Items tagged with ev
It looks as though one of the best parts about owning a Tesla will soon become less exclusive. Ever since the Model S launched a decade ago, Tesla has built out an extensive Supercharger network in the United States and around the globe. The network is only accessible to Tesla owners and allows them to [relatively] quickly charge their vehicles when making long road trips (Tesla doesn't recommend relying solely on Supercharging to preserve the battery). In a tweet yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the Supercharger network would open to competing electric vehicle manufacturers in the United States starting later this year. This would give non-Tesla EV owners yet another option to choose...
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Ford is off to a strong start with its Mustang Mach-E. While the vehicle only has a passing resemblance to its namesake, the Mustang Mach-E brings performance and flair to the electric vehicle (EV) market. Today, the company announced that the Mach-E GT and Mach-E GT Performance Edition have sailed past their originally-projected EPA ratings ahead of their official launch. When the Mach-E GT and GT Performance Edition were first announced, Ford projected an EPA-rated driving range of 250 miles and 235 miles, respectively. However, now that the vehicle's range numbers have been officially certified, the company is quoting 270 miles and 260 miles, respectively. For comparison, the endurance champ...
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A new challenger to the Tesla Model 3 is entering the ring, and it's coming from a familiar name in the compact luxury sedan market. BMW just revealed U.S. pricing and specifications for the electrified version of its 4-Series. Of course, given that it's a BMW, the vehicle won't come cheap, and its starting price is well above what you'd find with the Model 3. Starting things off is the i4 eDrive40, which features a single rear-mounted electric motor good for 335 horsepower. BMW says that this configuration can send the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, while the EPA driving range is said to be up to 300 miles with its 81.5 kWh battery pack. BMW i4 M50 The i4 eDrive40 carries a base price...
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EVs currently account for a low single-digit percentage when it comes to new vehicle sales in the United States. The Biden administration wants to boost the take rate significantly by weaning Americans off gasoline- and diesel-engine cars and trucks. However, something needs to be done about the current tax credit situation, which currently penalizes automakers that were early adopters in the EV revolution. The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has approved the "Clean Energy for America" bill – along party lines -- to boost the current federal EV tax credit from $7,500 to a more generous maximum of $12,500. In addition, the legislation would eliminate the current 200,000 vehicle phaseout limit...
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Ford’s F-150 has been the best-selling pickup truck in the United States for the past four decades. So, it should come as no surprise that when Ford officially revealed the all-electric F-150 Lightning last night and began taking reservations, that there would be a lot of interest. Ford CEO Jim Farley said in an interview this morning that within the first 12 hours, the company accumulated a staggering 20,000 reservations for the pickup truck. “This is America’s bestselling vehicle, so if there’s one vehicle that’s going to give us an indication of whether these EVs are going to take off, it will be this Lightning,” said Farley while speaking with CNBC. While...
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Ford just revealed its all-new F-150 Lightning, and it is going to make a massive splash in the full-size truck market. Tesla might have barked the loudest when it unveiled the Cybertruck over two years ago, but Ford is showing us the tangible goods with the F-150 Lightning. Ford also announced pricing and specs that are astonishing for an EV -- or any pickup truck for that matter. First of all, the F-150 Lightning doesn't look too different from the garden variety gasoline-powered version. There's a new grille up front, along with more advanced headlights and a full-length LED light bar. There's also a charging port in the driver's side front quarter panel. But if you've seen one F-150, you've...
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Cadillac showed off a concept version of its upcoming Lyriq electric crossover in August, which will battle the Tesla Model Y and Model X. Today, Cadillac revealed the production version of the Lyriq and the overall design remains intact except for road-legal necessities like side mirrors. The design of the Lyriq is definitely... interesting... with a front-end dominated by a massive grille. There are several LED accents around the grille for the daytime running lights, although we're scratching our heads about where the actual headlights are. Where things get interesting is around the rear 3/4 area of the vehicle. The taillights actually start at the top of the C-pillar and go down to the beltline,...
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Just over a week ago, Mercedes-Benz gave us range figures for its EQS luxury electric sedan, and they were impressive with a WLTP rating of 478 miles. Today, the German automaker fully revealed its Tesla Model S fighter, and it's an over-the-top luxury chariot that has few equals when it comes to the details. While the Model S basks in the simplicity of its design inside and out, the EQS is a tour de force in detailing from its faux grille up front, to its jewel-like headlights, to its overly complex wheels, to the optional two-tone paint scheme (like what you'd find on the Maybach S-Class). The aerodynamic shape of the EQS has a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.20, which enhances the driving...
