On an earnings call with investors, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the company plans to cease production of the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV by the end of 2023. Between them, the models account for most of GM's EV sales and the company plans to make more than 70,000 of them this year — that marks a record rate of production, according to CNBC.

However, the Bolt's battery cells are based on an older design and GM is transitioning to its Ultium system. According to Barra, GM will modify a Detroit-area plant where it makes the Chevy Bolts so it can produce the electric Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra there starting in 2024.

The Bolt's battery system has led to some serious problems for GM in the past. In 2021, GM recalled every Bolt it had ever made to that point due to a battery manufacturing defect that posed a fire risk. The company spent some $1.8 billion to resolve the issues.

Considering GM's plan to switch entirely to EVs by 2035, it makes sense to use the same battery tech across all of its models to help it ramp up the pace of production. After the Michigan plant has been retrofitted and reaches full production, GM expects that it will be able to build 600,000 electric trucks per year. The company has a production target of 2 million EVs per year between the US and China.

The timing of the move may be a slightly risky one for the company. The Bolt, which arrived in 2016, is the most affordable option for a new EV from a major automaker. Last year, GM lowered the starting price of the 2023 Bolt EV to $26,595, plus a $995 destination fee. The relative affordability has helped GM achieve three consecutive quarters of record Bolt EV and EUV deliveries, Barra said in a letter to shareholders.

GM says it delivered more than 20,000 EVs last quarter, which is a far cry from the 422,000 vehicles Tesla delivered in Q1. Although GM is now in second place in the US EV market, it has quite a way to go before it can catch up to Tesla. The Equinox EV, which is slated to arrive in the fall, is expected to start at around $30,000, which could help its prospects.

“When the Chevrolet Bolt EV launched, it was a huge technical achievement and the first affordable EV, which set in motion GM’s all-electric future,” Chevy spokesman Cody Williams told CNBC in a statement. “Chevrolet will launch several new EVs later this year based on the Ultium platform in key segments, including the Silverado EV, Blazer EV and Equinox EV. ”

When Tesla held its opening party for the company's Giga Texas factory last year, Elon Musk said that it will finally start selling the Cybertruck in 2023. Now, we can narrow down the timing for its launch even further. According to The Verge, Musk just told Tesla investors during its most recent earnings call that the automaker will hold a delivery event for the Cybertruck in the third quarter of the year. Tesla will start manufacturing the vehicle this summer, but volume production won't begin until 2024 like the company had previously said.

Musk reportedly told investors during the call that it "takes time to get the manufacturing line going, and this is really a very radical product." He added: "It's not made in the way that other cars are made." The production version Cybertruck Tesla showed off on stage last year had no door handles and could automatically tell if its owner is nearby and it should open its doors. It's still made out of stainless steel like the automaker initially envisioned, though, and that's more expensive than steel typically used in the industry. As The Verge notes, the electric vehicle requires special welding techniques, and its smaller components are custom-made. 

The Cybertruck has been delayed several times since it was first announced back in 2019. Tesla's original and very optimistic initial launch date was 2021, but it was pushed back to 2022 and then to 2023. The vehicle's prices were originally supposed to start at $39,900 for a single-motor configuration to $70,000 for a three-motor one. Tesla warned earlier this year, however, that its final specs and pricing have yet to be determined and could be based on several factors, such as supply chain shortages and the economy.  

Polestar has revealed its coupe-style electric SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show, and as expected, the Polestar 4 is a head turner with a lot of power. It also has a pretty bold design choice: there's no rear window, so the driver's rear view is provided by a camera. The idea is to create "a new kind of immersive rear occupant experience," the company wrote in an announce post for the new EV. 

It's the company's second SUV after the larger Polestar 3, set to go on sale this year, and bigger than the Polestar 2 sedan. With a large 102kWh battery, it has a 300-plus mile targeted range and $60,000 starting price, with both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive versions. It'll go on sale starting in China by the end of the year, and launch in North America in 2024. 

Polestar

Design-wise, the Polestar 4 has a sleek and sporty design (for an SUV) broken up by subtle body panel creases and mildly bulging fenders. The lack of a rear window is an odd decision, as it's bound to make the interior feel a bit... stuffy. However, there is a standard full-length glass roof with optional electrochromic functionality that allows for opaque or transparent usage. To bring in a bit more light, it stretches down below the rear occupants' heads as well. 

