Subaru’s New EV Has a Familiar Name…
The favorite PNW car brand of hikers, cyclists, skiers, dog owners, and many more has entered the EV race!
Subaru has unveiled the name of their new all-electric all-wheel-drive SUV. It will be the 2023 Subaru…Solterra. Since we thrive in complimentary vs. competing industries, they won’t be hearing from our lawyers, but the philosophy of combining the Latin for “sun” and “earth” does seem appropriate to Subaru’s ethos, and of course to our own.
Not much has been revealed about the Solterra. We know it will be making use of a new platform co-developed by Subaru and Toyota. We suspect that AWD system will be heavily influenced by Subaru, and more on the battery end by Toyota, owing to their experience with hybrids. Toyota was an early catalyst in electrifying transportation with the gas-electric hybrid Prius sedan. (Yes it was a sedan before it was a hatchback!) Back when my parents ordered that car in 2001, it had to be shipped from Japan. Toyota now has many hybrids and plug-in hybrids, but their only pure EV on the Market in the U.S. (California only) is the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai. They just announced their first full-electric option, the bZ4X, also co-developed with Subaru. The Crosstrek Plug-In Hybrid is Subaru’s only current offering with an electric component, and you’ll have to sneak one out of Oregon because they’re not available new in WA.
This announcement comes at the end of a wave of news from automakers across the globe. Toyota and Subaru are the last of the major automakers to join the all-electric club, even behind very traditional American brands like Cadillac and GMC. Even Porsche and Aston Martin have electric models! It will be interesting to see how they stack up in a market that is rapidly becoming more competitive. One thing is for certain, our transportation system is going to change dramatically. I for one, am hoping that all those new EVs will be powered by solar energy! When the Solterra hits the road in 2022, who will be the first to charge it with an installation from Solterra? You can sign up for updates on the new Subaru here.
Check back soon for our in-the-works solar-powered EV calculator!
PS – We’re not the first in the solar industry to share a name with a Subaru! Check out our Washington neighbors, OutBack Power.
Author Bio:
Isaac (he/him) is a Solar Design Consultant at Solterra Solar. He is passionate about solar energy, electric vehicles, and how they can work together to move us toward a sustainable energy system. When he’s not driving his electric car to solar consultations, he cruises the streets of Seattle on his electric motorbike or finds trails to ride on his mountain bike. He also coaches high school ultimate frisbee and enjoys vegetarian burgers and baking sweet treats to share with office mates!
