The all-new 2025 Kia K4 offers buyers a fresh choice that blends excellent fuel economy, modern technology, and a roomy interior. With its bold design and feature-rich trims, the K4 is positioned to appeal to those who want to address lower carbon emissions while driving more than just the basics in their daily commute.
Beyond efficiency, the Kia K4 is notable for introducing segment-above digital displays, advanced driver assistance, and premium interior features that are often reserved for midsize sedans. Its combination of everyday usability and upscale amenities sets it apart from rival models in the segment.
At 185.4 inches long and 72.8 inches wide, the K4 is one of the largest models in its class, offering rear passengers 38 inches of legroom and 37.3 inches of headroom. The design emphasizes a sleek, fastback profile with hidden rear door handles and a wide stance, giving it a sporty edge. GT-Line trims are distinguished with gloss black accents, satin chrome trim, cube LED projection headlights, and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, the K4 makes a strong impression with its wide digital command center. Nearly 30 inches of combined display space blends driver instrumentation and infotainment under Kia’s Connected Car Navigation Cockpit system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across all trims. Premium options such as Harman Kardon audio, ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, and Kia’s Digital Key 2.0 enhance its upscale feel. Voice interaction through Kia Assistant adds an extra layer of control.
The K4 comes with two front-wheel-drive powertrain choices. The standard 2.0-liter engine produces 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft torque, delivering power to the road via an intelligently variable transmission. For those seeking more power, the optional 1.6-liter turbocharged engine delivers 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft torque through an 8-speed automatic.
Fuel economy comes as a matter of course, with the 2.0-liter K4 earning EPA estimates of 40 mpg on the highway 30 mpg in the city, and 34 mpg combined. This places it among the most efficient choices in the compact sedan segment, aligning with competitors like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. The turbocharged version trades some efficiency for performance but retains a practical balance for everyday driving.
The K4’s GT-Line Turbo trim gains a multi-link rear suspension that enhances responsiveness and control, distinguishing it from base models with sharper handling. Across the lineup, engineers targeted noise, vibration, and harshness with acoustic glass and specialized tires, contributing to a more refined driving experience.
Safety tech is comprehensive, with all models featuring Kia’s advanced ADAS driver assistance systems. Standard equipment includes intelligent speed limit assist, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality. Higher trims offer upgraded collision avoidance with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot view monitoring, evasive steering assist, and surround-view cameras, broadening driver confidence in varied traffic and road conditions.
Available in LX, LXS, EX, GT-Line, and GT-Line Turbo trims, the Kia K4 has carved out a presence in the compact sedan market. Its combination of welcome fuel efficiency, advanced digital features, and roomy proportions make it a strong competitor that will likely appeal to those seeking both daily practicality and a higher level of in-car tech.
Among its strengths is an easy entry for the K4 LX at $21,990, topping out at $25,990 for the higher performance GT-Line. For buyers wanting a sedan that balances style, technology, and real-world economy in an appealing package, the Kia K4 presents as a model deserving of real consideration.
Southern California-based Karma Automotive has a new player – the sumptuous Karma Gyesera –the next model in its electrified luxury lineup. Gyesera is positioned as the successor to the Revero, which has served as Karma's high-profile offering since the company acquired this model’s design and technology from the failed Fisker Automotive back in 2014. While many important technology refinements have been made to the Revero along with mild styling updates, the stunning design of the original car has largely remained intact.
The new Gyesera extended range electric vehicle (EREV) arrives at a time when the market for all-electric cars has softened and interest in EREVs is growing significantly. While the Karma Revero was once one of the pioneers in the luxury end of the electrified luxury market, Karma must now compete against a wide field of premium automakers offering their own plug-in and performance hybrids. Gyesera represents a strategic move to stay in the game and prove Karma is a serious player.
Karma is building Gyesera on an evolution of its aluminum space-frame platform, pairing it with bodywork made from aluminum and carbon-reinforced composites to reduce weight. The result is a lighter, more agile grand touring car that should also benefit efficiency. Larger forged billet aluminum wheels with Karma-specific Pirelli tires help reduce unsprung weight and rolling resistance.
Performance sees a clear step forward. The latest version of Karma’s extended-range hybrid powertrain delivers 566 horsepower and 546 lb-ft torque, propelling Gyesera from 0-60 mph in an estimated 4.0 seconds. That’s half a second quicker than the Revero, underscoring the emphasis on both grand touring comfort and sportier dynamics.
Beyond the car itself, Karma is highlighting a shift in how it designs vehicles. Gyesera is the first model developed under the company’s Intelligent Product Development System, a process that blends traditional engineering with digital twin concepts from the tech sector. By simulating designs virtually and connecting development to real-world data, Karma aims to shorten product development cycles and improve reliability.
This new approach points to the company’s ambition to operate not just as a boutique automaker, but as a tech-driven product company. It also sets the stage for additional models, including the Amaris GT coupe expected in 2026.
Visually, Gyesera introduces a design language meant to define Karma going forward. A low-slung stance, carbon composite details, and a distinctive “backslash” signature on the fenders create a bold appearance. The company’s distinctive “Target Acquisition” lighting, first shown on the Kaveya concept, makes its production debut here. A vented hood inspired by a comet’s trail adds both functional airflow and a unique styling cue.
The rear design is anchored by a full-width diffuser that emphasizes the car’s athletic proportions. Overall, Karma is aiming for a design identity that blends exclusivity, performance cues, and brand distinction.
Inside, Gyesera takes a restrained approach compared to competitors that dominate the cabin with large screens. A digital instrument cluster and a new Qualcomm-based infotainment system focus on delivering information cleanly rather than overwhelming the space. HVAC functions are integrated into streamlined menus, while conveniences like wireless CarPlay, Android Auto, and wireless device charging are standard.
Expanded over-the-air update capabilities bring added value, offering downloadable features such as custom audio tuning and AI-driven predictive service diagnostics. Premium materials and a simplified design approach reinforce the goal of a modern, uncluttered luxury environment. Slim front seats open up additional legroom for rear passengers, improving practicality without sacrificing the car’s sleek proportions.
With an expected starting price of about $165,000 and producing scheduled later this year, the Gyesera competes directly against luxury plug-in models from larger mainstream automakers. Its success will depend on Karma’s ability to distinguish itself through exclusivity, which the Gyesera's lofty price pretty much guarantees. That exclusivity formula, by the way, has been a key element already at work for this automaker. The upcoming Amaris GT Coupe, positioned at roughly $200,000, will further broaden Karma’s small but focused lineup.
Gyesera represents more than just a new model for Karma – it’s a signal of intent. By combining advanced plug-in serial hybrid power, lightweight materials, and software-enabled features, Karma is aiming to stand apart in a crowded segment. Whether this approach will establish Karma as a stronger player in the luxury hybrid space remains to be seen, but the Gyesera sets a new direction that builds on the pioneering foundation of the Revero while charting a logical and exciting path forward.
Before today’s near-exclusive focus on batteries as an alternative to powering vehicles, there was an a major and ongoing effort to explore options to decrease gasoline use and mitigate emissions. Those fuels were many and varied, ranging from biodiesel and methanol to natural gas and hydrogen. One fuel stood out so dramatically as a seamless drop-in alternative to gasoline that it was embraced by many automakers by the millions in their production vehicles. That fuel – E85 ethanol – prompted a significant effort to establish E85 fueling stations and promote this as a viable alternative fuel. This eventually faded away as momentum for heavily-subsidized battery electric vehicles eclipsed movement toward all other fuel alternatives. But before that happened, Chevrolet’s high-profile Avalanche became a poster child for E85 ethanol and created excitement about this fuel’s future potential. Here, we present this article from Green Car Journal’s extensive archives just as it ran in our Fall 2005 issue.
Excerpted from Fall 2005 Issue: It has a curb weight of more than 2 1/2 tons and is powered by a 295 horsepower Vortec 5300 V-8 engine, yet this full-size sport utility truck can operate on just 15 percent of the gasoline one would expect. No, General Motors didn’t finally pull the mythical 200 mpg carburetor out of the closet; this Chevy Avalanche is one of the General’s growing fleet of E85- capable flexible fuel vehicles.
E85 is a mixture of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol. Ethanol is ethyl alcohol, a renewable fuel source typically made from corn. Other widely produced starchy grains like wheat or barley can also be used to make ethanol. The beauty of a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) is that you aren’t out of luck if you can’t find an E85 station along your route. Flexible fuel means that these vehicles can operate on either E85 ethanol or gasoline and any combination of the two.
In addition to lowering our dependence on petroleum fuel, E85 is a cleaner fuel source with lower sulfur and aromatic hydrocarbon emissions. In fact, the V-8 powered Avalanche is clean enough to earn California’s stringent SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) rating and a Bin 8, LEV rating from the federal government. As a bonus, photosynthesis in the growing of corn feedstocks helps remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Ethanol does have a lower energy content than gasoline, so overall fuel economy may be slightly less when running on pure E85. However, ethanol proponents are quick to counter this by pointing out the economic benefits of using domestically produced corn as a fuel source, instead of imported oil.
One thing you won’t get with the E85 powered Avalanche is inconvenience. Time spent behind the wheel shows that performance is on par with a standard Vortec 5300 gasoline powered Avalanche. Plus, no driver input is required to switch fuel...the engine runs on any mix of either, seamlessly. The driver and passenger experience is quite normal in every respect. E85 can be hard to find, but the infrastructure is growing, with an estimated 300 fueling stations spread across the country.
The E85-capable Avalanche is just that – capable. This platform is a thoughtful blend of sport utility vehicle and pickup truck, making the Avalanche well suited for a wide variety of missions. What makes the Avalanche unique is the midgate rear cab wall that can be lowered to extend the abbreviated 5.3-foot bed length to more than eight feet. The process of folding the rear seats forward and lowering the midgate takes just moments and greatly increases the flexibility of the Avalanche to function as a full-size pickup. On the inside, the Avalanche can seat either five or six adults, depending on the front seat configuration ordered.
To help promote the use of ethanol in flexible fuel vehicles, General Motors has provided 28 state governments with Chevrolet Avalanche E85-capable demonstration vehicles. The move is designed to raise awareness for E85 as a viable, domestically produced alternative to gasoline. GM is currently the world’s leading producer of ethanol flexible fuel vehicles and offers flexible fuel vehicles for sale in all 50 states. In light of recent world events, ethanol may well gain the momentum needed to become a long-term alternative fuel contender.
The midsize Polestar 3 SUV, the latest Polestar model to hit U.S. shores, is distinguished with sculpted styling, a minimalist interior, and loads of tech. It also features a good amount of real-world range and, living up to the automaker’s sporty performance goals, great handling and plenty of power.
The rub: The 2025 Polestar 3 starts at almost $69,000 and can edge close to $100,000 in top performance trim with all the available options. It’s not for the multitudes who live on tight budgets.
Likely rivals for shoppers’ attention include electric SUVs from the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. You could toss in models such as the Cadillac Optiq, Tesla Model Y, and Genesis Electrified GV70, but they really play in a different segment as compact SUVs.
Polestar offers the 3 in three “long range” powertrain choices with option packages to increase the tech, driver assist and comfort, and “gee, look at me” content. The base single-motor, rear-wheel drive version delivers, per the EPA, up to 350 miles of range. None of the competing high-end electric SUVs can match that, although none offer single-motor version, opting instead for 100 percent all-wheel drive lineups.
More powerful but less efficient dual-motor, all-wheel drive versions of the Polestar 3 come in two flavors. The base dual-motor trim boasts a segment-leading 315 miles of range, per the EPA’s rating system. Adding the Performance Pack option drops the Polestar 3 Dual Motor’s rated range to between 279 and 300 miles, depending on tire and wheel size. That’s in the ballpark with the 300-mile Audi Q8 e-tron, 307-mile Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, 309-mile BMW iX xDrive50, and 310-mile Volvo EX9.
Sizewise, the Polestar 3 sits near the bottom of it pack. While its passenger cabin is roomy, the 3 overall is as much as 5.5 inches shorter than other premium and luxury mid-size electric SUVs. It sits mid-pack in cargo capacity, though, bested by the BMW iX and Audi but leading the EQE SUV and the Volvo EX90. Pricewise, the Polestar starts lower than any likely competitor.
