More people around the world recognize Arnold Schwarzenegger as the ‘Terminator’ rather than California’s 38th governor, a high-profile role he filled from 2003 to 2011. A prolific actor and world-class bodybuilder who achieved the titles ‘Mr. Universe’ and ‘Mr. Olympia’ many times over, Schwarzenegger was nominated for the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. Clearly, public service agreed with him. When the Republican ‘Governator’ successfully ran for office in a recall election against then-Governor Gray Davis in 2003, his chances for turning around a state in financial turmoil were widely debated. What occurred during his tenure was strong leadership and a surprising knack for championing both business and the environment. This interview 18 years ago by Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan shares former Governor Schwarzenegger’s strong views on hydrogen, electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and the need to mitigate air pollution and carbon emissions.
This article shares a 2006 interview of Governor Schwarzenegger by editor/publisher Ron Cogan and is presented as it originally ran in Green Car Journal’s Spring 2006 issue.
Ron Cogan: Air pollution has represented one of California’s epic challenges. How would you say the state’s air quality is doing today?
Gov. Schwarzenegger: “California has made great strides to improve air quality in the past 20 years. There are far fewer Stage One smog alerts, for example, than there were just five or 10 years ago. But so much more remains to be done. That’s why in my Action Plan for California’s Environment, I pledged to reduce air pollution by 50 percent by the end of this decade, and we’ve worked hard to achieve that goal. In my first year in office, we put $140 million a year of permanent funding into the Carl Moyer program and more money into the Breathe Easier campaign, two programs that take the most polluting cars, trucks, and buses off the road and put clean, alternative fuel vehicles in their place. We’ve also put state government on an ‘energy diet’ with my Green Buildings Initiative because electricity generation is another source of air pollution. And in my Strategic Growth Plan, I made air quality a component of our state infrastructure – right up there with roads, mass transit, water projects, and schools.”
RC: Your most high-profile vision for California’s transportation future involves hydrogen. Why this fuel?
Schwarzenegger: “Hydrogen is fantastic because the only emission from the tailpipe is water. It is also a fuel that we can produce in California, instead of relying on oil from foreign countries. In fact, we can make hydrogen from solar power and water; we can make it from biomass that comes from our farms; we can make it from waste materials. It’s the best hope we have to make California and the United States energy independent and end our oil addiction.”
RC: Have you gained the support you were expecting for this hydrogen effort from auto and energy companies?
Schwarzenegger: “Absolutely. They are my partners in the Hydrogen Highway Network and we couldn’t do it without the car companies, the energy companies, the environmental groups, our amazing California universities, and my team at CalEPA. As I always say, we get much more done when we all work together.”
RC: What about political support?
Schwarzenegger: “That’s been fantastic too. The members of the Legislature are my partners and the Hydrogen Highway is a great example of how we can get great things done for the people of California when we work together. And may I add, that we have all enjoyed driving the hydrogen cars that are being demonstrated throughout the state right now.”
RC: How much do you expect a hydrogen fueling infrastructure to cost the state?
Schwarzenegger: “Thanks to the 200 partners who helped us draft the blueprint for the Hydrogen Highway Network, the state is actually investing a very small amount compared to the terrific investments being made by energy companies, automakers, local air districts, the federal government, and many other partners.”
RC: What financial impact would you expect hydrogen vehicles, and the supporting industries surrounding a growing hydrogen vehicle fleet, to have on the state?
Schwarzenegger: “California is already the center of the hydrogen technology revolution. Just like Silicon Valley is to computers, we will see more and more hydrogen businesses starting up or expanding in our state and that’s great for our economy.”
RC: Other states are also striving for hydrogen leadership. How can California stay ahead and attract hydrogen-related business?
Schwarzenegger: “By continuing our partnerships and implementing the vision of the Hydrogen Highway. That’s what was missing from the efforts in every state. No one wanted to build fueling stations without vehicles; and no one wanted to mass produce hydrogen vehicles without a network of fueling stations. We’ve solved that problem and that’s why everyone is coming to California to start the hydrogen economy.”
