Which company revealed both an electric cargo van and a flying car this week?

Why is Tesla being asked to recall so many of its cars for failing touchscreens?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending January 15, 2021.

Our real-world range test of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, one of our most-read stories of the week, underscored that it won’t disappoint if you follow what the adjusted EPA number for highway efficiency suggests. 

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E

And the Tesla Model Y Standard Range has joined the lineup, at $43,190, with 244 miles of range and a claimed 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds. 

Nio revealed its flagship ET7 luxury sedan, sized closely with the Model S and including the debut of a 150-kw battery pack with solid-state cells that occupies no more space than the company’s smaller packs. 

2022 Nio ET7

2022 Nio ET7

At a virtual CES, GM revealed a new standalone business called BrightDrop that focuses on electrifying the delivery ecosystem; part of it is a new EV600 electric cargo van—confirmed for production in Canada at the plant that used to make high-mpg Geo Metros. In addition to teasing a flying car concept, it offered glimpses of the very luxurious Cadillac Celestiq electric flagship that will offer four-wheel steering and a four-quadrant smart-glass roof.

Sony has once again shown the Vision-S electric car; a year after its initial surprise debut, the Vision-S is no longer called a concept, and the tech company showed it being tested on European roads. 

Renault revealed an all-electric, retro-styled revival of the R5 Turbo, which became a WRC championship-winning hot-hatch icon in the 1970s and ‘80s. 

Renault 5 Prototype

Renault 5 Prototype

Lordstown Motors confirmed that it now has 100,000 pre-orders for its Endurance electric pickup that the company plans to build in Ohio starting in September.

Lightning eMotors is one of the first companies to widely deploy a kit that can upfit existing diesel motor coaches to fully electric, saving money and CO2 impact. 

The 2022 Ioniq 5 is leading a new line of EVs from Hyundai, and the automaker released a first glimpse of the prototype, looking much like the 45 concept shown in 2019. 

Hyundai Ioniq 5 prototype

Hyundai Ioniq 5 prototype

The global automaker Geely and the search engine giant Baidu have announced a joint electric car company in China centered around autonomous-vehicle tech. 

The supplier Continental has underscored that some differences in EV acceptance—and even how green consumers see EVs—exist between regions of the world

There was a flurry of activity from the federal government this week. NHTSA has asked for Tesla to recall 158,000 Model S and Model X vehicles ranging through the 2018 model year for a very high rate of failure of its touchscreens, which house some safety-critical functions. Meanwhile, NHTSA crash-test results for the Tesla Model Y are top-tier in every possible way, closely following Model 3 results.

2021 Tesla Model Y - U.S. NCAP crash-testing

2021 Tesla Model Y - U.S. NCAP crash-testing

The NTSB said earlier this week that automakers need to provide more detail to emergency responders on the fire and high-voltage risks relating to EVs that have been in high-speed crashes.  

Automakers have been given yet another delay on steeper fines for failing to meet federal fuel economy standards. It’s a Trump administration parting gift, even though it’s likely to be again overturned in the courts. 

Seattle-based Recurrent hopes to provide a “rich data resume” to electric-car owners that will help prop up resale values and give buyers a little more reassurance on battery condition and longer-term ownership costs. 

2019 Chevrolet Volt

2019 Chevrolet Volt

And if you’re thinking about a used EV: General Motors also extended 0% financing to factory-certified used Bolt EV and Volt models; the rare deal might have something to do with current battery issues on older Bolt EVs and the arrival later this year of the Bolt EUV. 

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