Toyota finally gave the Tacoma pickup truck a glow-up in its fourth generation after eight years, including an important powertrain update: the Tacoma is available as a hybrid for the first time. 

First introduced for model year 1995, the Tacoma was equipped with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission matched with three gas engine options (four or six cylinders).  The Tacoma was 199 inches long and could tow between 3,500 and 5,000 pounds. 

The 2024 Tacoma is 14 inches longer from stem to stern than the 1995 truck. It’s built on the same global truck platform as the Tundra (all new for 2022), Sequoia (which launched its third generation for model year 2023) and the redesigned Land Cruiser, unveiled earlier this year. 

And Toyota says the Tacoma’s new i-Force Max hybrid powertrain, offered as an option on the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited trims and standard on TRD Pro and Trailhunter variants, is the most powerful powertrain ever offered on a Tacoma. 

Take a look at the no-longer-secret recipe behind the 2024 Tacoma, including the new engine/motor combination. 

More torque, better off-road capability

The new Tacoma’s hybrid setup starts with the same 2.4-liter engine found in the gas-only trims. In the i-Force Max versions, a 48-horsepower electric motor sits between the engine and eight-speed transmission. If that configuration sounds familiar, it’s because Toyota equipped its Grand Highlander (launched earlier this year) with a 2.4-liter hybrid powertrain, too. The Grand Highlander Hybrid Max is the fastest and quickest in the lineup, providing 362 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque in the SUV. 

In the new Tacoma, the hybrid setup produces 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. That’s more than double what the original V6 could provide in the 1995 Tacoma; even more impressively, it’s significantly more than the 265 pound-feet in the outgoing 2023 model with a V6. Great torque numbers are essential for effortless off-roading, as the rotation helps the vehicle power up and over hills and boulders.

Some trims of the 2024 Tacoma are available with a multi-link rear coil suspension, replacing the leaf springs from the previous generation. Leaf springs are sturdy and preferred for more heavy-duty hauling, but the coil springs offer more flexibility and cushion for the ride. They’re a bit more expensive, which is why they’re an option on the higher grades. The three least expensive trims (SR, SR5 XtraCab and TRD PreRunner) will still come standard with leaf springs. 

Tacoma fans know that the compact truck was already quite capable off-road, climbing rocks and hills like a mountain goat. However, after driving a 2021 model back to back with the new 2024 hybrid version, I can attest that the additional torque makes a noticeable difference. On an off-road course near Malibu, California, I scaled steep ascents and crawled over rock piles, and it’s clear that chief engineer Sheldon Brown and his team have smoothed out the edges. 

And it’s quieter, too

A smoothed-out ride is even more clear on the asphalt. Tackling the twisty curves of Mulholland Drive, the interior of the Tacoma Limited was hushed, and Brown says technologies like active noise cancellation ensure a quiet cabin. This technology reduces the overall noise, vibration, and harshness, commonly referred to as an acronym: NVH. The study and adjustment of noise and vibration characteristics has become an art form, and Toyota put extra time and money into improving the in-cabin experience in the upper trims of the Tacoma. 

“We’re also using electronic sound enhancement, or ESE, to supplement what we’re hearing through the exhaust system,” Brown says. “We use specialized software that is paired with the exhaust type: the standard OE exhaust or you might choose our performance exhaust, which is an option. So it not only sounds good, but it cancels out any of those noises and vibrations that otherwise might make their way in.”

Some industry analysts have accused Toyota of taking too much time to get into the electrification stream, but the fact is that the Japanese company has been pumping out successful hybrid powertrains for decades. Now that the Tundra, Sequoia, and Tacoma are all available with an engine/motor combination, the 4Runner and Land Cruiser can’t be far behind. 

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The SUV market is big business, especially in the United States. Even supercar manufacturers like Lamborghini are making five-seat SUVs and thriving. Aston Martin’s DBX crossover represents roughly half of its overall sales. And that’s only on the gas-powered side. All-electric SUVs are just starting to find their groove, and vehicles like the three-row Kia EV9 SUV and Volkswagen ID.Buzz “microbus” are on their way to the U.S. market in 2024. Now, emerging luxury EV builder Lucid just announced the Gravity, a seven-seat SUV with an astonishing claim of 440 miles of all-electric range.

The SUV boasts other niceties like acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than 3.5 seconds, 1,500 pounds of payload (what it can carry inside) and the ability to tow 6,000 pounds. To compare, Tesla’s Model X can tow 5,000 pounds, haul 1,065 pounds inside the vehicle, and can go for 348 miles with the long-range package.

Here’s how Lucid is pushing other EV automakers to increase range and capability.

Gunning for Tesla

Lucid started producing its first model, the Air, in 2021 after more than a dozen years developing battery technology. Launched with 520 miles of EPA-estimated all-electric range and up to 1,111 horsepower, the Air earned rave reviews from users and journalists alike. Luxurious and uncommonly aerodynamic (more about that below), the Air’s starting price is roughly the same as a Tesla Model S. However, the Lucid model gets 115 more miles of range and  91 more horsepower than the Tesla.

If it sounds like an intrastate basketball rivalry, it may be partially attributed to the cross-pollination across the executive level. Before joining Lucid in 2013, CEO Peter Rawlinson spent three years at Tesla as a top engineer. Rawlinson led the engineering team for the Model S; when he left Tesla, he emerged swinging with the Lucid Air sedan. 

The company’s latest accomplishment is the Gravity SUV, and Lucid says “it can achieve 440 miles of range with a battery pack a little more than half the size of some of our battery-hungry competitors.” For context, a GMC Hummer EV’s battery pack alone weighs in at a hefty 2,818 pounds on the GM’s Ultium platform. 

The entire Lucid Air weighs 5,203 pounds and the Gravity is expected to tip the scales north of 6,000 pounds. Sure, it’s relatively heavier than some three-row SUVs such as the Kia Telluride and Lexus GX, but it’s on par with others like the Grand Wagoneer. 

Advanced battery technology 

Carrying two electric motors, the Gravity is touted as more efficient than its competitors. Rawlinson says the Gravity’s smaller and lighter technology battery pack means consuming fewer precious metals and minerals and results in less energy to charge and less pressure upon the grid. 

The Lucid Air is available with two battery packs–92 kilowatt hours or 112 kilowatt hours–and while Lucid is being vague about its exact specs for now, we expect the Gravity to utilize the larger 112 kWh version. For scale, the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Escalade IQ use packs over 200 kWh. 

Justin Berkowitz, Lucid’s senior manager for technology PR, says the company offers “the most efficient electric motors on the market and ultra-high voltage power electronics (over 900 volts compared to many EVs at 400-500).” All of these are designed, patented, engineered, and manufactured in-house by Lucid, and the company also develops the software powering it all. 

The stellar range is also a result of Lucid’s proprietary winding technique that produces a denser magnetic field along with several other innovations that create a super-compact package. The company holds eight patents related to the motor’s windings and cooling, and continues to find ways to squeeze as much copper into the motor stator as possible to generate big energy in a small package.

Aerodynamics are also a key, and Lucid says the Gravity has a drag coefficient of under 0.24. The lower the number, the more efficient the result. Hyundai’s three-row gas-powered Palisade has a 0.33 coefficient of drag, and the upcoming Kia EV9 hits 0.28. Tesla says its Model X sits at 0.24, so Lucid is sliding just below that with the Gravity. It’s still not as aerodynamic as the five-passenger Hyundai Ioniq 6, which has an impressive 0.21 drag coefficient. Give them time, though. Lucid is poised for major growth. 

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Car seats, like the vehicles themselves, are available in a variety of materials with a wide range of manual and electronic controls. My old 1977 Dodge Aspen, for instance, had a front row bench seat that moved as one, like a faux-brocade couch on rails. It had no ventilation, no heat, and definitely no massaging functions. Automobile seating has come a long way since then. 

The first production car with optional heated seats was the 1966 Cadillac DeVille, and massaging seats came along decades later in 2000 Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac models. Bentley, however, has taken the spa-like cabin to the next level with its available “airline seat specification” setup; the British brand says its super-deluxe airline seat specification is a world first.

This $11,000 option in the extended wheelbase version (EWB) of the Bentayga includes not just heat, but cooling, massage, recline, and small trays that fold out like those on a commercial airline. This SUV’s seats even have sensors that predict that you’re about to start sweating even before you know it yourself and preemptively adjusts the temperature. 

Here’s how they work.

First class seats

When travelers on an airplane upgrade to business or first class, they gain a significant amount of legroom and space around their seat. Bentley chose to call this Bentayga EWB setup “airline seat specification” to drive home the message that this is a roomy, first-class experience. As soon as you sit down, the sheer number of positioning options is dizzying: The rear seats can be adjusted 22 ways, not including the rear footrest behind the front passenger seat. 

Steve James, the head of interior design for Bentley, has been developing seating for the luxury brand since 2006. His first task when he joined Bentley was to come up with the initial concept for the seats in Bentley’s then-new flagship model, the Mulsanne. While the uber-luxurious Mulsanne model included heated, cooled, and massaging seats, the Bentayga EWB says “hold my Dom Perignon” and ratchets it up even more to prevent fatigue, not just treat it.   

“High-end cars focus quite a lot on fatigue recovery; if you’re getting tired in the car, the massage function is designed to help after the fact,” James says. “But we thought the real luxury experience is to do something to stop the fatigue in the first place. We saw an opportunity with the Bentayga EWB because we have more room to work with.” 

Science, research, and “perfect posture” 

James explains that Bentley focused on two key metrics during the development of the first-class seats: posture and thermal response. Bentley collaborated with an American chiropractor and Comfort Motion Global (CMG), a company that partners with research universities to test its proprietary technologies. Through its research, it discovered that making small adjustments in the leg and back angles of a vehicle seat–as little as one to two degrees–results in a positive increase of blood flow, increasing alertness and reducing fatigue. 

Bentley’s seats are fitted with 12 electric motors and three pneumatic valve engine control units. Unique algorithms developed in conjunction with CMG apply 177 individual pressure changes, shifting stress points from one area to another to stop the onset of fatigue. And the leg rest feature in the Bentayga is situated at a particular angle to create what James calls “perfect posture” that bends the legs slightly for maximum comfort and blood flow. 

“As you may have experienced if you’re in a plane or sitting statically for a long period of time, fatigue sets in,” James says. “The postural system is a system of pneumatic bladders inside the seat and they make small micro-adjustments that fine-tune the angles of your pelvis, your thighs, they are helping motion constantly happen. Small motions that give the customer the option to regulate them. They really make a difference.”

Temperature

Another important element of Bentley’s high-end seats is what it calls “thermal comfort.” (There is a default calibration, but it can be adjusted depending on the average temperature preference of the passenger.)

Bentley embedded two sensors in the seats, each constantly measuring humidity and temperature levels of the bottoms and backs of the seats. With that data, the car can automatically activate its seat climate system for heating or ventilation to maintain the passenger’s individual comfort level. James says that the system detects temperature variations of 0.1 degrees and registers upward and downward trends and the human brain doesn’t notice before the delta is 0.5. So the seats’ constant monitoring heads off perspiration before it even happens.

While the concept started to take shape in 2015, the brand didn’t create a working prototype until 2019 after years of data collection and validation. The team had to do quite a bit of calibration on the thermal comfort side, as different passengers feel comfort at vastly different temperatures depending on a number of factors. And as it turned out, one of the engineers became a real-time case study; he became ill during the development and started feeling hot and sweaty. As designed, the system measured that and calculated the delta in his calibration preferences. 

“The real clever bit of the system is it can sense even to one-tenth of a degree Celsius at all times,” James says. “It can measure how you’re feeling and how your temperature is trending. So if you start feeling a little bit warm or perspire a bit–we can actually see it before you feel it.”

