcome before BEVs can clearly replace the time-tested internal combustion engine.

Cogan spoke to TheDetroitBureau.com about his years covering the green car world and what he sees coming in the years ahead.

Cogan’s enjoyed a front-row seat, watching and writing about the shift from ICE-powered vehicles to electrified models in the U.S.

TheDetroitBureau: These days, everyone is writing about electric vehicles but you’ve been at this for a long time, haven’t you? And don’t you take something of a broader look when it comes to environmentally friendly vehicles?

Ron Cogan: Green Car Journal, which launched in 1992, has been all about options, everything that’s happening in the green space, whether it’s methanol, ethanol and natural gas, even high fuel-efficiency gasoline. Now, there’s a huge push towards electrification. It wasn’t our call to tell people what to drive. With our 30th birthday coming up we wanted to let people read different opinions from industry leaders.

TDB: We now have General Motors CEO Mary Barra setting a transition to all-electric vehicles and announcing a second battery plant. Is this the year of the tipping point for battery-electric vehicles?

Cogan: I would agree there’s a tipping point going on in the sense that there’s a major commitment by a lot of automakers. It’s gone beyond lip service. For the industry, the tipping point is here. The question is whether it is a consumer tipping point yet. Only so many people are willing to step up to pure electric vehicles. More see a hybrid as the way to go because it’s so seamless, and some to plug-in hybrids. But have we reached a tipping point for consumers? I’m not so sure.

Cogan notes that hybrids provide a level of convenience that pure EVs cannot.

TDB: Yet BEVs do seem to be gaining a lot of momentum.

Cogan: Well, the range issues is being overcome to a large degree, But even with 250 miles, on a long trip you have to plan ahead (to find places to charge), which is why I think plug-in hybrids are going to be pretty huge. When you can’t plug in you’re not limited, so I think that category is really going to expand. With a plug-in you can do everyday driving in electric but switch to internal combustion when you have to go farther. I think it’s a win-win. And it will get more people into buying electric vehicles.

TDB: I find that the best way to promote electric vehicles is to get people into electric vehicles. They’re often surprised by the performance, for one thing.

Cogan: Yeah, today’s electric vehicles are pretty amazing given what they offer — everything a combustion vehicle can offer and more. The launch in an electric vehicle can be pretty exciting and some companies, like Tesla, are keying in on that, talking about how they can beat a Ferrari on track and all that. I think that’s surprising a lot of people.

Cogan is quick to note that EVs are not the only way to improve the efficiency of vehicles. His publication’s honored several diesels.

TDB: I have more and more people asking if this is the right time to buy an electric vehicle. Many worry that, like with an iPhone, if they buy today something better will soon come out and they’ll regret it. What would you tell them?

Cogan: The technology, the range, all of that will improve over time, as will the cost which will continue to go down incrementally. So, it’s a tough question. If you find the right vehicle that appeals to you, it makes sense, go ahead and buy the vehicle. There are some great choices out there now and there are going to be more coming up. The jump to 250 miles (which most new BEVs are offering) is huge and there are going to be more and more charging stations coming online. True, the nature of it is that there’s always going to be something better. But do you never buy an electric vehicle because of that?

TDB: Doesn’t that make an argument for leasing, rather than buying? You can move to something newer and better in a few years — and not worry about trade-in values.

Cogan: I think leasing is the ideal way to go with electric vehicles. It means you don’t have to take as much of a risk. You know what your payments are. You know when you’re going to turn it in. And then, you can move on to the next generation of electric vehicles. Leasing takes the risk out.

Green Car Publisher Ron Cogan, Chevy Marketing Director Steve Mojoras and the 2016 Volt, which was honored by the Green Car Awards.

TDB: Let’s talk about batteries — in particular, next-generation batteries. Honda, Ford and others are all talking about solid-state batteries (which supposedly will be lighter, deliver longer range and shorter charging times and even reduce the risk of fire). Are they real? And will they live up to expectations?

Cogan: It seems that if solid-state comes close to all the promises it would put BEVs over the top, making all the difference in the world. Solid-state, from what we hear, is the ideal technology.

TDB: What would you estimate will be the BEV share of the market by 2030? And could it be even bigger than people are forecasting now?