The Swedish EV maker started life as an independent tuning shop for Volvo racers, then was absorbed by Volvo Cars, which has been owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group since 2010. In 2017 Geely decided it wanted a stand-along EV makers in its stable to market performance-oriented but premium-level vehicles globally. Polestar was spun off from Volvo to be that company.
It is publicly traded, but a majority of its shares are held by Geely and Geely founder and CEO Li Shufu’s private PSD Investment. Volvo Cars also holds a stake.
Polestar’s first model, the limited production Polestar 1, was a sport coupe with a 600 horsepower plug-in hybrid powertrain and 52 mile all-electric range, the best in the business. It was sold globally, though in very small numbers, from 2019 through 2021 and won praise for its styling and performance. Only about 1,500 of the $150,000 cars were built and just 250 of them made it to the U.S.
The Polestar 2, a compact sedan-styled hatchback, launched in 2019 and still is sold in Asia and Europe. U.S. sales of the sporty 2 were curtailed this year in the face of stiff tariffs on vehicles imported from China, where it is built.
Polestar 3 went on sale in the U.S. earlier this year in dual-motor trim, with the single-motor version launching in April. Models sold in the U.S. are built alongside the Volvo EX90 at Volvo’s South Carolina assembly plant. The 3 will be followed later this year by the Polestar 4, a tall sedan styled midsize SUV that shares most of its powertrain, suspension, and interior with the 3. It will be built in South Korea.
A Polestar 5 sport sedan – the brand’s new flagship model – is slated for 2026 and will be built in South Carolina and/or South Korea. The Polestar 7 compact SUV aimed mainly for the European market and slated to be assembled there is scheduled next, to be followed by the Polestar 6, a 2+2 performance roadster with head-turning design.
Don’t expect to consistently get EPA estimated range from any Polestar 3 variant unless your accelerator foot is feather light, your driving style rather timid, and you avoid hilly or mountainous terrain and highway driving. Real-world range for most EVs runs 10 to 15 percent below EPA estimates with the variance depending largely on tire size, the weight of cargo (including people) on board, driving style, terrain, and the amount of high speed driving involved. We tested both the single-motor and dual-motor performance versions of the Polestar 3. Our experience is that it manages to stick pretty close to the estimates, running 10 to 12 percent short in most driving conditions.
In in our range test of a single-motor Polestar 3 with 21-inch wheels – the variant EPA rates at 350 miles – our 250-mile round-trip ride covered 140 miles of fast freeway driving in light traffic, plus 70 miles of ambling country lanes and 40 miles of mountain roads. We tried to keep within 10 mph of posted speed limits.
Per EPA’s estimate, we should have been draining the battery pack at a rate of 3.27 miles per kilowatt-hour (350 miles/107 kWh usable battery capacity). But country and mountain driving on the first leg of the trip was uphill most of the way, cutting efficiency to just 2.4 miles per kWh. That would have resulted in just under 266 miles of range had we kept going at that pace. We benefitted from an equal amount of downhill motoring on the way back, though, and improved efficiency for that part was a relatively thrifty 3 miles per kWh. For the entire round trip, average consumption was 37.3 kWh per 100 miles. That’s the equivalent of 307 miles of range – 12.2% under the EPA estimate.
We tested the dual-motor performance version of the Polestar 3 last fall on rain-slicked roads in the area around Jackson, Wyoming. An abundance of caution with someone else’s vehicle kept speeds down, but we did climb about 2,200 feet from Jackson’s 6,240-foot elevation to hit the pass through the Tetons into neighboring Idaho. Overall, we found real range on that trip was pretty much what EPA estimated for the performance version with 22 inch tires.
All versions of the 2025 Polestar 3 are two-row, five-seat electric crossovers. There’s a lot of Volvo under the skin and in the interior, but Polestar DNA is dominant in the 3’s design and chassis, suspension, and powertrain development.
Its aerodynamic looks derive from the Polestar Precept electric sedan concept that was unveiled in 2020. It’s built on an EV-specific platform developed by Volvo.
The rear-drive Polestar 3 starts at $68,900 under pre-tariff pricing. It has its own powertrain and suspension but otherwise is almost identical in looks and features to the dual-motor trims.
Standard features include 20-inch alloy wheels, panoramic glass roof, acoustic laminated windshield and rear window, auto-extending flush door handles, power rear liftgate with foot sensor, power adjustable and heated, auto-dimming, and folding frameless side mirrors. Inside are standard heated and power adjustable front seats with extendable thigh bolsters, ambient interior lighting, tri-zone heat-pump climate control, rear touchscreen for climate and seat heating controls, and a 10-speaker audio system.
If your regular driving conditions don’t require all wheel drive and you don’t mind taking a couple of seconds longer to hit 60 from a standing stop, the single-motor version makes a lot of sense.
The dual-motor Polestar 3 starts at $74,800. It includes all the single-motor variant’s standard features and adds more power, electronic all-wheel drive with torque vectoring, and air suspension with active dampers. The dual motor AWD with Performance Pack jumps to $80,800 and includes everything on the standard dual motor but adds a performance software upgrade that boosts horsepower and torque. It also gets 22-inch alloys with performance tires, special chassis tuning, and gold-color seatbelts, valve caps, and brake calipers.
The Plus Pack, priced at $5,500, adds a head-up display, power adjustable steering column, soft-close door mechanism, heated rear seats and steering wheel, heated windshield wiper blades, and a foldable rear cargo bay floor. Also provided is a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system with surround sound, Dolby Atmos capability, and active road noise cancellation.
Available only with the Plus Pack at an additional $5,500 is a combination of animal welfare certified Nappa leather upholstery in three color choices and dark ash wood trim. The Performance Pack, at $6,000 and available only for the dual-motor variant, adds 22-inch alloy and performance tires, a software upgrade that boosts horsepower and torque, sport and performance tuned chassis, and gold-colored seatbelts, brake calipers, and valve caps. A $2,100 Pro Pack option for the single-motor and base dual-motor variants adds specially designed 21-inch wheels, gold-colored valve caps, and black seatbelts with a gold center stripe.
All Polestar 3 variants use a 111-kilowatt-hour battery pack (107 kWh usable capacity) installed under the floor in a so-called skateboard EV platform. For the single-motor version, the battery supplies a rear-mounted motor rated at 299 horsepower and 361 lb.-ft. of torque. Dual-motor variants get an additional motor for the front axle. Combined, they produce a total of 489 horsepower and 620 lb-ft torque. The Performance Pack boosts that to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft.
Polstar says the standard dual-motor version can zoom from zero to 60 mpg in 4.9 seconds. Adding the Performance Pack cuts that to 4.6 seconds – at a cost of $2,000 per tenth of a second. The single motor Polestar 3 get to 60 in a more leisurely but perfectly acceptable 7.5 seconds, per Polestar’s estimate.
In any configuration there’s a decent amount of power, which is good because the Long-Range Dual Motor Polestar 3 weighs in at more than 2.5 tons in its lightest configuration, and is just 120 pounds short of 3 tons at its heftiest. The single motor version is some 200 pounds lighter than the base dual-motor Polestar 3.
The single motor version gets steel coil springs, passive dampers, and a rear motor without torque vectoring. Steering calibration is also a little softer in the single motor model. In our test drive we found it to deliver a comfortable ride and compliant handling, but its suspension couldn’t compensate for rough roads and high-speed corners quite as well as the dual moor variants’ more sophisticated system.
Dual motor Polestar 3s get adaptive air suspension and a rear-biased, electronic all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring that lets the Polestar 3 put its power to the road quite effectively and sure-footedly. All versions get four-piston Brembo front brakes with single-piston Brembos in the rears and they handle the vehicle’s weight with aplomb. A one-pedal drive setting for the Polestar 3’s multi-stage regenerative braking reduces brake-foot fatigue in crowded traffic and can mimic a downshift when turning or carving up a twisty country road.
We didn’t find either version of the Polestar 3 to be unwieldly or unbalanced when tossed around mountain corners or while carving winding roads, but our preference was for the double-motor variants’ air springs and adaptive dampers.
The single motor Polestar 3 with optional 21-inch wheels and all-season tires is EPA-rated at up to 350 miles of range, dropping to 342 miles with the standard 20-inch tires and 333 miles with 22-inchers. Dual-motor versions are rated at 315 miles with 21-inch wheels, 310 miles with the standard 20-inch wheels, and 287 miles with 22-inch wheels.
Adding the performance pack gets up to 300 miles of range. The Performance pack with its standard 22-inch alloys and sticky performance tires drops the estimated range to 279 miles. While the smaller 20-inch tires should deliver less rolling resistance and thus more range than the 21-inchers, the 20-inch wheels are made of cast aluminum, which makes them heavier and thus slightly less energy efficient than the forged aluminum wheels used with the 21 inch rubber.
At a DC fast charger, the Polestar can replenish its battery pack at up to 250 kilowatts per hour, good for a 10 to 80 percent recharge in 30 minutes. For home charging, the Polestar, like its competitors, uses an 11 kW Level 2 charging system. With properly sized 240-volt equipment, the Polestar can take a battery from 10 to 100 percent in 11 hours. Both DC and Level 2 charging speeds are competitive in the segment.
Polestar 3 has a Scandinavian minimalist interior that would have been avant-garde had it been rolled out a few years ago, before the Hyundai Motor Group set the standard for modern minimalism with its Hyundai and Kia small crossover interiors.
In the Polestar 3, the dashboard is divided into a padded textile-covered upper section with a textured plastic or optional aluminum or wood-trimmed lower face, divided by a thin strip of LED lighting. The dash houses a 9-inch-wide digital driver information screen and a centrally mounted, vertically oriented 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen that also serves as a control center for almost all vehicle settings and functions. The only physical switches and knobs are vehicle function and driver display control buttons – unlabeled - on the steering wheel, the shifter, and turn signal stalks on the steering column. A rotary controller for the audio system is located on the center console’s floating bridge.
Power-adjustable, sports-styled front bucket seats are set low to maximize headroom and are both supportive and comfortable. The 60/40 split rear seat sits higher than the front seats for improved lines of sight for rear occupants. The bench is divided into three molded seating positions, and while the middle position is narrow, there’s decent rear legroom even for center-seat occupants since below-floor batteries allow a flat floor with decent legroom.
The Polestar 3 has a small-for-the-segment primary cargo bay providing 17.1 cubic feet behinds the rear seats, which we’re told allows carrying along about 15 grocery bags or five airline carry-ons. In contrast, the BMW iX features more than twice the Polestar’s capacity at 35.5 cubic feet with the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV offering 20 cubic feet. Things improve when the Polestar 3’s rear seat back is folded down as this boosts total interior cargo capacity to 49.8 cubic feet. That’s still the least of the competitive set, though, with the iX boasting 77.9 cubes of maximum interior cargo space that takes the lead.
There’s also a 1.1 cu.-ft. storage area, or “frunk,” under the hood. It’s not large enough to be of much use but will hold a portable charging cord that otherwise would take up open cargo space in the rear. Among likely competitors, the Audi Q8 e-tron has a 2.1-cu.-ft. frunk while the BMW iX and Mercedes EQE SUV do without.
Polestar says the “3” can haul up to 220 pounds on its roof and dual-motor versions can tow up to 3,500 pounds. That tow rating is adequate for a small utility trailer but comes in less than the 5,500 pound rating of the BMW iX or the 4,000 pound rating of the Audi Q8. The Mercedes isn’t tow-rated in the U.S. The single-moor Polestar 3 is rated to tow up to 2,000 pounds.
Polestar uses an Android Automotive operating system for its infotainment centers. We’ve found it to be one of the most user-friendly interfaces around, especially for those who prefer to use voice commands, which are executed in everyday language after a “Hey Google” wakeup call. The built-in Google Play Store makes downloading new apps to the system easy. There’s 5G connectivity available, along with Google Maps with a 3-year constant internet connectivity plan at no charge.
Connectivity is enhanced with four USB-C ports – two for each seating row – and a 120-volt outlet in the rear cargo bay. Wireless phone and Bluetooth phone connectivity are standard as are Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. If there’s a drawback to the infotainment setup it’s that it is also control central for almost all vehicle adjustments and functions. This requires drivers who like to adjust drive modes, cabin temperature, and the like while underway to shift their eyes from road to screen far too often.
