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Saturday, October 16, 2021
Saturday or Tuesday, no matter what day Hemmings has the goods!
Friday, October 15, 2021
A range war is brewing among EV sedans
| If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.  Tesla gets ready to launch Berlin Gigafactory, VW wants to fill cities with autonomous EV shuttles, and Lucid reveals a system that will compete with Tesla's Autopilot. But first:  As the Tesla Model S approaches the decade mark, shoppers of electric luxury sedans will soon be spoiled for choice, with the latest entrants kicking off nothing short of a range war (though some automakers won't admit they're engaged in it). Just days after the Lucid Air received a 520-mile rating from the EPA, seeking to dominate not just its own segment but the entire world of EVs, the EPA numbers for the Mercedes-Benz EQS were released. The sedan will begin arriving at US dealers soon.  An AMG version of the EQS is on the way as well. Of course, each automaker will point out that there are factors beyond pure range in which their cars stand above the competition. And they're hoping buyers will agree, trading range for some other features. There is something to be said, however, for the ability to go 250 miles in one direction and then have enough juice to head 250 miles home without recharging, which is a feature Lucid hopes luxury EV shoppers will value.  Honda EVs are on the way, but the US may not actually receive most of them. Speaking of brands, this week Honda announced plans to launch an EV sub-brand, with the first vehicles due next year. Dubbed e:N, the lineup previewed in concept images includes three SUVs, a sedan, and a coupe, complete with very distinctive styling.    What's missing in our broad electric future is a sporty entry right there in the middle, and starting early next year we will have one when the BMW i4 M50 rolls silently into showrooms. That and the less-expensive but only slightly less sporty i4 eDrive40 will inject some serious sports sedan sensations into the class.  This week Volkswagen is giving the world a preview of its robotaxi tech in the city that will be the first to host the company's autonomous ride-pooling service. Revealed in prototype form last month at the IAA in Munich, the robotaxi version of the ID. Buzz was developed in a partnership with Argo AI, and will be a part of a ride-pooling program in Hamburg operated by Volkswagen's MOIA unit focused on mobility tech and services.   Spread the word: If you know someone interested in staying on top of the rapidly growing EV segment, feel free to pass this newsletter along.
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