Cogan: It’s tough to make a prediction, and I try to avoid that. But automakers and other interests are pushing for them and there’s a lot of interest in setting up a nationwide rapid charging network. All of that takes us in the direction where we know there’s going to be significantly more electric vehicles sold by then. But many things could influence the fate of gasoline vehicles. How’s the price of gas? If gas prices stay low there’ll be less incentive for electric vehicles. Technology will influence things. A recession could, as well. Legislation clearly will have an influence, especially if it’s a disincentive to drive on gasoline.

Honda has been at the forefront of fuel-cell vehicles with the Clarity.

TDB: On the subject of politics, the Biden administration wants to have 500,000 charging stations in place by 2030. Could that mean a faster growth rate for electric?

Cogan: If we get the range to drive on battery like you would on gasoline and you have a network of rapid chargers, suddenly, your functionality is increased exponentially. But there’s no way yet to know if the government is going to create (that public charging network). Administrations change. Agendas change. So, I don’t put stock into what you can count on as far as legislation matters.

TDB: But the Biden administration is clearly making a lot of proposals to promote electric vehicles. Do you like what you’re seeing?

Cogan: Yeah, as far as I can tell. I mean, we’re going to see how this all unfolds. This administration has a more proactive agenda for environmental issues in general and clean cars, specifically, than the previous administration. But I have to say you can’t always count on that. Back under the Obama administration, he wanted a million electric vehicles by 2015. It was never going to happen because there weren’t enough vehicles to make it happen. (But) I look at all of these things (Biden is proposing) as positive … a direction that seems to make sense for electrified vehicles.

Cogan drove a GM EV1 for a full year.

TDB: You started publishing Green Car Journal in 1992. Looking back on the last three decades, what were biggest surprises, the things you didn’t count on early on?

Cogan: One of the milestones was the debut of the GM Impact prototype and then the actual production of the GM EV1, I drove one of those for a year. It was an amazing car to be in on the evolution of electric vehicles. It was also interesting to note how hydrogen was big and then (see automakers) backpedaling, Now they’re interested in hydrogen again. It’s gaining momentum again.

One of the (other) things that surprises me is that we’re seeing such a push for electrification, at the extreme high end of both luxury vehicles and sports cars and exotics.

 

TDB: To wrap up, is the age of the internal combustion engine coming to an end?

Cogan: I don’t think you can discount internal combustion because it keeps getting better and better. And I don’t think you can discount hybrids and plug-in hybrids and focus just on battery-electric vehicles. Those are all a big part of the solution. It may have narrowed from when we started publishing. It’s no longer really about ethanol and natural gas and propane. It’s really about electrification and significantly more efficient internal combustion engines — and a combination of the two. It’s going to be even more exciting in the years ahead seeing how it will play out.

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Forget Chips and Seat Foam, Now There’s a Shortage of Rental Cars

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Hertz and other rental car companies are turning away potential renters due to a lack of inventory.

Airports are getting busier these days as more Americans take to the sky, despite another surge of COVID-19. But travelers who don’t carefully prepare before heading out could be in for a shock, especially if they try to book a last-minute car rental.

Someone arriving at Kahului Airport on the Hawaiian island of Maui will find no vehicles available at Hertz, the nation’s largest rental car company, this weekend unless they booked well in advance. Avis and National, two key competitors, also are sold out, TheDetroitBureau.com discovered. Those few local chains with vehicles to rent are pushing up and over $100 a day for even the most no-frill models, easily double pre-pandemic rates.

But that’s better than what a customer might find elsewhere. According to some reports, renters are finding rates running as high as $500, even $700, a day in some popular vacation resorts. And the situation isn’t likely to ease up anytime soon.

Tough times for rental industry

Business at rental car agencies, like Hertz, were down significantly, due to the pandemic so no new vehicle replacements were purchased.

Even heading into last year’s pandemic, things were tough for some of the major car rental chains. When COVID-19 struck, and travelers around the world were forced into lockdown, things blew up. Last May, Hertz filed for bankruptcy and moved quickly to shed assets and raise capital. One of the critical steps was shedding large chunks of its massive vehicle inventory.

Many competitors followed suit, and the timing worked out well. Even as new car sales tumbled last spring, the used car market turned red hot, letting rental companies earn a premium on vehicles they sold off.

