In EV News: Mazda, Fiat, Toyota EV Plans; Electric Harley Update; and More

Cars and Drivers

Published: June 17, 2021 10:39 am

While crude oil is going for more than $70 a barrel and the U.S. pump price of regular gas averages $3.10 a gallon, automakers seem more committed than ever to EVs and other alternative fuels for the cars of the future.

Earlier this month, Fiat, a division of Stellantis, announced that it will be a fully electric automaker by the end of the decade. The company already has said that 60% of its lineup would be electrified by the end of this year, but the new plan does not include various electrified hybrids or plug-ins, according to InsideEVs.

On Thursday, Mazda announced that it plans to speed up the electrification of its lineup by adding 13 new electrified models between 2022 and 2025. The new vehicles would include five hybrids, five plug-in hybrids and three all-electric models. According to InsideEVs, Mazda expects all of its cars to have some degree of electrification by 2030, but only about 25% will be all-electric EVs.

Toyota, however, continues to cling to its ancient commitment to hydrogen fuel cell technology. According to a Bloomberg report, when asked at Toyota’s annual shareholders’ meeting why the company has not committed to a fully electric lineup, Toyota Director Shigeki Terashi reportedly replied, “It’s too early to concentrate on one option.”

Fred Lambert, at Electrek pulls no punches, calling Toyota’s long-term belief about hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles “delusional.” Toyota appears to believe that hybrids and fuel cells will be important technologies for the next 30 years. Lambert concludes:

Toyota sounds like it is trying to protect its assets, which are currently tied to internal combustion engine vehicles.

It is just sad that they think it’s OK to lie and spread misinformation about BEVs in [order] to protect their business.

A recent filing by Harley-Davidson has inadvertently shone more light on its LiveWire electric motorcycle that is scheduled to launch on July 8. According to Electrek, the new bike will be called the LiveWire One and have a 75 kW battery. The bike will arrive late this year and be a 2021 model.

No word on the price yet. The original 2019 Harley LiveWire had a sticker price of around $30,000, way above the current price of e-bikes with competitive specs.

Finally, Alphabet’s Waymo autonomous driving unit announced $2.5 billion in fresh funding from Alphabet and other existing backers. More than a year ago, Waymo raised $3 billion in its first round of seeking outside cash. In July, that total rose to $3.25 billion after the company extended the round.

The cash infusion follows by a day the announcement from GM that it has extended a $5 billion line of credit to Cruise, its majority-owned autonomous car project.

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