In a mainstream car with heated seats, you might find that activating them to full power feels wonderful in cold temperatures until you start overheating. At that point, the seats hold residual warmth that feels uncomfortable until it cools off. Bentley’s seats are designed for an ideal balance of hot and cool so that you feel consistently content. 

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In Sweden, the word lagom represents the Goldilocks-esque concept of “not too much, not too little, but just right.” Swedish automaker Volvo had this concept in mind when it created the brand’s newest model, the EX30. At the same time, the electric car had to meet a major objective: have the lowest carbon footprint of any Volvo model to date.

Volvo says that the EX30’s “total carbon footprint” is 25 percent less CO2 than the electrified versions of its C40 and XC40 models, in line with the automaker’s stated goal to cut CO2 emissions per car by 40 percent by 2025. To achieve this, they took into account the manufacturing processes, worked to simplify its design, and reduced the materials it needs. Even the exterior colors like Moss Yellow and Cloud Blue superficially reflect Volvo’s Earth-friendly goals. 

What’s more, the vehicle will cost less than $40,000, which in a world of extra-pricey EVs (the average price for an EV was $53,469 in July of this year, according to Cox Automotive), is impressive. Starting at $36,245 (including destination fees), the EX30 is an attractive package.

Here’s how Volvo achieved its sustainability goals while aiming for that “just right” feel.

Sustainable interior ‘rooms’ 

The company integrated recycled PVC collected from house window frames, PET plastic from single-use water bottles, plant materials like flax fibers, and even discarded denim threads from the blue jeans recycling process into the EX30’s interior. 

Buyers of the new EX30 can choose between four interior expressions for the vehicle. Volvo calls the interior themes “rooms” because people spend so much time in their car, Volvo color and materials designer Camille Audra explained to PopSci. 

Two interior rooms employ recycling themes: they are called indigo, which is made from denim like the blue jeans you may be wearing right now, and breeze, a patterned knit. And two feature natural materials: they are called mist (flax fiber) and pine (tree resin).

“This is inspired from fashion,” Audra says. “People wear blue jeans everywhere in the world.”

Old denim is often recycled into things like pet bed inserts, building insulation, and thermal packaging insulation.  During the process, Audra says, the short fibers that are left over could become waste, but in this case, are instead collected and woven into a new material.

Combined with cellulose (also a plant-based material) to give strength to the material, the fibers become a durable surface for the dashboard and door panels. Bonus: there are no zippers or button flies to get in the way. 

Along with blue jeans material, flax fiber is lightweight and natural. Also known as linseed, flax is exceedingly strong when woven into fibers. (The flowering plant yields seeds that are pressed to extract oil, or dried and sold as a product in grocery stores around the country. Flaxseed meal—the byproduct of the flaxseed oil-pressing process—has a second life as livestock feed.) Volvo is on track with other automakers, like Kia and Hyundai, that are also using flax fibers inside their cars for sustainability and weight benefits.

“We decided to use flax because it’s used to regenerate soil [between crops] and uses less water than other crops, and still has a nice touch and feel,” Audra says.

In the summer of 2021, Volvo revealed its Concept Recharge, which used flax fibers from a Swiss company called Bcomp. By investing in Bcomp, a company that has also provided products to the racing arm of McLaren or Porsche, Volvo now has a mainline to sustainable materials. 

“Bcomp’s calculations show that compared to regular plastic parts, the natural fiber-based composites are up to 50 percent lighter, use up to 70 percent less plastic and generate up to 62 per cent lower CO₂ emissions,” Volvo says. 

Volvo is also featuring a “room” in a pine theme. The manufacturer uses a material called Nordico, which is made from recycled materials such as PET bottles, corks recycled from the wine industry, and pine resin from sustainable forests in Sweden and Finland. 

New colors, natural themes

For one interior trim option, Audra revealed that the design team scanned a piece of granite and then imprinted the granite’s natural patterns onto the recycled plastic. Using a stone grain offers more recycling options later as well, because the texture doesn’t require paint as a finish. 

On the outside, Volvo offers a vibrant hue—probably the brightest color ever seen on a Volvo model—called Moss Yellow, inspired by the lichens that grow on the rocks of the west coast of Sweden. And Cloud Blue looks white in the sunlight but transforms into a soft blue when it’s overcast. 

Even the technology reflects Volvo’s all-in commitment to a low carbon footprint. By keeping parts to a minimum, Volvo creates fewer carbon emissions when manufacturing the EX30. So far, its strategy is working: the brand expects 80 percent of EX30 buyers to be new to Volvo, and overall sales are skyrocketing. 

Correction on Nov. 8, 2023: This post has been updated to clarify that the denim material is used on the dashboard and door panels, not the seats.

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The most popular car paint color in America is white. The hue has names like Blizzard White, Snow Quartz, and Wind Chill Pearl. Black, gray, and silver aren’t far behind on the popularity scale, rounding out the vast majority of cars on the road. 

These stats don’t mean that automakers are staying monochrome, though. On the contrary, Italian automaker Fiat thumbed its nose at bland colors and declared earlier this year it wouldn’t make cars in any shade of gray. Jeep likes to debut names for its vehicle finishes that are as colorful as the paint itself: Snazzberry, Hellayella, and Punk’N, for example. And Mazda has established itself as a colorful brand with its ubiquitous Soul Red Crystal Metallic and new Artisan Red, which morphs from a black cherry look in the sunlight to a dark, almost-black tint on a cloudy day or at dawn and dusk. 

Automakers use electrostatic spray guns to apply even layers of paint on the vehicles they produce, and car paint has evolved into a high-tech science that delivers more colors than designers imagined even 10 years ago. 

For example, Honda’s luxury arm, Acura, debuted its new Precision EV concept last year; it sports an arresting blue finish that seems to radiate from the inside out. Gypsy Modina, who leads the brand’s color and materials group, created the Double Apex Blue Pearl tint, which will grace the 2024 ZDX Type S. 

This is how Modina whips up pigments that set Acura apart and how she sees the future of paint and color technology. 

Color inspiration 

Modina got her degree in fine arts at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, the alma mater of notable automotive designers like Ralph Gilles, chief design officer for Stellantis, and John Krsteski, senior chief designer for Genesis. She started working for Acura 18 years ago, and now mixes colors like a mad scientist for the brand to come up with bespoke paint finishes. 

Her job seems more science than art. She has to understand how light bounces from the vehicle to the eye and how the color accentuates the form and fits the personality and demographic of that car. 

“I don’t think I knew I’d be doing so much science and math [in this field],” Modina says wryly. “It’s funny, because I find it hard to follow a recipe when cooking.” 

She doesn’t sit at her desk dreaming up color combinations. Instead, the process is more exciting: Modina travels the world seeking inspiration and finds it in fashion-forward places like Milan, Italy but also in nature, hiking in locations as far-flung as Kruger National Park in South Africa.

What Modina sees coming down the pipeline is colors and materials that are designed with the goal of minimizing waste and pollution by recycling, and using more natural versus chemical materials. Interestingly, that doesn’t align with what some manufacturers are showing off on the technology side, like the BMW SUV that features a specially developed body wrap stimulated by electrical signals to change color.

“Now you’re seeing concepts that change colors and car bodies that are more like screens,” Modina says. “There are things you can create that can be more solutions to a circular economy. The goal is for circularity, and I do think optimistically that there are material technologies and sciences that can [contribute to that].” 

The topic has a colorful history: Back when cars used to be spray-painted by hand with layers upon layers of pigment, the overspray would build up in the paint bays. Over time, chunks of buildup needed to be removed, and someone along the way discovered the beauty of baked-on layers of color that could be polished into gemlike stones. You’ll find “Fordite” stones (also called “motor agate” or “Detroit agate”) as pieces of jewelry on Etsy and other sites. But the process that created these multicolored polished stones no longer exists.

Car paint that glows even when it’s cloudy

On a cloudy and gray day during Monterey Car Week in August 2022, Acura unveiled its Precision EV in Double Apex Blue. That kind of weather could be an unfortunate backdrop for the high-profile presentation of a new car, but the blue finish looked like it was glowing even through the gloom. Modina and the design team breathed a sigh of relief. 

“We were giving each other high fives,” Modina says. “There aren’t that many colors that do that.”

The glow is a physical manifestation of what Acura’s first all-electric vehicle, scheduled for delivery next summer, represents. 

“We knew electrification was coming into play and we wanted the blue to go more liquid and more sheer,” Modina says. “There’s something about electrification that has a smoothness to it and we wanted [the paint to appear] more liquid. We also wanted it to be unique; we saw in the US market that people are more open to bold colors.”

The form language (the term refers to design styles unique to each manufacturer) and shape are closely related to the brand, Modina says. She and her team design many different types of hues, but the brand’s Double Apex Blue and Performance Red stand out because they must lay on the body in a way that matches the brand’s personality. Blue, in particular, is a heritage color for Acura, and has been refreshed over the years. This particular blue includes nano-pigments, which are finer particles that load the color with higher saturation, making the tint appear more intense. 

Light, color, and form work together with our emotions to stimulate a response; in Acura’s case, the brand wants us to see its cars as fast and performance-oriented. Even if they’re popular, cars in bland colors just can’t measure up.

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Hundreds of years before Google Maps and other apps like it made navigation as easy as looking at your smartphone, explorers found their way around the planet by the light of the moon and stars, or by shadows cast by the sun. Today, humans rely on electronic devices, not their instincts or the study of celestial bodies. And of course before the smartphone came along, people also used maps printed on dead trees. But kids born recently aren’t using paper maps at all; instead they just punch in an address to receive a route to get where they’re going.

Off-roading champion Emily Miller wanted to teach others what she learned from years of navigating with a ruler, pencil, compass, and topographical map. With that in mind, she created the Rebelle Rally, the longest off-road time-distance navigational rally in the United States. The idea of a navigational rally might not be novel, but this one is: All competitors are required to disable any digital navigational aids on their vehicle and seal up their electronic devices (mobile phones, AirTags, tablets, laptops, and more) for the duration. It’s a test of driving precision and navigation skills, not a speed race pell-mell across the desert. 

Over eight days, Rebelle Rally competitors are shut off from the world, sleeping in tents near ghost towns and rock faces instead of hotels and cities. This year, the rally’s course started in Mammoth Lakes, California, crossed into Nevada, and finished in the southeast corner of California at the majestic Glamis Dunes. The only news participants hear is their daily standings in the competition—there’s no endless scrolling of social media feeds. Plotting latitude and longitude points requires one’s full attention, and by the end of a 10-hour day spent hunting checkpoints, there’s no need for entertainment. The competitors are wiped out physically and mentally, heading for their tents to sleep.

I just completed my second year of the rally; I was sponsored by Hyundai and we operated a Santa Cruz with a 1.5-inch lift in the front and a 1-inch lift in the back. We had off-road accessories (traction boards, shovels, and a spare tire) mounted to a custom Rally Innovations rack to help us along. This is what it’s like to compete at this crossroads of analog and high-tech. 

Analog navigation

Now entering its ninth year, the Rebelle Rally just wrapped up its most recent competition with 65 teams of two women each; the all-female event concluded on October 20. Each morning, the teams were alerted that it’s time to get going by the gentle clanging sound of a cowbell at 5 a.m. Many teams are already up by that point, the sounds of tent zippers tearing the fabric of the silence even before that.

Each day, a race official distributes a list of 20 or more checkpoints to the teams long before dawn. Then teams plot latitude and longitude points along with distances and headings on their paper maps. On-the-ground checkpoints are marked with flags (mandatory green checkpoints, the easiest), or poles (blue checkpoints, which are more difficult to find) or invisible geofenced areas (black checkpoints, requiring precision within 200-300 meters to avoid a penalty). 