Audio is handled with a 10-speaker system. A 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system with Dolby Atmos surround sound and headrest speakers is an option. Three external speakers broadcast a warning tone at low speeds so that pedestrians, cyclists, and others can hear the otherwise silent EV as its draws near.
As a new model on a new platform, the Polestar 3 hasn’t yet been crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It has received a 5-star safety rating in the European NCAP crash test program.
Polestar 3 is equipped with an impressive array of advanced safety and driver assistance technologies, all integrated via a centralized computer running on software developed by Volvo Cars. The driver assistance and safety systems use a variety of imaging systems to monitor external surroundings and conditions, monitor driver alertness, and even report in-car movement to help prevent accidentally leaving pets or children in a parked car.
Standard safety and driver assist features on the 2025 Polestar 3 include front collision avoidance and mitigation with braking and steering assist, pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot and rear cross traffic alert, rear collision mitigation, and driver alertness monitoring. Adaptive cruise control featuring full stop-and-go functionality along with lane keeping and centering with lane departure warning are also standard fare.
The Polestar 3 stands out for its unfussy good looks, user-friendly operating interface, and sporty ride, though its cargo bay isn’t as useful as some because of the rearward sloping roofline.
We certainly hope Polestar’s challenges don’t prove fatal. It has lost money every year since it was spun off from Volvo, had to delay production of the 3 for almost a year because of software issues, and hasn’t yet managed to achieve widespread name recognition in the U.S. Still, its vehicles are world-class EVs and the Polestar 3 belongs on any premium performance SUV shopper’s must-test list.
An anti-EV narrative is emerging around battery electric vehicles in the U.S.: “the market is slowing” and “the EV tipping point is years away and may never arrive.”
Like many narratives, there’s an element of truth. EV sales aren’t increasing as quickly as a few years ago. And there are headwinds with the removal of some federal incentives that were pushing EV sales and charging infrastructure. But this misses a larger point we see in the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility’s annual Consumer Pulse survey. There is a lot of strength in the EV market, especially if you include transition vehicles like plug-in hybrids and extended-range EVs (EREVs).
What do the sales say? In the first quarter of 2025, automakers sold 374,841 electric vehicles in the U.S., including battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and fuel-cell electric vehicles. That was 9.6 percent of the overall light-vehicle market. The two quarters before that, EV sales eclipsed 10 percent of the market. Year over year, EV sales increased by 9 percent, compared with a 5.6 percent for overall car sales.
This was a slower increase than the last few years, to be sure. In 2021, the EV market nearly doubled. In 2022 and 2023, it grew by 62 percent and 35 percent. On the other hand, just five years ago, EV market share was 2 percent. Now it’s 10 percent.
There are headwinds. U.S. automakers continue to struggle with making EVs profitable. Consumer EV subsidies will end Sept. 30. In the short term, we’re seeing a bump in sales as consumers who were on the fence rush to buy before the deadline. Over the longer term, there is going to be far less government support and funding for public infrastructure. That’s a challenge, but it also may make it more straightforward for private investors. Improving availability and reliability of public chargers will be up to them alone.
Yet, even with the US slowdown, the International Energy Agency predicts EVs will account for 40 percent of global auto sales by 2040, versus 20 percent in 2024. As longtime auto journalist Mike Colias says in his new book, “InEVitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles,” the forces pushing legacy automakers toward electrification – Tesla and the Chinese – aren’t letting up.
“As messy as the EV story is today, automakers can’t afford to rip up their EV strategies,” Colias says.
Perhaps the biggest determinant if EV momentum will see a resurgence is the availability of much more affordable EVs (like we see e.g., in China). Given the still high battery cost this is difficult, and with the subsidies going away that challenge just got bigger.
An important question is what’s next? Will the electric vehicle market forever be a niche, or is slowing sales growth a mere bump in the road?
According to our models, the U.S. policy changes will slow down rather than stop the shift to electric vehicles. We think the adoption curve could be pushed out by five years or more. Recent regulatory changes also give U.S. automakers more time to get EVs profitable and more powertrain flexibility to focus on hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and extended-range EVs. They will need to be adaptable, and they will need to spread capital investments across multiple electrified powertrains with flexible platforms.
The McKinsey Consumer Pulse survey, which hails from our Center for Future Mobility, has some other important information for the industry trying to adapt to the new landscape. We have been polling consumers going back to 2016 to measure how attitudes are changing each year. This year’s survey included about 26,000 car owners around the world. What we’re seeing should give confidence to those who are rooting for more electrification.
First, there’s not a lot of backsliding among people who actually own BEVs. More than three-fourths of BEV owners say their next car will be battery-electric. Of the 24 percent who say they’ll switch, 5 of 8 say they’ll go with a plug-in hybrid, not gasoline. Only 1 percent say they’ll never go back to electric.
Second, while the growth of the overall EV market is slowing in the U.S., results vary widely by region. In California, Washington and Oregon – states where there have been major investments in infrastructure – EV adoption rates are on par with Europe. Other states on the East and West Coasts are seeing much more rapid EV adoption. For example, 19 percent of Maryland vehicle owners say their next car will be a BEV, even though the electric-vehicle market share is just north of 12 percent today.
By contrast, there are some states with a larger rural population mix where fewer than 4 percent of consumers say their next vehicle will run on batteries alone. This underscores the huge difference between urban, suburban, and rural consumers. Overall in U.S. urban areas, 51 percent say their next vehicle will be BEV or PHEV. In rural areas, it’s 18 percent.
A third differentiator is age. The younger the consumers, the more likely they will shift to electric soon. For Gen Z, 47 percent say they’ll buy a BEV or PHEV next. For Millennials, it’s 45 percent. It drops to 22 percent for Generation X and 21 percent for the Baby Boomers.
The most important finding may be the role that PHEVs are playing in the electric transition. Because of their smaller battery packs, they’re cheaper than BEVs. And since they run on gasoline when their EV-only miles are used up, there’s no range anxiety. But this taste of battery power acts like a gateway drug. Once they realize battery power can meet most of their needs, they keep going. Households that were holding onto a second, gasoline-powered car are ready to give it up for their next vehicle.
Another class of vehicle that may serve as a bridge is known as an extended-range EV, or EREV. These are similar to PHEVs, but instead of having an engine that can put the vehicle in motion, an EREV’s gas engine serves only as a generator to charge the battery pack. EREVs like the Ramcharger are coming to the U.S., with more electric-only range and total driving range than a typical PHEV. In China, where they’re more common, twice as many consumers say their next vehicle will be an EREV than say they’ll buy a conventional gas-powered vehicle.
The biggest determinant of EV sales over the long term will depend on the availability of much more affordable electric vehicles, the kind that are available in China today. For now, U.S. automakers will breathe a sigh of relief, gaining several years, and at least one product cycle more, to make EVs more profitable. They also know there is increasing risk of falling further behind Chinese OEMs who now sell more than 50 percent ‘new energy vehicles’ domestically and are building massive capacity for global EV exports with high tech content per vehicle at affordable prices.
What’s the bottom line? The full picture isn’t one of a stagnant U.S. market. It’s one of a market that is changing in significant ways. Key states and regions are already at the tipping point for EVs while others will continue to be slow to adopt. Important demographics like urban and young consumers are going electric. If PHEVs and EREVs become more common, that taste of electrification may accelerate changing attitudes and expectations.
Beyond the market slowdown and the removal of incentives, we can see signs of continued movement toward hybridization and electrification. It confirms what we have long known: consumers still have plenty of voice in the market’s actions.
Philipp Kampshoff is a senior partner and global co-leader of McKinsey’s Automotive & Assembly practice, based in Houston, and Patrick Hertzke is a partner and co-leader of McKinsey’s Center for Future Mobility, based in Boston.
Hyundai has been involved in hydrogen vehicle research and development for nearly three decades now, a nod to the company’s vision that hydrogen may well play an important part in our motoring future. That future seems more plausible given the vast deposits of extractible geologic ‘natural’ hydrogen recently discovered in the U.S. and around the world. The hydrogen NEXO fuel cell vehicle has been Hyundai’s most recent standard bearer in this realm since its debut in 2019.
The Korean automaker’s latest advancement is the debut of its second generation NEXO hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, a nameplate that debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show as a replacement to the Tucson FCEV back in 2019. The all-new 2026 NEXO improves on its predecessor in important ways, not the least of which is its ability to drive a projected 400 miles courtesy of an improved fuel cell, higher output motor drive system, larger hydrogen tank, and bigger battery.
Longer, taller, and wider than the model that came before it, the all-new NEXO features a more chiseled appearance and improved aerodynamics for efficiency. Exterior design cues include bold lines, horizontal groove patterns, an arch-shaped cross section, distinctive HTWO headlamps, and four “dot” lamps within the grille that distinguish NEXO as a hydrogen fuel cell model. An extensive suite of driver assistance and active safety systems is provided. Six color choices will be available including Ocean Indigo Matte, Ecotronic Gray Pearl, Creamy White Pearl, Amazon Gray Metallic, Goyo Copper Pearl, and Phantom Black Pearl.
NEXO is designed to be more than just a sustainably powered vehicle. Its interior is replete with sustainable materials including bio-process leather, bio plastics, recycled PET fabric, bio paint, bio PU slab foam, and recycled automotive plastic waste. The spacious cabin’s design theme aims to impart the comfort of home through features like soft padding with patterns while also reinforcing its high-tech nature with a curved information display, dashboard-integrated digital side mirror displays, and an island-type center console with a 120-volt AC outlet powered by the vehicle’s high voltage battery.
Greater overall performance is delivered with a new power electronics system that increases NEXO’s total power output from its previous 184 horsepower to a new 258 horsepower rating. Battery output has doubled to 80 kW while hydrogen stack output has increased 16 percent to 110 kW. All this delivers improved 0-62 mph (0-100 km) acceleration in just 7.8 seconds, a 1.4 second improvement from the previous generation NEXO.
While available to global markets later this year, in the States the hydrogen NEXO will be available only in California. Price will be released closer to the NEXO’s launch date.
The electric vehicle (EV) industry in the United States stands at a pivotal moment. What once seemed like a rapid and inevitable shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to battery-powered alternatives has become a more complicated and uneven transition. A few years ago, automakers predicted EVs could account for 50 percent – or even 100 percent – of new-vehicle sales by the early 2030s. While we’re still bullish on the mass adoption of electrification, not just in personal transportation but also the energy storage systems and other industries, those initial forecasts face a reality shaped by economic, technological, political, and social hurdles.
Government policy has played a major role in the EV sector’s growth – and its recent turbulence. Subsidies, emissions targets, and infrastructure investments in recent years have spurred significant momentum. However, the new administration has re-evaluated EV tax credits while easing emissions standards and renewing support for fossil fuels.
Adding to the disruption are proposed 25 percent tariffs on vehicles, batteries, and components imported from Canada and Mexico, two crucial parts of the North American EV supply chain which has been optimized for more than 30 years. The potential for tariffs to upend established supply networks has led many manufacturers to delay or reconsider investments. This turbulence threatens not only EV growth but also the broader automotive sector, which depends on global sourcing and long-term planning.
While we are fully committed to U.S. battery cell manufacturing and onshoring as much of the supply chain as possible, there are still crucial elements of our supply chain that we source from abroad. Most artificial graphite is still processed in China – not because this is a difficult technology to master, but given that this is a low-tech, energy-intensive process that makes more sense to do in a country that has lower, government-subsidized energy costs.
It wouldn’t be impossible to onshore this process, but we’d first have to explore broader conversations as an industry and country about what elements of manufacturing are the most strategic, high-value, and worthy of bringing into our communities.
At the consumer level, EV adoption is proving slower and more complex than early forecasts suggested. High upfront costs, persistent range anxiety, inconsistent public charging infrastructure, and general consumer skepticism continue to act as barriers. Some industry analysts describe the slowdown as a natural, temporary “ebb,” common in technological transitions. Still, without major shifts in technology, infrastructure, and policy, achieving earlier market share projections looks increasingly unrealistic.
