Lordstown Motors Files for Bankruptcy
The electric vehicle upstart Lordstown Motors was founded in 2018 and was hailed in 2019 by then-President Donald Trump, after it took over a former General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio.
The company was then riding on the Republican president's Made in America bandwagon. It promised to revive the auto industry in the region by creating the jobs that were lost after GM closed the plant.
But five years later, the company is the first of all young Tesla competitors to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy -- in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware -- after a long nightmare.
EVs Fall Short of EPA Estimates by a Much Larger Margin Than Gas Cars in Our Real-World Highway Testing
A new paper published by SAE International uses Car and Driver's real-world highway test data to show that electric vehicles underperform on real-world efficiency and range relative to the EPA figures by a much greater margin than internal-combustion vehicles.
On Car and Driver's 75-mph highway test, more than 350 internal-combustion vehicles averaged 4.0 percent better fuel economy than what was stated on their labels. But the average range for an EV was 12.5 percent worse than the price sticker numbers.
2023 Dubbed ‘Year of the Rebound’ for Fleet Technologies
Fleet companies are shifting back to growth mode after slowing strategic investments into new fleet technologies to weather the past few years of uncertainty, according to a new report from Escalent, a top data analytics and advisory firm.
“Adoption of fleet technologies is certainly still at its infancy stages, but our research shows businesses are headed in the right direction for broader integration in fleets,” said Lucas Lowden, insights consultant and program lead of Fleet Advisory Hub™ at Escalent. “Fleet decision-makers are beginning to transition from survival mode, which came with lingering implications of the pandemic, to a growth stage—focusing on the ongoing evolution of technologies and seeking areas for putting them to use in business.”
J.D. Power 2023 IQS: Tech, Audio Issues Negatively Impact Vehicle Quality Scores
By Dave Bean, FMW Associate Editor
According to the recently released J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), overall satisfaction with vehicle quality continues its decline since 2021, primarily due to issues with technology and audio systems.
“The automotive industry is facing a wide range of quality problems, a phenomenon not seen in the 37-year history of the IQS,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power.
There is some good news to report, however. Automaker smartphone apps seem to have hit their stride, especially among EV owners who appreciate being able to evaluate vehicle range and charging time. In terms of 2023 IQS scores, Nissan recorded the highest-ranking model overall, the Nissan Maxima.
Rivian Is the Latest to Adopt Tesla NACS Connector
Ford and General Motors announced plans to allow owners of its EVs to use Tesla's North American Charging Standard starting in 2024 with an adapter, and as a built-in feature in 2025. Now, Rivian reveals it is also getting on the NACS bandwagon.
"We're excited to work with Tesla and to see collaborations like this help advance the world toward carbon neutrality," said RJ Scaringe, Founder and CEO of Rivian. "The adoption of the North American Charging Standard will enable our existing and future customers to leverage Tesla's expansive Supercharger network while we continue to build out our Rivian Adventure Network."
