Andrew Heinzman
Last week, Subaru unveiled the Japanese versions of its new Solterra electric SUV, including an FWD model with an impressive 329-mile range. But the Solterra’s U.S. debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show skipped out on the FWD model, a sign that U.S. drivers will only be able to buy a 220-mile AWD model.
This news may sound a bit weird to those who’ve kept up with the Solterra EV’s release. After all, the Japanese AWD model has a 286-mile range, which is a lot better than the 220-mile range U.S. customers are getting. But technically speaking, the Japanese and U.S. versions of the AWD Solterra EV are two different cars. We just aren’t 100% sure how different they are because … well, because Subaru hasn’t told us yet.
In its U.S. press release, Subaru makes no mention of the Solterra EV’s EPA rating. It doesn’t talk about the car’s motors, it doesn’t mention charging speed (fast charging is a defining feature of this car), and it doesn’t reveal the car’s battery capacity.
Subaru’s tight-lipped reveal for this car is a bit disheartening, given the automaker’s openness when discussing the Solterra’s Japanese release last week. Perhaps Subaru wants to make some last-minute changes for U.S. drivers?
As a reminder, the Japanese version of the AWD Solterra electric SUV features a 71.4 kWh battery, an 80 kW motor on each axle, and 150 kW fast-charging that should fill the car up to 80% in half an hour.
We expect Subaru to reveal more of the Solterra’s U.S. details in the coming weeks, but given what we know today, it may not be the EV that Subaru fans were expecting. Hopefully Subaru doesn’t cut any of this vehicle’s features for U.S. drivers (although a low enough price tag could wash away any disappointment).
Source: Subaru