Until we help enable more affordable EV choices for customers, the industry will have to adjust to expectations and strategies to match the market’s more gradual pace.
Amid the instability, LG Energy Solution continues to be a key player. We’ve invested heavily across North America, with eight battery plants either completed or underway, including joint ventures with major global automakers such as General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, and Stellantis. We also have three wholly-owned cell-makings plants in Holland and Lansing, Michigan, along with Queen Creek, Arizona.
Despite our presence in the industry, we still face the same headwinds as the broader market: rising material costs, supply chain disruptions, and uncertain demand. Building massive battery capacity is a bet on sustained EV growth – a bet that, while logical in the long run, carries substantial short- and medium-term risks.
Mass EV adoption will require more than a steady battery supply and affordable vehicle choices that meet customers’ range requirements. Critical technological and infrastructure challenges must be solved. Industry studies point to several areas for development, including:
We, like other industry leaders, continue to invest in R&D to improve battery chemistry and formulas that balance cost and energy density. We’re also interested in helping expand charging infrastructure, where compatibility and reliability issues remain hurdles for EV drivers.
However, scaling public charging infrastructure, especially in rural and underserved areas, requires significant investment that private companies alone cannot deliver. Federal, state, and local governments play essential roles in filling these infrastructure gaps.
Affordability remains another major barrier to EV adoption. Although the price gap has narrowed – ICE vehicles averaged about $48,000 in 2024 compared with $56,000 for EVs – the difference remains significant for many consumers. Federal tax credits and automaker discounts have helped, but with incentives under political scrutiny, affordability concerns could deepen.
Part of this is on us as an industry to give customers a good reason to embrace EVs. Faster, cheaper, better products always win in the marketplace. We’ve achieved two of these elements with EVs, and you could realistically argue that China, with its more mature and developed EV market, is already there. I believe that as we make EVs more affordable – think $30,000/300-mile range vehicles – mass adoption will inevitably follow.
Tariffs add further pressure. If imposed broadly, tariffs on critical minerals, battery components, and finished vehicles could raise costs at a time when lower prices are essential to broader EV adoption. While automakers and suppliers develop contingency plans to manage supply disruptions, there is no substitute for a stable, cooperative trade environment when it comes to building a resilient EV ecosystem.
Despite current challenges, the long-term outlook for EVs remains strong. Governments globally continue pushing for cleaner transportation, consumers are becoming more comfortable with EVs, and technological advancements are steadily improving battery performance and reducing costs.
Still, the path forward will likely be slower and more uneven than early projections suggested. In fact, some smaller or less diversified players may struggle or exit the market. Industry consolidation among battery makers, automakers, and suppliers seems increasingly likely.
As the battery cell and related industries consolidate in the next few years, LG Energy Solution is in an advantageous position as an established company with mature technology, a high and consistent production yield rate, and more than 70,000 battery-related patents across the spectrum of different chemistries, form factors, and other technology. We plan to ride out the current storm, and we’re actually seeing more interest from potential OEM partners who appreciate that we’re a safe long-term bet.
LG Energy Solution’s investments position it to navigate volatility and competition. However, success will depend not just on existing scale but on continuous innovation, cost control, partnerships, and political flexibility.
Beyond battery production, LG Energy Solution is exploring broader opportunities in the future of urban mobility. In Detroit, for example, the company has supported early discussions about creating EV-exclusive zones that could serve as test beds for new urban transportation models. While these ideas are still in development, they illustrate the increasingly complex ecosystem that EV suppliers must engage with – one that includes cities, utilities, tech firms, and real estate developers.
Still, real transformation will require broad collaboration. Transforming urban areas into EV-friendly environments demands regulatory changes, infrastructure investments, consumer education, and cross-sector coordination on an unprecedented scale.
When it comes to capital-intensive industries like batteries and complex technology that offers long-term but perhaps not immediate payoffs, some government support is helpful to spur adoption and seed investment and growth. Make no mistake, we do not believe that subsidies like the 30D and 45X credits from the IRA are a long-term solution, but they have both played an essential role in getting this vital, strategic industry established in the U.S.
It’s also important to note that LG Energy Solution was investing in U.S. battery production long before the advent of the IRA, and we will continue to do so, even in a changing political environment as we believe in the long-term prospects of the technology in this market.
The EV transition is not a straight path; It is a complex evolution filled with fits and starts, shaped by shifting political winds, economic uncertainties, and technological hurdles. We are helping to drive this transformation, but the industry’s success will depend on efforts far beyond those of any single company.
With careful planning, public-private cooperation and a willingness to adapt to changing realities, the vision of a sustainable, electrified future remains within reach. The question is not whether the transition will happen – but how quickly, how smoothly, and who will still be standing when it does.
Robert Lee is President of LG Energy Solution North America.
The electric vehicle (EV) industry is no longer emerging – it’s a global race. You don’t need headlines to see the electric revolution underway; you just need to look around. From quiet electric lawnmowers to battery-powered tools and sleek EVs in driveways, electrification is here, and it’s being driven by real consumer choice – not just regulations.
Electric technologies are more efficient, quieter, and cleaner. But full-scale electrification still faces major hurdles, especially in how we power EVs and manage that power once it’s onboard. At the heart of this transformation is the challenge of managing energy on both sides of the plug: from the grid to the vehicle, and from the battery to the wheels.
This is where Eaton excels. With over a century of experience managing electrical and mechanical power, Eaton brings a unique, system-level perspective to electrification, delivering smarter solutions for both infrastructuring and vehicle architecture.
Before an EV can drive a mile, its power must travel through a complex web of electrical infrastructure. The real bottleneck to deploying EV charging at homes, businesses, and public sites isn’t hardware, it’s ensuring the grid can handle the added load.
Eaton’s Electrical Sector has long powered critical infrastructure like hospitals and data centers. Today, that same expertise is helping to scale EV charging networks. From circuit breakers and switchgear to UPS systems and advanced metering, Eaton’s portfolio ensures that power can be delivered safely, reliably, and efficiently.
To simplify deployment, Eaton partnered with ChargePoint, combining chargers, power distribution gear, and engineering services into a single solution. This streamlines electrification for businesses and municipalities.
Looking ahead, Eaton and ChargePoint are also developing bidirectional charging and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities. These technologies will allow EVs to feed power back to homes or the grid, turning vehicles into mobile energy assets.
Managing energy doesn’t stop at the charging cable. Inside the vehicle, power must be used wisely to maximize range, performance, and safety. Eaton’s Mobility Group brings decades of experience in vehicle power electronics, safety systems, and drivetrains to meet this challenge.
One example is Eaton’s Battery Disconnect Unit with Breaktor protection, which integrates the functions of fuses, contactors, and pyro switches into a single, compact device. This innovation enhances safety by enabling ultra-fast fault isolation while reducing the number of components – making electric vehicles lighter, more efficient, and more reliable.
Another innovation is the Battery Configuration Switch (BCS), developed with Munich Electrification. It allows EVs to seamlessly switch between 400-volt and 800-volt charging systems without compromising performance, improving both compatibility and reliability.
One of the most overlooked challenges in EV design – especially for commercial vehicles – is drivetrain performance. Traditional direct-drive EV systems struggle with acceleration, high-speed efficiency, and gradeability, especially when carrying heavy loads.
Eaton solves this with a portfolio of EV transmissions purpose-built to improve torque, efficiency, and flexibility across light-, medium-, and heavy-duty commercial vehicle platforms.
Its heavy-duty 4-speed EV transmission, recognized as a 2024 Automotive News PACEpilot Innovation to Watch, delivers smooth launches on 30 percent grades and maintains highway speeds on inclines as steep as 7 percent. The transmission leverages a proven layshaft architecture – common in automated manual transmissions (AMTs) – but reengineered for EVs. Without a clutch, gear shifts are synchronized by the traction motor, resulting in greater efficiency and seamless performance.
Medium-duty EVs benefit from 4- and 6-speed variants that have logged over 2 billion real-world miles. Their lightweight countershaft design and electric gear actuation allow for smaller, more efficient motors – reducing battery size and improving range.
Also, part of the lineup is Eaton’s ultra-compact 4-speed transmission, which delivers exceptional torque density, more payload capacity, extended range, and added space for battery packaging. This design makes it easier for OEMs to tailor powertrains to their specific duty cycles.
Together, these EV transmissions help overcome the limitations of direct-drive systems, providing diesel-like performance while improving acceleration, climbing ability, and highway cruising efficiency. This matters in real-world applications where every percent of efficiency and every pound of payload makes a difference.
In EVs, even the smallest components can have an outsized impact on performance. Eaton continues to lead in terminals and connectors that maximize conductivity and minimize heat loss. Products like high-power lock box terminals and RigiFlex busbars ensure efficient power flow to critical subsystems – from infotainment and climate control to traction motors and braking.
These components support flexible vehicle architectures, enabling OEMs to customize designs while maintaining safety and performance.
Reliability is critical, especially in crash scenarios. Eaton’s dual-trigger pyro fuses act like airbags for the electrical system, disconnecting power instantly in the event of a crash. Combined with Breaktor technology and Bussmann EV fuses, Eaton offers a full spectrum of circuit protection tailored to evolving EV requirements.
These systems help EVs meet the toughest safety standards without adding unnecessary weight or complexity – an essential balance for today’s high-performance electric vehicles.
What sets Eaton apart isn’t just one standout product, it’s the company’s ability to manage power from the transformer to the transmission. The Electrical Sector ensures grid readiness and smart infrastructure. The Mobility Group ensures vehicles are equipped to use that power safely and efficiently.
Few companies have the breadth and depth to support the entire EV power journey. Fewer still have done so with the legacy of safety, innovation, and sustainability that Eaton brings to every product it builds.
Electrification is no longer a dream – it’s happening. But to reach its full potential, the industry needs partners who understand how to connect every dot in the power ecosystem. Eaton manages both sides of the plug, and that may be exactly what the EV industry needs to bridge the gap between promise and progress.
Mike Froehlich is Global Vice President of Engineering-eMobility at Eaton., an intelligent power management company that makes products for the mobility, utility, industrial, aerospace, and other markets.
Today’s news is all about electric cars, or at least electrified variations of the cars, trucks, and SUVs we’ve come to rely on over the years. It wasn’t always that way. In fact, for decades there was wide recognition that our driving needs might be well-served with an array of fuels and technologies and that maximum mpg was an increasingly important goal. The reason was, and is, clear: Greater fuel economy means less fuel is used for every mile driven, and thus carbon emissions are greatly reduced. This was the focus of the Automotive X Prize and the innovative teams that strived to demonstrate extreme fuel efficiency. The Alé shown here from FuelVapor Technologies was one such entrant that caught our editors’ attention back in 2007. This article, drawn from Green Car Journal’s extensive archives, appears here just as it ran in the magazine’s Summer 2007 issue.
Excerpted from Summer 2007 issue: FuelVapor Technologies has shown the technology it plans to use to capture an Automotive X-Prize, a competition with multi-million dollar prizes for the fastest car that gets over 100 miles per gallon. Entered in the alternative category requiring only two-passenger capacity, the company’s innovative and futuristic three-wheel Alé carries two in tandem. The mainstream X-Prize category requires four seats.
Power delivered to the front two wheels comes from a modified 1.5-liter, four-cylinder Honda engine. The turbocharged, two-stage single cam VTEC engine produces 180 horsepower. To achieve its super-high mpg goals, FuelVapor Technologies has developed a sophisticated electronic gasoline vapor fuel management system that vaporizes the gasoline, allowing the engine to run with extremely lean air-fuel ratios for maximum mpg.
How important is this? Compared to most gasoline engines that operate on a 14.7:1 air-to-fuel ratio, FuelVapor’s patent pending system can run on a ratio of over 20:1. The vaporized mixture is delivered to the front of the stock throttle body. During light-duty cruising, the engine’s regular fuel injectors are shut off and the engine runs only on the vapors.
Currently, the system appears to be optimized for performance, so the company claims “only” 92 mpg on regular gasoline at this point in time. For example, the 1400 pound, 174-inch long car can accelerate from 0-60 mpg in under 5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 140 mph. It achieves super-low emissions without a catalytic converter and CO2 emissions are also reduced by 30 percent.