A high-definition screen up front displays the view from the rear camera. Polestar says it allows for "a far wider field of view than what can be experienced in most other cars." Hopefully the company has a backup system of some kind, because if the screen or camera go down, drivers will have a massive blind spot behind them. 

Polestar

The Polestar 4 is built on parent Geely's open-source Sustainable Experience Architecture. It won't have a third row like some variants of Tesla's Model Y, so the company is instead promising "generous interior proportions" for both front and rear seat passengers. The interior and materials drew inspiration from the fashion and sportswear industries, Polestar wrote.

For an SUV, it'll go fast. The 544 horsepower model will allow you to go from zero to 62MPH in 3.8 seconds, to start with. Polestar will also offer a 272HP, long-range single-motor version. The optional 102kWh battery has a targeted range of 560 km (348 miles) on the WLTP cycle, or around 300 miles in EPA terms. And charging should be quick, with up to 200kW fast charging that should allow about 800 miles of charge per hour.

Polestar

Like the Polestar 3, the 4's driver-assist (ADAS) system will run NVIDIA's Drive computing platform, using 12 cameras, one radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors. One of those cameras is dedicated to monitoring the driver's head and eye movements to warn them of fatigue or incapacitation. 

A 10.2-inch instrument cluster and 14.7-inch heads-up display (HUD) shows speed, drive mode, turn-by-turn directions and more. The infotainment system is powered by Android Auto installed on a 15.4-inch center screen, with Apple CarPlay available as well. A Harman Kardon audio system is on option with 12 speakers and a 1,400-Watt channel-hybrid amplifier. 

Polestar

As mentioned, "indicative launch pricing" starts at $60,000 in the US, with availability slated for 2024. No current Polestar models qualify for the $7,500 US tax credit, which requires North American production and battery sourcing — and it's not clear where the Polestar 4 will fall. After the latest rules went into effect, only six EVs still qualified for the full credit. 

The company has yet to announce details about North American production. But if the company wants to qualify for the $7,500 tax credit, it will need to assemble it in North America as well as figure out a supply chain that’s independent from China.

The Biden-Harris administration has proposed stricter pollution standards across the auto industry as part of their goal to increase EV production and slow climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new guidelines would mean that, by 2032, 67 percent of new light-duty vehicles, such as sedans and light trucks, and 46 percent of new medium-duty vehicles sold will be EVs. The proposed changes could also lead to almost 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions to be avoided through 2055 — about double the US's 2022 emissions. 

Details on the proposed emissions standards aren’t fully clear, but are set to include targets for EV sales and new rules that punish automakers who exceed CO2 standards within the next five to ten years. "Specifically, EPA is proposing stronger CO2 standards for MY 2027 HD vehicles that go beyond the current standards that apply under the HD Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas program," the agency said in a statement. "EPA is also is proposing an additional set of CO2 standards for HD vehicles that would begin to apply in MY 2028, with progressively lower standards each model year through 2032." 

This year has already seen continued progress for EV manufacturing and sales. Tesla reported increased first quarter sales that were 36 percent higher than the same period in 2022, and four percent higher than the last quarter. Volkswagen pledged $193 billion dollars towards EV technology, including batteries and raw materials, over the next five years.

EV purchases are clearly heading in the direction the Biden administration hopes: EV sales accounted for 5.6 percent in 2022, compared to 1.8 percent in 2020. In California, EVs made up almost 19 percent of yearly new car sales. That upswing is set to continue in 2023 with 225,000 EVs sold in the first quarter — about seven percent of all new vehicles. The same period saw used EV purchases increase by almost a third, thanks potentially to their prices decreasing.

At the same time, cost is still a huge barrier for making EVs mainstream. Last year, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, providing EV buyers subsidies up to $7,500 for SUVs, trucks, and vans under $80,000 and cars under $55,000. Even used EV purchases could get up to $4,000. Recent updated guidance from the US Treasury Department, however, limited how many EVs would qualify for a subsidy. 

