Items tagged with ev
Volkswagen has been working to electrify its lineup of vehicles to meet ever-increasing emission standards in Europe and around the world. While hybrid vehicles are a big part of those electrification efforts, VW is also working on fully electric vehicles such as the ID.4 electric crossover. Some new images of the ID.4 have surfaced online that show a very clean design without the quirky style that some automakers tend to favor for EVs and hybrids. The ID.4 is a crucial vehicle for Volkswagen as more consumers gravitate towards SUVs, and market share for cars declines. VW also needs a win with a vehicle seen as good for the environment after its legal problems with the dieselgate emissions cheating...
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The dream of electric carmakers has long been to build an EV that has price parity with gasoline models. Tesla plans to introduce a new low-cost, long-life battery version of its Model 3 sedan in China later this year, or early next year, that is claimed to have pricing in line with gasoline models. The batteries used inside the electric vehicle could even find use in the electric power grid once they're no longer viable for an electric car. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising to reveal big advances in battery technology during a "Battery Day" in late May. Tesla has long had a goal of designing a low-cost battery that lasts millions of miles and will enable Tesla to earn profits on its vehicles...
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Elon Musk has been on quite a bit of "wild streak" for the past week, starting off with Tesla's Q2 earnings call. While the company announced that it made a profit once again -- despite the shutdown of its Fremont factory because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic -- Musk drew attention for comments he made about EPA testing procedures. But let's back up a bit, shall we? Back in late January, Musk proclaimed that Tesla would soon be releasing a Model S with 400 miles of range thanks to improved core chemistry used in its 18650 battery cells. At the time, the Model S was rated for 373 miles for the "Long Range" variant and 348 miles for the "Performance" variant. However, when the EPA...
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Ford is wasting no time shifting its mindset towards electric vehicles. While the company has embraced EVs in the past with the Focus Electric, it was more of a “compliance vehicle” than something that most Americans would actually want to own. Since then, the company has announced the Mustang Mach-E crossover, which will [hopefully] go into production early next year. Now the company has revealed the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 dragster, which brings electric power to its motorsports division. The Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 makes Ford’s prototype Mustang Lithium, which was shown of late last year, look puny in comparison. The Mustang Lithium produced 900 horsepower and...
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Tesla announced that deliveries of its highly anticipated Model Y crossover have begun. Initially, only the higher-end Model Y is available, with the standard range version expected to enter production in early 2021. The Model Y deliveries occurring at the moment are for the Long Range and Performance versions of the electric crossover. Tesla says all of the Model Y EVs it's delivering currently have the premium interior and upgraded sound system. The Long Range version has a $52,990 base purchase price with the price of $46,690 after potential [future] fuel savings. The Model Y Performance has a $60,990 purchase price and costs $56,690 after potential savings. The Performance upgrade brings...
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Volvo's Polestar division is looking to make a name for itself in the electric vehicle business, and its latest concept is sure to turn some heads. Roughly a year after the rather "interesting" Polestar 2 was first unveiled, the company is back again with the more daring Precept concept. In a world that is increasingly shifting to towards the monotony of jacked up crossovers, it’s nice to see that the Precept is a ravishing, low-slung sedan that looks nothing like a Volvo. That's not to say that Volvos are by any means ugly; it's just that they don't really get hearts racing. The Precept has an aggressive front end with LED headlights and thin LED DRL markers giving the...
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The hits just keep coming for the Porsche Taycan, which was unveiled as the newest and most credible threat to the Tesla Model S. When the EV was unveiled in late 2019, Porsche promised a driving range approaching 300 miles while delivering performance that would put in supercar territory. While the latter performance metric was met, Porsche has failed on the efficiency/driving range front. We learned in December that the Taycan Turbo was rated by the EPA to travel just 201 miles per charge. The numbers are now in for the even more powerful Taycan Turbo S, and that vehicle is EPA rated for just 192 miles per charge with an efficiency rating of 68 MPGe. For comparison, the Taycan...