Meanwhile, they canceled purchases of new vehicles by the millions. The U.S. new car market ended 2020 with total sales of around 14.6 million, down nearly 15%, the rental slump taking much of the blame. Remove weakened fleet demand and the industry did far better than expected. In fact, overall sales largely returned to pre-pandemic levels by late 2020, automakers finding retail buyers for many of the vehicles that previously would have gone into rental fleets.

Even before the latest crisis, many auto manufacturers were looking to cut back on rental sales. They’re simply not very profitable. So, that sets things up for a crisis in 2021 — and it’s all the worse because carmakers are themselves facing shortages of critical components and raw materials, including not only computer chips but things like seating foam.

Those smiling rental agents are putting on a brave face as they deal with tourists without vehicles because they didn’t book in advance.

That’s led to a growing list of assembly plants cutting production levels or even temporarily closing. That makes it difficult for manufacturers to produce enough vehicles for their loyal dealers, never mind fickle rental car companies.

Future doesn’t look better

With no end in sight for the chip shortage alone, the situation isn’t likely to get any better soon for companies like Hertz, Avis or Enterprise.

“We anticipate this continuing throughout the coming months, especially in pockets of the country popular with travelers,” Enterprise spokeswoman Lisa Martini told The Washington Post this week. The best it said it could do in the short term is to move vehicles out of lower-demand markets for those in more popular destinations. But that’s just a band-aid as rental fleets are so much smaller than in the past.

And it won’t much help customers in places like Detroit where Hertz on Friday was quoting a rate of $104.30 a day for a Chevrolet Spark, as much as triple what the company expected for that minicar before the pandemic.

Some travelers are looking for non-traditional alternatives such as Turo. The decade-old service acts as a middleman between private vehicle owners are renters. In years past, much of its business came from those looking to drive something unusual, like a sports car, or perhaps a pickup to help them do a weekend of home renovations. Now, however, it is finding demand surging from those who can’t find anything at a traditional rental counter.


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Growing List of Models Earn Top Safety Ratings from IIHS

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The 2021 Honda Odyssey captured a Top Safety Pick + award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

For many years, the auto industry lived by the mantra, “Safety doesn’t sell.” Today, however, picking a safe vehicle has become top priority for just about all buyers, whether they’re looking for a family van or a high-performance sports car.

The good news is that there are more choices than ever, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. A record number of products, 90 in all, earned one of the organization’s two awards, the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+. A number of other models fell just short but still earned honorable mentions.

“With these awards, we want to make it easy for consumers to find vehicles that provide good protection in crashes, sufficient lighting and effective front crash protection,” IIHS President David Harkey says. “Manufacturers have stepped up to meet the challenge, and the list of great options has grown to an impressive size this year.”

Some surprise winners – and losers

Volvo, a brand that introduced the first automotive seatbelt and which has long been associated with safety, landed nine Top Safety Pick+ awards, more than any other manufacturer.

2021 Ram 1500 

 

The 2021 Ram 1500 was the only vehicle to earn an award from IIHS.

The annual IIHS announcement contains some surprises, however. The Hyundai Motor Group — including models from the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands — had more winners overall, 17 models took home one of the two awards. That included 12 Top Safety Picks and another five “plus” awards.

The 2021 IIHS awards list included two minivans, the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna, both rated Top Safety Pick+. The Ram 1500 was the only pickup to meet the group’s tough standards, winning a Top Safety Pick award. There were no minivan or pickup winners last year.

The Ram truck was the only winner from Stellantis, the company formed last month through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s PSA Group.

Most major automakers landed multiple awards but IIHS called out two for dubious achievements. General Motors managed to land only one Top Safety Pick, for the Chevrolet Equinox, and one Top Safety Pick+, for the Cadillac XT6.

Mitsubishi, meanwhile, so far failed to earn a single award from the IIHS.

IIHS awards go beyond federal safety guidelines

The two awards cover some critical areas of safety, going beyond federal guidelines in some of those.

 

 

The 2021 Toyota Sienna also received a top honor.

