Honda’s first electric SUV in the US had its best sales month ever in August. The Honda Prologue EV set a new US sales record as it rolls out to dealers nationwide.
Honda introduced the Prologue in October 2022 with US sales kicking off this March. Starting under $48,000, Honda said the electric SUV hits the “sweet spot” of the market.
Honda claimed the Prologue has the “highest standard driving range in its class,” with up to 296 miles range.
Based on GM’s Ultium platform, the same one underpinning new Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EVs, Honda’s electric SUV is available in both Single (FWD) and Dual-Motor (AWD) powertrains.
Although it uses GM’s platform, Honda tweaked the Prologue with added multi-link front and rear suspensions for a “sporty” unique drive. The 2024 Honda Prologue also features Built-in Google with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, which GM has moved away from.
The AWD model starts at $50,400 with up to 288 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque. Meanwhile, the highest Elite trim costs $57,900.
2024 Honda Prologue Elite (Source: Honda)
Honda Prologue EV sets new US sales record in August
All Honda Prologue models qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit, bringing prices down to as low as $39,900 (before destination).
Honda’s Prologue EV set a new US sales record in August as it rolls out to dealers nationwide.
Honda Prologue Elite (Source: Honda)
With 5,401 models sold last month, Honda Prologue sales reached 10,394 through August. And that’s with deliveries beginning in March.
The achievement comes after Hyundai and Kia set new US sales records in August as demand for electric SUVs continued building.
Honda Prologue Elite interior (Source: Honda)
The growth is partially driven by massive incentives. Last week, Honda introduced a new Labor Day Dealer Cash bonus. With up to $14,250 in incentives, the Honda Prologue EV was even cheaper to lease than a Civic despite costing nearly double.
Honda’s luxury brand, Acura, also slashed EV lease rates with a nearly $30,000 discount on the 2024 ZDX electric SUV.
2024 Honda Prologue trim
Starting Price (w/o $1,395 destination fee)
Starting price after tax credit (w/o $1,395 destination fee)
Starting price after tax credit (with $1,395 destination fee)
EPA Range (miles)
EX (FWD)
$47,400
$39,900
$41,295
296
EX (AWD)
$50,400
$42,900
$44,295
281
Touring (FWD)
$51.700
$44,200
$45,595
296
Touring (AWD)
$54,700
$47,200
$48,595
281
Elite (AWD)
$57,900
$50,400
$51,795
273
2024 Honda Prologue prices and range by trim
With another 1,003 models sold last month, Acura has sold 2,035 ZDX EVs in the US this year as it hits new dealerships nationwide.
With leases starting at $289 per month, the Prologue is one of the best SUV deals in the US. If you’re ready to save big, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to view deals on the 2024 Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX in your area.
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Just like it says on the tin – retailers are advertising killer deals on the fun-to-drive Kia Niro EV, with one midwest auto dealer reporting more than $10,000 off the sticker price of the Niro EV Wind. That’s nearly 25% off the top line price!
The Kia Niro EV gets overshadowed by its objectively excellent EV6 and EV9 stablemates – both of which are currently available with substantial lease cash and 0% APR financing, in fact – but that doesn’t mean it’s not an excellent little electric runabout in its own right.
The last time I had a Niro EV tester, my kids loved it, I liked that it was quicker and more tossable than I expected it to be, and my wife liked the fact that “it doesn’t look electric. It looks normal.” And, with well over 200 miles of real world range (EPA-rated range is 253 miles), it was more than up to the task of commuting around Chicago and making the trip up to the Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee and back without even needing to look for a charger.
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It’s not the primary family hauler I’d choose – but as a second car? As a primary car for a slightly smaller family (1-2 kids, instead of 3-4)? The Kia Niro EV Wind, with a $42,470 MSRP, seems like a solid, “can’t go wrong” sort of choice. You know?
You won’t even have to pay that much, though. Raymond Kia in Antioch, Illinois is advertising a $42,470 Niro EV for $32,431 (that’s $10,039, or about 24% off the MSRP), and several others are advertising prices in the $33,000 range.