Once a team drives to the checkpoint and sees the flag, or sees what they believe to be the spot, one of the competitors clicks on a satellite tracker that displays the exact latitude and longitude point where the signal is traced. A company called YB Tracking and the Iridium satellite network track the competitors to keep them safe; the staff knows exactly where each car is, even if the teams themselves are lost. 

Teams also participate in enduro segments, which are a series of checkpoints that include time checks along the route and require intense focus and concentration to stay at the average dictated speed, which may change frequently. To prepare for these on-time sections, competitors use mathematical formulas to calculate the seconds and minutes of each segment in the precise roadbook based on the distance and speed. 

Using a solar-powered calculator and a basic stopwatch, we found our way. 

Green power takes the gold

After seven days of full-time driving plus the half-day prologue, it was a team called the Limestone Legends that took first place in a Rivian R1T all-electric pickup truck. Not only was it the first time an all-electric vehicle earned the gold medal in the Rebelle Rally, the second place vehicle was a hybrid: a Jeep Wrangler 4xe. Rivian has been a strong supporter of the Rebelle Rally starting in October 2020 with a pre-production model of an R1T, which became the first fully electric truck to ever compete in the event. 

Charging up an EV in the middle of the desert is a challenge. While gas-powered cars are fueled up by a tanker that travels from base camp to base camp with the rally, it’s not as easy to provide a boost for batteries that way. So, the Rebelle Rally partnered with Renewable Innovations to provide hydrogen-powered EV charging to the Rivian and Jeep 4xe models each day. 

Each base camp embraced green energy too, mobilizing a 53-foot mobile Renewable Innovations semi with high-density solar panels combined with “follow-the-sun” smart flowers on each side to collectively deliver 50 kilowatts of peak power for base camp. 

While our phones and navigation systems were unavailable by design, my team did have a Nextbase dash cam in the car so we could capture the beauty of the off-road trails in California and Nevada. It came in handy when we witnessed a crash—a Mitsubishi crossover tried to pass us and the full-size SUV in front of us on the left. We handed over our camera’s memory card to the police, providing an airtight record of what happened. And luckily, no one was seriously hurt. 

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In Dawn McKenzie’s free time, she soars high above the ground in a hot air balloon, as she has since she got her FAA-issued ballooning license when she was 19.

Ted Gauthier, McKenzie’s dad, taught her how to fly. Gauthier and four of his five brothers took up ballooning decades ago, and he passed his skills to his daughter, the only woman in the family to pick it up. They flew together until he passed away in 2021, and McKenzie resumed flying Daydream, the 62,000 cubic foot balloon her father built.

This July, McKenzie competed in the 2023 US Women’s Hot Air Balloon National Championship with her uncle Marty (her dad’s brother) as her crew chief. Piloting one of these beautiful, colorful vessels takes extensive research before each flight—mainly on weather elements like wind, clouds, and precipitation—and a fair measure of courage, especially when in a basket all alone. McKenzie relishes the challenge.

This is how the flight process works.

Wind power

Flying a balloon is serious business. It’s the oldest form of human-carrying flight, McKenzie says, and has an excellent safety record. The weather “pretty much has to be perfect” for a hot air balloon pilot to take to the skies. As they get ready to fly, hot air balloonists check the weather from every angle, carefully analyzing wind speeds on sites like RyanCarlton.com (run by a hot air balloon instructor of the same name) or Windy.com.

“That information also helps us determine where we might take off depending on where we’re trying to fly,” McKenzie says. “We have to make sure that there isn’t rain or storms in the forecast, and we need at least five miles of visibility. If the dew point is too close to the temperature, there is likely fog.” If there is fog, she can’t fly.

As an experienced pilot, McKenzie has a checklist of items before she takes to the air. Weather analysis, crew preparation and briefing, navigation planning, launch site selection, a pre-flight inspection, and more. (Her day job also involves transportation; she’s a communications manager for Ford, an expert on trucks like the Super Duty, F-150, F-150 Raptor, Ranger, and Maverick.)

[Related: The biggest hot air balloon in the US was built to carry skydivers]

Once she’s in the basket and off the ground, McKenzie continues to monitor the weather and wind closely, manages the fuel in her propane tanks, scans the area for obstacles, and engages in constant aeronautical decision-making, which is a systematic approach to the mental process used by pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances.

“The most challenging thing is the uncertainty of the weather,” McKenzie says. “We’ll go out to the field and be ready to go but we’ll have to wait for it to calm down. You have to be really flexible and patient, which can be challenging.”

Getting ready to fly

To start, McKenzie picks her launch spot depending on which direction she wants to travel, based on the wind. Then, she and her crew assemble the burner components and connect it to the basket. They tip the basket on its side and spread out the balloon fabric (called the envelope), connecting the cables from the balloon envelope to the basket. Employing a powerful fan, the crew holds open the mouth of the balloon to inflate it with cool air. McKenzie turns on her propane tanks, ensures her crew is ready, and uses the burner to shoot a 15-foot-long, 5-foot-wide flame into the balloon, heating the air to stabilize it and make the balloon rise. 

Once there’s enough heat inside the envelope (the fabric portion of the balloon system that holds the heated air mass), it becomes buoyant and floats up, trying to rise above the cooler surrounding air. It takes a lot of upward force (or buoyancy) to counteract gravity when you consider the mass of the basket and all its passengers, which is why hot air balloons are usually so massive. One of Dawn’s balloons is 90,000 cubic feet and about eight stories tall. 

[Related: This Florida teen is making a business out of rebuilding old-school auto tech]

At the top of the balloon, a giant circular panel of material called a parachute top is used to vent heat or deflate the envelope. Held in place by Velcro tabs during inflation, the parachute top is connected to a long red line that pilots use to let hot air out of the balloon; it quickly seals back up. In that way, McKenzie controls her climb or descent.

Steering is dependent on the direction of the wind. As the balloon climbs higher, it’s getting wind from one direction or another, and knowing which way it’s coming from and at which altitude determines where the pilot should fly to get where they’re going.

“Sometimes, when you’re lower to the ground you’ll go left, and higher you’ll go right, for example,” McKenzie says. “The winds are constantly changing, so we’re looking at the reports ahead of the flight and after we set up and even once we’re in the air.”

McKenzie likes to fly during the few hours around sunrise and sunset, as do most pilots, because during the day, there is often thermal activity that isn’t safe for ballooning. Those thermal vertical currents make it more difficult to control the balloon, adding a serious element of danger to be avoided as much as possible.

“Heat off the pavement makes the unstable air rise up and forces warm air upward,” McKenzie says. “It pushes the balloon up with it, so you might start to climb or fall when you hadn’t planned to do that; it’s really unnerving.”

Wind between 10 to 12 knots (about 12 to 14 mph) is ideal, she says. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes a knot as one nautical mile per hour, used to measure speed; a nautical mile is slightly more than a standard mile on the ground.

“You don’t always know exactly where you’re going to land, but that’s exciting,” McKenzie says. “That makes it an adventure.”

The post This hot air balloon pilot learned how to follow the wind from her dad appeared first on Popular Science.

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Lamborghini, the brand that started making supercars to compete with Ferrari 60 years ago, is starting a new era. Steeped in a history of loud and powerful V8, V10, and V12 engines, the Raging Bull has launched its first “high performance electrified vehicle,” a hybrid called Revuelto. 

While watered-down performance may be a possibility for some mass-produced cars, that’s not going to fly for Lamborghini. Instead of backing down to a smaller engine and tacking on an electric motor, the brand opted to attach two motors to the front and one to the back and matched them to a new V12, the lightest one the automaker has ever built. Then Lamborghini whipped up a recipe for a battery that regenerates so quickly that it never gets all the way down to zero, and added a plug-in port for good measure.

All in, the system adds up to an astonishing total of 1,001 horsepower and more than 800 pound-feet of torque. That officially makes it the most powerful plug-in hybrid on the market. Lamborghini started from the ground up for this car, fashioning a new carbon fiber structure (picture a Lego base plate upon which brick houses are built) made to be as light as possible. And then it went to work making sure the Revuelto was as technologically advanced as it could be with its electronics.

To top it off, the Revuelto is also registering a significant emissions reduction, which Lamborghini says tops 30 percent over its predecessor, the Aventador. For a supercar, this is a big deal. The Revuelto is capable of about 6 miles in all-electric range, which loud-engine-averse neighbors will appreciate as the car pulls away in silence. 

Can the Revuelto still carry the brand’s name with pride, even as a hybrid? Here’s what we think after driving it on the Autodromo Vallelunga track in Rome, Italy.  

Melding design and engineering

Hybrids are hot right now, as are EVs. But Lamborghini has not gone soft and bent to the market, says the brand’s chief technical officer, Rouven Mohr. The small-batch automaker has created a hybrid that harnesses electric power without diluting the car’s core power, and that’s no small feat.

“To us, hybrid doesn’t mean sacrificing performance,” Mohr says.

Mohr, along with his team and the stylings of head of design Mitja Borkert, started with the V12 engine as a centerpiece. Lamborghini fans equate the sound of its iconic powerplant with the full experience, and erasing that part of the brand’s DNA wasn’t an option, Mohr emphasizes. 

Borkert also went to work creating a body shape that evokes ghosts of models past. After commissioning 17 exploratory models that filled up his studio, Borkert took inspiration from Lamborghini’s Countach and Diablo, along with elements from fighter jets and Ducati superbikes. He raised the roof and added more legroom than the Avendator, the Revuelto’s predecessor, making it easier to get in and out.

[Related: The new Lamborghini Revuelto is a powerful hybrid beast]

Along with a riot of Y-shaped designs repeated throughout the car on the headlamps and on the dash, Borkert suggested an opening that leaves the engine bay exposed. Not only does it look cool, he says, it serves an important purpose: natural engine cooling. Lamborghini also opted to implement a long, skinny battery that is easily cooled from the outside to the center; heat management is a key factor for performance.

Tire-maker Bridgestone contributed to the Revuelto by creating bespoke performance Potenza Sport tires with wide footprints and grippy tread, especially the top-level option that is equally capable on the road as they are on the track.

“It’s not an easy car to fit tires,” Mohr says. “It weighs more [than the Aventador] and the power profile is huge.”

Lamborghini zooms in on technology

Lamborghini may have been seen more for its muscle and brawn than its brains in the past, but that’s changing, as well. The new Revuelto features intelligent torque distribution that balances the weight precisely from side to side and front to back so that cornering feels planted.

Aventador enthusiasts may say the Revuelto loses the raw edge of its older sibling, but after a day on the track, I say the new setup polishes the diamond. Even hurling the car toward the corner after a breathtaking straightaway, I never felt as though I could lose control. The massive carbon ceramic brakes gave the hybrid the stopping power it needed and gave me the confidence to push it. 

Plus, the infotainment system upgrade is the best I’ve seen in a Lamborghini, equipped with Alexa connectivity and a set of widgets on the modest screen that can be rearranged and shared with the passenger on their own screen.

The real test is on the road and the track. While Lamborghini says it isn’t pursuing the crown for the fastest car on the planet (Mohr wryly says the race for best lap times in the supercar world is a “little bit crowdy” at the moment), it’s still lightning quick. But the best part is the feel of the drivetrain, which is completely seamless between the V12 and its electric helpers. Pressing the accelerator down in Corsa (track) mode and getting to 150 miles per hour on a straightaway is ridiculously smooth and quick. Top speed in the new supercar is 350 kilometers per hour (about 218 miles per hour).

