Regular readers of Green Car Reports know we have been saying for a year now that 2019 is the year of the electric SUV.
Now the year is finally here, and we thought we’d give our readers a peek at what we know about all the upcoming models. Most are SUVs, with a couple of hatchbacks thrown in.
In many cases their specific arrival dates are not made public, but we’ve estimated as closely has we can based on statements by the automakers.
2019 Hyundai Kona Electric
2019 Hyundai Kona Electric
The Hyundai Kona Electric should be going on sale any day and is one of the most promising electric cars of 2019. With a rating of 258 miles of range, it was a finalist in Green Car Reports’ Best Car to Buy competition for 2019. Its small-crossover format gives ample space inside and a good view out. With only front-wheel drive available, some may consider it a car, rather than an SUV. Hyundai has said that it will start at $37,495.
2019 Kia Niro EV
2019 Kia Niro EV
The Kia Niro EV is related to the Hyundai Kona Electric from Kia’s sister company. The pair uses the same 64-kwh battery, and the Niro EV is expected to have 239 miles of range, a little less than its corporate sibling. It will be the first all-electric version of Kia’s dedicated green car: the Niro Hybrid went on sale in 2017 and the Niro Plug-In Hybrid in 2018. Kia has not announced pricing but the Niro EV is expected to go on sale in February.
2018 Nissan Leaf SL
2019 Nissan Leaf long range
Perhaps the biggest news in affordable electric cars is that the original modern electric, the Nissan Leaf, will finally move into the age of long-range electric cars. While Nissan never intended the Leaf to be a compliance car, the original model was rated at just 73 miles of range. Despite a few improvements over the years, the new model introduced in 2017 could only go 151 miles—better than anything but a Tesla at the time, but still short of what many drivers wish for.
The long-range Leaf will have a 60-kilowatt-hour battery made by Korean conglomerate LG, which is expected to carry it about 220 miles. Dealer pricing guides have shown its cost will land right in line with the longer, 238-mile, Chevy Bolt EV. It is expected to go on sale in the spring and to debut next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
2019 Audi e-tron quattro, in European trim, at San Francisco launch event
2019 Audi e-tron quattro
The Audi e-tron quattro is a five-passenger SUV, with a range expected to be just short of its 248-mile European (WLTP) estimate from a 95-kwh pack, and a price tag starting at $75,795. That puts it about $9,000 less than a Tesla Model X—and like all the other cars on this list, it will also be eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit, while Teslas will earn only $3,750 now, or $1,875 after July 1. The e-tron quattro will be the first electric vehicle capable of charging at 150 kilowatts, about 25 percent faster than Teslas, at one of a handful of such fast chargers being installed around the country. Charging networks such as ChargePoint, EVgo, and Electrify America, however, are expanding such charger installations.
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC
The Audi e-tron quattro is expected to be followed by the similar 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC, which will be built in the U.S. at Mercedes’ factory in Alabama. The car will go on sale in Europe this spring, but will take between six months and a year to make it to the U.S. En route, it needs to pick up more range. When it was introduced in Europe, the company said it would have 200 miles of range on the relatively generous European efficiency test, which would not make it competitive in the U.S. against the e-tron, the Tesla Model X, or even the much cheaper Hyundai Kona Electric. It’s not clear whether Mercedes plans to expand the battery pack to bring the car to the U.S. or to improve its efficiency.
2020 Kia Soul EV
2020 Kia Soul EV
Kia is giving its hamster-cute little Soul hatchback a complete redesign for 2020, including its electric version. With the same big, 64-kwh battery as the larger Kia Niro EV, it will deliver a dramatic range improvement over the outgoing Soul EV. The new model is even likely to improve on the range of the Niro EV, at least in the city, with same battery in a smaller, lighter package. It will switch from CHAdeMO fast charging to a new CCS Combo fast-charge port. The Soul EV will arrive several months after the Niro EV.
2020 Volkswagen ID Neo spy shots
2019 Volkswagen ID
Late this year, Volkswagen is expected to launch the long-awaited first electric vehicle from its eponymous brand, the Golf-size ID hatchback. There’s only one catch: It will only be sold in Europe and won’t make it to the U.S. It will, however, be the first car based on the new MEB electric architecture that VW is planning to underpin as many as 27 new all-electric models, many of which are aimed squarely at U.S. buyers, including the 2020 ID Crozz and the 2022 electric revival of the classic microbus. Base models will probably get a 48-kwh battery, which should give them a range of about 200 miles, though VW hasn’t released precise specifications. Pre-orders are expected to start in March.
Porsche Mission E concept electric car
2020 Porsche Taycan
Based on early deposits, the Porsche Taycan could be Tesla’s chief competitor. With 300 miles of range and up to 600 horsepower, the Taycan offers the performance of a Model S P100D. It will also be the first mass-produced electric car with an 800-volt battery system that can receive a 240-mile charge in about 10 minutes. After it goes on sale late in the year, Porsche will offer three versions: a base model, a 4S and what could be called a “Turbo,” starting at about $90,000 and running up through more than $130,000.
Volvo 40.2 concept
2020 Polestar 2
Volvo’s upcoming high performance brand, Polestar plans to follow up its first model, a hybrid coupe, with an all-electric five-door hatchback, based on the Volvo XC40—which is a taller, crossover five-door hatch. Put the two together, and it could resemble something like the Volvo 40.2 concept that the brand showed in 2016. It could arrive as early as the end of the year.
Mini Electric concept, 2017 Frankfurt auto show
2020 Mini Electric
One of the first modern electric cars on the market was the Mini-E, a Mini Cooper converted to electric power in small numbers to serve as a test-bed for BMW’s electric car programs. In the coming year, Mini plans to reintroduce the car as the fully-fledged Mini Electric, complete with its back seat, rather than a bank of batteries that take up the whole rear passenger compartment. The company showed a concept car at the Frankfurt auto show in 2017, and has announced plans to build a giant battery construction facility in Germany to supply several vehicles, including this one and the upcoming BMW iX3 electric SUV.
BMW iX3 Concept front 3/4
2020 BMW iX3
Another possible contender to arrive in 2019 could be the BMW iX3, which the company has said it will build in China for worldwide markets starting late this year. Based on the current X3 SUV, the iX3 is expected to have a 70-kwh battery pack and deliver a range of 250 miles. Like its chief competitor, the Audi e-tron quattro, it is expected to be configured to accept a 150-kw DC fast charge.
2020 Ford electric SUV teaser
2020 Ford “not Mach 1” SUV
Ford is also working on a 300-mile electric SUV for 2020, and this model could be fully revealed by the end of 2019. Designed to look like a Mustang and deliver off-road performance on par with the F-150 Raptor pickup, the unnamed SUV will be Ford’s first dedicated electric model, though the brand has released scant details otherwise.
View original article at: “https://www.greencarreports.com//news/1120745_here-are-the-electric-car-models-on-the-way-for-2019”