RC: We’ve heard before that California’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate had a direct influence on development of Partial Zero Emission Vehicles and on hybrids. Do you see a value in mandates like this?
Schwarzenegger: “Each advance stands on the shoulders of what came before. Hydrogen vehicles will benefit from battery electric car technology and so many other innovations that started right here in California.”
RC: How important are extremely low emission hybrids to our transportation mix?
Schwarzenegger: “Very important. When I visited Japan, Prime Minister Koizumi and I talked about how he was ‘greening’ the government fleet there, both to clean up air pollution and to get more out of limited fuel supplies. We’re doing the same thing here, which is why I launched the ‘Flex Your Power at the Pump’ campaign to educate drivers about how to save as much as 15% of their fuel, which saves money and spares the air.”
RC: What about other alternative fuels like ethanol and natural gas?
Schwarzenegger: “These fuels are important too, because we must end our addiction to oil and while hydrogen vehicles are not yet affordable for everyone, right now you can go out and buy flex fuel vehicles or vehicles that run on natural gas and biofuels.”
RC: You’ve called for substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. What kind of changes will be required for motor vehicles to contribute their share to these reductions?
Schwarzenegger: “We know that vehicles contribute as much as 50 percent of the greenhouse gases, so they will have to make big reductions. That’s why I’ve said all along that I support California’s landmark greenhouse gas reduction law (AB 1493 Pavley) and will defend it in court from the challenges that we know are coming.”
RC: How do you stand on cleaning up school buses?
Schwarzenegger: “My budget each year has provided money to scrap the dirtiest, oldest buses and replace them with cleaner vehicles. I’ve seen the studies that show how bad the air quality is inside those old buses and we must protect our children.”
RC: How important is it to focus on non-road vehicles and other sources to address air pollution?
Schwarzenegger: “Of course, that’s important too. That’s why I appointed Bob Sawyer as Chair of the California Air Resources Board, because he’s the leading scientist on these matters and I know that with our other Board members and the great staff at CARB, we will win the battle against air pollution, no matter what the source.”
RC: California uses an enormous amount of gasoline and diesel fuel. How can the state decrease its vulnerability to price spikes and possible motor fuel shortages?
Schwarzenegger: “We need to expand the use of biodiesel in California and get more of our trucks and buses running on natural gas and other cleaner fuels. Of course, if we reduce our demand for gasoline that also allows refineries to produce more diesel, which reduces the potential for shortages. But the key thing is to move away from petroleum and towards hydrogen and other clean fuels.”
RC: If there was one thing you could do to improve air quality or energy diversity during your time as Governor, what would it be?
Schwarzenegger: “I’d say the key thing is to make sure every Californian understands that each of us is responsible to solve these problems of air pollution and oil addiction. Each of us can walk more or ride a bike, take a bus, drive a fuel-efficient car, promote energy efficiency in the workplace, and take other measures to improve air quality and reduce our dependence on oil. And of course, as soon as hydrogen cars are in the showrooms – within the next few years – I hope everyone will buy them and start driving on California’s Hydrogen Highway!”
It’s the 1990s and you’re looking to drive something different. Imagine piloting a car that was as technologically advanced as a Lamborghini Diablo was fast, and more exclusive in numbers than that decade’s Ferrari F40. Now picture it with a GM emblem on its hood. In your mind’s eye, you’re behind the wheel of the legendary EV1, the first mass produced electric car of our modern age.
This is the car that started it all. While many automakers pursued electric vehicle development programs in the 1990s, it was GM’s Impact concept car, and then the production EV1 that followed, that literally set the modern EV field in motion.
GM turned to efficiencies-focused AeroVironment in California to develop an advanced electric vehicle unlike any other. When it debuted this car, the Impact prototype, at the 1990 LA Auto Show, the mission was to generate excitement. And that it did, courtesy of the Impact’s show-stopping teardrop-shaped plastic body, aluminum spaceframe, and a revolutionary electric propulsion system created by AeroVironment engineer and EV pioneer Alan Cocconi.