Lamborghini is looking toward the future with the Revuelto, and it’s looking very good. The brand has been logging record sales, and with an all-electric concept—the Lanzador—on the table and a plug-in Urus SUV confirmed, it’s not looking back.

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It has been more than two years since former Audi CEO Markus Duesmann announced that after 2026, the automaker will develop only battery-powered models. Audi’s plan is to have more than 20 fully electric models in its portfolio by 2025. The carmaker has already started down this road by investing about 18 billion euros ($19 billion and change) in electrification and hybridization.

In the process, Audi is pursuing battery technology that optimizes energy efficiency. Its primary focus for innovation is solid state batteries, which use solid electrolytes instead of liquid. The brand designs, develops, and checks battery cells and battery components on its own at its battery testing center in Gaimersheim, Germany. It recently transitioned its battery packs from winding to a stacking configuration, where the cells are stacked neatly, like a layer cake, to increase the overall capacity. 

More capacity means greater range. And better range makes these vehicles more marketable in a competitive, burgeoning market. Any advantage between today and the sometime-in-the-future implementation of solid state batteries is a coveted position. 

Here’s how it works.

Stacking adds density, thus energy

The German brand is known for agile, sleek vehicles that consistently earn high marks for performance and handling. As part of the Volkswagen group along with Porsche and even Lamborghini, Audi is in good company. Audi (along with the other brands in the group) has ratcheted up its EV goals, seeking the best ways to leap ahead of its competitors, and battery stacking is the latest mark of progress.

[Related: Why solid state batteries are the next frontier for EV makers]

In new EVs like the Q8 e-tron, electrodes in lithium-ion cells are thin foils which are traditionally wound into a structure called a jelly roll, Audi explained to PopSci. These jelly rolls can be either round for cylindrical cells or flat for prismatic cells. In prismatic cells, the utilization of the inner volume is limited due to the rounded edges.

By stacking single electrode sheets into larger stacks, more of the cell’s inner volume can be used, increasing the cell’s capacity. This allows Audi’s EVs to make better use of the physical space per cell, as was previously the case with winding technology.

Imagine it this way: in winding, the cell material is wrapped around a roll and squeezed together into a rectangular shell. During stacking, the electrode layers are superimposed to completely fill the rectangular space so that the cell has about 20 percent more active material, which increases the capacity. Cramming more electrons into the space equals overall improved range. A total of 12 battery cells form a module and 36 modules make up a battery system, protected by cube-shaped aluminum housing.

For the Q8 e-tron SUV and Sportback, Audi engineers created a battery pack that delivers about 20 kilowatt hours more gross capacity over 2023 models. Now, the battery offers 114 kWh instead of the 95 kWh on the previous battery tech. And incredibly, it doesn’t take up any more space than the old battery pack. As a result, 2024 Q8 e-tron owners can get 30 percent more range. The Q8 Sportback S-Line e-tron with the ultra package gets 300-plus miles. Even the standard Q8 e-tron SUV is good for 285 miles (296 for the Sportback) so it’s pretty close. 

The 2023 model served up a 222-mile EPA-estimated range for the standard SUV and 218 miles in Sportback form. For the 2024 Q8 e-tron, the EPA estimates it’s good for 285 miles for the SUV and 296 miles for the Sportback model. An optional Ultra package, available only with the Sportback, features a smaller wheel and tire package with low-rolling-resistance rubber and retuned suspension that gives it a lower ride height for added efficiency, and this setup delivers the magical 300-mile EPA estimate.

Pros and cons to stacking 

Like most new technologies, there are advantages and disadvantages to consider, Audi says. The advantage of this new stacking method allows for more active material to be implemented into lithium-ion cells, resulting in greater capacity, energy, and power. The disadvantage is a slower production process, resulting in higher cost.

Ultimately, Audi opted to prioritize the advantages over the disadvantages, a brand representative shared with PopSci.

Audi cell technicians had a dual goal of packing as much energy as possible into the stack while still having the ability to recharge it as quickly as possible. However, more density requires more time to charge compared to previous, less-dense batteries. This latest achievement also comes with a side of improved battery chemistry that Audi says has a better charge curve, which allows it to hold higher charging rates for longer.

At its battery testing site in Gaimersheim, Audi also runs a construction facility for prototype batteries. Here, employees build the high-voltage batteries from the ground up all the way to pre-series production. The goal for the next iteration will involve greater integration of the cells into the battery pack, reducing overhead, optimizing the battery’s design, and increasing the overall vehicle’s efficiency with the newest cell technologies.

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As I’m riding through the wilds of southwest Colorado, up through Cinnamon Pass at over 12,000 feet in altitude, I’m thinking about the suspension on the Polaris Xpedition UTV (utility task vehicle) I’m piloting.

Yes, of course I’m also intently focused on the dirt road as we navigate across narrow cliffside paths and splash through mud puddles. But the premium Fox shocks in this off-road vehicle keep my tires planted as they flex with the ground beneath me, absorbing the dips, bumps, and rocks at an impressive rate. The all-new Xpedition, launched this May, seems to eat rocks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here’s how it does that. 

Machined shocks 

Outdoorsy people—those who like camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, and more—occupy Polaris’ sweet spot. The company says the 2024 Polaris Xpedition is best described as an “adventure side-by-side” as opposed to the utility vehicles used on ranches and farms or the recreational vehicles you might see tearing across sand dunes in California. Side-by-side in this case means it has at least two seats, which you don’t see in some all-terrain vehicles like quad bikes or snowmobiles.

This vehicle has a flat roof made for carrying kayaks, fishing poles, traction boards, and rooftop tents, all available as accessories. After driving the Xpedition all day and then testing out the rooftop tent to camp out next to a waterfall, I concur that it checks all the boxes. When carrying just two people, the vehicle’s second row can be folded down to hold even more stuff, or the Xpeditioncan accommodate five people and less cargo. It’s also now available as a completely-enclosed UTV with both warm and cool climate control, the only side-by-side on the market to do so.  

“We started from the ground up with a one-piece frame, which is going to make it a lot stronger,” Polaris sales manager Eric Borgen says. “Our older products had frames that would bolt together in the middle; having that one piece frame is obviously going to make it a lot more rigid, which is also going to help make sure that our roll cage doesn’t flex.”

Layered into the new frame, the FOX Podium QS3 shocks are one of the key factors for a smooth ride. The shocks use “position sensitive spiral technology,” and that means two things. One, the equipment uses damping force, which controls vibration; and two, spiral grooves inside the shock body allow fluid to flow around the piston assembly, refining the movement.

“If you look inside of the actual shock body and you take it apart and you look down the barrel, it’s very similar to what people do to rifles,” Borgen explains. “They’ve machined a groove—a corkscrew—in the body. So when the piston is going up and down inside the shock body, it allows the fluid to bypass the valving.”

What that means is when driving 20 miles an hour through rocky trails, or over a washboard road, a typical passenger vehicle would toss your head around inside the cabin uncomfortably. With these shocks, the ride in the Xpedition is smoothed out in a noticeable way. Instead of a handful of zones that get progressively stiffer, the UTV’s shocks are machined for a consistently composed ride for the passenger at various speeds and road conditions. Indeed, the only time I felt a significant impact across 100 miles in the San Juan mountains was when a rock got loose under me and hit the underside. The Xpedition crunched along and left it in the dust.  

GPS off the grid

One thing that can strike fear into the heart of a new off-roader is getting lost. As more and more people explore the great outdoors (the trend has ticked noticeably upward in the last several years) they’re looking for ways to do it safely, and Polaris’ contribution to that is its Ride Command technology. 

Ride Command provides a built-in GPS navigation and wayfinding system that works even if you’re out of cell coverage zones. It includes a million-plus miles of verified trails and allows riders to plan a route before heading out. Even more importantly, it can be set up as a group ride so the vehicles can band together and see each other on the map as a color-coded dot. 

As Borgen, a desert-racing champion himself, led our group on a pre-established route, I could see at a glance on the map display in front of me how far ahead he was and what speed he was going. As a result, if I saw that he was slowing way down to let vehicles pass from the other direction (riders going uphill have the right-of-way on the trails) I could adjust even before I could see him through my windshield.  

There is one thing Borgen tells our group before we set out, and it’s the most important thing we need to know above and beyond all of the technology and engineering: how to be a considerate off-road driver. Some drivers have sparked animosity by going too fast on the trails and creating an uncomfortable environment for others, squarely placing a spotlight on the industry. 

The Polaris representative stresses the magnitude of being a considerate consumer, watching out for those who don’t like the noise and the dust off-highway vehicles carry with them. In that vein, the company is working toward more electric vehicles, like its new 2024 Ranger XP Kinetic. 

“Hikers are trying to enjoy the public land too,” he says. “So slow down; don’t dust ’em out, please. We don’t want to ruin our places to ride, because even though Jeeps and dirt bikes and side-by-sides are all different, we’re all doing the same thing and we all need to work together to maintain our lands.” 

The post This new Polaris off-roader is the ultimate vehicle for rugged adventures appeared first on Popular Science.

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From the start, Tesla has eschewed traditional manufacturing, design, and sales models, and the company’s latest move could involve revolutionizing the production of its snub-nosed EVs, as a recent Reuters story reports. Previously, the EV giant proved it could reduce costs and parts by casting the front end and back end of its Model Y as whole sections instead of assembled parts, which Tesla calls “gigacasting,” on brand with its 10-million-square-foot Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.  

Tesla’s next step could be die-casting nearly the entire underbody as a singular piece versus the 400 parts it generally takes to assemble the same section of a conventional car, according to Reuters. As that news organization puts it, if Tesla manages to die cast the whole piece successfully, it would “further disrupt the way cars are designed and manufactured.” 

How does a house-sized die-casting machine work, and can it make that much difference in the industry? Read on to learn more.

How the casting process works

Tesla already uses what it calls a gigapress, an aluminum die-casting machine at its factories in the US, Germany, and China. In very basic terms, molten metal is injected into a mold (the “die”), then cooled, ejected, and trimmed. The die-casting process was originally conceived in the mid-1800s, and automotive companies have used this manufacturing method for decades.

In June, Reuters stated that Tesla also developed an aluminum alloy that allows it to “skip the heat treating traditionally used to increase the strength of the cast part.” That detail might trigger alarm bells, considering the tendency for Tesla vehicles to show signs of lackluster quality control when it comes to fit and finish. However, Ed Kim, president and chief analyst for research firm AutoPacific, believes Tesla approaches its body assembly differently.  

“The areas where Tesla has had issues in terms of quality are typically related to squeaks and rattles and panel fit,” Kim says. “But it has done a great job on innovative manufacturing techniques.”

The entire industry has taken notice, with Toyota, Hyundai, Volvo, and others pledging to explore a similar manufacturing avenue (and calling it “hypercasting” and “megacasting” instead). Large-scale die casting is a tricky process, and some critics point to the fact that a single flaw can compromise the whole piece. On the other hand, using a gigapress (or “megapress” as other automakers may call it) can help preserve profit margins by streamlining the process. 

The cost conundrum

Price is certainly a large factor, and Tesla says it cut related costs by 40 percent, according to Reuters, by using a gigapress on its most popular vehicle, the Model Y. That appeals to other automakers, like Toyota. 

“It doesn’t surprise me that Toyota has taken an interest in [gigacasting], because I’ve always thought of Toyota as a manufacturing company above all else,” Kim says. “Historically, Toyota really set the bar on smart, efficient manufacturing and figuring out ways to take cost out of the process without sacrificing quality.” 