“Both awards require good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests — driver- and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints,” IIHS explained in a news release. “Award winners must be available with front crash prevention that earns a superior or advanced rating in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. Last but not least, Top Safety Pick winners must be available with good or acceptable headlights. The ‘plus’ designation is given to models that have good or acceptable headlights across all trim levels and packages.”

As a measure of how much safety has taken root in the industry, 49 models earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating this year, more than double the number in 2020. Another 41 vehicles landed Top Safety Pick honors. All told, 90 vehicles earn one of the awards, up from 64 last year.

Also-rans

During the past two decades, the IIHS added new requirements, including the small overlap frontal crash test and minimum headlight performance specifications.

Twelve vehicles fell short only because of their headlights, seven because they didn’t score well enough on pedestrian crash prevention. Five missed on the passenger-side small overlap front test, and five fell short on crashworthiness, according to the IIHS.

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What’s in a Name? Your Vehicle’s Name May be Saying Something You Never Intended

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The GMC Acadia AT4 edition puts the emphasis on off-roadability, which could be helpful while touring Nova Scotia, where it’s name comes from.

Have you ever wondered why an automaker gave a vehicle a particular name?

The name bestowed upon a vehicle can often play a big role in its long-term success. Some names don’t fit the vehicle while others, especially some of those that have been around for some time, would be tough to imagine applied to any other type of car, truck or ute.

Cracking open the dictionary reveals what your car or truck’s name really means, sometimes with unintended consequences. Here is a list of present car names, their definition and the automaker that uses them, according to several dictionaries, including Oxford, Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com.

(Could an all-electric Corvette crossover be in the works?)

Don’t see your vehicle’s name? Most likely, it’s because it’s a made-up word, not an English word, or we overlooked it. Bear in mind some of these names/words also have more than one meaning. Here’s the list:

Could one have an armada of Nissan Armadas?

Acadia: Relating to the former French colony of Acadia (now Nova Scotia) in Canada. (GMC)

Accent: A way of pronouncing a language, associated with a country, area, or social class. (Hyundai)

Accord: An official agreement or treaty. (Honda)

Armada: A fleet of warships. (Nissan)

Atlas: The first vertebra of the neck. (Volkswagen)

Avalon: Legendary Celtic isle of the dead where King Arthur and other knights are taken after death. (Toyota)

Aviator: The operator of an aircraft. (Lincoln)

Blazer: A sports jacket often with notched collar and patch pockets. (Chevrolet)

Bronco: An unbroken range horse of western North America. (Ford)

Canyon: a deep gorge, especially one with a river flowing through it. (GMC)

The GMC Canyon AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition  would be an ideal vehicle to explore a canyon.

Cayman: or caiman, a Central and South American crocodile. (Porsche)

Challenger: To confront or defy boldly. (Dodge)

Charger: A large, flat platter. (Dodge)

Cherokee: A member of a North American people originally of the southeastern U.S. (Jeep)

Civic: Relating to a city or town. (Honda)

Clarity: Freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity. (Honda)

Colorado: State of the interior western U.S. (Chevrolet)

Compass: Boundary, circumference (Jeep)

Continental: An American soldier of the Revolution in the Continental army. (Bentley)

The Toyota Corolla XSE Hatchback may be plenty of fun but doesn’t seem to have any floral styling cues.

Cooper: A person who makes or repairs casks or barrels. (Mini)

Corolla: The petals, or inner leaves, of a flower. (Toyota)

Corvette: A small warship designed for convoy escort duty. (Chevrolet)

Countryman: One living in the country or marked by country ways. (Mini)

Dawn: To begin to appear or develop. (Rolls-Royce)

Defender: One that defends. (Land Rover)

Discovery: Pretrial disclosure of pertinent facts or documents by one or both parties to a legal action or proceeding. (Land Rover)

Durango: State in northwest central Mexico. (Dodge)

Edge: The outside limit of an object, area, or surface. (Ford)

Enclave: A group that is different in character from those surrounding it. (Buick)

Encore: An additional performance at the end of a concert. (Buick)

If you buy a second Buick Encore to replace the first, is it an encore for your Encore or just a second Encore?