The electric EV1, based on the Impact concept but highly refined beneath the skin, emerged at Saturn dealers six years later. The EV1 was special, it was silent, and it was fast. Without the engine braking effect of a gas engine and with its regenerative braking setting adjusted accordingly, after lifting off the throttle it seemed to coast forever in a relatively friction-free state. Overall, it was seductive to drive, and if your mind wandered you could imagine piloting the era’s F-14 Tomcat on the street… and that doesn’t happen every day. We know, because we spent a year driving an EV1 on the roads and highways of California, one of the select areas where the EV1 was available.
The EV1 came to market with a slew of all-new technologies that are common today, from low rolling resistance tires to regenerative braking and keyless ignition. Accelerating from 0 to 60 mph took about eight seconds. The Gen 1 model had an estimated 50 to 95 mile driving range on its advanced lead-acid batteries.
Later, GM introduced Gen 2 EV1s with more advanced and power dense nickel-metal-hydride batteries that enabled an EV1 to travele an estimated 75 to 140 miles. Energizing both Gen 1 and Gen 2 batteries was handled with a unique charging paddle that transferred electrical energy via magnetic induction, without a hard connection between the paddle and car.
During its short lifetime, only 1,117 EV1s were built and these were leased only, with no purchase available. Leasing was a nod to GM’s need to maintain ultimate ownership over highly advanced and extremely expensive-to-produce vehicles, using all-new technology, that were being fielded in a limited way to feel out the market. Initially offered at a lease cost of $640 per month with financial incentives that brought this down to $480, the EV1’s lease terms evolved over time to be as low as $349.
Ultimately, this chapter of GM’s continuing electric vehicle story ended abruptly. The program was discontinued in 2002 and all EV1s were required to be returned at their end-of-lease, either making their way to the crusher or donated as inoperable examples to museums and other institutions, never to be seen on the highway again.
There’s no doubt that plug-in hybrids loom large on the minds of drivers today. One might assume this is a recent phenomenon given the constant media attention today. But really, this has been an ongoing area of interest for quite some time. In fact, some 17 years ago, Green Car Journal technical editor Bill Siuru penned a feature offering an overview of this interest. This article from our archives is worth sharing today since it not only indicates the reasons why plugging in is such a positive thing, but considering the interest at the time, it also illustrates the surprisingly long time it has taken to reach where we are today. Other revelations are included here, like the potential for vehicle batteries to be used for V2G (vehicle-to-grid) and V2H (vehicle-to-home) energy, and of course Volvo’s growing commitment to its electrified future. Here, we present this article from Green Car Journal’s fall 2007 issue.
Excerpted from Fall 2007 Issue: The tremendous interest in plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) is driven by many things, from a desire for greater fuel efficiency to decreasing emissions, achieving long-term reductions in fuel cost, and promoting energy diversity so we’re much less dependent on imported oil. Each of these is important to our future. Together, they make a compelling case for the PHEV that bears further exploration.
Plug-in hybrids could provide most of the environmental and fossil fuel-savings benefits long promised by battery electric vehicles (BEVs), but not yet delivered. Also called grid-connected hybrids, PHEVs overcome the biggest challenge of BEVs – insufficient range. With all-electric range of up to 60 miles, under most driving scenarios a PHEV can be a true zero-emission vehicle (ZEV), just like a BEV. In reality, however, plug-in hybrids offer much more since gasoline-electric hybrid power is ready to take over from all-electric drive once battery energy is depleted.
Initially, aftermarket suppliers like EnergyCS in California and Hymotion in Canada developed PHEV retrofit kits for popular hybrids like the Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid, and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. These have been quite expensive and aimed exclusively at fleets because of cost. Major automakers have now joined in. General Motors’ much-publicized Chevy Volt will be a PHEV with an all-electric range of 40 miles. According to GM, 75 percent of all commuters drive 40 miles or less to and from work. A plug-in Saturn Vue hybrid, in the works and possibly available in advance of the Volt, could double the fuel economy of any current SUV and provide some 10 miles of electric-only propulsion. Toyota, Nissan, Ford, and several other manufacturers have PHEVs in the works, as well.