The car’s aerodynamically efficient design uses a hand-laid fiberglass composite body over a full tube frame with roll cage. Other features include a Honda CRX-based adjustable coilover spring front suspension, single-sided swing arm with fully adjustable coilover spring rear suspension, Porsche 911 rack-and-pinion steering, and disc brakes on all three wheels.
All this comes together to allow the Alé to easily pull 1.7 g’s in corners...on street tires. Plans are for limited production of Alés to begin in 2008.
As we stand at the threshold of transportation's electric future, there's an uncomfortable truth we must confront: the very infrastructure that supported EV adoption's early phase is now poised to become its greatest limitation. Global EV sales are set to capture 20 percent of the market this year, with projections showing this could exceed 60 percent by the mid-2030s. In the United States alone, the electric fleet is expected to grow from approximately 5 million vehicles today to between 26-27 million by 2030, according to analyses from both Edison Electric Institute and PwC, eventually reaching a staggering 92 million by 2040. But beneath these impressive growth curves lies a critical vulnerability few are discussing – our charging infrastructure is fundamentally misaligned with the coming wave of mass-market adoption.
The revolution that began with early adopters choosing EVs for environmental and technological reasons is now evolving into a mass-market transformation. But there's a critical disconnect between this projected growth and our ability to support it. The EV revolution will move at the speed of its infrastructure. Without a fundamental shift in charging architecture, we'll hit that wall where EVs are increasingly popular but increasingly difficult to charge.
Current charging solutions were designed for yesterday's EV market – a market characterized by limited demand and modest infrastructure requirements. These systems typically scale to just eight charging points per power cabinet, require disproportionate grid upgrades for expansion, and can't efficiently serve the growing diversity of vehicles from compact cars to commercial trucks.
This creates a three-fold problem:
For years, the industry has engaged in marketing increasingly powerful chargers as the primary metric of innovation. That era is ending. The new competitive battleground will be intelligent power distribution: getting the right amount of power to the right vehicle at the right time – every time! This shift represents charging infrastructure's evolution from a relatively simple fueling model to a sophisticated energy management system that maximizes throughput and return on investment.
When one vehicle needs 50kW and another needs 250kW, the infrastructure should seamlessly accommodate both without overprovisioning or underserving either. This capability – dynamic power allocation based on real-time demand – marks the difference between yesterday's charging paradigm and tomorrow's.
These limitations aren't merely technical challenges. They create practical and economic barriers that threaten to derail the EV transition:
Without a fundamental shift in charging architecture, we face a future where EVs become increasingly popular but increasingly difficult to charge. The market could stall precisely when it should be accelerating.
After over a decade pioneering DC fast charging technology, we at Tritium recognized this fundamental challenge requires more than incremental improvements. It demands a complete reimagining of charging architecture.
"Today marks a paradigm shift in EV charging infrastructure," I noted during our unveiling of TRI-FLEX at ACT Expo 2025. "TRI-FLEX is not just an incremental improvement but a fundamental reimagining of distributed charging architecture designed to scale efficiently at the speed of coming demand in the market."
The core innovation is what we call ultra-scaling distributed architecture – a revolutionary approach that enables unprecedented flexibility and scalability:
The architecture fundamentally changes how we think about scaling charging infrastructure: "Think of traditional charging like having separate water heaters for every shower in your house – inefficient, expensive, and difficult to scale," as I explained to industry analysts. "TRI-FLEX is like one smart water heater serving many showers simultaneously, giving each precisely the temperature and pressure it needs."
This isn't just a technological advancement – it's an economic breakthrough that transforms the financial equation for charging infrastructure deployment:
For drivers, this means the near elimination of "the last vestiges of range anxiety." Going forward, the biggest pain point won't be vehicle range – it will be finding available chargers when and where you need them. TRI-FLEX changes that equation by allowing for fast, cost-effective scaling of EV charging locations that can keep up with accelerating demand.
The coming EV surge – growing from today's early adoption phase to projected fleets of 27 million by 2030 and 92 million by 2040 in the U.S. alone – requires infrastructure that can scale without bounds, optimize without waste, and adapt without replacement.
Ultra-scaling distributed architecture isn't just an option for the future of charging – it's an imperative if we want to remove the final barrier between early adoption and mainstream electrification. Without this evolution, we risk creating the very bottleneck that could stall the EV revolution.
For operators, the choice is clear: continue with architectures designed for yesterday's market or embrace solutions that align with tomorrow's demand. The stakes couldn't be higher – not just for individual businesses but for the entire transition to sustainable transportation. The EV revolution needs infrastructure that can move at the speed of its ambition. That infrastructure begins with ultra-scaling distributed architecture.
Arcady Sosinov is the CEO of Tritium, a global leader in DC fast chargers for electric vehicles.
Trucking fleets operating RNG-fueled trucks save money, slash emissions, and benefit from proven, affordable, clean technology without delay and without compromising existing business operations. RNG is a solution that allows fleets to achieve better than zero results immediately. It is not just carbon reductions that are in play, however. More demanding federal limits on nitrogen oxide emissions and increased durability requirements for new engines make RNG a smart choice for truck operators looking for an alternative to diesel trucks and their increasingly complex emission control systems.
2024 saw the launch of Cummins’ highly anticipated 15L X15N engine, leading a suite of Cummins natural gas engines serving commercial operators. Available now in Peterbilt, Kenworth, and Freightliner chassis, the X15N delivers up to 500 horsepower and torque of up to 1,850 lb-ft, providing a viable workhorse alternative to traditional diesel engines.
Additionally, the Volvo Group’s and Westport Fuel System’s Cespira joint venture is continuing efforts to accelerate the growth of High-Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) technology into North America. Volvo already uses this technology in Europe for its natural gas internal combustion engine offerings. HPDI technology can run on zero- or carbon-neutral fuels (i.e. hydrogen and biomethane) with diesel-like fuel efficiency, power, and torque.
There are approximately 1,200 heavy-duty natural gas fueling stations in the U.S. While nearly all natural gas motor fuel dispensed in California is RNG, it’s not just California fleets that have access to it. In 2024, 63 percent of RNG motor fuel use occurred outside of California, up from 57 percent in 2023.
The carbon intensity (CI) of renewable natural gas motor fuel continues to drop. Derived from landfills, wastewater, forest waste, food waste, and agricultural waste, RNG continues to make up more and more of the natural gas motor fuel market. In 2023, 79 percent of natural gas used in on-road transportation was RNG, up from 69 percent in 2022. Since RNG is interchangeable with any natural gas vehicle (NGV), RNG is one ultra-low-carbon/carbon-negative fuel that does not require the build-out of new specific infrastructure since it is dispensed from existing stations.
Data from the California Air Resources Board shows the average carbon intensity of the bio-CNG mix sold in California in 2024 dropped to -194 gCO2e/MJ, the lowest CI of any transportation fuel or technology in the state, including electric. That means that fleets operating natural gas vehicles in California are achieving a carbon-negative transportation outcome today.
Sourced domestically, natural gas motor fuel is less volatile to global market swings, providing price stability and savings to fleets of all sizes compared to traditional fuels. Toward the end of 2024 the price for natural gas was $0.70 to $0.83 less than diesel in some regions of the country. For fleets with trucks that drive tens of thousands of miles and consume significant gallons of fuel, the price differential results in real savings and helps to offset the higher price of natural gas trucks.
It is also important to highlight that fleets contracting for RNG often see even more savings as they can benefit from economic value associated with renewable identification numbers and in some cases low-carbon fuel credits or clean fuel credits. Under the U.S. EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard Program, RNG sales generate RINs that can be sold to obligated parties (e.g. fuel marketers and fleet users), sometimes for several dollars per gallon equivalent. For fleets moving to natural gas trucks, ensuring that they are negotiating with fuel suppliers for a portion of the value of RNG credits can be critical to achieving a lower overall total operation of cost and accelerating payback.
Another important financial incentive for NGV fleets has been the $0.50/gallon Alternative Fuel Tax Credit (AFTC). Fleets interested in building their own fueling facilities also benefit from the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit that is now worth $100,000 per qualifying piece of alternative fuel refueling equipment. Of course, changes in Washington are spurring change in energy and tax policy. The outlook for extending incentives that favor natural gas and domestic renewable fuels like RNG is bullish. The Transport Project’s top priority this year is securing passage of the Renewable Natural Gas Incentive Act, which would provide a $1.00/gallon tax credit to end users of natural gas motor fuel derived from renewable sources.
Perhaps more so than any time in the recent past, the regulatory outlook for truck emission requirements is extremely volatile. California’s regulatory future is uncertain. To make increasing emission reduction gains quickly in the commercial space, California regulators should reembrace ultra-low-carbon, near-zero technologies like RNG-fueled trucks. At the federal level, U.S. EPA’s reopening of its Phase 3 HD GHG regulations likely will also support the growth of technologies like RNG.
NGVs fueled by RNG offer a more cost-effective, less disruptive yet still progressive compliance schedule for commercial fleets of all shapes and sizes. RNG-fueled trucks allow fleets the ability to affordably comply today on their road to achieving full carbon neutrality.
Daniel J. Gage is President of The Transport Project, a national coalition dedicated to the decarbonization of North America’s transportation sector through the increased use of gaseous motor fuels including renewable natural gas and hydrogen.
The clean fuels industry has always been about more than emissions reductions. It’s about economic opportunity, rural investment, health benefits, and energy security. This spring, we’ve seen those priorities drive meaningful investment and policy momentum.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released $537 million in funding for 543 projects in 29 states through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). The HBIIP grants provide matching funds for companies investing in new pumps, fuel storage, distribution, and transportation infrastructure needed to deliver clean fuels to consumers. The program, which receives bipartisan congressional support, is effectively expanding market access for biodiesel across the country. These infrastructure upgrades will help producers supply better, cleaner fuels to states and regions where consumer demand is quickly increasing.
This commitment from USDA arrives at a moment of remarkable progress and unity in clean fuels policy. After more than 15 years of regulatory and political battles over Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes, fuel producers, farmers and refiners are speaking with one voice. Clean Fuels Alliance America, the American Petroleum Institute, American Soybean Association, National Oilseed Processors Association, and other stakeholders have come together to support timely, robust RFS volumes for 2026.
In March, we joined industry partners in a unified request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): set the 2026 Biomass-Based Diesel (BBD) volume at 5.25 billion gallons. This target reflects both the industry’s current capacity and the growing demand for low-carbon fuels. Following lower-than-expected volumes set for 2023-2025, which contributed to delayed facility startups and job losses, there’s a clear opportunity for EPA to restore certainty and confidence. Setting a 5.25-billion-gallon volume for 2026 would signal stability and help the industry regain momentum.
Demand is already surging. In 2024, U.S. consumption of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF reached 5.1 billion gallons. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that will grow to 5.5 billion gallons in 2026. Rail and shipping companies are joining the clean fuels movement because biodiesel and renewable diesel are decarbonization tools readily available now. Six major U.S. railroads became Clean Fuels members in the past year alone. The new infrastructure supported by HBIIP grants will help meet this surging demand.
The feedstock side is equally strong. Soybean processors have invested over $6 billion to expand or build 20 crush plants in 10 states, according to analysis by S&P Global on behalf of NOPA. Those investments will support an additional 1.4 billion gallons of biofuel production by 2030. In 2024, U.S. producers used over a billion pounds of domestic soybean oil each month – a 15 percent increase since 2022. That strong demand added an estimated $1.10 of value to every bushel of soybeans grown.
The economic case is just as compelling. The U.S. biomass-based diesel industry currently supports 107,400 jobs and adds $42.4 billion to the U.S. economy, according to GlobalData. With expected growth, that impact could rise to 145,700 jobs and over $60 billion in economic activity. From farms and rendering facilities to processing plants and fuel terminals, this is American energy in action.
As 16 bipartisan U.S. Senators reminded EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in April, we’ve seen what happens when RVOs are set too low. Producers pull back. Markets decline. Communities suffer. We cannot afford another year of policy misalignment. With stakeholders united and the infrastructure investments in place, EPA must seize this moment to align policy with opportunity.
