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Most of them. Pretty much all the major OEMs have announced plans for fully electric lines within the next 5 years and have already started developing test veh

Most of them. Pretty much all the major OEMs have announced plans for fully electric lines within the next 5 years and have already started developing test vehicles and tooling for EVs. Outside of Tesla, the frontrunners currently are probably Audi (they have an entire e-Tron line that just isn't pushed much in the US), BMW (same with the i line), Nissan, and Chevy. Keep in mind, too, that cheaper batteries doesn't just mean cheaper Teslas, it also means cheaper hybrids which are likely to remain popular for quite some time.

Scoundreller 8y ago
I just want a plug-in plug-in hybrid kit for regular ICE cars. Plug it into a port in your trunk and it takes over all electrical loads (roughly 10-15% of engine load, more when driving slowly), until empty. Maybe it can also pre-A/C the car (are AC compressors electric yet? Other pumps are (coolant, power steering, brake assist and obviously fuel).
- tonyedgecombe 8y ago
  That's an interesting idea, you could take the load off the alternator to squeeze out a bit more fuel economy.
benj111 8y ago
Its unclear how many of those are anything more than dipping their toes in the water. Theres a lack of product range, and don't forget the scale, these manufacturers are currently producing 1000s of evs, they need to scale to millions. VW seem to sound most serious, aiming for 50 models by 2025, but what do they have now? And don't forget lead times. They will be starting to design those 2025 cars right about now. Are they ready for that?
- mdorazio 8y ago
  I'm under NDA with one of the companies in my list, so I can't provide details. The short answer is yes, but not necessarily with US-oriented vehicles.
  - benj111 8y ago
    Yes, they will be ready? That's encouraging that at least one company is serious. Why not with US vehicles? Do you think US consumers will continue buying combustion cars even when EVs are cheaper?
    - SECProto 8y ago
      > Why not with US vehicles? Do you think US consumers will continue buying combustion cars even when EVs are cheaper? Not OP, but I would speculate north american consumers have more range anxiety than many markets (300km range would suit a larger portion of the market in Asia and Europe than in North America). Also, fuel taxes are significantly lower in North America (and the US in particular) than Europe and Asia, so combustion engined vehicles will remain total-cost-competitive for a few years longer.
      - Scoundreller 8y ago
        I know Americans can drive a lot, but I still think 300km or range vastly exceeds 95%+ of use cases. Even 100km of range will cut it, especially with charging at place of work. For long distance travel, rent an ICE and put the wear and tear on someone else’s vehicle.
        rwbhn 8y ago
        > charging at place of work Already contention for chargers at my workplace.
        SECProto 8y ago
        While I agree with your post in a rational sense, people don't buy their vehicles that way. They buy SUVs for their daily commute, because a few times a year they like to go somewhere that AWD (or the extra storage space, or the extra ground clearance, or..) is useful. > I know Americans can drive a lot, but I still think 300km or range vastly exceeds 95%+ of use cases. For commutes, sure. But I know a lot of people (most?) who like to travel to the next city to see their parents (450km), or go camping/hiking/skiing (wilderness where chargers aren't common, 200km one way). A 300 km range wouldn't cut it for them (and a 100km range wouldn't be good for anything except daily commute). Several of my family members have gotten plug-in hybrids - 40km range, but backed with a gas engine. That means their daily commute (or most of it, with winter weather range impact) is electric, and they have gas for when they want or need to go further (eg kids sports on the other side of the city). I intend to buy an electric car, but probably not until my current yaris gives up the ghost. I'm willing to put up with the inconvenience of a 400km range, even though I regularly do a 1400km one-way drive, and filling up the battery with a supercharger will take about 15 hours instead of 13 with gas fills.
- Someone 8y ago
  ”VW seem to sound most serious, aiming for 50 models by 2025, but what do they have now?” https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-electric-car-pla-1829257860 https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-...: ”we’ve been hearing a lot of companies announcing lofty electrification plans like these, so what makes VW different? Well, they’ve at least got hardware to back up the talk. Here’s a look at what might be the platform that actually brings electric cars to the masses. The MEB Platform VW started designing the MEB platform—the company’s very first high volume EV architecture—about three years ago.”
- Eiriksmal 8y ago
  It's important to note that "electrification" in these press releases is often referring to hybrid vehicles, not battery-electric vehicles as normal people would interpret the term. VW is promising a mix of BEVs and hybrids across all its marques. Quoting from Forbes at the time of the announcement: >Keep in mind, this doesn’t always mean a pure electric car. An electrified vehicle could mean a gas-electric hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. For instance, VW’s 80 new electric cars goal for 2025, includes about 50 purely battery-powered vehicles and 30 plug-in hybrids.
- woodandsteel 8y ago
  One way to tell how serious an auto manufacturer is about electrification is to look at what it is doing with batteries, like is it entering into large, long-term contracts to buy them.
  - Tuna-Fish 8y ago
    Precisely. Right now, apart from Tesla the one big manufacturer that has made plans to source massive amounts of batteries is Toyota. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Toyota-and-Panasonic-to-build-electric-car-batteries-together https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Toyota-and-P...
pedrocr 8y ago
> Audi (they have an entire e-Tron line that just isn't pushed much in the US) It's not pushed anywhere. None of those have shipped yet. The only car with that branding that you can buy is a hybrid, not a BEV.
sunstone 8y ago
Sure but all these makers would slow their efforts right down if Tesla were to go away. Now they're stuck between cannibalizing their ICE lineup or being entirely eaten by Tesla. If the predator leaves the scene they'll start twiddling their BEV thumbs.
- tonyedgecombe 8y ago
  I suspect there is too much momentum now. Most of Europe is desperate to get away from diesels because of the health problems they cause. Low emissions zones are popping up everywhere. The writing is on the wall for ICE vehicles.

