At least one analyst thinks GM’s massively underestimating interest in the Chevy Bolt EV.
And is it really a surprise that to hear that Elon Musk uses some wishful thinking with deadlines?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Friday, May 13, 2016.
Are delays and nearly impossible deadlines part of Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk’s strategy for accomplishing the company’s goals, or perhaps for pushing the industry as a whole? This week we asked that question, and saw Musk ratchet up the company’s goal of reaching a 500,000-car-per-year production rate two years ahead, to 2018. It was gasp-inducing—even to us.
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV - 2016 Consumer Electronics Show
On the other hand, GM may be playing it very conservative with respect to its upcoming 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. One prominent analyst recently suggested that Bolt EV sales could run 80,000 in its first year—far above GM’s earlier estimate of 30,000 a year.
GM did say that it would build as many as it could sell, so this would put their commitment to EVs to the test.
Ford CEO Mark Fields recently confirmed it’s also working to develop a 200-mile electric car, saying that the company wants to be “among the leaders or in a leadership position” in EVs.
Hyundai, meanwhile, has grand plans to roll out more green cars than any automaker except Toyota by 2020; and part of that plan will be to introduce plug-in hybrid versions of its Genesis luxury-car lineup.
2017 Genesis G90
This week saw a couple of moves in a continuing trend, of oil companies buying and partnering with green-energy companies. This week, while Exxon announced that it would partner with FuelCell Energy to capture carbon dioxide from power plants and use it to feed fuel cells, and to develop the smaller company’s fuel-cell technology. And the French oil company Total agreed to buy battery maker Saft.
And for the latest on the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal: While we’re still waiting for the final word on remedies and buyouts regarding four-cylinder TDI engines, the EPA may be close to a deal on non-compliant VW, Audi, and Porsche models powered by its V-6 TDI engine. Reports suggest that the fix might require both software updates and a new catalytic converter.
2014 Volkswagen Touareg V-6 TDI R Line
Earlier this week we’d looked at how VW’s emissions cheat on V-6 TDI models worked—all 1,370 seconds of it—and wondered why the remedy for these models remains so hazy.
Thanks for reading and sharing. Check back through the week as we continue to follow some of these stories, and next weekend for another Green Car Reports’ Week In Reverse news summary.
________________________________________________