Toyota executives may be kicking themselves for not adopting more large-scale die-casting first, he continues. The process is still very new, however, with much to prove, although automakers will certainly be watching. American companies are especially vulnerable to cost and revenue challenges, and the United Auto Workers’ current strike is creating a new flux in future plans; they may look at what Tesla’s doing and decide to go that route, but the relationship with the factories and those who work there adds a layer of complexity.  

Tesla has promised that a new $25,000 entry-level model is on the horizon, and that will require creative cost-cutting measures across the board, including perhaps the gigapress. 

“It’s so different from the assembly line model,” Kim says. “Given the rumored failures on the Cybertruck, the brand is particularly sensitive to manufacturing costs for its upcoming entry-level car and it needs to keep costs down.” 

The EV company’s ability to pull off using the gigapress on its Model Y contributed to its ability to slash prices, putting the competition on the defensive. Die-casting in this manner is technically difficult to execute and changes are very costly, which is why not everyone is jumping in right away, Kim says. Reducing manufacturing costs in a repeatable manner is the holy grail, he says, and automakers are all keeping an eye on this development. 

“Based on the success of the Model Y, Tesla can potentially pull it off,” he admitted. 

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Today, Tesla is the industry leader—the automaker with the most EV sales. An updated Model 3 is finally on the horizon, and we’re hoping the company will address some of its quality and finish issues. What we’re hearing is that they will use more luxurious materials in the cabin, an updated dash, and more sound-deadening features like acoustic glass, to start.

But Tesla isn’t the only game in town. There’s also the Aston Martin Lagonda EV, Cadillac’s fully-customizable Celestiq, the Rolls-Royce Spectre, and the upcoming all-electric Chevrolet Corvette. And Automobili Pininfarina’s PURA Vision design concept is breathtakingly good, with a glass dome and French door-like openings that create a cavernous and comfortable way for passengers to enter. These cars are generally for the few and elite, however, and while they’ll move the industry in their own ways, it’s the mass-market EVs that are important for the rest of us.

Let’s take a look at what’s on the horizon for next year.

Volvo EX30

Expected to make its debut later this year, Volvo’s smallest-ever SUV, the EX30, is all-electric. The EX30 will start at $36,145, which is significantly less than its EV predecessors, the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge. It’s also smaller than the other two but can match their towing capacity—up to 2,000 pounds. 

Equipped with a 268-horsepower motor, the base model EX30 comes with rear-wheel-drive and will be good for an estimated range of 275 miles. For a higher (to be determined) price, the EX30 will also be available as an 422-horsepower all-wheel-drive model. In either case, Volvo says it will charge up from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 26 minutes on a DC fast charger.

Available in a decidedly non-Volvo color called “moss yellow” along with a handful of other hues, the EX30 will feature renewable and recyclable materials inside. Taking its place in the front of the cabin, a 12.3-inch tablet serves as the infotainment, climate, and vehicle control center, and Calm View reduces the amount of information on display. 

Jeep Recon

We’ve seen Jeep’s future and even took a spin in the 650-horsepower Magneto, Jeep’s Wrangler EV concept. It’s not quite ready for production, yet; after all, the Wrangler is a beloved nameplate and a switch this big requires extra attention to all of the details. Jeep has seen massive success with its hybrid Wrangler 4xe and will keep the momentum going on that model. 

Meanwhile, the brand will start production of the all-electric Recon next year. Jeep has revealed only scant information so far; what we can see is that there will be seating for five and it’ll sport fun Wrangler-like features like removable doors and a power-folding rooftop. This upcoming midsize SUV will be trail-rated, and we expect it to include some of the same goodies as in the Wrangler, like the new trail maps app that debuted this year. No final word on pricing yet, but it’s fair to guess that it will probably start at about $50,000. 

Hyundai Kona Electric

The outgoing Kona is adorable, like a pet Corgi. For 2024, Hyundai sharpened the small SUV’s edges, giving it a leaner, more modern look, and the vehicle is longer and wider than before. Estimated to have a range of between 197 and 260 miles (depending on the battery pack) and powered by a single motor making 133-horsepower, the base model is destined to thrive in city environments. Those wishing for more oomph will want to take a look at the 201-horsepower option. Starting at an estimated $35,000, the Kona EV is in the sweet spot of pricing. 

We’re truly excited about the entire Hyundai EV lineup, which also includes the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. All three models share a pixel theme and a futuristic feel, and it will be interesting to see which of these (or all) advance to the next model year and beyond. 

Mercedes-Benz CLA EV concept

Typically, the words “Mercedes-Benz” and “affordable” pair together as well as fine red wine and Tostitos. The German powerhouse is (kind of) changing that with the upcoming CLA EV concept car. Launching an entry-level EV class will benefit Mercedes-Benz by proving its EV mettle and bringing more fans to the brand, giving them the opportunity to upgrade over time; that’s a smart strategy to attract younger buyers. 

Mercedes-Benz says its new four-door coupe will have a range of 466 miles. It’s worth noting that number is higher than the Tesla Model S, which offers 405 miles, and the only other car on the market right now with more than that is the Lucid Air, at over 500 miles. However, the Air sits solidly in the six-figure price zone, while the CLA EV is predicted to start at about $60,000. That may not sound cheap, but on the Mercedes-Benz scale, it’s extraordinary. It’s unclear how soon the CLA EV will be available, but it looks like it’s going to be next year. 

Honda Prologue, the Chevrolet Blazer EV, and more

Strange stablemates as they may seem, there is a symbiotic relationship between Honda and Chevrolet that will bring us a pair of EVs next year. Honda teamed up with Chevy to use Ultium battery packs (used on vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq) on the Prologue, which is a midsize SUV expected to launch in 2024 with a price tag starting in the mid-$40,000s. The Prologue will be offered with a single or dual-motor configuration. We expect Honda to match the range of the ZDX built by its luxury branch, Acura; the ZDX is also powered by the Ultum platform and can go for at least 315 miles. 

On the other side, the Chevrolet Blazer EV will look different from the Prologue and seems to come with a higher price tag, starting in the mid-$50,000s. We can’t wait to get our hands on the SS trim, with an impressive setup that generates 557 horsepower. 

And wait, there’s more to come. We’re looking forward to hearing more about Fisker’s sub-$40,000 Ocean model and Kia’s new upcoming EV9; the EV6 is one of our favorite EVs on the market currently for smooth driving and a terrific cabin configuration. 

Last, but certainly not least, Ford recently announced the 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally model designed for off-roading, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it. Expected to start at $65,000, the Mach-E Rally boasts two electric motors making 480 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. 

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Historically, the process of designing vehicles could take years. Starting with initial sketches and ending with the final product, the timeline has included making life-size clay exterior models, doing interior modeling, conducting tests, and more.

During the lockdowns of the global pandemic beginning in 2020, General Motors teams found themselves in a new quandary: moving forward on projects while working remotely, and without physical representation of the vehicles in progress to touch and see. GM had dipped a big toe into using virtual reality to accelerate the development process for the GMC Hummer EV pickup, which launched in October 2020. That gave the team a head start on the Zevo 600, an all-electric delivery van.

Developed by BrightDrop, GM’s breakout business dedicated to electrifying and improving the delivery process, the Zevo 600 went from sketch to launch in January 2021 in a lightning-quick 20 months. A large part of that impressive timeline is due to the immersive technology tools that the team used. The modular Ultium battery platform and virtual development process used for the Hummer EV greased the wheels. 

Here are the details on the virtual tools that helped build the electric delivery van. 

What does it mean to design a vehicle this way?

BrightDrop says it considers itself a software company first and a vehicle company second, and there’s no question it’s pushing the envelope for GM. Bryan Styles, the head of GM’s immersive technology unit, sees the impetus behind this focus as coming from the industry’s increasing speed to market.

“The market continues to move very quickly, and we’re trying to increase the speed while still maintaining a high level of quality and safety at this pace,” Styles tells PopSci. “Immersive technology applies to design space up front, but also to engineering, manufacturing, and even the marketing space to advertise and interface with our customers.”

Working remotely through technology and virtual reality beats holding multiple in-person meetings and waiting for decisions, which can be very challenging as it relates to time constraints. 

“GM’s Advanced Design team brought an enormous amount of insight and technical knowledge to the project, including our insights-driven approach and how we leveraged GM’s immersive tech capabilities,” says Stuart Norris, GM Design Vice President, GM China and GM International, via email. “This enabled us to continue to collaboratively design the vehicle during the COVID-19 pandemic from our offices, dining rooms and bedrooms.”

The project that led to BrightDrop started with a study of urban mobility; the GM team found “a lot of pain points and pinch points,” says GM’s Wade Bryant. While the typical definition of mobility is related to moving people, Bryant and his team found that moving goods and products was an even bigger concern.

“Last-mile delivery,” as it’s often called, is the final stage of the delivery process, when the product moves from a transportation hub to the customer’s door. The potential for improving last-mile delivery is huge; Americans have become accustomed to ordering whatever strikes their fancy and expecting delivery the next day, and that trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. In jam-packed cities, delivery is especially important.

“We traveled to cities like Shanghai, London, and Mumbai for research, and it became very apparent that deliveries were a big concern,” Bryant tells PopSci. “We thought there was probably a better design for delivery.”

Leave room for the sports drinks

Leveraging known elements helped GM build and launch the Zevo 600 quickly. As Motortrend reported, the steering wheel is shared with GM trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado, the shifter is from the GMC Hummer EV Pickup, the instrument cluster was lifted from Chevrolet Bolt, and the infotainment system is the same in the GMC Yukon. 

Designing a delivery van isn’t like building a passenger car, though. Bryant says they talked to delivery drivers, completed deliveries with the drivers, and learned how they work. One thing they discovered is that the Zevo 600 needed larger cup holders to accommodate the sports drink bottles that drivers seemed to favor. Understanding the habits and needs of the drivers as they get in and out of the truck 100 or 200 times a day helped GM through the virtual process. 

The team even built a simple wooden model to represent real-life scale. While immersed in virtual technology, the creators could step in and out of the wooden creation to get a real feel for vehicle entry and exit comfort, steering wheel placement, and other physical aspects. Since most of the team was working remotely for a few months early in the pandemic, they began using the VR tech early on and from home. As staff started trickling into the office in small groups, they used the technology both at home and in the office to collaborate during the design development process even though not everyone could be in the office together at once.

The Zevo 400 and 600 (each referring to the van’s cargo capacity in cubic feet) is the first delivery vehicle that BrightDrop developed and started delivering. So far, 500 Zevo 600s are in operation with FedEx across California and Canada. The first half of this year, the company has built more than 1,000 Zevo 600s and are delivering those to more customers, and production of the Zevo 400 is expected to begin later this year.

Maserati did something similar  

GM isn’t alone in its pursuit of fast, streamlined design; Maserati designed its all-new track-focused MCXtrema sports car on a computer in a mere eight weeks as part of the go-to-market process. As automakers get more comfortable building with these more modern tools, we’re likely to see models rolled out just as quickly in the near future. 

It may seem that recent college graduates with degrees in immersive technology would be the best hope for the future of virtual design and engineering. Styles sees a generational bridge, not a divide. 

“As folks are graduating from school, they’re more and more fluent in technology,” Styles says. “They’re already well versed in software. It’s interesting to see how that energy infuses the workforce, and amazing how the generations change the construct.” 

Where is vehicle design going next? Styles says it’s a matter not necessarily of if automakers are going to use artificial intelligence, but how they’re going to use it.

“Technology is something that we have to use in an intelligent way, and we’re having a lot of those discussions of how technology becomes a tool in the hand of the creator versus replacing the creator themselves.” 

The post From clay cars to VR: How GM is designing an electric fleet at top speed appeared first on Popular Science.

