Automakers announce range of new EVs, EV concepts at CES 2022

Automakers have announced and showcased a number of new electric vehicle and EV concepts at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022, held Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas, setting the tone for 2022 to be another year of growth in EV innovation, production and adoption.

Chrysler, which is part of the Stellantis group, announced Jan. 6 plans to release its first all-electric vehicle for sale in 2025 and be all-electric by 2028.

Its first EV, the Airflow Concept, was unveiled at the event, which will be powered by two 150 kW batteries to support fast charging and provide a range of 350-400 miles.

Stellantis has said previously that it is aiming for more than 70% of its vehicle sales in Europe and more than 40% in the US to be low emissions vehicles by 2030.

General Motors used CES 2022 to join the EV pickup truck game by launching its Chevrolet Silverado pickup as part of its $35 billion electrification strategy.

GM CEO Mary Barra told the conference virtually Jan. 5 that the vehicle would launch in two stages in 2023 and would be developed using the Ultium Platform.

The truck is due to have a 400 mile range on a full charge, as well as 10.2 kW of offboard power.

GM and LG Energy Solutions are building Ultium Cells facilities in Lordstown, Ohio and Spring Hill, Tennessee, and are also planning two other US-based Ultium cell plants by mid-decade to drive GM's mass adoption of high-volume Ultium-powered EVs.

GM also plans to increase its EV market share in the US by offering a Chevrolet Equinox EV SUV and a larger Chevrolet Blazer EV SUV from 2023.

It also plans to equip its Cadillac's Celestiq sedan with door-to-door hands-free driving Ultra Cruise technology.

TOGG unveils first EVs for Turkey

Turkish startup TOGG unveiled its first EVs on Jan. 5, a TOGG SUV and the TOGG Iogo sedan.

TOGG aims to produce 1 million EVs in five segments by 2030, with the first due to be available in late 2022.

Under an agreement signed in October, TOGG's joint venture with Chinese battery manufacturer Farasis Energy, Silk Road Clean Energy Solutions Turkey, will manufacture the batteries for the EVs in-house at a 20 GWh battery plant in Gemlik, Bursa, western Turkey.

Vietnamese automaker Vinfast also announced its intention to go all-electric from late 2022, halting all production of internal combustion engines by the end of the year to focus on research and development efforts on all-electric powertrains for its EVs.

The automaker already offers two EV models and launched three new models at the CES event.

Japanese technology company Sony Corp. announced at the event plans to set up Sony Mobility Inc in the spring of 2022 (March-June) to explore its entry into the EV market.

It also exhibited a prototype sports utility vehicle at CES 2022 as part of its "VISION-S" initiative aimed at improving daily mobility.

Other announcements from major automakers included Mercedes-Benz's Vision EQXX with a 620 mile range, and BMW, which showcases the new electric iX M60 sport activity vehicle and the iX Flow SUV, with the latter having the ability to change color from light to dark pigments.

Hyundai Motors affiliated company Hyundai Mobis also showcased the M.Vision POP EV and the M.Vision 2GO Hydrogen Fuel Cell shared mobility concept vehicles.

According to S&P Global Platts Analytics, global plug-in light duty EV sales are expected to reach 6.5 million units in 2022, rising to 10.6 million units in 2025, 21.7 million units in 2030 and 53.3 million units by 2040.