Clean Fuels and industry stakeholders are urging EPA to finalize a 5.25-billion-gallon BBD volume for 2026 and to raise that target to 5.75 billion gallons in 2027. These numbers aren’t ambitious, they’re realistic, and they reflect where the industry is today and where it’s going.
Clean fuels are America’s opportunity to lead in climate, commerce, and community. With smart policy, strategic investment. and continued collaboration, we can deliver cleaner air, stronger farms, and a more secure energy future.
Donnell Rehagen serves as the CEO for Clean Fuels Alliance America, the U.S. trade association representing the entire biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel supply chain, including producers, feedstock suppliers, and fuel distributors.
The march toward electrification is still moving forward, even if the momentum has slowed in recent months. One key reason the positive push remains is the devoted legion of EV owners. This group has taken the plunge to go electric and they’re going to keep buying EVs well into the future.
For the second year in a row, CDK – one of the largest software suppliers to car dealers and automakers – surveyed hundreds of EV owners to better understand their day-to-day lives with the technology and their attitudes toward it. Four out of five (82 percent) owners say they’ll buy another EV in the future, a significant number that suggests a solid future for EV sales.
Nevertheless, 69 percent of owners say they’ll “always” own a gas or hybrid car along with an EV. This suggests they believe there are specific limitations to the technology and are hedging their bets. However, this contradicts many of the study’s findings that illustrate just how much owners utilize their EVs in all driving scenarios as well as a passion for the vehicles themselves.
In the 2024 study, the love for EVs was off the charts. This year, the numbers across the board feel less enthusiastic even though they’re still quite high. For example, when asked if they were happy with their purchase, 93 percent of EV owners last year said yes. In 2025, the number fell to a still healthy 86 percent. Does this mean the glow is fading? Perhaps.
But one significant change made to the CDK study makeup may have indirectly altered the results. Last year, CDK ensured half of the respondents were Tesla owners, reflecting the market share at the time. This year, noting the inroads of traditional automakers in the EV space and Tesla’s diminishing market share, the Tesla owner makeup is closer to a quarter of the respondents.
And Tesla owners are more enthusiastic about their car than other EV owners. Take those two factors and you get a pretty solid explanation for the lower overall results for owner satisfaction. Still, 68 percent of non-Tesla owners said their EV was the best car they’d ever owned, and 65 percent said it was the best car they’d ever driven. Tesla owners in comparison ranked those at 75 percent and 71 percent, respectively. The survey took place between the 2024 presidential election and 2025 presidential inauguration, so Elon Musk’s political leanings were well publicized over this period.
Each year new EVs improve and evolve with most delivering well over 200 miles of range. Nearly every new EV sold in California (the country’s largest EV market) had more than 200 miles of range in 2024. Three-quarters (76 percent) of respondents in the CDK study said their EVs had 350 miles of range or more. And that number was negatively impacted compared to the year before because of the lower number of Tesla owners because Teslas generally have ranges higher than 250 miles.
Still, these higher numbers had a big impact on charging behavior. Extensive range meant less people charged every day, falling from 38 percent last year to 34 percent this year. And the number who charge every third day grew from 20 percent to 23 percent.
Less EV owners are installing Level 2 chargers in their homes as well, falling from 76 percent last year to 63 percent this year. Nearly half (46 percent) said it was a “hassle” to deal with a charger, up from 36 percent last year. Of those without a home charger, 82 percent said they charge at a public charging network. Only 9 percent of these owners said they charge at work.
Longer range and faster charging time is improving the road trip experience as well. Almost half (45 percent) of EV owners said they faced no problems on long-distance trips in terms of charging or reaching their destination. The most common issue – with nearly a quarter of Tesla and non-Tesla owners – was occupied charging stations and having to wait. And road trips are getting longer. The number of owners who took road trips 750 miles or more grew from 18 percent to 27 percent
The debate on future EV sales often centers around the current tax incentives for both new and used EVs, which are likely to disappear by year-end. While this may significantly impact sales, especially EV lease transactions, most EV owners said tax incentives had little impact on their overall decision to go electric.
Just 7 percent of owners said the tax incentive was the top motivator to purchase an EV. The main motivation was cost efficiency with environmental impact second. More than three-quarters (76 percent) of owners said they saved money by driving an EV.
The future sales success of EVs may be in doubt with shifting economic and political winds, but by listening to owners, it’s apparent there will be a steady base of future buyers. Increasing range, additional models entering the EV market, and more infrastructure investments (private and public) should bolster the technology’s success as well. The biggest question on everyone’s mind is: Just how quickly will EV market share grow?
David Thomas is Director of Content Marketing at CDK Global, a leading provider of cloud-based software to dealerships and original equipment manufacturers across automotive and related industries.
Neighborhood electric vehicles – NEVs for short – are a category of low-speed vehicle that first gained significant attention during the early years of California’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. Approved by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) for street use on roads with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less, these low-speed electric vehicles are positioned as meeting the needs of residents in planned communities, in downtowns and urban areas, on college and business campuses, and in other commercial and social settings. While federally approved, states and municipalities may also govern the use of NEVs with their own specific requirements. Interest in NEVs was high during the early ZEV years as several auto manufacturers hoped that lower-cost low-speed electric vehicles would help them meet the requirements of the state’s ZEV mandate at a manageable cost. That strategy didn’t come to pass, though NEVs continue to this day as they serve specific markets. Over two decades ago, Green Car Journal reported on the benefits of NEVs quantified by a pilot program in Southern California, where GEM electric vehicles – a brand then owned by DaimlerChrysler's Global Electric Motorcars and now by Waev Inc. – were used in place of residents’ conventional internal combustion vehicles over a two month period. To share this early insight on NEVs and their potential value in emissions reduction , we present this article just as it appeared in Green Car Journal’s December 2002 issue.
Excerpted from December 2002 Issue: Do neighborhood electric vehicles really save on emissions and energy use? That question has been the focus of an innovative pilot project that recently came to a close in the Southern California city of Chula Vista, near San Diego.
Here, 28 GEMs were placed with families at Heritage Village in Otay Ranch, one of the largest master-planned communities in the country. Otay Ranch incorporates a focus that integrates pedestrian and transit design with alternative modes of transportation. Neighborhood electric vehicles are a part of this focus.
The program was conducted by the nonprofit educational and research organization Green Car Institute, Mobility Lab, the City of Chula Vista, and DaimlerChrysler business unit Global Electric Motorcars. Its aim was to study how residents of master-planned communities travel within their neighborhoods, and whether short trips usually taken in automobiles could be replaced with zero-emission NEVs.
Over the course of 60 days, participants drove their GEMs daily and kept track of how they used these vehicles for work and play. Of particular interest in the data collection was how these vehicles offset the use of other modes of transportation.
And the results? Given a choice of travel modes for short trips, participants chose a NEV over their private cars 89 percent of the time. Study results also showed that NEV travel replaced walking 8 percent of the time and bicycling 3 percent of the time. Not surprisingly, participants in the study reported that while NEV travel was attractive for many purposes, no one was willing to replace their family sedan with one. Rather, the NEV was viewed as an added option when traveling short distances for routine trips.
“We’re very interested in these study results,” says Rick Kasper, president of Global Electric Motorcars, “because they document what we’ve seen during GEM's five years in the marketplace: that the NEV is a legitimate transportation tool, not just a novelty.” Kasper says the study results are important because they quantify the value of the GEM as a viable transportation and land use tool that can help shape the way cities and communities grow, by increasing individual mobility while decreasing traffic congestion and air pollution.
“The GEM vehicle can and does represent a practical travel option,” Kasper adds, “particularly when people take short trips of necessity, such as going to the store, picking up or dropping off kids at school, and going to work.”
The Otay Ranch study shows that of the trips taken in NEVs, some 49 percent were for purposes defined as “business” or “delivery,” meaning trips of necessity. Some 34 percent of the trips taken were classified as “leisure,” while 17 percent were designated “other.” Of the 28 families who participated in the test program, more than half plan to buy and regularly drive their test vehicles, a move that will further raise awareness of the GEM’s fun and functionality among the 7,000 households currently at Otay Ranch.
The Otay Ranch NEV program reinforces the development's goal of providing an environmentally sensitive and sustainable urban design, reducing traffic congestion and vehicle emissions, and showing the NEV’s practical use in a modern planned community. A key aim of the project was also to help the City of Chula Vista and the developers of Otay Ranch plan the community’s transportation infrastructure from the “inside out,” that is, from the user’s perspective, as opposed to the standard perspective coming from professional planners or traffic engineers.
Data generated from the Otay Ranch program, and the demonstration programs that are slated to follow it, will allow better understanding of the potential for neighborhood electric vehicles in American communities. This is especially important now when the market for NEVs is being questioned in some quarters and championed in others. Well-documented data will help answer the question.
GCJ editors note that use of neighborhood electric vehicles, which emit zero localized emissions, could have a dramatic effect on cold-start emissions in areas when large numbers of these vehicles are driven, in situations where low-speed vehicles are a good fit. Programs like this one in Chula Vista show on a small scale what could possibly be accomplished on a large scale, should communities embrace NEVs as an integral part of the transportation mix.
The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia, a midsize five-seat hybrid, is neither the largest nor the fanciest set of wheels in the automaker’s gas-electric stable. But it just might fit the bill for those who find the full-size Sequoia or midsize Grand Highlander hybrids too big or too pricey and the RAV4 and outgoing Venza hybrids too small or unpolished.
Signia is a tall, wagon-like version of the Crown sedan that debuted in 2023 . It shares most of its parts with that model but starts at almost $45,000, about $4,000 more than the base Crown sedan. There won’t be a turbocharged performance-oriented Signia version like the top-of-the-line Crown Platinum sedan, at least not for the 2025 model year. Toyota calls it an SUV, but we think the Crown Signia is more wagon-like albeit with a slightly raised stance. It’s pricier than most of its likeliest competitors but offers a roomy cabin, good looks, and great fuel efficiency in exchange.
With its standard electronic all-wheel drive, we expect the Crown Signia to compete against the slightly smaller Subaru Outback as well as various trim levels of other midsize SUVs, including the Kia Sorento and Honda Passport. It may be a bit pricier than those, but as a hybrid it also is a lot more fuel-efficient, which could make up for the price difference over time.
It isn’t terribly powerful, but we found the highly efficient Signia to be a comfortable, nicely equipped, mostly quiet, and quite competent daily driver and long-distance cruiser that’s up to most tasks you’d care to throw at it.
The base Crown Signia XLE starts at $45,040 including Toyota’s $1,450 destination fee. It uses the fourth generation of Toyota’s hybrid drive system, configured for electronic on-demand four-wheel drive. Standard equipment includes fabric and imitation-leather upholstery, heated and ventilated eight-way power-adjustable front seats, a heated leather steering wheel, leather shift knob, two-zone climate control, a heated and flat-folding 60/40-split rear seat, and a customizable 12.3-inch driver’s information screen. Also standard are 19-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights, running light, and taillights.
Inside, the dash is dominated by a pair of 12.3-inch screens like Kia and Hyundai EVs, except not under a single pane of glass. There’s a multi-configurable digital driver’s information screen to the left along with a digital touchscreen for the infotainment system that dominates the center of the upper dash. Among the model’s other standard electronics is a six-speaker audio system, wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and five USB ports. Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 package of safety and driver assist is also standard along with power-folding exterior mirrors with turn signal and blind spot warning lights, and a kick sensor (hands-free) power liftgate.
The Limited starts at $49,440 with destination fee and builds on the XLE with 21-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, driver’s seat memory settings, a digital rearview mirror, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a panoramic glass roof, and an 11-speaker JBL audio system. Unlike some new Toyotas, the Crown Signia won’t have a two-tone paint option among its five exterior color choices. Standard exterior colors are black and dark gray. The others – red, white, and bronze – are $425 options. The Crown Signia’s two interior color choices are tan and black.
For an additional $1,865, the Limited can be upgraded with an optional Advanced Technology Package that adds to the standard safety and driver assist systems with front cross-traffic alert, lane change assist, and front and rear parking assist with automatic braking. Traffic jam assist is included in the package with a subscription to Toyota’s Drive Connect suite of connected car services. Also included are a panoramic 360-degree camera system with overhead and curb views, and power-folding exterior side mirrors with puddle lights and automatic tilt-down when the transmission is shifted into reverse.