Equinox: The time or date at which the sun crosses the celestial equator and when day and night are of equal length. (Chevrolet)

Escalade: The scaling of fortified walls using ladders as a form of military attack. (Cadillac)

Escape: To fail to be noticed or recallable by. (Ford)

Expedition: Excursion undertaken for a specific purpose. (Ford)

Explorer: A member of a coed scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America for people ages 14 to 20 focusing on career awareness. (Ford)

Fit: A seizure in which the victim loses consciousness. (Honda)

Ford: A shallow place in a river or stream where it can be crossed. (Ford)

Forester: A person or animal living in a forest. (Subaru)

Forte: A thing at which someone excels. (Kia)

If you’re going to be exploring new frontiers, the Nissan Frontier is perfect-ly named.

Frontier: The farthermost limits of knowledge or achievement in a particular subject. (Nissan)

Ghibli: A hot dust-bearing wind of the North African desert. (Maserati)

Ghost: A disembodied soul. (Rolls-Royce)

Gladiator: A trained fighter. (Jeep)

Golf: An outdoor game played on a large course with a small, hard ball and a set of clubs. (Volkswagen)

Hellcat: A violently temperamental person. (Dodge)

Highlander: Inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands. (Toyota)

Insight: Apprehending the true nature of a thing. (Honda)

Kicks: Strike or propel forcibly with the foot. (Nissan)

Kona: Coastal region of Hawaii in the western part of the island of Hawaii. (Hyundai)

Lancer: A soldier of a cavalry regiment armed with lances. (Mitsubishi)

Was Nissan was inspired by flora or fauna when naming the Leaf electric vehicle.

Leaf: A flat structure of a plant that is the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration, attached to a stem directly or via a stalk. (Nissan)

Legacy: an amount of money or property left to someone in a will. (Subaru)

Malibu: A coastal city west of Los Angeles (Chevrolet)

Mirage: Something illusory and unattainable. (Mitsubishi)

Mustang: A small lightly built feral horse of the south-western U.S. (Ford)

Navigator: One that navigates. (Lincoln)

Odyssey: A long and eventful journey (Honda)

Outback: A remote or sparsely populated inland area, especially in Australia. (Subaru)

Outlander: A person who belongs to another region, culture, or group. (Mitsubishi)

Pacifica: City on the Pacific Ocean in western California south of San Francisco. (Chrysler)

The new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica might be the ideal vehicle to take you Pacifica, California.

Passport: A thing that ensures admission to or the achievement of something. (Honda)

Phantom: A figment of the imagination. (Rolls-Royce)

(FCA, PSA pick a name for post-merger company: Stellantis.)

Pilot: A television program made to test audience reaction with a view to the production of a series. (Honda)

Ranger: One of a body of organized armed men who range over a region especially to enforce the law. (Ford)

Renegade: An individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior. (Jeep)

Ridgeline: A line formed along the highest points of a mountain ridge. (Honda)

Rio: Radar intercept officer. (Kia)

Rogue: A dishonest or unprincipled man. (Nissan)

Sequoia: Huge coniferous California trees of the bald cypress family that may reach a height of over 300 feet. (Toyota)

Toyota Sequoia: a big vehicle named after big trees.

Sienna: A kind of earth used as a pigment in painting. (GMC)

Sierra: Any of several large scombroid fish (genus Scomberomorus) related to the mackerel. (GMC)

Sonata: A composition for one or two instruments. (Hyundai)

Soul: The spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings, or the universe. (Kia)

Spark: a latent particle capable of growth or developing. (Chevrolet)

Stinger: A cocktail consisting of brandy and white crème de menthe. (Kia)

Suburban: An outlying part of a city or town. (Chevrolet)

Tacoma: An industrial port city in west central Washington, on Puget Sound, south of Seattle. (Toyota)

Tahoe: A lake in eastern California and western Nevada. (Chevrolet)

Taos: A North American people native to New Mexico. (Volkswagen)

Kia’s Telluride has been “electropositive” for the brand.

Telluride: A binary compound of tellurium with a more electropositive element. (Kia)

Terrain: A field of knowledge or interest (GMC)

Titan: A family of giants in Greek mythology ruling the earth until overthrown by the Olympian gods. (Nissan)

Trailblazer: A pathfinder.  (Chevrolet)

Transit: Change, transition (Ford)

Traverse: To make a study of. (Chevrolet)

Tucson: City in southeast Arizona. (Hyundai)

Tundra: A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen. (Toyota)

Urus: an extinct large, long-horned wild ox. (Lamborghini)

Valkyrie: Any of the maidens of Odin who choose the heroes to be slain in battle and conduct them to Valhalla. (Aston Martin)

The Aston Martin Valkyrie would be the best way to travel to Valhalla.

