Items tagged with ev
Porsche revealed its Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S performance EVs early last month, and they are no doubt gorgeous, technology-laden track monsters. However, they are also prohibitively expensive. While the Tesla Model S Performance rings in at $99,990, the Turbo and Turbo S will set you back $152,000 and $186,000 respectively. The German automaker has always said that it plans to extend the Taycan family downward and its first step in that journey comes with the Taycan 4S. The Taycan 4S still features all-wheel-drive thanks to its dual-motor setup, but it will generate a total of 429 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque with the 79.2 kWh Performance Battery. Horsepower swells to 522...
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Lookout Tesla, there's a new electric vehicle (EV) startup looking to make waves in the industry. We've already sold you about Rivian, which is planning to bring both the R1T pickup truck and R1S crossover SUV to market early next decade. The company has already score $500 million in funding from Ford and another $750 million from Amazon. Amazon is looking to cash in on its investment by overhauling its local delivery fleet, which currently consists primarily of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. The new, unnamed Rivian vans are of course powered by an electric motor(s) and a lithium-ion battery pack, although there were absolutely no details provided with regards to specifications. But from the...
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After months of teasers, Porsche has finally unveiled the production version of its first fully-electric vehicle: the Taycan. The sleek, 4-door sports car will be positioned against the Tesla Model S in the high-end segment of the EV market, and its performance/endurance will leave its primary competitor in its dust on the race track. Starting with performance, the flagship trim will be the Taycan Turbo S. Let's get this out of the way, the "Turbo" name makes absolutely no sense on the Taycan. The Taycan doesn't have an internal combustion engine, and hence it doesn't have a turbocharger. But we digress... the Taycan Turbo S generates an incredible 750 horsepower from two permanent magnetic...
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There's no doubt that when it comes to production performance vehicles, Porsche has a long and storied history dating back to the original 356, which later evolved into the 911. The German automaker is looking to make a similar leap with the Taycan, as its releases its first fully electric vehicle (EV). To show that the Taycan is capable of duking it out with premier gasoline-powered vehicles, Porsche has just released a video of the vehicle tearing its way around the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit. Auto manufacturers often take their latest performance vehicle to the Nürburgring to see how fast they can complete a lap in the ultimate showcase of who has the biggest...well,...
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At this point, Porsche is going a bit overboard with the teasers for its upcoming Taycan electric vehicle. The Taycan is being billed as the first credible competitor to the Tesla Model S from a legacy automaker, and Porsche is pulling out all the stops to ensure that it offers a winning combination of performance, usable range, and styling. Last week we got a small glimpse of the Taycan's interior along with confirmation that it would be the first vehicle with dedicated support for Apple Music streaming. Porsche has now fully revealed the Taycan's interior, and it is a tech enthusiast's dream come true. We count no less than four display screens in this particular example. The primary display...
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Tesla arguably kicked off the electric vehicle revolution with the original Roadster, and really kicked things into high gear with the release of the Model S. The success of the Model S, and later the Model X has encouraged other automakers both large and small to dabble in the EV realm. The latest boutique manufacturer to flex its muscle is Drako Motors, which has unveiled the GTE. Let's get the important stuff out of the way first. The GTE has a total of four permanent magnet electric motors -- one for each wheel -- that each have their own direct-drive gearbox. That translates into a staggering 1,200 horsepower and a mind-blowing 6,500 lb-ft of torque. While Drako hasn't commented yet on acceleration...
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The head of the VW brand in North America is Reinhard Fischer, and he has been talking about the market acceptance of electric vehicles. He says when EVs reach price parity with traditional internal combustion engines, that will be the tipping point for the EV industry. And according to Fischer, that the tipping point is closer than ever before. Fischer believes when pricing parity is reached, new consumers will come to the EV segment, not just the early adopters. He also says that once consumers overcome the early fears of the EV, it will be the better choice for most people. VW has several electric vehicles amongst the 12 brands that are part of the VW group. Brands that are part of that...
