Kia is delaying another EV for the US, indefinitely
Another one bites the dust. Kia confirmed that another EV expected to arrive in the US by the end of the year is being put on hold indefinitely.
Why is Kia delaying another EV for the US?
Not another one! Kia’s sporty three-row electric SUV was set to go on sale by the end of 2025, but that will no longer be the case.
The EV9 GT has officially been “delayed until further notice,” Kia told Car and Driver on Monday. The sporty electric SUV created quite a stir after its debut at the 2024 LA Auto Show last November.
Kia’s electric family hauler is already impressive. It boasts more rear passenger legroom than the Cadillac Escalade, over 300 miles of driving range, and fast charging (10% to 80%) in as little as 24 minutes, but the GT moniker promised to take it to the next level.
Powered by dual electric motors, the EV9 GT packs 501 horsepower, 122 hp more than the GT-Line variant. The added power enables the big body EV to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds.
It’s not only fast, but it’s also loaded with fun features and performance upgrades, including an electronically controlled suspension (ECS), a virtual gear shift (VGS) like the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, a souped-up suspension, and exclusive GT exterior and interior design elements.
Kia America’s former COO, Steven Center, called the EV9 “a home run,” promising the new halo GT trim was “set to spark the hearts of driving enthusiasts who still need the practicality of a six-passenger SUV.” As Center said last November, with the EV9 GT, “You can have your cake and eat it too.”
Well, those in the US may never get to see it. Kia said the delay is due to “changing market conditions.” The EV9 GT is the second EV Kia has put on hold indefinitely, following the EV4, the brand’s first electric sedan.
Kia, like most automakers, is adjusting to the policy changes under the Trump Administration, including the loss of the $7,500 federal tax credit.
To entice buyers, Kia introduced a $10,000 discount across its entire EV lineup earlier this month, including the EV9 and EV6 GT. Kia is offering up to $16,500 in lease cash on the 641-horsepower EV6 GT, while the standard EV6 and EV9 are listed for lease starting at just $309 and $419 a month, respectively.
Electrek’s Take
It looks like the US will miss out on another EV, thanks to policy changes under the Trump administration. Although the US and South Korea signed a new trade deal this week, lowering the tariff on imported vehicles from 25% to 15%, it’s still not enough.
While the three-row EV9 is built in the US at Kia’s West Point, Georgia, plant alongside the Telluride and Sportage, the GT version is produced in South Korea and is still subject to the added tariffs.
Like the EV4, Kia is delaying the sporty electric three-row SUV, “until further notice.” Hopefully, the Korean automaker changes its mind, or those in the US will lose out on yet another unique EV.
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Aviation startup Electra made history last month when its EL2 became the first hybrid-electric Ultra Short Take-off and Landing (uSTOL) aircraft to successfully complete helicopter-like take-offs and landings at the Watertown International Airport.
Founded to provide affordable air travel without airports, emissions, or noise, Electra’s stated goal was to build an aircraft that could deliver on the promises of eVTOL aircraft at a significantly reduced cost compared to its more drone-like competitors. In that context, the demonstration at Watertown isn’t a publicity stunt, but part of concerted effort to validate Electra’s uSTOL performance under real-world conditions at a commercial airport — exactly the kind of place that regional operators, cargo carriers, and emergency responders actually fly in and out of.
Hitting those marks now will help Electra clear a path for FAA certification and prove that the company can deliver on the $9 billion worth of promises its made (so far).
“Electra is grateful to the team at Watertown International Airport for enabling this demonstration of the EL2’s Ultra Short capabilities in an off-runway capacity,” explains Tom Carto, director of market development at Electra. “Our Ultra Short aircraft will offer the potential to increase the use of general aviation airports and expand the capacity of larger hubs by enabling takeoffs and landings on ramps and taxiways instead of runways, feeding in regional connections without adding to runway congestion. These transformative and practical capabilities will open the door to Direct Aviation and point-to-point connections in a way that will make it easier for people to get from the where they are to where they want to go.”
The EL2’s innovative “blown lift” design features eight electric motors on the plane’s wings, enabling take-off and landing in as little as 150 feet.
