Volvo and Vinfast EV reviews, Fisker update, three-row Toyota EV: The Week in Reverse

Which company announced greener replacement tires for the Tesla Model 3?

Which upcoming EV models will be delayed due to software issues?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending May 12, 2023.

In a drive review of the 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge and Volvo C40 Recharge, we sampled Volvo’s shift back to rear-wheel drive for the first time in decades—including advantages that include more range and efficiency, as well as a better driving experience.

Green Car Reports also drove the Vinfast VF 8 this week, a year after a short spin in prototype form on the track. After some significant road time in a delivery-ready City Edition version, the VF 8 remains half-baked and riddled with issues. 

Fisker revealed a “hard core” off-road package for the Ocean electric SUV, called Force E. The brawny version bowed the same day that Fisker revealed some reality checks about its timeline and business—including a 2023 target lowered from 50,000 vehicles to 32,000-36,000 vehicles, and the delay of its Pear EV to 2025. That came in addition to news that the company has now started Ocean deliveries in Europe, six months after contract maker Magna started production in Austria, with homologation issues credited for the delay. 

Fisker Ocean Force E

Volvo teased a mix of leading-edge and traditional design in a smaller electric SUV to be called EX30. It’s set for a reveal June 7, and U.S. reservations will open the same day.

As part of an annual financial roundup, Toyota’s new CEO revealed plans to launch ten new EVs “mainly in the United States and China,” including a three-row electric SUV by 2026. It also teased the profile of a future flagship EV.

First U.S. deliveries of the Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90 may be delayed because of a software-related issue pertaining to these models’ shared platform, the companies confirmed Thursday. Under an adjusted timeline, both will arrive during 2024, as will the Polestar 4 which is unaffected by the issue.

2024 Polestar 3

Should tire and aftermarket service chains focus on EVs? None do right now, and according to results from the survey giant J.D. Power, they could gain some business in doing so from EVs’ greater replacement-tire needs. 

A bolt-on “plug and play” kit claims to create a fully electric classic Mini for less than $20,000—not counting the cost of the donor car or installation. That only affords an estimated 80 miles of range, but it might potentially turn heads more than a brand-new Mini Cooper SE. 

Rimac, the company known for electric supercars and propulsion smarts, is applying its know-how to an energy-storage business called Rimac Energy. It already claims to have developed a battery architecture reducing efficiency losses by 50% and cutting footprint by 40%. 

2023 Tesla Model 3

Goodyear is greening its replacement tires for the Tesla Model 3—with carbon black sourced not by combustion but by a process using renewable electricity and methane. The high-performance ElectricDrive GT tires help hush road noise, and for now the special formulation is only offered in the Model 3’s size.  

And have friends, family, or you tried to find an EV in stock to drive and buy? A nationwide study of the electric vehicle shopping experience from the Sierra Club, following the format of previous studies going back to 2016, shows that dealerships are no longer the choke point in EV adoption. It’s the automakers themselves, not providing as many EVs as dealerships want. 

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