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Piloting a new Bugatti Chiron Super Sport down the Pacific Coast Highway on a random Saturday afternoon is a bucket-list item for anyone who loves cars as much as I do. Bystanders crane their necks as the Bugatti roars by; it’s not often these beasts are seen in the wild. 

This French-made Bugatti is very, very expensive and very, very powerful. These $4 million(ish) cars can accelerate from zero to 62 miles per hour in 2.4 seconds, and the top speed for the Chiron Super Sport is 273 miles per hour. That’s speedier than Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train, by the way. 

However, what makes this machine interesting is not just its beating heart, which is the car’s 1,600-horsepower engine. The car sports a sleek, prowling silhouette with wide aerodynamic scoops carved from the flanks, and cathedral-like buttresses anchoring the rear. It’s also unique in its engineering; built on a hand-constructed carbon fiber monocoque (the car’s structural frame), the Chiron Super Sport is powered by 16 cylinders and four turbos, which breathe more air into the combustion chamber to fan the flames. 

This vehicle, even at its base configuration, sets itself apart with features like diamond membranes in the Accuton audio system and titanium in the exhaust system. 

Let’s take a closer look at the unique touches that will take your breath away, even when the Chiron Super Sport is sitting perfectly still. 

A car celebrating a ‘Golden Era’

Bugatti customers can request a customized vehicle through the brand’s Sur Mesure program (“custom made” in French). Anything goes in the design studio, and one customer chose a Chiron Super Sport to be the canvas for a celebratory mural honoring the company’s history. Bugatti designer Jascha Straub rose to the challenge and led a team that invested 400 painstaking hours drawing 45 sketches by hand on the sides of the car. 

For this specific vehicle (dubbed “Golden Era”), Straub tells PopSci that it was important to the design team to use pencil sketches directly on the car. The pencils they chose incorporate a bit of wax, giving the drawings an oil pastel effect. “There are easier ways to do it, like using a pen or marker, but a pen drawing doesn’t look like a pencil sketch,” he says. “We wanted to keep the grain and shading and highlights intact, which was why it was clear we had to use pencil.” 

During the first set of tests, the designers used body prototype panels and sketched directly on the paint, then covered it with a transparent protective layer called clear coat. The problem, they discovered, was that the clear coat cracked atop the pencil markings. As a result, the designers defined a process to achieve the desired effect: First, a light layer of clear coat was laid on top of the gold paint, and then the images were sketched on top with professional-quality Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. Then they added another thin layer of clear coat, and the artists sketched right on top of that. Every image was drawn at least three to four times, Straub says. 

And there’s more: just above the gear shifter, the dashboard on all of these vehicles is fitted with embedded tweeters each using a one-karat diamond membrane for extremely low-distortion, high-quality sound. The membrane looks like a contact lens, but made from the hardest naturally-occurring substance on Earth. Because diamonds are so strong, the sound waves pass through them quickly and without warping. Paired with titanium parts, the Accuton audio system is about as good as it gets. 

So what’s a W16 engine?

The Chiron Super Sport’s W16 engine—which is currently the only 16-cylinder powertrain in a car—does the work of moving this automotive cathedral on wheels from place to place. First seen in the brand’s 2005 Veyron, the W16 is made up of 3,500 individual parts, each piece assembled by hand. 

Some quick engine background: A V8 engine has the “V” in it because of its shape; two banks of four cylinders each are arranged in a V configuration. In this case, the W16 has the “W” in the name because the cylinders are arranged in a ‘W’ configuration for efficiency of space. Essentially, the engineers at Bugatti created a 16-cylinder engine that is the size of a 12-cylinder engine. 

But this W16 is more than just the sum total of two V8s. Bugatti’s W16 is enhanced by four turbos (two on each cylinder bank). Typically, turbos are added to boost power to a smaller engine, but that’s not the case here, clearly: The engine is massive and the turbos are the icing on top. An intricate water-cooling setup keeps it running smoothly without overheating. For that matter, the brand turned to titanium for the exhaust system, as the W16 kicks off a lot of heat. This iconic engine setup is as distinctive for its artistry as its sheer power. 

What comes next for Bugatti?

Right now, the French company’s future is uncertain. 

A century after he founded the company, Ettore Bugatti himself might be surprised to see his company still building cars in his name. (Bugatti died in 1947.) Even more so, he might be shocked to learn that Croatian EV-maker Rimac owns a majority stake in Bugatti, with plans to electrify the brand. He’d surely find kinship with Rimac’s founder and CEO, the young Mate Rimac himself, who kick-started his career converting the powertrain of his 1984 BMW 3 Series from internal combustion to electricity.

While former Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann has already said that the W16 engine is “the last of its kind,” that doesn’t necessarily mean the supercar builder is finished with massive powertrains. If the automaker takes a tip from Lamborghini, it may opt for a high-powered hybrid going forward. The partnership with Rimac is surely going to charge things up. 

The post What’s a V8 engine doubled? The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport’s W16. appeared first on Popular Science.

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Acura’s first EV, the ZDX, debuted as a concept car almost exactly a year ago. As of last week, the ZDX is a reality, with deliveries expected for early next year. Acura plans to boost adoption as quickly as possible to support the ZDX and the rest of its EV dreams, and it has some ambitious plans to make it happen, with billions of dollars invested in the future. 

Starting at $60,000, the 2024 Acura ZDX includes an estimated 325 miles of range for the single-motor rear-wheel-drive version. ZDXs with all-wheel drive are expected to have a range of 315 miles, and the Type S should have 288 miles of all-electric range and 500 horsepower to boot. Acura says the new SUV can tow up to 3,500 pounds with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. 

As Honda’s luxury arm, Acura will likely produce a vehicle with high-quality materials and an elegant layout inside the cabin, including a space below the console for storage since the ZDX doesn’t require a transmission tunnel. Beyond just the ZDX, take a look at the automaker’s multi-faceted plan for the battery development, charging infrastructure, and more. 

Betting on batteries—and more

Acura’s new ZDX is built on GM’s Ultium battery platform, a flexible and modular system used for GMC’s Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq SUV (in fact, the exterior dimensions of the ZDX mirror the Lyriq’s). As such, Acura’s near future is tied closely to GM’s for charging protocols. 

When GM switches to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), the ZDX will as well, between 2025 and 2026, executive vice president of Honda Motor Company Shinji Aoyama said during an interview along with Jay Joseph, American Honda’s vice president of sustainability and business development, and American Honda Motor Company president and CEO, Noriya Kaihara.

Honda is investing heavily in battery infrastructure, development, and manufacturing with its new EV battery facility, a joint venture with LG Energy Solutions. This $3.5 million collaboration in Jeffersonville, Ohio is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

In the meantime, Aoyama says Acura will start a pilot production of solid-state batteries. Touted as safer, denser, and less susceptible to temperature changes, these types of batteries can pack more power into a smaller footprint. In turn, that will affect the size and shape of future vehicles as well as overall range. However, battery size alone doesn’t help the overall adoption rate, Joseph asserted during the sit-down with PopSci.

“The antidote to range anxiety isn’t bigger batteries. It’s improving the charging infrastructure,” Joseph says.

Acura recognizes that the typically-heavy nature of EVs is a crucial area to research. Currently, EVs weigh a minimum of 4,000 pounds, Aoyama says, but he sees change going forward. That could be addressed through the use of different materials, disparate structures, denser batteries, or all of the above. 

Improving the charging infrastructure

In July, Acura announced it would join Honda, BMW Group, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis (the automaker behind Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, and others) to create a new charging network joint venture. Together, the consortium plans to build 30,000 EV fast-charging stations across the United States and Canada, using both Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) and Combined Charging System (CCS).

“A whole bunch of [battery-electric vehicles] have come to the market in a very short time,” says Joseph. “The trend is quite clear: people are moving to BEVs in the same way that people have moved to SUVs over passenger cars.”

This is on the heels of Ford’s surprise proclamation in May that it had entered an agreement with Tesla to allow current Ford EV owners to use Tesla Superchargers across the US and Canada starting in 2024. Also, Ford CEO Jim Farley promised the automaker’s next generation of EVs will include Tesla’s charging plug. GM, Rivian, and Volvo quickly followed suit.

Acura says it’s going much further. It’s not enough to just build charging stations; they must be the high-speed type to allay range anxiety, brand representatives say. Plus, EV drivers need to know that if their map (or app) points them toward a charge point, it will be secure, reliable, and accessible. One of the current challenges for EV drivers is that CCS charging stations are often located behind buildings in poorly-lit areas, and broken chargers stay down for extended periods of time. As a result, drivers don’t feel comfortable, which contributes to poor adoption rates. Joseph says he recognizes that Tesla does a good job monitoring its equipment and the company fixes issues fast. It makes a big difference. 

The US needs to have about 200,000 DC fast charging charge points to meet EV customer demands, and Acura plans to be part of the solution to pain points in today’s market.

“We think we can make an impact,” Joseph says. “If you drive around Europe, charging is ample. Certain corridors are very well supported; it’s effortless. People need for charging to be easy, and that paves the path to adoption.”

No more hybrids

Meanwhile, Acura is finished with hybrids. The NSX, the last of Acura’s hybrid supercars, rolled off the line in November. Acura’s NSX is equipped with a potent combination of three electric motors with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, good for 600 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque. It’s an absolute thrill ride.

For all the Acura NSX fans lamenting the end of this vehicle, there’s hope on the horizon. The brand offered a surprise sneak peek of what it’s calling the Performance Electric Vision Design Study last week at Monterey Car Week, and the sketches point to the emergence of a new supercar. You could bet good money there’s an all-electric version of the NSX just around the corner.

Hydrogen

If hybrids are out of the equation, hydrogen isn’t. There’s a delicate balance between supply and demand, and right now affordability of hydrogen is a challenge, Aoyama says. 

“Retail [hydrogen] in California costs $30 per kilogram, and it needs to be about half that,” he says. 

Overall, Acura recognizes much room for innovation, and Joseph sees this as a “once-in-100-years” transformation.

“We are so used to putting liquid molecules [in our cars] and electrons work totally differently,” he says. “The nature of our relationship with energy is changing. There is an adoption curve, but [driving EVs] is truly better and easier over time.”

The post Acura plunges into the EV space with GM as a collaborator appeared first on Popular Science.

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If you have never towed a trailer, camper, or boat before, it may seem daunting. With the towed vehicle attached, the SUV or truck doing the driving feels different. Turns require different entry and exit points, and wind can be a big factor. Just driving past a heavy-duty pickup truck towing a large RV inspires awe and a healthy respect for the sheer power of these machines.

Trucks like the 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD (signifying its heavy-duty classification) can tow an incredible amount of weight. The EPA classifies trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) above 8,500 pounds as heavy duty. That figure includes the curb weight of the vehicle, all passengers, and cargo. With a GVWR of 10,150 pounds, the 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD definitely qualifies in this category. Astonishingly, the Sierra 2500 HD can tow nearly twice its own weight, when properly equipped. 

Check out this brawny pickup truck and see how it achieves its towing capacity and brute strength, straight from its engineers.

More power 

If you think trucks are getting bigger and stronger, you’re not wrong. Ten years ago, the 2013 GMC Sierra HD was capable of towing a maximum of 17,800 pounds. For model year 2024, the Sierra 2500 HD can tow up to 22,500 pounds, an increase of 4,000 pounds over the previous year. That’s a big jump.

Truck manufacturers are in tune with both the market and its customers, analyzing the competition before determining its goals for the next model. If a truck’s core customers never tow anything bigger than a small pop-up camper, then drastic increases in towing capacity aren’t necessary. In the case of the Sierra 2500 HD, GMC says the people who buy this truck mean serious business. Buyers want to be able to tow not merely a 15-foot camper but a large speedboat or a fifth wheel trailer with a big RV.

