Shared from the 10/5/2019 Houston Chronicle eEdition

More electrics, hybrids flooding the pipeline

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Mercedes-Benz has launched a sub-brand for its electric models, EQ. The Vision EQS is filled with futuristic technology.

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Motor Matters photos

The BMW hydrogen version of the X5 crossover, tentatively named NEXT, which it expects to have in limited production by 2022.

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Volkswagen ID.3 electric compact, due to arrive in North America in early 2021.

Dozens of new vehicles are in the pipeline by 2025, nearly all of them electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid, in all shapes, sizes and prices.

Despite the rush to electrify, there’s also a renewed interest in hydrogen fuel cell, which was on target to be a game-changer until Toyota introduced the Prius, and hydrogen moved to the back burner.

Toyota has been marketing its hydrogen Mirai — the Japanese word for “future” — since 2016 in Japan and in California, but it’s never gotten out of first gear. Ditto the original Mercedes-Benz F-Cell, a small SUV based on the B-Class used primarily as a corporate campus shuttle. Maybe that will change with BMW entering the space.

At the recent Frankfurt Auto Show, BMW showed a hydrogen version of the X5 crossover, tentatively named NEXT, which it expects to have in limited production by 2022. Availability will be limited by access to hydrogen fueling stations, which are limited outside of Germany and California.

That’s the same problem the EV faced when it was first introduced — “where to recharge them.” Now, of course, there are charging stations just about everywhere, including in home garages. With more powerful batteries offering longer distances between charges, so-called range anxiety (fear of running out of power) is largely in the rearview mirror.

Some other newly announced electrics, in no particular order, include:

Jaguar: It has confirmed the rumor that the next generation XJ will be an EV, joining the award-winning I-Pace in the electric garage. The XJ electric will go outlet-to-outlet against the Tesla Model S and the new Porsche Taycan EV.

Mercedes-Benz: It has launched a sub-brand for its electric models, EQ. The Vision EQS is a concept, which means to show the intended design and technology, but not the final version. The EQS is gorgeous, with soft rounded surfaces and filled with futuristic technology, including a front end grille peppered with LED lights that replace headlights.

It won’t be cheap — EQ pricing will be on par with flagship S-Class models, also competing directly with the Jaguar, Tesla and Porsche models, so start saving your pennies now for the roll-out expected by 2022.

Mercedes has announced plans to launch a new EV every year, with the goal of 10 all-electric models by 2022, all of them more affordable than the EQS.

At the other end of the price line, Volkswagen has unveiled its ID.3 electric compact, due to arrive in North America in early 2021. It’s the first VW designed on the MEB modular platform, which the company will be using for additional models.

At a price tag under $30,000 and a range of up to 350 miles between charges, it should be a popular choice for budget-conscious consumers. VW is sweetening the pot with a year of free charging in Europe, but hasn’t announced if that deal will be extended to the U.S. and Canada.

Volkswagen’s ID Crozz crossover is being renamed ID4 and will arrive in the U.S. before the ID3, at the end of next year. VW will build it in Europe until an $800 million upgrade of its award-winning LEEDcertified plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., is completed, then production shifts there, joining the Jetta and Atlas. The ID4 also is built on the MEB modular platform. VW also is introducing a hybrid version of its Golf bestseller.

Ford plans eight new electric vehicles for Europe, some of which will be for North America, including an SUV inspired by the iconic Mustang. Ford expects to sell one million EVs in Europe by 2022, more than its sales of gasoline and diesel models.

Hyundai also showed an electric version of its Veloster in Frankfurt, teasing that the track model N ETCR will be turned into a street version, joining its EV siblings Kona and the Sonata and Ioniq models, which includes a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid.

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