Scoundreller 8y ago

I just want a plug-in plug-in hybrid kit for regular ICE cars. Plug it into a port in your trunk and it takes over all electrical loads (roughly 10-15% of engine load, more when driving slowly), until empty. Maybe it can also pre-A/C the car (are AC compressors electric yet? Other pumps are (coolant, power steering, brake assist and obviously fuel).

tonyedgecombe 8y ago
That's an interesting idea, you could take the load off the alternator to squeeze out a bit more fuel economy.

benj111 8y ago

Its unclear how many of those are anything more than dipping their toes in the water. Theres a lack of product range, and don't forget the scale, these manufacturers are currently producing 1000s of evs, they need to scale to millions. VW seem to sound most serious, aiming for 50 models by 2025, but what do they have now? And don't forget lead times. They will be starting to design those 2025 cars right about now. Are they ready for that?

mdorazio 8y ago
I'm under NDA with one of the companies in my list, so I can't provide details. The short answer is yes, but not necessarily with US-oriented vehicles.
- benj111 8y ago
  Yes, they will be ready? That's encouraging that at least one company is serious. Why not with US vehicles? Do you think US consumers will continue buying combustion cars even when EVs are cheaper?
  - SECProto 8y ago
    > Why not with US vehicles? Do you think US consumers will continue buying combustion cars even when EVs are cheaper? Not OP, but I would speculate north american consumers have more range anxiety than many markets (300km range would suit a larger portion of the market in Asia and Europe than in North America). Also, fuel taxes are significantly lower in North America (and the US in particular) than Europe and Asia, so combustion engined vehicles will remain total-cost-competitive for a few years longer.
    - Scoundreller 8y ago
      I know Americans can drive a lot, but I still think 300km or range vastly exceeds 95%+ of use cases. Even 100km of range will cut it, especially with charging at place of work. For long distance travel, rent an ICE and put the wear and tear on someone else’s vehicle.
      - rwbhn 8y ago
        > charging at place of work Already contention for chargers at my workplace.
      - SECProto 8y ago
        While I agree with your post in a rational sense, people don't buy their vehicles that way. They buy SUVs for their daily commute, because a few times a year they like to go somewhere that AWD (or the extra storage space, or the extra ground clearance, or..) is useful. > I know Americans can drive a lot, but I still think 300km or range vastly exceeds 95%+ of use cases. For commutes, sure. But I know a lot of people (most?) who like to travel to the next city to see their parents (450km), or go camping/hiking/skiing (wilderness where chargers aren't common, 200km one way). A 300 km range wouldn't cut it for them (and a 100km range wouldn't be good for anything except daily commute). Several of my family members have gotten plug-in hybrids - 40km range, but backed with a gas engine. That means their daily commute (or most of it, with winter weather range impact) is electric, and they have gas for when they want or need to go further (eg kids sports on the other side of the city). I intend to buy an electric car, but probably not until my current yaris gives up the ghost. I'm willing to put up with the inconvenience of a 400km range, even though I regularly do a 1400km one-way drive, and filling up the battery with a supercharger will take about 15 hours instead of 13 with gas fills.
Someone 8y ago
”VW seem to sound most serious, aiming for 50 models by 2025, but what do they have now?” https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-electric-car-pla-1829257860 https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-...: ”we’ve been hearing a lot of companies announcing lofty electrification plans like these, so what makes VW different? Well, they’ve at least got hardware to back up the talk. Here’s a look at what might be the platform that actually brings electric cars to the masses. The MEB Platform VW started designing the MEB platform—the company’s very first high volume EV architecture—about three years ago.”
Eiriksmal 8y ago
It's important to note that "electrification" in these press releases is often referring to hybrid vehicles, not battery-electric vehicles as normal people would interpret the term. VW is promising a mix of BEVs and hybrids across all its marques. Quoting from Forbes at the time of the announcement: >Keep in mind, this doesn’t always mean a pure electric car. An electrified vehicle could mean a gas-electric hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. For instance, VW’s 80 new electric cars goal for 2025, includes about 50 purely battery-powered vehicles and 30 plug-in hybrids.
woodandsteel 8y ago
One way to tell how serious an auto manufacturer is about electrification is to look at what it is doing with batteries, like is it entering into large, long-term contracts to buy them.
- Tuna-Fish 8y ago
  Precisely. Right now, apart from Tesla the one big manufacturer that has made plans to source massive amounts of batteries is Toyota. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Toyota-and-Panasonic-to-build-electric-car-batteries-together https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Toyota-and-P...

pedrocr 8y ago

> Audi (they have an entire e-Tron line that just isn't pushed much in the US) It's not pushed anywhere. None of those have shipped yet. The only car with that branding that you can buy is a hybrid, not a BEV.

sunstone 8y ago

Sure but all these makers would slow their efforts right down if Tesla were to go away. Now they're stuck between cannibalizing their ICE lineup or being entirely eaten by Tesla. If the predator leaves the scene they'll start twiddling their BEV thumbs.

tonyedgecombe 8y ago
I suspect there is too much momentum now. Most of Europe is desperate to get away from diesels because of the health problems they cause. Low emissions zones are popping up everywhere. The writing is on the wall for ICE vehicles.