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With all of the hoopla surrounding the Tesla Cybertruck in recent weeks, the Rivian R1T has relegated to the shadows in the electric truck world. While the Cybertruck looks like something out of Bladerunner, the R1T -- for better or worse -- looks more like a regular pickup. However, don't let those looks fool you; Rivian is showing off a new feature of the upcoming quad-motor version of its R1T that no other production truck can pull off at this point. Rivian is calling this new feature the "Tank Turn", and it allows the R1T to basically spin 360 degrees in-place. This might be handy for pulling off a bad-ass "u-turn" to impress your friends, or to get out of a tricky...
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The world collectively laughed at the Tesla Cybertruck when Elon Musk unveiled it in California nearly a month ago, but it appears that there is still plenty of interest in the odd-looking electric vehicle. The Cybertruck is billed as being the biggest and baddest half-ton pickup around, and Musk repeatedly compared the truck to the best-selling Ford F-150, and even used a sketchy (and disproven) tug-of-war video to show its skills (see the video further down in this article). Musk just revealed that Cybertruck preorders have ballooned, rising from 146,000 over the weekend to 250,000 as of last night. That means that the potential value of those orders -- if all of those customers...
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Well, this is definitely... interesting. Tesla CEO Elon Musk finally pulled the wraps off the highly anticipated Cybertruck EV, and it's definitely a different look for the pickup segment. While the Rivian R1T takes a [mostly] conventional approach with its looks, the Cybertruck looks like no other truck on the road with its wedge shape. Elon Musk said that inspiration came from the classic Lotus Esprit mid-engine sports car, and we definitely get that vibe. The looks are definitely polarizing and owe nothing to the more organically-shaped Model S, Model X, and Model 3 that came before it. Despite its looks, the Cybertruck is roughly the same size as the best-selling Ford F-150 and can seat up...
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Ford went official last night with the first addition to the Ford Mustang line in 55 years. The new vehicle was previously referred to as the "Mustang-inspired EV," and it has now officially debuted as the Ford Mustang Mach-E. As with most EVs on the market today, there are several versions of the Mach-E for buyers to choose from. The most potent is the Mach-E GT Performance Edition that is targeting a 0-60 mph sprint in the mid-3-second range with an estimated 459 horsepower along with 612 lb-ft of torque. Ford is also offering the Mach-E GT that will reach 60 mph in under 4-seconds, making it faster to 60 mph than the Porsche Macan Turbo. The extended-range all-wheel-drive configuration of...
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Ford's first efforts with an all-electric vehicle -- the Focus Electric -- wasn't exactly a hit with the buying public. However, the company is looking improve greatly upon that compromised vehicle with the launch of it first vehicle that was designed from the ground-up to be electric. Today, that vehicle has a name: Mustang Mach-E. The Mach-E portion of the name is not surprising given previous reports, but it is interesting to see that Ford is actually using the Mustang name to market the vehicle. The Mustang Mach-E might draw inspiration from its namesake, but the Mustang name has always been applied to two-door coupes, fastbacks, and convertibles. How will the Mustang faithful react...
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Elon Musk has been teasing the release of a Tesla pickup truck for over two years. According to a tweet by Musk this morning, the so-called "Cybertruck" will be first shown to the public on November 21st. According to Musk, this will be a pickup like no one has ever seen before, and it will look like something straight out of the movie Blade Runner. In fact, the November 2019 unveil is even a thinly veiled reference to that cult classic Ridley Scott film starring Harrison Ford. Cybertruck unveil on Nov 21 in LA near SpaceX rocket factory — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2019 As is usually the case for a new Tesla introduction, some lofty claims are being made for the Cybertruck. Musk...
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Ford isn’t a stranger to electric vehicles; after all, the company did make available an electric version of its Focus compact hatchback. However, the company hasn’t been as aggressive with its electrification efforts aside for some hybrids here and there. That will change, however, with an all-new electric crossover that will finally see the light of day next month. Ford first teased the vehicle last year with a sketch of its rear-end. As evidenced by that single image, we could see the clear Mustang inspiration in the taillights. Today, Ford is giving us a another look at the vehicle in profile – again in sketch form. The Mustang influence is once again very noticeable...
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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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