New Form Factor iMac in 4th Quarter; Amazon’s $2 Billion Green Energy Fund; Hyundai Kona EV; Rad Power Cheaper e-Bike

Apple will roll out a 24 inch iMac in the 4th quarter, with the rumored new form factor. In addition to that, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it will be one of the first 2 Macs to sport the new Apple ARM processor touted at WWDC yesterday. According to macrumors.com, the other machine that will rock the new ARM processor will be a 13 inch MacBook Pro. As we noted yesterday, Apple has said it will take 2 years to switch over completely to the ARM silicon from Intel. Apple has promised to provide full backward compatibility for the Intel-based Macs for years to come.

Amazon is creating a $2 billion dollar venture capital fund intended to invest in companies working to build a carbon-free future. Businessinsider.com reports that the online giant is also accelerating its timeline for its operations to be fully carbon neutral by 2025. Amazon has already invested in almost 100 clean energy products so far, including solar power on its huge warehouses, and the Rivian electric delivery vehicles Rivian is preparing to produce. Research at NYU has shown more consumer interest in sustainably marketed products. Sales of them are up from 14.3% in 2013 to 16.6% of sales in 2018.

Having just seen one of these in the wild (specifically on West 80 then Eastbound 780 in Vallejo and Benicia, CA), I was curious about this new EV. A piece on thenextweb.com says the 2020 Hyundai Kona has a very competitive range of 250+ miles, more than I would have guessed. It is a crossover SUV, only comes as front whee drive for now…no all-wheel drive, and has 201 horsepower. The EV hits 60 from zero in 6.5 seconds, a very respectable time that will get you up a freeway ramp and onto the road easily. The battery pack is liquid cooled, and does have regenerative charging. As far as Charging, there are three plug-in charge levels that can be controlled manually, or by the Blue Link connected car system, to set the day and time of recharging. From near empty to a full charge, times are:
• 120V (Level 1) – 17 hours (using the 7.2 kW onboard charger)
• 240V (Level 2) – 9.5 hours (using the 7.2 kW onboard charger)
• 480V DC 50 kW Quick Charging – 75 minutes
• 480V DC 100 kW Quick Charging – 54 minutes

One thing it doesn’t have….a significantly cheaper price as we have come to love with Hyundai. The Kona EV has 3 trim levels:

SEL $36,990
Limited $41,600
Ultimate $45,200

At least in some states like California, there is still some tax credit to be had, but it would really be great if the federal one was put back into place!

There are a number of cool e-bikes out now. If you have lusted for one, but hit the brakes when you saw the price, here’s some good news. Rad Power has announced a lighter weight e-bike for $999. Most entry level e-bikes start at about twice that amount. According to engadget.com, it lacks some whistles and bells, but the battery back keeps the power of pricier models, but is smaller and lighter. In addition, it has a 500W geared hub motor, and a top speed of 20 mph. It tips the scale at just under 50 lbs…not near as light as my Dahon folding bike which is in the upper 20’s, but 15 lbs less than the more tricked out and expensive Rad Power Bike. Rad is hoping this lower price point will be a real game changer in getting people into e-bikes, and they may well be right!