GM revealed almost nothing about the vehicle except its existence and its name:
The Cadillac ESCALADE IQ will be revealed later this year and promises the same commitment to craftsmanship, technology and performance that has helped the Escalade nameplate dominate the large luxury SUV segment for the last 20 years. The ESCALADE IQ will join the LYRIQ and the upcoming CELESTIQ as Cadillac continues to build an all-electric portfolio.
About the name, it is the all-caps ESCALADE IQ. This is a departure for Cadillac, which until now has built NEW EVs like the LYRIQ and CELESTIQ rather than using current models. But it follows a more recent path for greater GM, which is making EV versions of the Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado/Sierra.
The IQ naming strategy celebrates Cadillac introducing a different type of EV to the market — one that works in tandem with people’s daily lives and environments. The IQ designation is Cadillac’s EV nomenclature and first debuted on the LYRIQ.
So it is likely that GM will drip drop details throughout the year about the new ESCALADE IQ and have an event toward the end of the year. The Escalade is Cadillac’s best-selling model.
Electrek’s Take:
Okay, where to start. First of all, we’re glad GM is moving its line, extremely slowly but surely, to EV. That’s great, let’s start ramping up production already.
However, the IQ name is uncomfortably similar to Mercedes “EQ” nomenclature for its EVs. That’s unfortunate. It worked a lot better as part of the naming like in LYRIQ but I’m glad they didn’t attempt to make an ESCALADIQ. Though I’m sure that name is on the cutting room floor somewhere in Detroit.
More importantly, with batteries being the bottleneck of EV production, it is disheartening to see GM seemingly move all of its EV momentum into these hulking, dangerous 200+kWh battery vehicles. I’m assuming here that the ESCALADE will share the over 200kWh battery as the Hummer EV and likely top-tier Silverado/Sierra EVs.
At the infamous EV Battery Day in 2020, right before the pandemic started, we got a look at some of GM’s future EV prototypes, and one was this huge Escalade-looking vehicle but actually somehow bigger than current Escalades. I really don’t like this direction in the automotive world.
But imagine in a different world, GM makes a 50kWh 225-mile 2024 Bolt EV with Ultium batteries instead. They could sell 4x as many with the same battery supply. An Ultium Bolt could easily have AWD, fast charging, and with 4x as many being produced, could make GM a lot more money if its services like self driving are really going to be a money maker.
As of right now, GM has produced more EV press releases than it has Ultium EVs.
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The cooling towers of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
Power companies that are most exposed to the tech sector’s data center boom plunged early Monday, as the debut of China’s DeepSeek open source AI laboratory led investors to question how much energy artificial intelligence applications will actually consume.
Constellation, Vistra and GE Vernova have led the S&P 500 this year as investors speculated that AI data centers will boost demand for enormous amounts of electricity.
But DeepSeek has developed a model that it claims is cheaper and more efficient than U.S competitors, raising doubts about the vast sums of money the tech sector is pouring in to data centers.
The tech companies have anticipated needing so much electricity to supply data centers that they have increasingly looked to nuclear power as a source of reliable, carbon-free energy.
Constellation, for example, has signed a power agreement with Microsoft to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Talen is powering an Amazon data center with electricity from the nearby Susquehanna nuclear plant.
Vistra has not inked a data center deal yet, though investors see promise in its nuclear and natural gas assets. GE Vernova has soared this year as the market believes its gas and electric grid businesses will benefit from AI demand.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Executives from TravelCenters America (TA) and BP were joined by local elected officials at a ribbon cutting for the two companies’ first DC fast charging hub on I-95 in Jacksonville, Florida – the first of several such EV charging stations to come online.
Frequent road-trippers are no doubt familiar with TA’s red, white, and blue logo and probably think of the sites as safe, convenient stops in otherwise unfamiliar surroundings. The company hopes those positive associations will carry over as its customers continue to switch from gas to electric at a record pace in 2025 and beyond.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey to bring new forms of energy to our customers as we support their changing mobility needs, while leveraging the best of bp and TA,” explains Debi Boffa, CEO of TravelCenters of America. Boffa, however, was quick to – but TA is quick to point out that TA isn’ no’t leaving its ICE customers behind. “While this is significant, to our loyal customers and guests, rest assured TA will continue to provide the same safe and reliable fueling options it has offered for over 50 years, regardless of the type of fuel.”
The charging hub along the I-95 offers 12 DC fast charging ports offering up to 400kW of power for lickety-quick charging. While they’re at the TA, EV drivers can visit restrooms, shop at TA’s convenience store, or eat at fast food chains like Popeyes and Subway. Other TA centers offer wifi and pet-friendly amenities as well – making them ideal partners for BP as the two companies builds out their charging networks.
“As we expand our EV charging network in the US, I am thrilled to unveil our first of many hubs at TA locations,” offers Sujay Sharma, CEO of BP Pulse Americas. “These sites are strategically located across key highway corridors that provide our customers with en route charging when and where they need it most, while offering convenient amenities, like restaurants and restrooms.”
The new e2500-THL and TS electric Ultra Buggies from Toro offer construction and demo crews a carrying capacity of 2500 lbs. (on the TS model), six-and-a-half foot dump height (on the THL), nearly 13 cubic ft. of capacity, and hours of quiet, fume-free operation.
For their open-mindedness, those crews will be rewarded with machines powered by 7 kWh’s worth of Toro HyperCell lithium-ion battery. That’s good enough for up to eight hours of continuous operation, according to Toro – enough for two typical working shifts.
And, thanks to the Toro Ultra Buggies’ narrow, 31.5″ width, they can easily navigate man doors on inside jobs, as well, making them ideal for indoor demolition and construction jobs. A zero-turn radius and auto-return dump mechanism that ensures the tub automatically returns to the proper resting position make things easy for the operator, too.
Toro says that each of its small (for Toro) e2500 Ultra Buggy units can replace as many as five wheelbarrows on a given job site. Pricing is expected to start at about $32,000.