We drive Lexus’ first electric vehicle for the U.S., and in a drive of the Kia Sportage Hybrid find its value irresistible. The federal government tipped us on how the Chevy Bolt EV recall is going, and we look at why Tesla and Kia might have stopped offering charge cables with their EVs. And Tesla sales continue to surge in California. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
The 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid isn’t just the best-driving of the new Sportage lineup, but better-driving versus other hybrid rivals from Toyota, Honda, and Ford. At a starting price of $28,545, the 43-mpg hybrid is a great value, too.
And in a first drive of the 2023 Lexus RZ 450e, we found some satisfying handling but weren’t able to size up how Lexus’ first EV for the U.S. fits together as an entire package. Although we are intrigued by the steering yoke.
Tesla recently stopped including a mobile charger with its new vehicles—opting instead to reduce prices on its well-regarded home hardware. But it’s worth noting it isn’t the only company to bow out on including a charge cord with the car.
About 45% of all Chevrolet Bolt EV models recalled for their battery packs have received a remedy, according to recall documents filed by the federal government last week. All Bolt EV models are affected by the recall, but GM opted to replace all battery modules on the earlier 2017-2019 cars.
EV sales were at a record level both in California and nationally, with Tesla in the sales lead at more than 10% of the state’s market. The market share for plug-in vehicles has essentially doubled in the Golden State over just the past two years.
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