The Crown Signia gets the basic Toyota HEV all-wheel-drive system with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and two small electric motors, one for each axle. It isn’t intended to be a performance vehicle so suspension is tuned for comfort, making the Crown Signia more at home cruising on the open highway than being pushed on twisty roads. It is a fairly well-balanced vehicle, though and handles mountain roads with aplomb – and little bothersome body roll – until pushed to the limits of its all-season tires. There are three driver-selectable drive modes including Normal, Eco, and Sport, though there’s little difference in handling no matter the mode. Sport provides quicker throttle response while Eco slows it down and puts some limits on climate control system output to improve fuel efficiency.
The 240 horsepower hybrid system delivers 178 lb-ft torque from the gas engine with the electric motors providing additional torque – up to 134 lb-ft to the front wheels and 89 lb-ft to the rear. On-demand all-wheel drive is biased toward front-wheel drive, so the rear motor powers the rear wheels only when extra oomph or traction is needed. Among likely competitors, only the V-6 powered Honda Passport offers more horsepower.
The Signia powertrain provides okay, but not outstanding, grunt for passing and climbing hills and can manage a Toyota-estimated 0-60 mph sprint time of 7.1 seconds on flat ground. That’s almost half a second quicker than Toyota claims for the sedan with the same powertrain and may just reflect a real-world adjustment since some testers have timed the sedan at 7.2 seconds.
We were able to experience a Crown Signia Limited on a recent jaunt that combined freeways, country roads. and some steep mountain twisties. Along the way we found it to be quiet and comfortable for the most part, though it can get a bit loud inside when the gas engine has to work hard at peak demand and a buzzy whine permeates the otherwise hushed cabin. We missed the adaptive suspension that is standard in the Crown sedan’s Platinum trim, but overall found the ride quality to be good except over badly potholed asphalt. Braking is nicely linear without the mushiness sometimes felt in hybrids. Steering is responsive but could be a little quicker and, as with many electrically assisted setups, doesn’t relay a ton of road info to the driver.
In our 235 mile Southern California drive we achieved an overall 36 mpg in a Signia Limited without babying the throttle. Official EPA estimates for the model come in at 39 city/37 highway mpg, or 38 mpg combined.
Competitively, the Crown Signia’s fuel efficiency looks to be near the top of the class, trailing only the 2024 Toyota Venza’s 39 mpg combined rating. The all-wheel drive Kia Sorento hybrid is rated at 34 mpg combined, the Subaru Outback at 29 mpg combined, and the Honda Passport gets just 21 mpg combined. The Honda and Subaru are not available as hybrids.
The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia’s cabin mirrors that of the Crown sedan, although the SUV’s 60/40-split rear seats are more bench-like than the sedan’s back seat. Overall, the Crown Signia offers a more upscale version of the standard Toyota interior, bordering on Lexus-like. It is roomy, comfortable, and quiet except when the 2.5-liter gas engine is winding up.
Crown Signia is as much as five inches longer than its likely competitors and has a longer wheelbase, which tends to soften the ride and create more interior space. But it is also lower and narrower than its competitors, negating the spatial benefits of the longer wheelbase. While fairly roomy in the second row, the Signia has the least rear head and legroom of the competitive set. Up front, it beats both the Honda Passport and Kia Sorento in front legroom but trails the segment-leading Subaru Outback. It also has the least front headroom of the pack. All of those measurements except rear legroom, though, are within 1.5 inches from model to model.
Out back, the cargo floor measures a full 6.5 feet in length when the rear seatbacks are folded flat. With the seats up, total cargo bay capacity is 25.8 cubic feet. Drop the rear seats and that swells to 68.6 cubic feet. Either way, it is the least cargo capacity among competitors. The Signia is also rated to tow up to 2,700 pounds – think small utility trailer. But that, too, is less than most of its all-wheel-drive competitors provide. The Honda Passport is top of class at up to 5,000 pounds, the all-wheel-drive Sorento hybrid is rated at up to 4,500 pounds, and the Subaru Outback is rated at 2,700 to 3,500 pounds.
Bottom line: The new 2025 Toyota Crown Signia hybrid SUV should appeal to drivers who prefer wagon- or crossover-like functionality wrapped in a stylish, upscale and fuel-efficient package.
This was originally published on thegreencarguy.com. Author John O'Dell is a distinguished career journalist and has a been an automotive writer, editor, and analyst specializing in alternative vehicles and fuels for over two decades.
Let’s face it, even though the stakes are quite often very high, environmental rule making is rarely dramatic. Rules generally move at a glacial pace through extensive review processes at both the state and federal levels. That is why the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) decision on January 13, 2025, to drop its pursuit of a federal approval for its Advanced Clean Fleet’s (ACF) rule stunned the state and nation!
Adopted on April 28, 2023, the ACF would have required approximately 532,000 of the estimated 1.8 million trucks operating in California to reach zero emission between 2024 and 2045. The rule represented a sea change for the trucking industry, introducing new technologies and fuels. For the long-suffering environmental justice communities, it represented a vital chance to reduce the double threats of unhealthy air and future climate change that result from truck tailpipe emissions.
However, the Trump administration had loudly vowed to kill this rule, largely based on significant opposition from the trucking industry and other states, from Trump’s own fossil fuel agenda, and from a fundamental objection to California setting its own vehicle emissions standards. Many who followed the rule believed that California would go to the courts to defend the ACF as a cornerstone of the state’s environmental justice, air quality, and climate policies. But it was not to be and the ACF died with a whimper and without the expected legal knife fight.
In its statement explaining the sudden shift, CARB Chair Liane Randolph said, "The withdrawal is an important step given the uncertainty presented by the incoming administration that previously attacked California's programs to protect public health and the climate and has said will continue to oppose those programs." However, many of those closest to the rule believe that this was just a smoke screen to cover California’s retreat from what they describe as a fatally flawed regulation reliant on unworkable and immature technologies.
During the lead up to the ACFs adoption in April 2023, CARB was deluged with comments from the trucking industry, environmental activists, local, state and federal agencies, and nongovernmental and special interest groups including local chambers of commerce and the powerful Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA). To its credit, CARB tried to provide access to its rule making process to as many stakeholders as possible. But with so much noise coming from every corner, the agency largely stuck with its own council.
This is not unusual, and many of us who have worked with CARB believe that the input process is largely performative – a box is checked and they move on. In their defense, CARB has had extraordinary successes operating like this. Take for example California’s passenger electric vehicle (EV) rule making, its cap-and-trade program, and the large reductions of harmful diesel emissions its rules have achieved at California’s container ports. So, while the trucking industry was animatedly pointing out that there was no electric power or hydrogen infrastructure capable of fueling their fleets, they were largely being ignored.
CARB was also ignoring significant concerns being voiced by California’s Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs), possibly viewing their input as foot dragging. In written comments on the ACF on October 17, 2022, PG&E noted “as the provider of electricity for approximately two in five Californians, CARB should include additional flexibility to the Infrastructure Delay Exemption given that many of the eligible reasons for delay, including interconnection delays, are likely to take longer than one year.” And PG&E gave an excellent reason for this since the utility wasn’t planning to have the infrastructure built out to fully accommodate truck charging for almost another decade. In their own words:
“In the long-term, PG&E will address 90 percent of the capacity constraints currently anticipated on our system for the next decade by 2032 through our integrated grid planning effort and will continue working to address all capacity constraints on the grid thereafter. In the near term there will likely be longer interconnection timelines to support the substantial distribution upgrades necessary to energize fleet customers’ projects.”
On top of these grid issues, PG&E also cited supply chain shortages, permitting, and environmental remediation as being problems that would seriously delay truck charging site energization.
However, instead of pulling back, CARB chose to rely on promises made by two other state agencies, the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to forge ahead. At an October 27, 2022, hearing, CARB received assurances from both the CEC and CPUC that grid and hydrogen infrastructure would be ready to handle the additional fueling that the ACF required. CEC testified that its work with the CPUC, IOUs, and California’s Independent Systems Operator (CASIO) would ensure there was enough electricity for truck charging. CEC further stated it would ensure hydrogen fuel production and dispensing infrastructure would be there also.
The CPUC testified that it had been working on site energization issues (getting power from the grid to the trucks) and that – because of California Assembly Bill 841 – it now required IOUs to pass the costs of energizing truck parking sites “before the meter” to rate payers.This meant that truckers would not have to pay the significant costs of getting power lines to their parking sites directly. Also, the CPUC established a 125-day average connection time requirement for IOUs to bring that power to the truck parking sites – so problems solved! (What the CPUC didn’t mention was the fine print on energization. but more on that later). And so, ignoring industry and IOU concerns in favor of the state agency echo chamber, CARB adopted the ACF on April 28, 2023.
Almost immediately, the California Trucking Association sued, then WSPA, then 17 states led by Nebraska, and then others until there were at least six lawsuits against the ACF in state and federal courts. Some alleged procedural violations by CARB as part of the rule making process, but others, perhaps most significantly, challenged California’s right to set the emissions standards for trucks in the first place.
Historically, because California’s air pollution problems are so severe, it has been allowed to set its own stricter emissions standards for motor vehicles by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is done through what is known as the preemption waiver process. Essentially, motor vehicles – or in this case truck emissions standards – adopted in California must be approved by EPA. The lawsuit from Nebraska and the other states objected to CARB proceeding forward with ACF implementation prior to EPA’s review and approval of the emissions waiver request.
Faced with the lawsuits and without EPA approval, ACF implementation stalled in early 2024, with CARB rolling back multiple rule requirements including compulsory Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) truck purchases.
While the lawyers battled it out in court and CARB scrambled to roll back the rule, on the ground the implementation issues were insurmountable for many heavy-duty fleets.
When looking for the trucks that would meet CARB mandate, truckers were initially stunned by sticker shock. The trucks available were double (in the case of battery electric) and triple (in the case of hydrogen) the cost of conventional vehicles. Truck suppliers tried to entice purchases by touting supposed operational savings with both technologies relative to the maintenance and fueling cost of conventional diesel trucks. However, that initial cost, on top of the lack of availability of electric charging and hydrogen infrastructure, was too great a barrier for most to overcome. This caused a spike in diesel truck purchases by California drayage (port) fleets in 2023 before the rule deadline – the exact opposite effect that the ACF was intended to have. For those who bought the electric or hydrogen trucks, or those lucky enough to secure grant funding to help defray their costs, the waiting time to get power to their truck parking facilities was frequently quoted in years by the IOUs or the hydrogen infrastructure was simply unavailable. This left those assets stranded and grant monies unused.
Looking at the fine print on the CPUC’s requirements, it turns out the IOUs had multiple options to stop the clock on supplying power, including if a power request was over two megawatts. This meant that – depending on how the trucks were charged – fleets with as few as four to six Class 8 trucks were out of luck. This struggle was reported on in detail by Canary Media in September 2024 by Jeff St. John. His excellent piece details efforts by the California legislature to address the truck charging issue with the IOUs, the years-long wait for power in many areas, and the mounting incredulity with ACF requirements. However, in November 2024, Donald Trump was reelected, sounding the death knell of the ACF and perhaps sparing California and CARB’s blushes.
At the start of this article, we rightly praised CARB for the work that led to their significant successes in improving health outcomes and their programs to protect global climate for Californians. However, they have also been responsible for more than a few calamitous outcomes including the use of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline, the failure of California’s first EV mandate, the various scrambles around the implementation of the original truck, bus, and car rules, and now the ACF debacle.
While regulatory setbacks are to be expected when pushing the technological envelope, in this charged political and economic environment CARB simply must take more care to ensure that the rules it adopts will stick. This may mean being more conservative in the short term and making smaller and better understood technological leaps with willing partners. For example, there were some notable successes in ACF implementation. Companies like FEDEX and Amazon deployed significant numbers of electric trucks. However, these companies had duty cycles that suited those solutions, corporate commitments to greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets, available power at warehouse locations, and over a decade of advanced planning to ensure smooth integration of those ZEVs.