Vantage: A place or position affording a good view. (Aston Martin)

Velar: Formed with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palate. (Land Rover)

Venue: The place from which a jury is drawn and in which trial is held. (Hyundai)

Voyager: A U.S. space probe that obtained scientific information while flying by the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.

Wraith: An insubstantial form or semblance. (Rolls-Royce)

Wrangler: A person who wrangles, or argues, especially in a contentious way. (Jeep)

Yukon: A river in Alaska (GMC).

(Ford Mustang Mach-E captures 2021 NACTOY utility trophy.)

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Canoo Joins EV Delivery Van Race with MPDV

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Nascent EV maker Canoo is the latest company to get into the electric delivery van segment with its new MPDV.

The race to dominate the electric delivery van market continues to heat up with the entry of startup Canoo which today revealed its own entry featuring Level 2.5 autonomous driving capabilities, appropriately dubbed the Multi-Purpose Delivery Vehicle.

Canoo will join a growing mix of players set to bring battery-electric delivery vans to market, including established manufacturers like General Motors, Ford and Daimler, as well as newer players such as Rivian, which has a contract to supply 100,000 electric vans to online retail giant Amazon by the end of the decade.

The industry is under growing pressure to shift to electric propulsion for delivery vans for a variety of reasons, which includes new regulatory requirements. California, for example, plans to phase out the use of internal combustion engines in virtually all trucks by 2035. But there’s also the economic incentive of lower energy and maintenance costs that battery vans are expected to offer.

(EV maker Canoo riding the rapids like other companies to IPO.)

Canoo’s battery-electric van is aptly named Multi-Purpose Delivery Van.

The company claims an owner could save up to $80,000 in costs over a six- to seven-year period compared to conventional vans.

Among the many battery-car startups, Canoo is a relatively recent entry. It started outlining its plans in early 2019, revealing its first vehicle prototype, also dubbed the Canoo, later that year. Looking a lot like a toaster on wheels, the company says it plans to offer the passenger vehicle only through a subscription model.

Canoo did not discuss details about how it will offer the new delivery van to customers, whether through a conventional purchase model or under subscription, as well. It did emphasize a goal of offering “best-in-class total cost of ownership,” however.

The van will share the same architecture as the passenger Canoo, a skateboard-style platform with batteries, motors and other key drivetrain components mounted under the floorboard.

The layout is similar to what other battery-electric vans are adopting, and allows for a much lower load floor than conventional vans. Meanwhile, like the passenger version of the Canoo, the delivery vehicle adopts a relatively boxy shape with the driver sitting close to the nose, further enhancing cargo space.

Officials said the starting price for the MPDV is $33,000. It’s expected to arrive in 2022.

(Hyundai partnering with specialty EV maker Canoo.)

The van, said Canoo, was designed to target a wide spectrum of small businesses and, in particular, “last-mile” delivery services. There is significant flexibility to the design with lots of room for customization. The ability to pop open a side panel and create a window and window would suggest it might appeal to those who would turn it into a food truck. A statement from the automaker added that larger customers will “have the option to co-develop a custom vehicle.”

The flexibility includes an interior that can be used as a workstation, with room to the left of the driver where a laptop computer could be set up.

“We created our multi-purpose delivery vehicle from the inside out, with the ergonomics of the driver in mind and with attention to detail to help them be happier and more productive at work,” said Tony Aquila, executive chairman, Canoo. “The vehicle is affordable and offers greater cargo capacity than the current electric delivery offerings in its class. We aim to lower the total cost of ownership and increase return on investment for everyone from local small business owners to large fleets.”

The driver’s cockpit for the Canoo MPDV offers a simple layout.

Canoo did not disclose specific details on the van’s battery drive technology. The passenger-focused Canoo Canoo model will yield an estimated 250 miles per charge, with a single motor pushing 300 horsepower through the rear axle. That range should be more than sufficient for most delivery services, studies showing they generally average less than 50 miles use per day.