Another issue is making sure people have somewhere to charge all these EVs while they're on the go. Currently, there are 130,000 public charging stations across the United States, with President Biden aiming to tackle demand by building another 500,000 by 2030. Part of this plan entails teaming with local officials to build them in widely accessible spaces, with regional governments needing to apply for funds by May 30th. If all goes well, no one would live farther than 50 miles from a charger. 

Polestar has confirmed that its latest — and fastest production — EV, the Polestar 4, will debut at the Shanghai auto show on April 18. The new generation will join the Polestar 3 and an updated Polestar 2, with the new model's design expected to fall somewhere between the two. 

The Polestar 4 is slightly smaller than the Polestar 3 and a bit higher from the ground than the Polestar 2. It’s also expected to have a battery life of about 373 miles and offer four-wheel and rear-wheel drive, according to Autocar. Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, also emphasized that it is not a modified version of its first SUV: "Instead, we reconsidered the entire design to create a new breed of SUV coupé."

The showcase news comes before the Polestar 3 has even hit the roads. The 3 should be available in the last quarter of 2023, with preorders ongoing, and the Polestar 5 is set for release sometime in 2024.

The company's first design, the Polestar 1, debuted only a few years ago in 2019, but ceased production just two years later with the company claiming the hybrid was designed as an introduction to the brand. Since then all new Polestar cars have been pure electric.

There’s no word yet on the Polestar 4's cost or availability, but with the Polestar 2 starting at $45,900 and the Polestar 3 at $85,300, it's not likely to be cheap.

Stellantis says the upcoming Ram 1500 REV will offer up to a 500-mile range, longer than any electric pickup available. The automaker officially announced the electric truck at the New York International Auto Show today after teasing an ultra-sleek concept in January (which the version you can buy looks nothing like) and a production reveal in February.

The standard version of the Ram 1500 EV will include a 168 kWh battery that lasts 350 miles; you’ll need to opt for the premium 229 kWh battery option to reach the 500-mile estimate. By comparison, the Ford F-150 Lightning maxes out at a 320-mile range, while the Chevy Silverado EV can last an estimated 400 miles. Meanwhile, Tesla claims its long-delayed Cybertruck will match the new Ram with a 500-mile range.

The Ram 1500 EV also supports quick charging. Stellantis says it can add up to 110 miles of range with only 10 minutes of charging.

As far as performance, the truck can go from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 4.4 seconds and has 654 horsepower and 630 lb-ft of torque. Its other specs include a towing capacity of up to 14,000 lbs and a maximum payload of up to 2,700 lbs. In addition, it has a frunk with 15 cubic feet of storage and bidirectional charging (including powering another vehicle, charging a home during power outages and sending power back to the grid). Finally, it can handle up to two ft of water fording.

Stellantis hasn’t yet announced pricing, and deliveries aren't scheduled to start until the fourth quarter of 2024. After opening (and quickly closing) reservations in January, you can reserve one again with a (refundable) $100 down payment.

Mercedes has a very clear plan. Its EQ lineup will continue to grow as it works towards parity with its gas vehicles, and the automaker will eventually transform its consumer cars to those running on electrons. The latest part of that scheme is the EQE SUV, the larger, taller version of the EQE sedan. Both are eco-friendly cousins to the E-Class and both bring what we like (and don’t like) about the EQS to a broader audience.

Starting at $77,900, the EQE SUV won’t wow you if you’ve been behind the wheel of literally any other Mercedes EV. Instead, the mid-seized luxury EV is a piece of a larger puzzle. That’s not to say that the vehicle doesn’t deliver on the Mercedes-Benz promise of a luxury vehicle. It does this without the buyer having to break the $100,000 mark for an electric SUV.

It has a comfortable cabin, smooth ride, tight but agreeable steering and of course the MBUX infotainment system with in-car voice control that actually works. All three trim levels have ranges above 250 miles and rear-wheel steering is an option that’s definitely worth the money. That said, we’re still not fans of the brakes and to us, the Hyperscreen still feels like a lot of hype although we were able to watch a movie while riding shotgun through Portugal on the passenger screen. For more insight into our first drive of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, check out the video below.