A fifth-wheel travel trailer is a large, heavy trailer that requires a fifth wheel hitch to tow. This kind of hitch requires a unique coupling mechanism to sit in the bed of the truck and requires that the towing vehicle has enough horsepower, torque, and body strength to handle it. The coupling device has a steel structure designed to meet a level of stiffness for the most balanced, safest ride possible. It also has rubber components between the steel parts to maintain solid handling. 

At the top of the line, the GMC Sierra 2500 HD is equipped with a 6.6L turbocharged diesel engine paired with a 10-speed transmission. For 2024, it generates 470 horsepower and 975 pound-feet of torque at low revolutions per minute, which gives it a high level of pulling power. 

Rigorous testing

The main test criteria for General Motors is the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) SAE J2807 process, which is the industry standard for towing. Meeting SAE J2807 is not a requirement for any automotive company to follow. However, if you look at tow ratings posted online at various manufacturer sites you’ll find a footnote sharing whether it is following that procedure or not. The Big Three carmakers in America – Ram, Ford, and GM – generally do. 

General Motors runs several types of tests on its designs, including a climatic wind tunnel that simulates a wide range of environmental conditions like wind speed, temperature, and humidity. Engineers place thermocouples, also called “thermoelectrical thermometers” all over the development truck – up to 200 of them, Norwood says – to collect data and communicate it back to the team. 

GMC engineer Shawn Norwood says the automaker conducts other “more extreme” tests above and beyond the SEA standard. Some tests evaluate handling, and some check powertrain cooling to make sure the correct level of robustness is dialed in. In the heavy duty segment, 90 percent of buyers use their trucks to tow, so it’s an important metric. 

“Our customers really push these trucks to the top,” Norwood says. “If they’re right on the edge [of its capacity], we don’t want to have any issues.” 

If a driver pushes the truck past its capacity, they might overheat the vehicle and cause damage to the transmission or engine. The rear axle is also at risk of buckling if the load is too heavy, which could put the driver and its passengers (along with other vehicles on the road) in danger. GMC equips its heavy duty trucks with a visible and audible alert when the weight is getting close to the limit to avoid towing into the danger zone. 

As more people take to the roads for camping, overlanding, and towing, GMC recognizes that there are a lot of new-to-towing drivers out there. To help those who don’t have much experience driving with a towed vehicle attached, in the last few years, the company has implemented technology called “Transparent Trailer” that allows the driver to “see through” the trailer using a series of stitched-together camera angles. As a result, drivers can be more confident on the road, which aims to make the experience more fun and less stressful overall.

The post GMC’s new heavy-duty Sierra truck can tow up to twice its own weight appeared first on Popular Science.

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Genesis has been making a name for itself with thoughtful design and standout features in recent years, catapulting the automaker to a 14 percent year-over-year sales increase in 2022. Hyundai’s luxury arm has steadily amassed fans and wowed the public with firsts like facial recognition technology and a rotating crystal orb gear shifter, both of which are found in the company’s GV60 EV. With vehicles like the GV60 and the G80, it’s ramping up EV production.

While the Korean brand’s G60 is futuristic and bold, the Genesis Electrified G80 sedan looks almost exactly like the gas-powered version inside and out. This is no shortcut; it’s a deliberate tactic to quench the thirst of EV curiosity without requiring massive adjustments of its buyers.

Read on to learn more about the Electrified G80 and how Genesis is converting fans of its luxury sedans into the EV segment.  

Two kinds of EV buyers

The GV60, which was unveiled in 2021, is the brand’s first all-electric vehicle built on the Hyundai Motor Group’s Electric-Global Modular Platform, but it’s not Genesis’ first EV. That honor belongs to the Electrified G80 sedan, which debuted at the 2021 Auto Shanghai event in China. Before that new architecture was ready, the Electrified G80 was built on a dual-purpose platform that serves both internal combustion engines and motor-driven EVs. 

As the electric-global platform was in development, Genesis engineers had the foresight to create a building block that would ease the transition, especially for its luxury sedan enthusiasts.

Genesis has been producing a gas-powered sedan called the G80 since 2017. It introduced a pure EV version of that car, which they call the “Electrified G80,” for 2023 on the same platform. Typically, when an automaker refers to a car as “electrified,” that means it contains a hybrid system. That’s not the case here, as Genesis opted to use the modifier to keep the G80 family names intact.

“What we’re seeing at Genesis is that there are two camps of EV customers: the ones who represent the early adopters, want to lead the charge, and care about tech and sustainability,” says Genesis representative Jarred Pellat. “They want the vehicles that scream ‘I’m an EV!’”

The others, Pellat says, want something familiar. They covet the benefits of EV ownership: a quiet ride, fun driving dynamics with low-end torque, and power; they want to enter this new era of electrification, but still want to keep their “normal” luxury car. In essence, this segment wants a car that happens to be an EV but doesn’t look like an EV. When the Nissan Leaf EV debuted, for instance, it was a funky little capsule that made a clear statement. Volkswagen’s ID.4 is also in that category of cars that don’t look like any of its gas-powered siblings. 

That’s especially important in Genesis’ home market in Korea, where the G80 is one of the brand’s top-selling vehicles. In Korea, many G80 owners are repeat customers, and as the oldest model in the lineup, it has the longest-standing customer base. If a customer is tremendously satisfied with their G80, they can transition to an EV easily because it looks and feels very similar. Until they press the accelerator and experience the instant torque of an EV, that is.

The Electrified G80 vs. the gas-powered G80

Starting at a smidge over $80,000, the Electrified G80 rings in at nearly $30,000 more than the base model gas-powered G80. 

The regular G80 is offered in two trims: 2.5T models are equipped with a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, and it’s available with either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. Upgrading to the 3.5T Sport means all-wheel drive only with a turbo 3.5-liter V6 and a boost to 375 hp and 391 pound-feet of torque. 

Even though the electrified version of the sedan takes a small horsepower hit for a total of 365, the torque is considerably more at 516 pound-feet. When you step on the pedal, it moves. That’s somewhat surprising, considering the electrified G80 weighs a half-ton more than the 2.5T and a quarter-ton more than the 3.5T Sport models. 

Hooked up to a DC fast charger, the Electrified G80 charges up from 10 percent to 80 percent in 22 minutes, Genesis says, which is slightly longer than the 18 minutes it takes for a GV60. The charging port is camouflaged in the grille with a push-button release, making it easy to pull straight up to a charger and get going. 

Total cargo space suffers a bit between the two models, as the gas-powered G80 boasts 13.1 cubic feet of trunk space and that number drops to 10.8 cubic feet in the G80 EV. Other than that, though, the G80 and Electrified G80 are similar enough to be comfortable. 

Genesis isn’t killing off its sedan line any time soon, either. It’s common in Korea for customers to use luxury sedans with chauffeurs, and Genesis models (Hyundai models as well) are equipped for that setup. The Genesis G80 comes with unique buttons embedded into the bolster of the passenger seats nearest the center console. In order to move the seat or change the incline, it’s within reach for the driver to push a button instead of leaning way over to the far side of the passenger front seat or getting out of the car to adjust them for rear seat passengers. 

With gas-powered and EV models of the same sedan, Genesis isn’t just optimizing its production line. It’s making it easy to switch. Not everyone wants to look different and stand out as they transition to the EV world, they just want to blend in. That’s where the Electrified G80 makes its stand. 

The post The Electrified G80 may look like a typical luxury sedan, but it’s an EV in disguise appeared first on Popular Science.

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Every time a delicious kernel of corn passes your lips or you crunch into a slice of crusty, freshly-baked bread, you can thank a farmer. According to the US Department of Agriculture, farming and food-related industries contributed about $1.3 trillion to America’s gross domestic product in 2021. 

It’s not a stretch to say that agriculture is critical to our lives, as is the machinery that prepares the land, plants and fertilizes the seed, precisely pulls the weeds, and harvests it all. From its inception in 1837, John Deere started by manufacturing a steel plow and has evolved into a modern company producing highly technical equipment. But beyond making farming vehicles like combines and tractors, the Illinois-based company also manufactures heavy construction and forestry machines such as motor graders, dump trucks, and skidders.

[Related: The metallic guts of GE’s massive jet engines, in photos]

Here’s an inside look at this colossal machinery and the people who put it all together in the John Deere Davenport Works factory in Davenport, Iowa.

[Related: An exclusive look inside where nuclear subs are born]

Correction: This article has been updated to clarify that the equipment made at the Davenport, Iowa facility is for construction, not farming. Additionally, a dump truck originally identified at a 410 P-Tier has been updated to be correctly described as a 310 P-Tier.

The post In photos: How John Deere builds its massive machines appeared first on Popular Science.

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Only 40 minutes from the heart of Las Vegas, Nevada, Ford’s Bronco Off-Roadeo awaits eager new owners learning how to push their SUVs to the limit. The brand-new Bronco Raptor Experience can be found in Raptor Valley— about an hour’s journey across the rocky desert terrain. Here is where Bronco Raptor drivers can skid across a desert running course and jump their SUVs off a tabletop obstacle. It’s pure rally adrenaline on 37-inch wheels. 

This in-the-dirt experience isn’t only limited to gas-powered cars. Drivers of Ford’s Mach-E all-electric SUVs will now be able to get in on the fun. The Blue Oval decided to create a new variant called the Mach-E Rally, designed to tackle rougher roads off the asphalt. This car is unusual in several ways, as this is the first Mustang built for dirt and speed together; it’s also the company’s first foray into all-electric rally racing.

Read on to learn more about how the Mach-E Rally fits into the world of off-roading, desert racing and beyond.

EV market ready for more off-road adventures

The Mach-E Rally made its public debut this month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, driven by former World Rally champion and driver of the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 entry Ott Tänak. 

Specs aren’t available yet, and for the Mach-E to successfully transition to an off-road career, it would need more ground clearance and different tires than the low-rolling-resistance types on the street-ready Mach-E.  Ford offers a signup for curious tire-kickers who want to know more about the Mach-E Rally, with more information coming in the future. 

Ford has seen success with its F-150 Raptor pickup and Bronco Raptor SUV, both of which appeal to the increasing number of drivers seeking off-road adventures. It makes sense for the automaker to expand its footprint in the dirt on the EV side. 

While that concept is still rare, it’s not unheard of: EV company Rivian has proven its vehicles are adept at off-roading, bringing its R1T pickup and R1S SUV into the desert for the punishing Rebelle Rally. Three years ago, Rivian sent two of its nascent EVs on a cross-continent trip from the southernmost part of South America to Los Angeles, California through 13,000 miles of tough topography. Porsche and Volkswagen have also sent vehicles on off-roading ventures to show their versatility.

Mach-E Rally on trend 

According to Emme Hall with Edmunds, the idea to create the Mach-E Rally started about a year ago with an internet rendering of a Mach-E accessorized for off-pavement activities. Ford chief advanced product development and technology officer Doug Field saw opportunity there and presented the concept to CEO Jim Farley, who gave it the green light soon after.

The Mach-E Rally development is on trend. Aftermarket parts organization SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) predicts that the light-truck segment (pickups, vans, SUVs and CUVs) will account for close to 80 percent of all new vehicle sales by 2027. In that segment, pickups alone will make up nearly 50 percent of all new vehicles sold. These figures translate directly to Americans’ growing zeal for the outdoors, especially during the pandemic. Mordor Intelligence says the off-road vehicle market was valued at $14 billion in 2020 and will reach $18 billion by 2026. 