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Many school districts who used EPA funding to help purchase Lion Electric school buses are now stuck with broken down or unsafe vehicles – but Lion’s new Canadian investors seemingly have no plans to make things right.
“All four Lion buses that we own are currently parked and not being used,” Coleen Souza, interim transportation director of Winthrop Public Schools, told Jay Traugott over at Clean Trucking. “Two of them are in need of repairs which would cost us money which we are not willing to invest in because the buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs.”
As bad as the revelations of safety and drivability issues and $250 million in unresolved debt have been, it’s the objectively stupid design choices that have been the most shocking.
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“Lion built an auxiliary diesel heater to heat the bus, essentially writing the manual as they went,” explained a school superintendent in the midwest, who asked not to be named. “It was fascinating to watch but there were design flaws with the heater. For example, the intakes pointed downward and we’re driving across rural roads and the intake sucks in that dirt.”
“Using a diesel-powered heater to warm an electric bus also somewhat defeats the purpose of going 100% zero-emissions,” added Traugott.
Despite a new electric school bus rebate and a fresh cash injection from Vincent Chiara, president of Quebec real estate powerhouse Groupe MACH, and Lion director Pierre Wilkie, however, it seems like no help is coming.
It just gets worse and worse
Decommissioned Lion electric buses; via Winthrop Public Schools.
The US school districts who spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars in the hopes that Lion buses would help decarbonize their fleets and reduce students’ exposure to harmful diesel emissions? Many of them are back to using diesel, while others are trying to get their deposits back so they can buy something else.
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Mitsubishi is partnering with Ample and Yamoto Transports to deploy an innovative new battery swap network for electric cars in its Japanese home market — but it’s not just for electric cars. Mitsubishi Fuso commercial trucks are getting in on the action, too!
Despite a number of early EV adopters with an overdeveloped concept of ownership, battery swap technology has proven to be both extremely effective and extremely positive to the overall EV ownership experience. And when you see how simple it is to add hundreds of miles of driving in just 100 seconds — quicker, in many cases, than pumping a tank of liquid fuel into an ICE-powered car — you might come around, yourself.
That seems to be what Mitsubishi thinks, anyway, and they’re hoping they’ll be your go-to choice when it’s time to electrify your regional and last-mile commercial delivery fleet(s) by launching a multi-year pilot program to deploy more than 150 battery-swappable commercial electric vehicles and 14 modular battery swapping stations across Tokyo, where the company plans to showcase its “five minute charging” tech in full view of hundreds of commercial fleets and, crucially, the executives of the companies that own and manage them.
How battery swap works for electric trucks; via Mitsubishi Fuso.
A truck like the Mitsubishi eCanter typically requires a full night of AC charging to top off its batteries, and at least an hour or two on DC charging in Japan, according to Fuso. This joint pilot by Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks, and Ample aims to circumvent this issue of forced downtime with its swappable batteries, supporting vehicle uptime by delivering a full charge within minutes. The move is meant to encourage the transport industry’s EV shift while creating a depository of stored energy that can be deployed to the grid in the event of a natural disaster — something Mitsubishi in Japan has been working on for years.
The pilot is backed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Technology Development Support Project for Promoting New Energy,” with local delivery operator Yamato Transport testing swappable EVs for delivery operations on both its eCanter light-duty trucks and Mitsubishi Minicab kei-class electric vans.
Electrek’s Take
Fuso eCanter battery swap; via Mitsubishi.
Electrifying the commercial truck fleet is a key part of decarbonizing city truck fleets – not just here in the US, but around the world. I called the eCanter, “a great product for moving stuff around densely packed city streets,” and eliminating the corporate fear of EV charging in the wild just makes it an even better product for that purpose.
Here’s hoping we see more “right size” electric solutions like this one (and more battery swapping tech) in small towns and tight urban environments stateside somewhat sooner than later.
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