While most hybrid cars, SUVs, light trucks, and PHEVs unveiled to date are parallel hybrids, several have followed a different approach with a series hybrid configuration. One of the latest is the Volvo ReCharge Concept. The ReCharge series hybrid uses an internal combustion engine solely to drive a generator for producing electricity that powers the vehicle’s electric motors. Essentially, the ReCharge is a battery electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine for range extension. This drive configuration allows the 1.6-liter, four-cylinder Volvo Flexifuel engine to operate in its optimum rpm range for best fuel economy and minimum emissions. An added advantage when not directly connecting an internal combustion engine to the wheels is much more design flexibility.
In this instance, the ReCharge uses four individually controlled electric drive motors for all-wheel drive. Individual wheel motors also allow optimum weight distribution and maximizing both traction and mechanical efficiency. Since a transmission is no longer needed, mechanical gear friction is reduced substantially. The ReCharge can run on battery power alone for just over 60 miles and also operate its engine on biofuels like E85 ethanol, all the while retaining the sporty performance of the Volvo C30 sport coupe on which it is based. For a 93 mile (150 km) drive starting with a full charge via an ordinary electric outlet, it will use less than three-quarters of a gallon of fuel, which equates to almost 125 mpg. A driver would rarely need to fill up the tank if driven less than 60 miles daily.
PHEVs offer us more than just emissions reduction and increased efficiencies. They also have the unique ability to supply large amounts of electrical power for uses other than just propulsion. This feature is being exploited in the plug-in hybrid Trouble Truck Project by a consortium consisting of the Electric Power Research Institute, Eaton, Ford Motor Co., and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District. Trouble trucks, used by utility repair crews, are typically operated in residential neighborhoods. Since their internal combustion engines are left idling to power buckets, power tools, lights, and accessories, emissions and noise occur at job sites as a matter of course. Providing power through a PHEV’s battery and electrical system means continuous engine operation is no longer needed.
These PHEV trouble trucks use Eaton’s parallel pre-transmission hybrid system with either a Ford 6.8-liter V-10 gasoline engine or 6.0-liter V-8 diesel engine. Along with reducing consumption and emissions while traveling to and from worksites, the PHEV trouble trucks provide engine-off cab air conditioning and standby AC electrical generating capacity, including 5 kW of exportable power for at least six hours to power equipment. PHEV trouble trucks based on Ford’s F-550 truck chassis are used by Southern California Edison, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and Pacific Gas & Electric. This project will later expand to 50 Ford F-550-based trucks and E-450-based vans for utility and public fleets. Since the F-550 and E-440 chassis are widely used as shuttle buses, urban delivery trucks, cable service trucks, and even motorhomes, there’s every potential that volume production could reduce per-vehicle cost. In fact, PHEV technology could find a home in high-end motorhomes where, perhaps in conjunction with solar panels, it could replace noisy and polluting generators typically used to power on-board electrical components while parked.
PHEVs can produce so much electricity that excess energy could be supplied to the electrical grid using vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. V2G allows two-way sharing of electricity between PHEVs, BEVs, and the electric power grid. With V2G, an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle not only could be plugged in for battery recharging, but under certain conditions could also send electricity back from the batteries to the grid. For instance, vehicles could store electrical energy generated during off hours for use during peak power demands. This would eliminate the need for utilities to buy expensive overcapacity electricity on the spot market or fire up older, and high-polluting, fossil fuel ‘peaker’ generating plants. To encourage consumers to participate in a V2G program, utilities could pay motorists for the use of their PHEV or BEV, or owners could sell back energy to the utility when demand is highest.
In what’s called V2H – or emergency home backup – a PHEV could be used for emergency power. For instance, the PG&E demonstrator supplies 9 kW hours of electricity and the average home uses about 2.5 kW of electricity an hour, which means that hours worth of backup power is available if needed. Volvo says the ReCharge Concept’s efficient generator, essentially an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), is powerful enough to supply an entire house with electricity. Thus, with minor modifications it could be used in case of a power failure.
Like the BEV, the practicability and affordability of the PHEV is governed by battery technology and cost. Its greater all-electric range capability requires larger, heavier, and much more expensive battery systems to store additional electric energy. Plug-in hybrid Dodge Sprinter vans have a 14 kW-hour nickel-metal-hydride or lithium-ion battery system that provides 20 miles of electric-only power. In contrast, the Prius uses a 1.5 kW-hour battery pack for normal gasoline-electric hybrid operation. Ordinary hybrids require batteries that supply short bursts of electrical boost with a nearly constant state-of-charge to ensure battery longevity. PHEV batteries must provide this high power burst while additionally handling full charge to deep discharges like a BEV. Another concern focuses on whether enough electric power will be available should PHEVs become extraordinarily popular. However, a study by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory says the nation’s existing electric power grid could support up to 180 million PHEVs.
All this is unfolding, now. Technology marches on, costs diminish through efficiencies, and interest drives further development...all good things that should bring the plug-in hybrids we desire to our highways sooner than later.
Cheap to own and cool to customize, mini-trucks from the likes of Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda, and Toyota once offered a great way to get around on the cheap. They were light-truck-functional and fun. There was even a custom mini-truck culture that developed around these small pickups with customized examples everywhere, mini-truck clubs nationwide, and enthusiast magazines focused on reporting the latest mini-truckin’ trends.
It’s been decades now since the mini-truck phenomenon faded and these pint-sized trucks largely disappeared from our highways. But that doesn’t mean right-sized trucks aren’t a really good idea in an era of ever-bigger, heavier, and brawnier pickups on our roads. Without a doubt, full- and mid-size pickups fill a crucial need for a wide array of business and commercial needs, which makes them the perennially best-selling vehicles on the market. At the same time, their five-passenger cabins and diverse capabilities also make them attractive for a huge number of personal-use drivers who own pickups entirely for pleasure, recreation, and for occasionally hauling loads, towing trailers, or carrying gear. Clearly, smaller pickups that fulfill these needs could provide an attractive option while saving gas, carbon emissions, and cash.
That’s the aim of Ford’s Maverick, a compact pickup larger than the mini-trucks of old yet smaller than its mid-size brethren like the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, or Toyota Tacoma. Maverick features pleasant exterior styling that appeals to any age buyer. It also has a strong work ethic and is equipped to do the job with its 54.4-inch long bed, 1500-pound payload capability, and 2,000 pound tow rating in base form. Check a few additional boxes on the order form and that tow rating jumps to 4,000 pounds.
Ford did a lot of things right when it introduced the Maverick three years ago. Built on a unibody platform with an eleven inch shorter overall length than even the mid-size Ranger pickup (38 inches shorter than the F-150) and a 40-foot turning diameter, the Maverick was designed brawny enough to warrant pickup-lover attention while also being small enough to be perfect for the city. It’s also great for the open road with the model’s hybrid engine delivering a combined 37 mpg EPA rating (42 city/33 highway) and over 500 miles of range.
Today, Ford has again flipped the powertrain script for the 2025 Maverick. When the all-new 2022 Maverick was introduced, it was the super-efficient 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain that was standard fare, featuring 191 horsepower, a variable speed transmission, and available exclusively in front wheel drive. Buyers could optionally choose a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder delivering 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft torque, backed by an 8-speed automatic transmission and available with either front or all-wheel drive. The EcoBoost choice was more powerful but less efficient, scoring an EPA combined rating of 25 mpg (22 city/29 highway).
Following its debut year, Ford made the EcoBoost engine standard with the hybrid available as a higher priced option. Now, recognizing the popularity of hybrid power, Ford has once again made the hybrid powertrain standard for 2025 Maverick buyers. Maverick hybrids are also now available with either two- or four-wheel drive capability.
The 2025 Maverick comes in five trim levels – XL, XLT, Lariat, Tremor, and Lobo – that start at $26,395 to $36,835 for the first three trims and run upward to $39,895 to $42,000 for the highest-end Tremor and Lobo. The latter two are high-performance specialty variants that champion a pair of popular customization themes, both powered exclusively by the more powerful EcoBoost engine.