Ultimately, small steps forward are still progress. Large defeats like the ACF, especially where the technology is arguably unworkable, significantly undermine the credibility of the environmental movement. This fuels critics’ attacks on rule making and makes progress harder to achieve. It also serves to discourage allies in industry from doing the right thing and frustrates impacted communities who are relying on these types of rules to ensure better health outcomes.
So how can CARB avoid this in the future? It needs to fundamentally change how it takes and values input – no more checking boxes! This will mean exiting the state echo chamber and coming to a real understanding of the industries it is trying to regulate, the technologies that are available to help, and the expectations of the communities it is seeking to serve.
About the Author: Damian Breen is the founder of Environmental Communication Strategies and former Deputy Executive Officer of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. He has worked at the crossroads of the environment, people, business, and future technology for over 29 years. For more information on this article, contact Damian at damian@ecs-ca.com.
An all-new generation Nissan LEAF is coming, morphing into a crossover electric vehicle that better fits the needs of today’s market. This new move by Nissan signals the rebirth of an iconic EV model that once pushed the boundaries of electrification as California was imposing its Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate on an unprepared auto industry. There was no shortage of EV concepts and prototypes during this time, and of course GM fielded its relatively short-lived, limited-production EV1 electric car. But it was Nissan that caught everyone’s attention with its LEAF prototype and then the unveiling of the production model that Green Car Journal viewed in Japan. Following that, the 2010 model Nissan LEAF emerged as a stylish electric car that embodied Nissan’s view of the future. This article pulled from Green Car Journal’s extensive archives is presented just as it ran 16 years ago to share just what a breakthrough this early EV was for enthusiasts and the auto industry.
Excerpted from Fall 2009 issue: The Nissan LEAF electric car coming to showrooms in 2010 promises a new chapter in battery electric driving that got a good start in the 1990s, but was dramatically sidetracked by serious political squabbling and economic realities. What we have here is an electric car being brought to market driven by business case rather than regulatory fiat, and the difference in approach means everything.
Here’s a major automaker not only ready to bring a new from-the-ground-up electric car to U.S. highways, but also apparently quite eager to do so. It has created a stylish and sporty car to wrap around intelligent electronics, a smart battery design, and an overall driving experience that will be appreciated by wide-ranging new car buyers … not just electric car enthusiasts. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First, there’s a story to tell.
Nissan has always been somewhat of a wild card amid its Japanese competitors in the U.S. market, primarily Honda and Toyota. Toyota is a juggernaut with the leading eco-vehicle on the market – the Prius – plus lots of Toyota and Lexus hybrid models and sheer numbers in its favor. Being large has its advantages. Honda is innovative and agile, with an environmental focus that runs deep and a willingness to embrace imperatives like fuel economy, alternative fuels, and low emissions long before they’re in vogue.
And Nissan? Well, the automaker has never been considered a front-runner in the environmental arena. It has but a single gasoline-electric hybrid in the U.S. and this model, the Altima Hybrid, was late in coming … an interesting turn of events since Nissan has been developing hybrid technology for quite some time. Simply, Nissan’s leadership didn’t see the business case for hybrids early on, although this was remedied when it became apparent that a hybrid model was pretty much a necessity.
As a result, it has been easy to appreciate Nissan for its many exceptional models and the overall quality of its products. But is has been just as easy for some to discount Nissan as a serious contender in the ‘green car’ field. That assessment would be a mistake.
Nissan’s Altima Hybrid deserves more attention than it gets. It’s true to the brand: stylish, sporty, and offers snappy performance. Car enthusiasts who drive competitive mid-level hybrids and don’t feel a connection should drive an Altima Hybrid before moving on. It can be surprising.
Over the years, Nissan has tested M85 methanol flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) on American highways, introduced several E85 ethanol FFVs to its product lineup, and showcased many electric and hydrogen concepts and demonstrators. While many automakers get well-deserved kudos for offering models powered by near-zero emission gasoline engines, it was Nissan that first introduced this groundbreaking technology in its 2000 model Sentra CA sedan. Nissan was also the only major automaker to feature forward-looking lithium-ion battery technology in its Altra EV minivan that was test marketed in the 1990s. All other automakers’ electric cars of the era used nickel-metal-hydride or advanced lead-acid batteries.
This willingness to step out and get ahead of the curve brings us to an interesting new phase in Nissan’s ‘green’ evolution – its coming LEAF battery electric car. At a time when the number of gasoline-electric hybrid models is growing and plug-in hybrids are of increasing focus, Nissan is aiming to be the electric car leader by introducing an all-new model that’s not only technologically advanced, but affordable for the masses as well. That’s something that nobody has been able to pull off.
One of the secrets of this affordability is Nissan’s potential strategy to decouple battery cost from the price of the vehicle. While this isn’t yet a sure thing and various scenarios are being examined, the fundamental plan being explored is that the most cost prohibitive part of an electric car -- expensive lithium-ion batteries – is removed from the equation. You buy the car but separately lease the batteries at a monthly cost that’s presumably less than you would pay for gas. So, you get an advanced electric car that operates at pennies per mile, uses no fossil fuels, or produces any emissions that contribute to air pollution and, presumably, climate change. And it doesn’t cost you any more to own and operate than a comparable gasoline model.
Green Car Journal traveled to Yokohama, Japan to drive a Nissan Versa (known as the Tilda there) outfitted with the LEAF’s advanced electric powertrain, and we sure didn’t come away disappointed. To place this in context, Green Car Journal editors have driven all the electric vehicle models that were test marketed by the major automakers in the 1990s, spent a year behind the wheel of GM’s EV1, and also drove many developmental electric vehicles on test tracks over the past two decades. It takes a lot to impress us. And we are, we must admit, impressed.
Our time behind the wheel of this electrified Nissan test mule left a strong impression that Nissan really has something here. The drive was sporty and largely indistinguishable from driving a conventional gasoline model. That’s a good thing, since any time you can drive an advanced vehicle running on unconventional power and it seems normal, well … mission accomplished. Acceleration was brisk because, after all, its 107 hp (80kW) electric motor delivers 100 percent of its 206 lb-ft torque from zero mph. Steering feel, handling, and braking were spot on. Nothing seems to have been sacrificed on the road to a zero emission future.
There are some givens when driving any electric car, and time piloting this Nissan example presented no exception. There’s the unmistakable lack of all noise associated with internal combustion, with the absence of these familiar cues replaced with the sound of tires contacting the pavement and wind rushing past the windshield. It gets your attention at first, but take it from a long-time electric car driver – it fades away after a short time and becomes the new ‘normal.’
Besides the seamless way in which this electric Nissan performed during our test drive, what’s most impressive about Nissan’s new electric car program is its innovative use of multiple stacks of laminated compact battery modules integrated beneath the floor. These lithium-ion batteries can be readily configured in ways that accommodate the needs of different vehicle platforms. Yes, we’re thinking future models beyond Nissan’s purpose-built LEAF electric hatch. In the LEAF, Nissan says these batteries provide a real-world 100 mile driving range. More modules could conceivably provide that same kind of range in a larger sedan or crossover.
Also impressive is Nissan’s innovative use of sophisticated electronics that integrates with popular electronic devices. The LEAF’s advanced IT system connects to a 24 hour global data center that provides information, entertainment, and driver support. A monitor displays available charging stations and a ‘reachable area’ based on remaining power. Cellphones can be used to set charging times, communicate with the vehicle to determine when charging is done, and even remotely set the air conditioner to pre-cool the interior before getting in to drive.
Nissan’s coming electric LEAF, with its pleasing design that blends sharp and curvaceous lines and a suite of far-reaching advanced technologies, represents a brilliant addition to the Nissan product line. It reflects an intuitive knowledge of what consumers want and a willingness to lead … really lead. And it also shows that Nissan has its finger on the pulse of the market.
Sure, it’s a risk to go so boldly into the electric realm, designing an innovative and cutting-edge compact car based solely on electric drive. Considering the competitive nature of the automotive field and the pace at which Nissan is shepherding this electric model to market, it’s a logical gamble that could pay off in a very big way. The electric LEAF may well be the vehicle that moves Nissan beyond the considerable environmental shadow cast by competitors Toyota and Honda, presenting the kind of leapfrog opportunity that comes rarely and offers a finite window. No doubt, Nissan's leadership is hoping this is so and appears poised to make that leap.
The midsize Honda Prologue EV gets a new and more powerful and efficient front motor and upgraded power inverters for 2025 to boost range and horsepower in both front- and all-wheel drive versions. Despite the power and range boosts there’s only a slight price increase – $55 – due to a hike in Honda’s mandatory delivery and destination fee. There are no design or feature updates for the new model year.
Honda engineers had hoped to be able to boast of a 300-mile range estimate when the Prologue debuted as a 2024 model, but they weren’t in complete control because the EV was co-developed with General Motors and uses a GM platform and battery shared with the Chevrolet Blazer EV. The official EPA range estimate for the single-motor, front-drive version missed the desired mark by a scant 4 miles.
For the 2025 model, though, new power inverters and front motors enabled a bump to 308 miles for the front-drive Prologue, an increase of 12 miles. Range for dual motor all-wheel drive versions rises to 294 miles, up 13, for the EX and Touring trims, and to 283 miles, up 10, for the Elite.
The hardware boosts power output for front-drive models to 220 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque, up from 212 ponies and 236 lb-ft. For all-wheel drive models, output increases to 300 hp and 335 lb-ft, up 12 and 25, respectively.
Because the basic vehicle doesn’t change, the Prologue retains a CCS charging port for 2025, meaning that on road trips its default fast charging is at non-Tesla stations. It will require an adapter to hook up to a Tesla Supercharger once Tesla adds Honda EVs to its list of approved Supercharger users this spring.
On non-Tesla DC fast charges, the Prologue can take on juice up to a maximum of 150 kW per hour. Its 85 kWh battery needs about 35 minutes to recharge from 80 percent depleted to 80 percent full. For 240-volt Level 2 home charging, the Prologue has an 11.5 kW (maximum) on-board charger, good for overnight replenishment of a fully depleted battery.
For as long as the federal clean vehicles tax credit remains available, all versions of the 2025 Prologue qualify for the full $7,500 credit and this can be applied at the dealership as an immediate discount if a buyer meets federal eligibility requirements. Those who lease will see the credit applied as a buy-down, resulting in reduced monthly payments.
Before any federal, state, or local incentives, pricing for the 2025 Prologue starts with the base front-drive EX at $48,850 including Honda’s $1,450 destination fee (up from $1,395 for 2024). All-wheel drive adds $3,000 for a pre-incentive price of $51,850.
Standard equipment for the EX includes 19-inch aluminum alloys, power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a Google built-in operating system. All Prologue EV trims also get the Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety and driver assistance technologies, including Honda’s first applications of automated rear cross traffic emergency braking, rear pedestrian alert, and blind zone steering assist. Other features include front collision and road departure mitigation, lane departure warning and lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. Like all Prologue trim levels, the base model comes in Mercury Silver Metallic with other exterior color choices available at a $455 upcharge.
Including delivery fee, the mid-level Touring trim jumps to $53,150 with front-drive and $56,150 with dual motor all-wheel drive. It adds to the base standard features package with a 12-speaker Bose premium sound system, leather upholstery, a driver seat memory system, auto dimming rear view mirror, panoramic sunroof, hands-free powered tailgate, and front and rear parking assist. At the top of the Prologue lineup, the Elite is available only with all-wheel drive and starts at $59,350 including destination. It adds to the Touring’s standard equipment with a number of upscale features including 21-inch wheels, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a Sport driving mode, and a color head-up display.
Honda is carrying over its charging bonus for 2025. Prologue buyers get 60 kWh of free public charging at Electrify America stations. Plus, buyers can opt for an additional valuable charging incentive.
Those choices include an additional $750 public charging credit, or alternatively, an 11.5-kilowatt Level 2 home charging station, a $500 installation credit, and a $100 public charging credit through Honda Home Electrification (HHE). The third option is a 7.6 kW portable Level 2 charging kit, a $250 installation credit (in case a new circuit is needed for the portable unit), and a $300 public charging credit, also via HHE.
This was originally published on thegreencarguy.com. Author John O'Dell is a distinguished career journalist and has a been an automotive writer, editor, and analyst specializing in alternative vehicles and fuels for over two decades.