Why did our power grid get cleaner than expected in 2019?

How is it that Teslas will talk?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending January 17, 2020.

Fresh off the U.S. debut of the Nissan Ariya concept, in Las Vegas at CES, Green Car Reports sampled the e-4orce twin-motor and chassis control system that will provide more than just all-wheel drive to next-generation Nissan EVs. We also checked in with global design chief Alfonso Albaisa, who explained to us why the brand plans to use fewer touchscreens and less screen space in general in the future, and talked us through the level of platform-sharing to come between a dozen or more EVs from Nissan, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, and potentially Renault.

Nissan Ariya Concept

Nissan Ariya Concept

It was a fairly significant week for company announcements. Kia is investing $25 billion in 11 new EVs and new mobility hubs by 2025. Honda and Isuzu announced a partnership to put hydrogen fuel cells into commercial trucks. And the Lucid Air electric sedan finally has a timeline: a New York debut in April, and a production start by the end of the year. 

We finished the week off with what’s become a step closer to an actual safety investigation. NHTSA said that it will review a petition that alleges an unintended-acceleration issue on a wide range of Tesla vehicles

2020 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid

2020 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid

The Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid is back for 2020, focused mainly toward California and boasting one of the best electric-only ranges among PHEVs.

The deals on the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV have finally arrived—in the form, now, of up to $10,000 off for buyers, or some impressive lease deals. 

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S

EPA range ratings were released for the top-performing member of the Porsche Taycan electric car lineup, the Taycan Turbo S, and it’s the bottom-performing version for going the distance. 

Australian researchers think that they might be able to make more energy-dense lithium-sulfur batteries for electric vehicles a reality. 

What do you think about talking Teslas, or tailgate speakers? Both are within th8e realm of possibility if automakers get a little creative with required pedestrian alert hardware. 

2018 Tesla Model 3

2018 Tesla Model 3

And another study came to some familiar conclusions, just maybe in a different order: Ipsos this week pointed to cost as the biggest barrier against EV adoption

Among the many pieces of good news for cleaning up our air this week: The Volkswagen diesel settlement is helping put more electric school buses into service. And despite the Trump administration’s goal of reviving the coal industry, a record number of coal plants was retired in 2019—making electric cars a whole lot cleaner.  

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