General Motors just pulled ahead of Ford to become the country’s second-leading seller of all-electric vehicles. According to sales numbers obtained by CNBC, Ford sold just under 11,000 EVs during the first quarter of this year, while GM sold twice that, at nearly 21,000 units.

As a matter of fact, Ford’s poor showing throughout the past few months dropped it to fifth place in total EV sales in the USA. Hyundai and Volkswagon now make up the third and fourth spots. What is to blame for Ford’s all-electric struggles? It had some significant production downtimes at two North American plants, leading the company to scramble to retrofit a pre-existing plant in Mexico.

Additionally, the Ford F-150 Lighting electric pickup experienced a small recall when some batteries started catching fire, forcing the company to lose five weeks of production. Ford is planning on using new battery technology to ramp up EV production to 600,000 vehicles a year, but those recent sales figures illustrate just how far it has to go to meet that metric.

While congratulations are in order for GM, it is worth noting that even it is playing catch-up to market leader Tesla. And it’s not even close. Tesla does not share regional sales reports, but Motor Intelligence estimates the company sold 161,630 EVs in the United States during the first quarter. That is around eight times the number that GM is currently putting down. According to Tesla, it is on track to manufacture 20 million electric vehicles per year by 2030, though many experts say the actual number is likely to fall much lower than that.

While Tesla is leading the country in sales, the same is not true globally. Chinese manufacturer BYD sells 20 percent of the world’s EVs, to Tesla’s 12.6 percent. As for GM, the company promises to build 50,000 EVs by the middle of the year and 100,000 more units by the end of the year. One interesting factoid is that the majority of GM’s sales this year were from its budget-friendly Chevrolet Bolt line, which cost under $30,000. The lowest price for a bare-bones Tesla Model 3 is around $43,000.

Hyundai has built itself a reputation for delivering vehicles that offer a luxury feel at regular person prices. The latest EV from the automaker takes that up a notch by not just competing with the Tesla Model 3 but also the more high-end Polestar 2. The 2023 Ioniq 6 starts at $41,600 with two battery and drivetrain options. The various combinations of battery packs and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive result in range numbers from 240 miles to 361 miles. It gives potential buyers the ability to determine which electric sedan works best for their situation.

Beyond the range numbers, the vehicle ships with a new and improved version of Hyundai’s driver assistance system, incredibly smooth acceleration mapping and a suspension system that – while not built as a sports sedan – is far more capable than anticipated while hitting the hills above Phoenix, Arizona. The biggest issue with the vehicle is headroom for tall drivers and passengers. The desire to reduce drag has brought the roof down that could be an issue for basketball players.

For more details, check out our first drive video below, where we found the Ioniq 6 to be one of our favorite EVs on the road.

Many car makers tout smartphone connectivity as a selling point, but GM won't in the future. In a Reutersinterview, GM digital chief Edward Kummer and executive cockpit director Mike Himche say GM will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with upcoming electric cars, beginning with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Instead, you'll have to rely on Android Automotive and its apps.

Users will get eight years of free Google Assistant and Google Maps use at no extra charge, GM says. The company doesn't mention what you'll pay if you still need those functions afterward. We've asked GM for comment. It will still offer CarPlay and Android Auto in combustion engine models, and you won't lose access on existing EVs. GM plans an all-electric passenger vehicle line by 2035.

The company argues that Android Automotive provides more control over the experience. There are upcoming driver assistance technologies that are "more tightly coupled" with navigation features, Himche says, and GM doesn't want them to require a smartphone. Kummer also acknowledged that there are "subscription revenue opportunities." Don't be surprised if you're paying a recurring fee for certain features like you already do with some brands.

Android Automotive has a growing footprint. On top of GM, companies like BMW, Honda, Polestar, Stellantis, Volvo and VW are adopting it with or without Google apps. However, the platform doesn't preclude support for CarPlay or Android Auto. GM is deliberately dropping those features. While this could lead to some innovative driver aids, it could also force you to mount your phone if there's an app or function the EV's infotainment system doesn't support.

The decision is a blow to Apple. Its services may not have native support in GM EVs. The iPhone maker is also developing a next-gen CarPlay experience that can take over the entire dashboard — GM just ruled itself out as a potential customer. If Apple is going to have more control over your drive, it will have to turn to other marques.