Carmakers don’t need ‘EV divisions,’ the whole company should go electric now
Over the years, we’ve seen several car companies tout their decision to create an “EV division” within the company, a group tasked specifically with looking into EV technology and how to implement that within the product line.
But many times, this can still be counterproductive. With the EV shift happening now, companies need to stop thinking about “EV divisions” and go all-in on EV development today.
Last week, we heard news of Toyota establishing a new “EV role” in North America. Many took this as a positive, given Toyota’s long history of anti-EV advocacy.
It certainly could signal a change since Toyota has somewhat softened that anti-EV stance in recent years, notably with the resignation of its former CEO and replacement with a purportedly more pro-EV successor.
But sometimes these EV divisions turn into an attempt to silo EV thinking into a part of the company that can be easily ignored.
For example, BMW had an early lead on EVs with the original MINI E and ActiveE projects, leading to the BMW i3, one of the first ground-up EVs developed by any company. The i3 and the i8 were part of BMW’s “Project i” division, a separate unit meant to focus on electric mobility.
The division languished under CEO Harald Kruger, who came into the company with a mission to improve BMW’s EV projects but met resistance from company executives and was unable to make much progress on that front, leading to his resignation in 2019. In this case, having a separate division made it easier for the company to continue its old ways of thinking without integrating electrification fully into the product line.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Ford did a similar thing when it split off a separate “Team Edison” to focus on EV programs, and it worked quite well. Ford shipped the Mustang Mach-E only about four years after Team Edison was established – impressively quick in terms of vehicle development timelines, which are generally around seven years long.
But even Ford’s effort needs to be stronger given where we are in the timeline of industry electrification and where companies need to be by the next decade.
60% EV by 2030 means companies must plan majority EV now
The EPA recently announced rules targeting 60% EV sales by 2030. Given the aforementioned seven-year development timeline, this means that 60% of cars going into development today, mid-2023, with less than seven years left until 2030, need to be electric. This doesn’t just apply to light-duty vehicle sales, either, as US and California governments are implementing strong truck regulations as well.
If a majority of vehicles going into development today need to be electric, then a separate “EV division” isn’t going to cut it. The whole company needs to put its main focus on electric. There is still room for potential side projects to salvage whatever small niches gas engines might continue to fill come next decade, but more effort needs to go into EVs than into gas at this point, rather than the other way around.
We did some similar math two years ago when we declared that it would be easy for any company to end gas car sales by 2035. In 2021, all a company would need to do to end gas car sales by 2035 is just stop greenlighting new gas car projects – even if they changed none of their development plans and continued developing and selling the models they were already working on at the time.
This is not just a necessity due to individual government regulations, but given where we are in the climate crisis, urgent action is needed. Continuing to sell fossil-powered vehicles well into the next decade, which will continue polluting for a decade or more after they’re put on the road, is not what the world needs right now.
And so establishing a separate EV division is simply not enough. What Toyota and everyone else need to do is put the company’s primary focus on electrification, starting now, if they want to have any chance of making it through the next decade.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
With 615 horsepower, the Cadillac Lyriq-V is the quickest Caddie to date. Cadillac’s first V-Series EV will outsprint a CT5-V Blackwing, and it can be yours for under $80,000.
The 2026 Lyriq-V EV is the fastest Cadillac ever
We knew it was coming soon. Cadillac teased the Lyriq-V for the first time in late October, giving a sneak peek at its first electric V-Series vehicle.
Cadillac’s performance brand is known for iconic sports cars like the CT5-V Blackwing, but the new EV pushes the “V-Series sub-brand to new heights,” boasted John Roth, vice president of Global Cadillac.
As the first EV to wear the V-Series badge, Cadillac promised the Lyriq-V would be powerful, but we didn’t know it would be this fast.
Cadillac officially introduced the 2026 Lyriq-V on Thursday, revealing additional specs, prices, and more. With an estimated 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque and a standard dual motor AWD powertrain, the EV is expected to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, making it the quickest Cadillac to date.
At that speed, it would outrun the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing with a 0 to 60 mph sprint time in 3.4 seconds. Although the CT-5 packs slightly more horsepower (668 hp), the Lyriq-V’s EV powertrain unlocks more powerful, instant acceleration.
The added power is enabled by an added Velocity Max feature, which “unleashes the vehicle’s full performance capability” with a surge of power and acceleration.
Interior and exterior design, prices, and features
The V-Series model differs from the traditional Lyriq with a lower center of gravity and custom front and rear bumpers. It also features V-Series badging on the rear doors and tailgate, V-pattern mesh on the lower grille, and 22″ wheels with the logo etched into the side.
Inside, the performance EV borrows features from the Lyriq, such as a panoramic fixed glass roof, a 23-speaker AKG sound system, and a massive 33″ LED display screen.
Cadillac distinguishes the V-Series from the traditional Lyriq by adding the V-Series logo, a V-mode button, and a sports rim with hand grips. Other unique features include a custom infotainment experience with a “V-Series persona,” a signature V-Series illuminated sill plate and V-pattern detailing on the seatbacks.
A 102 kWh battery pack is expected to provide a range of up to 285 miles. The 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V starts at $79,990, including the destination fee.
In comparison, the Tesla Model Y Performance starts at $51,490 and has an EPA-estimated range of up to 277 miles. It also includes AWD and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
Cadillac’s new performance EV will be sold in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Other markets will be announced closer to launch. GM will begin producing the new Lyriq-V at its Spring Hill, TN, manufacturing plant in early 2025.
What do you think of the Cadillac’s new performance EV? Would you buy one for $80,000? Or are you sticking with the Model Y Performance? Drop us a comment below to let us know.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Tesla has announced some important price hikes across its entire lineup in Canada amid incentives going away and a struggling Canadian dollar.
The Canadian EV market is already having problems amid announcements that the federal incentive program will be eliminated. The same thing is happening to Quebec’s own program, which was the most generous in the country—making the province the leader in EV adoption in Canada.
Now, Tesla, which sells more EVs than anyone in Canada, announced that it is increasing prices on all its lineup.
Here are the price increases for each Tesla model:
- Model 3:
- Long Range RWD: $4,000
- Long Range AWD: $8,000
- Performance: $9,000
- Model Y: $4,000
- Model S: $4,000
- Model X: $4,000
Buyers can still get $1,300 CAD off of new Model Y, Model S, or Model X purchases with a referral code.
Tesla never comments on price changes and therefore, we don’t know the official reasons for these specific price increases, but we can make some educated guesses.
First off, the Canadian dollar has crashed in comparison to USD over the last few months:
Furthermore, the timing of announcing that the price increases will take place on February 1st has led some to link this to the upcoming tariff wars that President Trump signaled against Canada.
The US President said that he plans to impose 25% tariffs on any goods coming from Canada, and Canada said that it would retaliate.
Electrek’s Take
Obviously, this is not good for the EV market in Canada.
The removal of incentives is already hurting the market, and now the base price of the most popular EVs in the country, Tesla vehicles, is also going up before incentives.
This will be a bad year for EVs in Canada.
Hopefully, things will settle down and we will get more clarity once the tariff war actually starts.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway