New electric vehicles on target for 2021 and beyond

Dave Kunz Image
Friday, November 20, 2020
New electric vehicles on target for 2021 and beyond
The electric vehicles are coming in 2021 and further into the future. One of the most talked about so far? This big beast of an electric pickup truck called Hummer.

The electric vehicles are coming in 2021 and further into the future. One of the most talked about so far? This big beast of an electric pickup truck called Hummer.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was famous for saying "I'll be back!" as "The Terminator" on the screen. The actor was also famous for his love of the original Hummer SUV. Now, the once-dead Hummer brand is back as a sub-brand of GMC, offering electric-only pickups and SUVs.

Depending on the version, the big Hummer pickup truck will cost you at least $80,000. The first version called Edition 1 has every feature and the largest battery, and will sticker at a lofty $112,000. If that seems high, all of them sold out quickly via reservations, even though the Hummer EV doesn't go on sale until late in 2021.

MORE: New 2021 minivans offer features like hybrid power, safety technology, family comfort

The sleek new Toyota Sienna minivan is both fun and practical - complete with reclining captain's chairs with extendable footrests. It's one of several new minivan models out in 2021.

If you have more normal needs and a more normal budget, how about Nissan's upcoming Ariya small SUV? It'll start around $40,000 and have range of up to 300 miles.

"That is the magic number," said Jonathan Buhler of Nissan, regarding the range of 300 miles, for certain versions of the Ariya. For many consumers, 300 miles is what they consider an acceptable battery range.

The Ariya should arrive at dealerships in late 2021, but you'll be able to reserve one online very soon.

Nissan is no stranger to building electric cars. They've sold over 500,000 Leaf EVs over the past 10 years. Car companies, large and small, whether they've been doing this a long time or not, are going electric.

Many of the electric cars that are now hitting the roads, or will soon, are ones you might not necessarily be able to spot as EVs. Audi's latest e-tron model is the Sportback, a sportier coupe-like companion to the e-tron SUV that came out last year. You might see this on the road, but not at a gas pump. It too is fully battery powered.

And you'll have to look closely to notice Volvo's first pure electric, the XC40 Recharge, which goes on sale soon. It looks a lot like the gas-engine XC40, but it's all electric, all the time. Volvo is another brand with big plans to further electrify in the coming years.

Will everyone be driving an electric in the future? Well, perhaps WAY in the future. But in the immediate future, there are a growing number of them to choose from, if you choose to go electric sooner, rather than later.

MORE: Hyundai updates Sonata Hybrid with solar roof option to give driving range a boost

Each day of full sun via the solar roof is good for about 2 miles of electric running. That may not sound like much, but over the course of a year, that's over 700 miles of free driving.