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After teasing its first “built from the ground-up” electric vehicle two weeks ago, Kia this morning officially unveiled its new EV6. As you can tell from its looks, the EV6 is designed to turn heads and won’t be mistaken for anything else on the road. Built on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, the EV6 rides on a relatively long 114.2-inch wheelbase, which is longer than that of the Kia Sorento 3-row crossover (110 inches). However, at just 184.3 inches in length, it’s about 4 inches shorter than the Sorento. The EV6 has taught proportions, short overhangs, and its overall styling gives us a preview of how future Kia vehicles will look. Perhaps the most exciting design...
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Hyundai first gave us a glimpse at its latest electric vehicle when it debuted the Concept 45 two years ago. Now, the production version of that car has been unveiled, and it is a fetching design quite unlike any other EV that has come before it. Witness the Ioniq 5, which features a crisp, angle-driven look that is both simple and futuristic at the same time. At a time when most vehicles are seeming to blur together with designs that are increasingly looking the same spin on the "crossover" concept, the Ionic 5 is a breath of fresh air. At the front of the car is a bold face with quad headlamps flanking a faux grille. Along the sides, you can see the angular design in full effect with a huge...
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Back in July 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced plans to cancel the Standard Range version of its Model Y electric crossover. The Model Y Standard Range was originally announced with a base price of $39,000 (before incentives) and an EPA estimated drive range of 230 miles, which Musk later said was "unacceptably low". Well, it appears that Tesla is having a change of heart because the Model Y Standard Range is now available to purchase. According to the company, orders that are place now will begin shipping with the next 2 to 5 weeks. There are, however, a couple of changes to the Standard Range version available today compared to when it was first announced. When the Model Y...
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Back in September 2019, Amazon announced that it was ordering a total of 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian. This announcement came after Amazon had invested $750 million into the EV maker in its efforts to become net zero carbon across all of its operations by the year 2040. Now, Amazon is revealing the actual production version of its electric delivery van, and not just the renders that were previously shown. The real-life vehicle is a dead ringer for the prototype renders with complete with a cutesy “face” and big, round LED headlights. Out back, you see a large grouping of LEDs tail lights shaped like an upside down “U” that completely...
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When it comes to electric cars, Tesla has long been at the top of the heap with respect to market share, performance, and range. A newcomer to the electric car market, however, is looking to beat Tesla at its own game. Lucid Motors wants to disrupt the market with respect to performance and maximum driving range while offering even more luxuries for customers. The company’s first vehicle will be the Lucid Air, which we first talked about earlier this month when it ripped some seriously fast ¼ mile times (sub 10 seconds to be exact). Interestingly enough, the Lucid Air takes on a sedan body style in an age where sedans are a dying breed. Companies like Chevrolet and Ford...
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It is crazy to think how far electric vehicle (EV) technology has come in such a relatively short time. Raw performance is far from an afterthought, and in case anyone might still believe otherwise, Lucid took its Air Dream Edition EV to the track and posted a downright impressive 9.9-second quarter-mile. That qualifies it as the world's quickest production sedan. The Air Dream Edition is also the first EV to achieve a quarter-mile run in under 10 seconds, beating Tesla to the punch. It can also zoom from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 200 MPH. All of those metrics leave my hybrid 2019 Honda Insight in the dust, which is not surprising, considering what is...
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Iconic American luxury brand Cadillac has stepped into the electric vehicle realm with the unveiling of the LYRIQ crossover concept. Cadillac says that the propulsion system and supporting technologies will position it as a leader in electrification, connectivity, and automated driving. Caddy says that the LYRIQ will lead its push to redefine American luxury over the next decade. Cadillac based the show car on the next-generation GM modular electric vehicle platform driven by the UItium propulsion system. LYRIQ promises an electric driving range of over 300 miles on a full charge while offering the performance electric vehicles are known for courtesy of instantaneous torque. Some of the highlights...
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Go big or go home! That seems to be General Motors’ mantra when it comes to delivering its next-generation Hummer family of vehicles. The company’s last go-around with the Hummer brand started off with a bang when the H2 launched in the early 2000s, but fizzled out as gas prices rose and the economy tanked. The brand was eventually mothballed in 2010. However, GM announced back in January that Hummer – this time as electric-only -- would be revived under its GMC brand, and posted a teaser shot showing the front-end of the vehicle. Now, GM is following that up with profile shots of both an SUV and a pickup version of the Hummer. Both vehicles have the same “blocky”...
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Nissan has been in the EV game for quite a while, first introducing the world to the affordable Leaf subcompact hatchback. While that vehicle is currently in its second generation, it's not exactly a "long-range" traveling solution that could satisfy the driving needs of most Americans. That could all change with the new Ariya, however, which is an all-electric crossover EV. Right off the bat, we have to talk about the styling. No one will fault the Ariya for being a bland box on wheels; the vehicle has concept car-esque lines with nice surfacing along the sides and rear. The front is dominated by a huge faux grille, thin LED headlights, and LED DRLs. As is the trend with many new Nissans (and...
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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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