Tremor is outfitted for rigorous off-road duty with underbody protection, special suspension tuning for handling uneven road surfaces, all-terrain tires wrapped around 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, Hill Decent Control, and additional drive modes including Mud/Rut and Sand. Maverick’s latest Lobo variant lends sport truck appeal to the pickup with a lower ride height, torque vectoring, and street performance-tuned suspension, shocks, and steering. It also offers a “Lobo” drive mode intended for closed course driving. Its street performance image in enhanced with a black-painted roof, 19-inch black wheels, painted bumpers, and a unique front fascia.
While the Maverick is an affordably priced truck, it still provides a wide array of standard comfort, safety, and convenience features. Among these are a 13.2-inch center touchscreen, an 8-inch digital instrument cluster above the steering wheel, Ford SYNC 4 with connected navigation and enhanced voice recognition, Apple Car Play/Android Auto connectivity, and on-board 5G WiFi. All Mavericks are also now equipped with Ford’s Co-Pilot360 technology suite. This provides pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping aid, a rear view camera, and auto LED high-beam headlamps.
Optionally available are items like a wireless phone charger, power locking tailgate, and 110-volt cab and bed outlets. Additional driver assist options include adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, lane centering with evasive steering assist, and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist. New-for-2025 is a 360-degree camera that enables a split view of what’s immediately behind and ahead of the vehicle along with cross-traffic views.
In the end, the Maverick reinforces what everyone in Texas already knows: Just because you don’t need a truck every day doesn’t mean you might not want one. The Ford Maverick not only speaks to this desire but also makes owning a pickup more appealing for a great many buyers with its more compact form, high efficiency, and approachable cost of entry. The addition of off-road and sport truck choices expands the Maverick’s compelling nature even further.
About that “first car” thing? Look, we know it’s a truck. But at a starting price of just over $26,000, the Ford Maverick really is the perfect first – or entry-level – car for anyone looking for some pretty cool transportation…and it comes with a highly functional truck bed as a bonus!
There’s a continued disconnect between what the broader automotive industry sees from growing, albeit slowly, EV sales and how U.S. dealers view this class of vehicles. At CDK, we wanted to uncover if anecdotes about a lack of enthusiasm on the retail level were real and to test our own hypothesis that it could be largely driven by where the dealers were located.
Why is geography so important? One word, or place: California.
More EVs are sold in California than anywhere else in the country. Nearly one-third of all battery electric vehicles (BEVS) in the first half of 2024 were sold in the Golden State. And the state of Washington is a major player too. That means dealers in those states likely view the technology much differently than clearly those in more rural areas but also populous areas in states from Michigan and Ohio to Tennessee and South Carolina.
In CDK’s Dealers Face the EV Transition white paper, the map is broken down not just regionally but at a subregional level. That allowed us to look at what’s happening on the ground for dealers, their sales teams, and what store leadership sees as the impact on their bottom line.
It was plain to see that Pacific shoppers were the most interested in EVs at 55 percent while the mid-Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey saw far, far less interest at just 10 percent. That might seem counter to popular thinking, but dealers sell cars in every town, and from the suburbs on out, cars are a way of life that’s hard to change. The least interest came from West South Central – Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas at 3 percent. Yes, even though a lot of EV sales happen in Texas, dealers across the state and surrounding states aren’t feeling electric love from customers.
These results came before recent retreats from automakers on their EV plans. Dealer networks are the frontlines when it comes to sales and service, and leadership wasn’t rosy on how EVs would impact their bottom line.
Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of dealers think EVs will have some negative impact on their bottom line with 53 percent saying they’ll have a negative impact on both their front and back end gross. Only 7 percent see EVs as having a positive financial impact.
Despite this pessimism, nearly three out of five dealers (59 percent) have already started transitioning their stores to sell and service EVs. Only 11 percent remain steadfast against EVs in the near future, saying they don’t plan any changes to adjust for selling and servicing EVs. But as we noted in our white paper: “Most of these EV-resistant dealers are generally smaller operators, with 75 percent saying they own one to two rooftops, and 89 percent are located in rural areas.”
