Let’s Roll into the New Year and Take a Peek at the Upcoming EV Landscape!
Well, it’s that time of year again EV fans. Time to turn the page on 2021 and focus our attention on what’s in store for the new plug-in models that will make their appearance on our roadways, driveways and parking lots in 2022 and beyond.
While there has been a significant reduction in EV availability due to microchip and other supply shortages, auto makers have not slowed down their efforts to design and introduce a bunch of exciting new models. In fact, nearly every auto company will have an EV in the market by the end of next year.
In the small car segment, we’ve seen a few EV models roll out internationally but only one all electric here recently in the US. The Mini Electric is a great concept but only has 114 miles of range. A lack of small EVs seems to be the deliberate strategy for main stream auto makers in the US market. Tesla has indicated that a compact, more affordable plug-in is next in their pipeline to be developed and it will apparently have the US mostly to itself. Several design guesses exist on the internet but only Elon Musk knows for sure what this little future EV will look like.
In the mid and large size sedan market we will see the introduction of a few new all-electric models. Buyers are currently able to order the BMW i4, Mercedes EQS or newcomer Lucid Air.
We can also expect future models like the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Audi A6 e-tron, and Hyundai luxury brand Genesis G80.
Automakers have been much busier in the compact SUV market or CUV. Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 just debuted on the east coast in mid-December and buyers can also put in orders for the KIA EV6, Nissan Ariya and Volvo C40 ReCharge.
And that’s not nearly all. Available by mid-2022 are the first all-electric vehicles jointly made by Toyota and Subaru called the bZ4X and Solterra, respectively. Also upcoming are the Mercedes EQB, Jeep Magneto, along with multiple plug-in hybrid models across auto makers.
In the full size SUV market we can expect quite a few new models as well. Customers can currently put orders in for the BMW iX, Audi Q4 e-tron, or Cadillac Lyriq and from all new automaker Rivian, the R1S.
Also available soon are the Audi Q6 e-tron, VW ID.6, Mercedes EQS & EQE, Genesis GV70, and new comer Polestar 3 as well as numerous plug-in hybrids from across the market.
Last but not least, we finally saw our first all-electric pickup truck when Rivian began delivering their R1T this fall. The GMC Hummer is due out very shortly and the new Ford F150 Lightning is expected to be on the road next summer.
Tesla still plans to unleash their Cyber Truck on the world at some point but other worldwide expansion plans have pushed that to late 2022. Not to be left out, Chevy is planning an electric Silverado for early 2023. And of course we can expect a plug-in Dodge RAM and Toyota at some point. There are also several startups that are in various stages of pre-production for an electric truck. These companies include Lordstown, Altis, Canoo, Alpha Motors and Hercules.
Exciting times in the EV world to be sure! With gasoline hovering near $3.50 a gallon, so I’ve heard, (I never buy gas anymore), it would seem to be the perfect time to think about cutting your transportation costs and enjoying the quiet, clean performance of a plug-in vehicle. As always, we will be here whenever you want to have a discussion about how an EV could easily fit into your lifestyle.