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7 major automakers to build open EV charging network

A new joint venture established by BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis will build a new North American electric vehicle charging network on a scale designed to compete with Tesla's industry-benchmark Supercharger network. The 30,000-plus planned new chargers will accommodate both Tesla's almost-standard North American Charging System (NACS) and existing automakers' Combined Charging System (CCS) options, effectively guaranteeing compatibility with the vast majority of current and upcoming electric models — whether they're from one of the involved automakers or not.  "With the generational investments in public charging being implemented on the Federal and State level, the joint venture will leverage public and private funds to accelerate the installation of high-powered charging for customers. The new charging stations will be accessible to all battery-powered electric vehicles from any automaker using Combined Charging System (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) and are expected to meet or exceed the spirit and requirements of the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program." Critically, the automakers involved will have a say in how the charging tech is implemented, guaranteeing that the hardware will play nicely with each automaker's in-house charging systems. Hyundai and Kia, for example, were hesitant to jump on board the Tesla NACS bandwagon earlier this year over concerns that the Supercharger network is insufficient for powering the two automakers' 800-volt charging systems; similar tech is used by Volkswagen and Porsche.  In addition to providing much-needed capacity and high-output charging for America's growing fleet of electric cars and trucks, the new network will integrate seamlessly with each automaker's in-app and in-vehicle features, rather than forcing customers to use third-party tools and payment systems, as is the case with some existing public charging infrastructure.  "The functions and services of the network will allow for seamless integration with participating automakersÂ’ in-vehicle and in-app experiences, including reservations, intelligent route planning and navigation, payment applications, transparent energy management and more. In addition, the network will leverage Plug & Charge technology to further enhance the customer experience," the announcement said.

GM removes start/stop from full-size trucks and SUVs with V8 engines

GM is removing start/stop technology from a number of its popular full-size SUVs due to the ongoing chip shortage. This follows the removal of cylinder deactivation technology from some of its trucks, which was also due to the chip shortage. GM Authority first reported the news, but we’ve just confirmed everything with a GM spokesperson.  The following 2021 model year vehicles will be affected: Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500. Only versions of those vehicles built with the 5.3-liter V8 or 6.2-liter V8 and mated to the 10-speed automatic will have the tech removed from them. Only vehicles manufactured on or after June 7 will be affected. “By taking this measure, it will enable us to continue production of our high-demand full-size SUV and pickups as the industry continues to rebound and strengthen,” GM said in a statement. Those who ultimately buy one of these vehicles without start/stop technology will receive a $50 discount off MSRP for their troubles. Losing this fuel-saving tech could be a big negative for some, but we know many folks turn it off anyway. Not having to press the button to deactivate start/stop every time could actually be a positive if youÂ’re part of the camp who does that already. 2021 Cadillac Escalade Sport Platinum View 27 Photos On the downside, GM says “most of the affected vehicles will experience a minor reduction in fuel economy.” We donÂ’t have revised window stickers in hand to know how each model will be affected, but any 1 mpg reduction will be rather impactful for vehicles rated as low as these trucks already are. Any reduction will be seen in the city mpg rating, so take the kind of driving youÂ’re going to be doing into account before purchasing. When it comes to greenhouse gas compliance rules, GM says it doesnÂ’t foresee this impacting the companyÂ’s average fleet score. It also intends to begin adding start/stop back to these models as soon as possible, but there will be no retrofit effort made to fit the tech to vehicles already built without it. “Our supply chain organization continues to make strides working with our supply base to mitigate the near-term impacts of the semiconductor situation,” GMÂ’s statement reads. “GM continues to leverage every available semiconductor to build and ship our most popular and in-demand products, including our highly profitable full-size trucks and SUVs for our customers.

2020 Cadillac XT6 fuel economy announced

Thanks to the EPA's fuel economy website, we finally know how frugal the 2020 Cadillac XT6, the brand's first three-row crossover, is with gasoline. The most efficient is the front-wheel-drive version, getting 18 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway and 20 in combined driving. The all-wheel-drive XT6 is just barely behind it with 17 mpg in town, 24 on the highway, and 20 combined. Both versions share the same 3.6-liter V6 with 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque and the same nine-speed automatic transmission. These numbers put the Cadillac XT6 very much on par with the competition. Both the four-cylinder and V6 versions of the Audi Q7 get 21 mpg combined, just beating the XT6, and both feature standard all-wheel drive. The Q7 with an inline-four makes less power at 255 horses while matching the XT6's torque at 273 pound-feet. The V6's 329 horsepower and 325 pound-feet beat the Caddy, though. Both Audi and Cadillac have almost the same starting price at about $53,000. Every version of the Acura MDX tops the XT6, including the least-efficient MDX A-Spec, which manages 21 mpg in combined driving. The non-A-Spec all-wheel-drive model gets 22 mpg combined, and the front-drive MDX hits 23 mpg. But the best is the Sport Hybrid that delivers 27 mpg combined. All of the non-hybrid MDXs are less powerful and less torquey than the Cadillac, though, at 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. The Sport Hybrid is a bit more powerful and torquey than the Cadillac with 321 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque. The Acura does start at a lower price of just over $45,000. The XT6 does beat one of its three-row crossover rivals, though. Its 20 mpg combined rating is comfortably ahead of the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class's most efficient V6 version at just 18 mpg. But the Mercedes also delivers 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and there are even more powerful, but less efficient, V8s on offer. The Mercedes is much more expensive than the Cadillac with a base price of over $70,000.