With all these fluctuating conditions, the key stat of the white paper may actually not be as negative as it seems at first glance. When asked if they were optimistic or pessimistic about the EV transition, most (65 percent) fell into the pessimism camp with 19 percent being optimistic and the rest (16 percent) being neutral. The fact that the pessimism number comes below the number of dealers forecasting lower profits is a tiny sliver of a silver lining.
The thing to remember is that we’re indeed in a transitional period, shifting an entire national fleet of cars from something familiar (and often nostalgic) to an electric future that hasn’t made its case in every corner of the country. The nation’s car dealers are pragmatists and offer an unvarnished view of what they see in showrooms every day.
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.
Manufactured in Tennessee on Volkswagen’s MEB modular world electric car platform, the 2021 VW ID.4 presents a new and compelling all-electric SUV that enters a segment presently dominated by Tesla, Chevrolet, and a select few others. What ID.4 brings to the battery electric SUV segment that Tesla doesn’t is price, coming in at a base cost of $39,995, some $10,000 less than Tesla’s Model Y.
For this, electric vehicle buyers get SUV hatchback utility, three-foot legroom in all seating positions, and ample luggage capacity for 5 adults. VW estimates ID.4 driving range at 250 mile on a full charge, and additionally points out that an additional 60 miles of range is attainable in just 10 minutes from a public DC quick-charge station.
Sporting a stature similar to that of Honda’s CR-V, the Volkswagen ID.4 rides on a steel-framed architecture featuring strut-like front suspension and multi-link suspension with coil-over shocks at the rear. This, combined with a long wheelbase and short overhangs, promises a smooth ride dynamic. Braking is handled by front disk and rear drum brakes.
A single permanent magnet, synchronous electric motor directs power to the rear wheels. The ID.4 produces 201 horsepower and 228 lb-ft torque that’s expected to deliver a 60 mph sprint in about 8 seconds. Electricity to power the motor is provided by an air-cooled, frame-integrated 82 KWh lithium-ion modular cell battery. An onboard 11KW charger enables three charge modes via standard 110-volt household power, 220-volt Level 2 charging, or DC fast charging. Typical charging with a home wall charger or public Level 2 charger will bring a full charge in 6 to 7 hours.
A minimalistic yet futuresque cabin with segment leading cabin volume rounds out ID.4’s architecture. Features include a driver-centric, touch sensitive steering wheel and a view-forward 5.3-inch ID information center that replaces conventional gauges. Vehicle operation is through steering wheel-mounted switches, with infotainment, climate control, device connectivity, navigation, and travel information accessed through a 10.3 inch touchscreen monitor. A 12 inch monitor is available with the model’s Statement Package.
Topping the list of features is expanded voice command and a communicative dash-integrated ID light bar. ‘Intuitive Start’ driver key fob recognition enables pre-start cabin conditioning capability. Base model upholstery is ballistic cloth with leatherette seat surfaces optional.
Volkswagen’s IQ Drive driver assist and active safety suite features travel assist, lane assist, adaptive cruise control, front and rear sensors, emergency assist, blinds spot monitoring, rear traffic watch and more. All this comes standard along with Pro Navigation, a heated steering wheel and front seats, wireless phone charging, and app connectivity for compatible devices.
The ID.4 EV is available in six colors and two trim levels, Gradient and Statement, for personalization. The optional Gradient package features a black roof, silver roof trim, silver accents, and silver roof rails along with 20-inch wheels to complete the upscale look. Looking forward, while rear-wheel drive is the choice today, Volkswagen is already talking up an all-wheel drive variant for early 2021 along with a lower-priced base model.
As the world’s largest automotive group, Volkswagen has the capacity to change the ever-expanding electric-car landscape. Looking at the style and utility of VW’s all-new ID.4, you can sense the renewed “people’s car” direction of the brand that accompanies the automaker’s commitment to electrification. VW says it’s aiming at selling 20 million electric cars based on the MEB electric car platform by model year 2029. Certainly, the potential for selling in truly significant numbers is reinforced by ID.4 pre-orders selling-out in just weeks, it’s safe to say.