The battery pack could serve a dual purpose for operators, particularly those who might need power for tools and other electrical or electronic devices at a worksite. The Canoo van will feature bi-directional charging, providing energy through 120- or 240-volt plugs built into the vehicle.

(Canoo debuts 1st production EV – but only plans to offer it by subscription.)

Canoo expected the delivery vehicle to start at around $33,000, with “limited availability” starting in 2022 and volume ramping up the following year.

Mercedes Launching Six All-Electric Models by 2022 – With Two to Be Built in U.S.

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Mercedes production chief Jorg Burzer stands by a prototype of the Mercedes EQS battery car. It will be one of two EVs built in Mercedes’ Alabama facilities.

Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to launch a major push into electrification, the automaker announcing plans to have six all-electric EQ models in production by 2022, including two that will roll off its assembly line in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Production of the new Mercedes-EQ sub-brand began in 2019 with the launch of the EQC in Bremen, Germany, with the electric crossover being added at a plant in China. This year, the automaker introduced its all-electric EQV van, produced at its Vitoria plant in northern Spain. Production of the EQA at a German plant has just begun, with sales to begin next month.

Within two years, four other model lines, including electric sedans and SUVs, will be added to the list, as part of the “Electric First” program. The automaker will have factories dedicated to battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, production in the U.S., Germany, China, Hungary, Spain and Poland.

(New Mercedes strategy means EVs coming for AMG, Maybach.)

The German automaker is “investing heavily in transformation,” said research chief chief and Mercedes-Benz COO Markus Schafer. “Our vehicle portfolio becomes electric and thus also our global production network with vehicle and battery factories.

An electric Mercedes EQV van rolls down the assembly line at a plant in Spain.

“We intend to lead in the field of e-mobility and focus in particular on battery technology,” Schafer added. “We are taking a comprehensive approach, ranging from research and development to production, and also including strategic cooperation.”

On top of the products that have already been rolled out, Mercedes announced Monday plans to begun production at a variety of other factories:

  • The EQS, essentially an electrified S-Class and a Tesla Model S competitor, will begin production at Mercedes’ flagship plant in Sindelfingen, Germany, during the first half of 2021;
  • The compact EQA SUV is already being produced in Rastatt, Germany, but a second line in Beijing will be added next year;
  • Another compact SUV, the EQB will become the first Mercedes EQ model to go on sale in the U.S. after production launches in both Kecskemet, Hungary, and Beijing next year;
  • The EQE, the electric alternative to the familiar, midsize Mercedes GLE SUV, will be produced in Bremen, Germany, as well as Beijing starting next year;
  • The production rollout wraps up with the launch of the EQS und EQE SUVs in Tuscaloosa, Alabama starting in 2022, though still other all-electric models will be coming later in the decade.

A Mercedes EQB undergoes winter testing.

Mercedes also plans to build battery systems in Alabama, Germany, Poland and Beijing.

(Mercedes upping stake in Aston Martin, expanding tech ties.)

Long focused on diesel technology to boost its fuel economy and drive down carbon dioxide emissions, Mercedes began shifting direction mid-decade as a series of diesel emissions scandals embroiled it and other European automakers.

“All systems are go. We are investing more than 10 billion euros in the development of our EQ vehicle portfolio alone,” Ola Källenius, who last year became Daimler CEO, previously noted. “We will also be electrifying the entire Mercedes‑Benz portfolio and our customers will thus have the choice of at least one electric alternative in every Mercedes‑Benz model series, taking the total to 50 overall.”

Mercedes’ electrification program isn’t limited to pure battery-powered models. The automaker plans to continue producing plug-in hybrids like its current GLC 350e 4Matic. And it has begun using “mild,” or 48-volt hybrid powertrains in a number of products. But it expects its various plug-based models to yield fully half of the brand’s sales by 2030, company officials have said.

(Daimler teaming up with Volvo parent Geely to build hybrid powertrains.)

That’s on top of the business it expects to generate by supplying partners, such as Aston Martin, with hybrid drivetrain technologies. Parent Daimler AG also launched a new partnership with China’s Geely. The two automakers will develop new plug-based drivetrains for use in a variety of their individual model lines.

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