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Move over Tesla Roadster; there is a new hypercar on the horizon that is aiming to take the world by storm. And rather than coming from some no-name company with grand [and unobtainable] ambitions, this new vehicle comes from legendary British carmaker Lotus. Witness the Evija, which is said to be Britain's first ever all-electric hypercar. It will feature a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque chassis with total vehicle weight of just 3,700 lbs with its battery pack installed. Speaking of the lithium-ion battery pack, it has a total capacity of 70 kWh according to Lotus (for reference, the upcoming Tesla Roadster has a 200-kWh battery pack). Lotus says that the Evija has two in-line axial electric...
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Range anxiety is a big deal for electric cars and is seen by many as the main reason why EVs haven't become mainstream... yet. Cars like the Tesla Model X and Model S recently received an upgrade that pushed the range to 370 miles in some cases, but that's still not enough for some drivers. If range anxiety is an issue in cars where a dead battery means you sit on the side of the road until a tow truck shows up, how will people embrace range anxiety that comes with electric aircraft? A German company called Lilium could be the first to challenge travelers with that question. Lilium has announced that it has made its first successful test flight earlier this month of its all-electric, five-seat...
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Tesla has been betting big on autonomous driving and recently held an Autonomy Day where it rolled out its new, next-generation full self-driving computer claiming that it was the most powerful in the world. For a long time now Elon Musk has been proclaiming that Tesla cars with Autopilot would be able to travel across the country autonomously. Musk has now bragged that later this year Tesla cars with the Full Self-Driving software will be able to drive autonomously across the country from LA to New York. This is the first time that Musk We could have gamed an LA/NY Autopilot journey last year, but when we do it this year, everyone with Tesla Full Self-Driving will be able to do it too —...
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When it comes to electric cars, Tesla had a big head start versus traditional automakers when it introduced its first [ground up design] Model S in 2012. It then followed up with the Model X crossover and the Model 3 entry-level sedan. Automakers like Mercedes-Benz have watched as Tesla has increased EV mindshare with the public and is looking to take its own steps into this “green” market with the EQC. Mercedes-Benz first announced the EQC back in September 2018, but the company today announced that the first production models are now rolling off the assembly line in Bremen, Germany. In fact, rather than getting its own bespoke factory, the EQC is being produced at the...
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Range anxiety? What range anxiety? Just as traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) auto manufacturers are attempting to field their own entries into the luxury electric vehicle market, Tesla is moving the goal posts again. The company's EVs already have greater range their new competitors (by a fair margin), and now drivetrain updates are widening the gap even further. Tesla announced this week that it is using a new permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motor -- which has previously seen duty in the Model 3 -- on its Model S sedan and Model X crossover. This could with improvements to its bearings, gear design, lubrication and cooling allow the company to achieve a stunning...
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Genesis is slowly fleshing out its U.S. product lineup as the luxury-car arm of Hyundai. While the luxury brand has so far only released sedans in America, crossover vehicles are also on the way. And if the new “Mint Concept” is any indication, it looks like the South Korean automakers is hip to the idea of a premium compact two-door. The Mint Concept is described a “luxury city car” that is highly maneuverable and has room for what appears to be three passengers courtesy of its old school “bench” front seat. The most striking aspect of the Mint Concept – well besides its rather intriguing matte Hunter Green paint color – is its tidy proportions....
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Ford has unveiled the all-new 2020 Escape SUV, and this year the line includes hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Ford says that every model in the line has a driving range of at least 400 miles per tank of fuel, whether it's powered by a standalone EcoBoost gas engine or one of the new hybrid powertrains. The standard FWD hybrid offering is good for over 550 miles of driving per tank of fuel. Escape buyers can opt for an all-wheel-drive version or front-wheel-drive versions using the same 8-speed automatic transmission. Ford is packing the Titanium version of the Escape with an available new 2.0L EcoBoost that makes 250 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft of torque when using 93 octane fuel. A lower-spec...
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