Electra says the final version of its aircraft will be able operate from airfields as small as 300 x 100 ft (90 x 30 m), or about one-tenth the length of a standard airport runway. That means that, even if these eSTOL aircraft don’t open up quite as many spaces for air travel as eVTOLs, do, they’ll still be extremely flexible – and more than capable of operating from the roofs of many existing buildings and parking structures.
Obviously
And, of course, the Air Force wants one.
NOTE: in response to some of the comments, I want to point out that the Electra is capable of sustained, electric-only powered flight and uses the genset for remote operations/extended range. I should have made that clearer. This is arguably more EREV than EV.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Electra; via Oswego County Business.
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The US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) closed a $1 billion loan to restart Three Mile Island Unit 1, a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania.
The money is being loaned to Constellation Energy Generation, which is renaming the 835 megawatt (MW) Three Mile Island Unit 1 the Crane Clean Energy Center. Constellation said in September 2024 that it would restart the reactor under a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, which needs more clean power to feed its growing data-center demand.
The project is estimated to cost around $1.6 billion, and the DOE says the project will create around 600 jobs. The reactor is expected to start generating power again in 2027.
Three Mile Island Unit 1 (in the foreground in the photo above) went offline in 2019 because it could no longer compete with cheaper natural gas, but it wasn’t decommissioned. It’s capable of powering the equivalent of approximately 800,000 homes. It’s on the same site as the Unit 2 reactor (in the background in the photo above) that went into partial nuclear meltdown in 1979, and is known as the worst commercial nuclear accident in US history.
When asked about the loan’s timing, Greg Beard, senior adviser to the Loan Programs Office, told reporters on a call that it would “lower the cost of capital and make power cheaper for those PJM [Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland] ratepayers.” Data centers are driving up electricity costs for consumers.
Read more: DOE props up dying coal with $625M days after Wright mocks clean energy subsidies
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An affordable Bronco EV? Not for those in the US. Ford opened orders for the electric Bronco in China, starting at under $33,000.
Ford Bronco electric pre-orders open at under $33,000
Ford announced the All-Wheel Drive electric SUV is officially open for pre-sale on Tuesday, starting at RMB 229,800 ($32,300).
The electric Bronco is available in pure electric (EV) and extended range electric vehicle (EREV) options. It’s offered in three variants, priced from RMB 229,800 ($32,300) to RMB 272,800 ($38,400).
All models are All Wheel Drive, while the pure electric version costs an extra 10,000 yuan ($1,400). Ford is offering pre-sale buyers some pretty sweet benefits, including a camping experience package (with an added roof tent), a Mountain Kitchen Multi-Function Tailgate gift, an overnight stay package (for your vehicle), and more.
The electric Ford Bronco is about the same size as the standard 4-door version sold in the US at 5,025 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,815 mm tall.
Although it may look the same, the EV version draws power from a 105.4 kWh LFP battery pack from BYD’s FinFreams, providing up to 650 km (404 miles) CLTC driving range.
It’s equipped with two electric motors, one in the front and the other in the rear, producing a combined 445 horsepower (332 kW).
The EREV version combines a 43.7 kWh battery with a 1.5T engine, delivering a pure-electric range of 220 km (137 miles) and a combined CLTC driving range of 1,220 km (758 miles).
Some of the higher trims feature Ford’s Fuyu ADAS system, developed exclusively for buyers in China with a roof-mounted LiDAR and over 30 sensors and cameras. It even features a cool “off-road logbook” that shows drivers over 20 popular routes across China.
The interior is custom-tailored for Chinese buyers with a 15.6″ central infotainment and a smaller driver display screen. It also offers a massive 70″ AR head-up display (HUD).
Unlike the Ford vehicles we’re accustomed to seeing, the electric Bronco includes a 7.5L refrigerator in the center console.
The AWD electric SUV is coming at a critical time as Ford aims to revamp its business in China. Ford is working with local partners on new technologies, designs, and powertrain ideas for global markets.
Ford’s sales in China are down by over 14% through October this year, but new electrified vehicles, including the Bronco, are expected to help turn things around. Ford’s lineup in China mainly consists of gas-powered vehicles, which have quickly fallen out of favor with buyers shifting to more advanced, more efficient, and often lower-priced domestic EVs.
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