Lotus is the latest automaker to fall for extended-range plug-in hybrids
Extended-range EVs are having their moment. And now Lotus is abandoning its strategy to become an all-electric brand by 2028 and shifting over to extended-range plug-in hybrid models starting in 2026. Here’s why.
Extended-range EVs, or EREVs, have become a siren call to automakers struggling to reach buyers with pure electric vehicles, serving as a sort of middle ground between kind of an electric car but also a plug-in hybrid, helping to break through to drivers still worried about getting stranded with no charge. So that, too, is where Lotus is going, with the Geely-owned UK brand saying that rolling out extended-range hybrids globally will help it reach its 2026 target of 30,000 sales. It’s a major departure from their earlier vision.
Lotus, has been mixing in some “lifestyle” EVs, including an SUV, to its sports-car lineup, but has struggled to meet its volume targets, Automotive News Europe reports. The problem Lotus says is that luxury buyers are reluctant to go full-electric.
Lotus says it sold 7,617 cars through September, including the Eletre SUV and Emeya large sedan, both all-electric vehicles – as well as it Emira sports car, once said to be the brand’s last ICE model.
Lotus also sells a full-electric hypercar, the Eveya.
But the company’s target of 12,000 sales this year is “definitely challenging,” Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said on the company’s third-quarter earnings call last week.
At the Guangzhou Motor Show in China, he said: “Luxury car engines are already very powerful, and the driving experience is quite similar, with eight-cylinder and 12-cylinder engines performing well,” according to the report.
Shifting to hybrids, the company hopes, will be the solution, with the brand eyeing the production of a “Super Hybrid” technology with ultra-fast plug-in charging. The electric motor will paired with a turbocharged combustion engine to extend the overall range to 680 miles (1,094 km).
Of course, an interesting motivator, too, is that hybrids are not affected by tariffs by the European Union on BEVs imported from China, with both the Eletre and Emeya built in China. In Europe, Geely’s BEVs are subject to a 28.8% duty under new EU tariff regulations, designed to counter what has been deemed as unfair government subsidies from China to its automakers.
Porsche has also announced that it will keep building ICE models across its model range to “meet customer demand,” shifting away from its all-electric plans.
Photos: courtesy of Lotus
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On today’s sunny side up episode of Quick Charge, we take a look at the latest from the world of solar power, and discuss Congressional Republicans’ plans to limit your energy independence by eliminating a critical tax credit for homeowners nearly ten years early. (!)
We’ve also got a quick review of a massive solar farm powering 200,000 homes in Indiana and the biggest solar project East of the Mississippi – both part of a record 98% of all new power generation and grid capacity introduced in 2025 coming from wind and solar. Those are jobs, those are lower utility rates, those are energy independence … so why are Congressional Republicans working to make that more expensive?
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If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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A Waymo autonomous vehicle drives along Masonic Avenue on April 11, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Alphabet’s Waymo unit has received approval to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service to more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose.
In March, the company submitted a request to the California Public Utilities Commission to gain approval for its latest passenger safety plan, a key step in gaining permission to operate driverless vehicles across a broader area. On Monday, the proposed expansion was approved, allowing for Waymo’s driverless coverage to extend from San Francisco down through the Peninsula.
“We’re very excited to share that the CPUC has approved our application to operate our fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the South Bay and nearly all of San Jose!” the company wrote in a post on X on Monday. “While this won’t change our operations in the near-term, we’re looking forward to bringing the benefits of Waymo One to more of the Bay Area in the future.”
The $5 billion Empire Wind is back in business. The Trump administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has lifted its stop-work order for Empire Wind, a major offshore wind project off the coast of New York led by Empire Offshore Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Equinor. Construction is now allowed to resume.
Equinor CEO Anders Opedal welcomed the news, saying the restart reinforces Equinor’s commitment to delivering clean energy while supporting local economies and saving thousands of jobs. He also credited a wide coalition of officials for helping get the project back on track, including Trump, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and congressional leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Dan Goldman. Opedal also thanked the Norwegian prime minister and the minister of finance for raising the issue with the US administration.
Governor Hochul said in a statement that “countless conversations with Equinor and White House officials” had taken place.
Neither the BOEM nor the Department of the Interior has issued a comment.
The Trump administration halted construction of the 54-turbine Empire Wind on April 16, but discussions between Equinor, regulators, and leaders at the federal, state, and city levels led to a reversal. That means Empire Wind can now push ahead with its goal of powering 500,000 New York homes with offshore wind energy.
“This project delivers on the energy ambitions shared by the US and New York by providing a vital new source of power to the region,” said Molly Morris, president of Equinor Wind US. She added that Empire Wind is boosting supply chain investments across the country, with activity in New York, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, and South Carolina.
Equinor plans to reassess the project’s financials in the second quarter. The goal is still to install turbines offshore in 2025 and hit full commercial operation by 2027. The company says it will work with suppliers and regulators to minimize any delays from the month-long pause.
Empire Wind was first awarded its offshore lease in 2017 after a competitive federal process. It received its final construction green light in early 2024 following an extensive environmental review. Construction kicked off shortly after, and the project is now over 30% complete.
The US is a major market for Equinor. The Norwegian energy giant says it has invested around $60 billion in US energy projects since the early 2000s, more recently in low-carbon solutions, critical minerals, and renewables. Empire Wind is one of its flagship projects in the US.
Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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