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Electric vehicles steal the show at 2022 Houston Auto Show

Written by: Leonard Parker | Houston Business News | January 27, 2022


A crowd of onlookers gathered around a glowing Ford marquee as a presenter began her showcase.

"The Ford Lightning has super powers only an electric truck has," the emcee said, standing aside the engine-less frunk of the Detroit manufacturer's most powerful production F-150 to date. "With its 131 kilowatt battery, the Lightning can power the average house for up to three days."

The 2022 Ford Lightning, complete with frunk.

Dan Carson / Chron.com

The Lightning was just one of the new electric vehicles drawing crowds and stealing thunder from its gas-powered siblings on the first day of the 2022 Houston Auto Show. All across the red and gray carpeted floor at the NRG Center on Wednesday car enthusiasts took turns stepping in and out of the latest EV offerings from large domestic and foreign manufacturers, eager to wrap their heads around the technology driving the next wave of plug-in personal transportation.

Another darling of the auto show EVs, the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 crossover featured smart leather styling and floating cupholders.

Dan Carson / Chron.com

Particularly popular EV models included the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4 and Kia EV6—crossovers festooned with floating cupholders, wide touchscreens and USB-C fast-charging ports. Auto reps speaking of "immediately available" torque provided by lithium battery-powered electric engines drew wide eyes and exclamations from crowds. A stone's throw from Volkswagen's glowing electric centerpieces, new model Aston Martin Vantages and DBX coupes sat all but forgotten, roped off and unapproachable.

The interior of the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4.

Dan Carson / Chron.com

Elsewhere, more accessible luxuries lured in foot traffic, including a '22 Chevy Suburban Premier clothed in chocolate-brown Metallic Auburn and swathes of chrome. The newest edition of Chevy's iconic American family-hauler features 10-inch touchscreens, mobile WiFi hot spots and enough seating capacity for a minor military incursion. Several groups were able to climb simultaneously about the spacious cabin of the Suburban, which clocks in with a well-fed curb weight between 5,600 and 6,000 pounds fully equipped and a staggering listed price of $82,585. 

The 2022 Chevy Suburban Premier: big, shiny, extremely Texan friendly. 

Dan Carson / Chron.com

Ballooning prices were the adjoining factor for the most popular electric and gas-powered cars on the floor. The vast majority of entry-level trims for all-electric offerings at the show hovered around $40,000 and rose steeply from there.

Conspicuously missing were the electric thoroughbreds and new upstarts. Tesla, making it's headquarters in Austin soon, as well as Rivian and Lucid were not represented at Houston's auto show, which continues to be dominated by big box manufacturers now looking to stake their flags in the emerging EV space.

Kia's centerpiece display featured a rotating 2022 EV6 crossover with sharp styling details and a contoured rear haunches.

Dan Carson / Chron.com

The most basic Ford Lightning trim starts at $39,974, and features a limited estimated range of 230 miles, seemingly geared toward rental fleet usage. The next trim level beginning to approach a daily driver is the "XLT," which kicks off at $52,974 and includes options like keyless entry and a 2.4 kilowatt ProPower Onboard system for powering electric tools. The Platinum trim Lightning like the one displayed front and center at the Ford section arrives north of $90,000, offering 536 horsepower and the "extended" range of 280 miles.

Side view of the 2022 Ford Lightning.

Dan Carson / Chron.com

An older man standing at the Lightning display lamented the cost of the house-powering truck he was eager to own. I'd get one, he said after enjoying the showcase, but they're just so expensive right now.

The price of everything is going up, the rep apologized.



Source: https://www.chron.com/business/article/Houston-Auto-Show-tickets-electric-vehicles-EVs-16807351.php
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