As EV adoption increases (assisted by new agreements between Tesla and Ford, GM, Rivian, Volvo, Nissan, and more to adopt Tesla’s charging standard), the Mach-E and all of its variations have an excellent chance of succeeding with consumers. Currently, Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is doing quite well: sales increased 45 percent to 39,458 vehicles from 2021 to 2022. Ford is trying to keep up with this demand by building three battery plants: two in Kentucky and another in Tennessee in partnership with South Korean firm SK On. 

To give drivers a chance to learn about all the things their electric vehicle can do, Ford offers new Bronco owners an entire day of professional instruction at one of its Off-Roadeo locations in Nevada, Utah, Texas, and New Hampshire. Could a dirt-racing school for the Mach-E Rally be far behind? It wouldn’t surprise us.

The post Ford debuts a dirt-ready Mustang Mach-E appeared first on Popular Science.

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In the series I Made a Big Mistake, PopSci explores mishaps and misunderstandings, in all their shame and glory.

The film Back to the Future may have debuted in 1985, but it’s still funny, sweet, and entertaining. And it will forever mark the blockbuster debut of arguably one of the most iconic movie cars in history: the DeLorean DMC-12. The DeLorean model, of course, plays a major role in the movie as the literal vehicle that drives the story.

Launched in 1981, the DeLorean (as it’s commonly called, as opposed to DMC-12) was kaput by the end of 1982. John DeLorean had been a respected engineer for General Motors before kicking off his own company, and while his vision for the vehicle appeared sound, there were several factors playing against success.

In 1982, DeLorean was arrested on drug charges; while he was later acquitted because his attorney proved entrapment, irreparable damage had been done. The company filed for bankruptcy and might have faded into one-hit wonder territory except for the massive hit that Back to the Future became. Because of the movie, DeLorean earned a spot in pop culture that remains strong nearly 30 years later. Seeing a DMC-12 on the road is rare, but it’s always a treat.

In many ways, the DeLorean was a failure. Yet that failure also became a global icon with an unmistakable silhouette. Let’s take a look at the rise and fall of this unforgettable car.  

The man behind the machine

John Zachary DeLorean was born in Detroit in 1925, the same year that Walter Percy Chrysler founded the Chrysler Corporation. The Great Depression pulled the country into a deep, dark funk that ended with the start of World War II. As a young man, DeLorean received a scholarship to the Lawrence Institute of Technology for industrial engineering, but his college career was paused when he was drafted into the US Army. After earning an honorable discharge following three years of service, he returned home to Michigan and completed his degree. Then he put it to use in jobs with Chrysler and Packard. 

In 1973, DeLorean became the youngest division chief in General Motors’ history, and he’s largely credited with managing the development of the Pontiac GTO, Firebird, and Grand Prix as well as the Chevrolet Cosworth Vega. He became famous, and burned through two marriages before settling down for a time with supermodel Cristina Ferrare. The jetset lifestyle was alluring and its siren call led him down a new path. 

After leaving GM, DeLorean went rogue, eschewing the establishment to build his own sports car. According to Forbes, the British government handed over $100 million in loans and loan guarantees in exchange for building the car in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. On top of that, he cajoled private investors to lend him tens of millions of dollars more. As the entrepreneur’s dream to build “the best of the best” emerged, time was clicking by quickly, and DeLorean built the buzz in the best way he knew how: by pushing the edges of extravagance. 

“Months before the cars would be available, it was clear that DeLorean was going big,” Lily Rothman wrote for Time magazine in 2016. “For the holiday season of 1980, the American Express catalog advertised a DeLorean plated in 24-karat gold going for $85,000 (versus $20,000—about $54,000 today—for the steel version).” 

The trail to the fall

The first DMC-12 was finally produced on January 21, 1981. Only four months later, DeLorean bought a 430-acre estate for $3.5 million, then one of the largest residential real-estate deals in New Jersey history. 

Powered by a Peugeot-Renault-Volvo 2.85-liter V6 engine generating 130 horsepower, the DMC-12 was not as powerful or as quick as some of its rivals. The steering was heavy on this stainless steel beast, and it wasn’t easy to turn. But when those gullwing doors open, anyone living in the post-Back-to-the-Future era can almost imagine a Hollywood-effect smokescreen forming. Even today, it’s magic to drive on nostalgia alone. 

Not long after the launch, quality issues plagued the company and a dip in the car market affected its sales. Within a year of its release, DeLorean’s company was in shambles and more troubles were ahead. 

On October 19, 1982, DeLorean was charged with trafficking cocaine. The FBI videotaped him in a sting operation during which DeLorean was offered roughly $24 million to sell 220 pounds of the narcotic. However, DeLorean’s lawyer argued entrapment; he intimated that it was clear the businessman was desperate to save his company and a solution was dangled in front of him. Within 30 hours, DeLorean was free and clear, acquitted of all charges. 

Unfortunately, the damage was done. 

DeLorean’s legacy

DeLorean, who died in 2005, was a brilliant engineer, and his triumphs have faded into the background as his star burned bright and then burst into flames. 

In a recent interview by Hagerty on DeLorean’s daughter, Kathryn, she reveals that her father’s airbag research in the 1970s “helped debunk Detroit manufacturers’ artificially inflated cost estimates for the technology, featured prominently in federal hearings, and helped make the bags mandatory on new vehicles.” That’s an accomplishment that has since helped save millions of lives. 

And then there’s the car’s role in pop culture, still memorable after four-plus decades. 

In Back to the Future, Marty McFly asks Dr. Emmett Brown incredulously, “Are you telling me you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?” And “Doc” proceeds to explain that if he were to build a time machine, he needed to “do it with style.” Certainly, John DeLorean’s vision had that in abundance.

The DeLorean used in the film is now housed at The Petersen Museum in California. The museum’s page about this particular car explains that writer and director Robert Zemeckis and writer Robert Gale chose the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 in part because the car’s gullwing doors “made it look like an alien spaceship.” Back to the Future went on to sell $210 million in tickets in 1985, the highest-grossing movie of the year.

The car itself, however, wasn’t a great success. In fact, it was in many ways a failure. Only about 9,000 DeLoreans were built between 1981 and 1982, and just about 6,000 remain. That represents thousands more than should have been made, considering DeLorean’s funds started drying up long before production stopped. The DMC-12 was underpowered for its class, visibility out of the narrow windows was terrible, and interior quality left room for improvement. 

Yet, this wedge-shaped sports car retains a space in American culture for both its failures and triumphs as an icon. There’s one parked in a driveway not far from my house, and every time I drive by I slow down to look at it. After all, how often do you get to see a successful failure that’s also a time machine? 

The post Why the DeLorean DMC-12 was a star on the screen but not the road appeared first on Popular Science.

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In general, we see cars as artificial and inanimate machines made from welded steel and plastic. But what if vehicles could be designed with the evolution of microorganisms in mind, representing a collaboration with nature? Kia, Hyundai, and Genesis are investigating that worldview with a group of young artists and scientists at the renowned Rhode Island School of Design. 

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG), the parent company of all three brands, kicked off the RISD x Hyundai Motor Group Research Collaborative in 2019. Now in its fourth year, the unique partnership is focused on actively exploring the relationship between nature, art, and design for the good of humankind. Using phrases like “biologized skin” for robots and “chemotaxi processes” to describe movement, the team of students, professors, and HMG engineers and designers are challenging traditional ideas about how machines can work. 

Here’s what to know about projects that RISD students have created with the future of Hyundai Motor Group in mind. 

Using slime mold to mimic autonomous vehicles

While test-driving a brand-new 2024 Kia Seltos in and around Providence, Rhode Island with a group of journalists, we made a stop at RISD to hear from students in the program. In an initiative called Future Spaces and Autonomous Vehicles, students examined the future of autonomous vehicles using scientific methodologies combined with design-focused thinking. 

The first presenter, 2023 graduate Manini Banerjee, studied at Brown and Harvard before making her way to RISD, and she challenged us to think about how a car might work if it were driven by organisms instead of algorithms. 

In their research, Banerjee and her lab partner, Mehek Vohra, discovered that each autonomous vehicle processes 40 terabytes of data per hour; that’s the equivalent of typical use of an iPhone for 3,000 years, Banerjee says. The problem, she asserts, is that data processing and data storage relies heavily on carbon-emitting data centers, which only accelerates global warming. Vohra and Banerjee set out to find out if there is an opportunity for organic, sustainable data-free navigation. 

[Related: Inside the lab that’s growing mushroom computers]

Using a slime mold organism as a vehicle, the team observed how the mold grows, learns, and adapts. In a cardboard maze, the slim mold organism mimicked the movements of autonomous vehicles. During the study, they noticed the slime mold learned how to find the maze’s center through sensing chemicals and light in its environment. Is it possible to replace carbon-heavy data processes with a nature-based solution? Yes, Banerjee says. (According to Texas A&M, slime molds exist in nature as a “blob,” similar to an amoeba, engulfing their food, which is mostly bacteria. And in related work, research out of the University of Chicago involved using slime mold in a smartwatch in 2022.) 

“Civilization has been measured by this distance between the natural and the built environment,” she told the group. “I feel that we’ve begun to build that space with technological advancements.”

“Turn away from blindly pursuing innovation”

Today, designers and engineers look to the outside world to better understand physiology, patterns in nature, and beauty. The future of nature and cars as collaborators is front and center for the RISD and HMG partnership. 

There are about 100,000 taxidermied specimens in RISD’s Nature Lab collection; it’s on par with a world-class natural history museum and has been around since 1939. Students can check out a specimen from the lab like one might check out a library book for study. For instance, studying the wings of the kingfisher may spur an idea for not just colors but patterns, textures, and utility. Observing the bone structure of a pelican for strength points or the ways an insect’s wing repels water can advance the way vehicles are made, too. 

The RISD team is also exploring how to embrace entropy, or the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system, versus strict mechanical processes. Sustainability is also an important element in this research, meaning that researchers should understand how materials break down instead of contributing to waste and climate change. Together, those two concepts inform the idea that engineering and technology can be programmed with built-in degradation (an expiration date, if you will) at the rate of human innovation.

“The intent is to turn away from blindly pursuing innovation and toward creating living machines that may restore our relationship with nature,” Banerjee said during a TedX presentation earlier this year. “If we understand the organisms we’re working with, we won’t have to hurt, edit, or decapitate them. We can move from ‘nature inspired’ to ‘nature collaborated.’”

The post A look at the weird intersection of taxidermy and car design appeared first on Popular Science.

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This article has been updated.

To date, there are about 17,000 Tesla charging stations and more than 130,000 public charging stations across the US. Tesla owners are often effusive about its app and the effectiveness and speed of NACS (North American Charging Standard), while those using CCS (Combined Charging System) complain of broken stations and apps that are confusing and unintuitive. With behemoth automakers like Ford and GM switching over to Tesla’s NACS, CCS station owners will need to improve reliability and consider adding Tesla adapters too or face a fade into oblivion. 

Tesla owners may not be happy about the shift, as they’ve enjoyed access to their own fiefdom of chargers for years. Now they’ll have to make room for non-Tesla EVs and could face more wait time. Overall, it looks like a competitive fight that will benefit the consumer. 

“My guess is that what we will see is by 2027, there will probably be no more new EVs built for North America with CCS ports,” Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Guidehouse Insights, told Business Insider.

One company that’s bucking the wave is Volkswagen, which says it’s committed to the CCS standard. That’s no wonder: CCS provider Electrify America was partially founded with $2 billion from the VW emissions “Dieselgate” settlement. The charging network has 840 stations and plans to double its number of chargers by 2026. Others, like Toyota, have not yet commented on the possibility. 

Here’s the rundown of companies making the switch and those strongly considering it. 

Automakers already committed to NACS going forward

Ford

In May, Ford CEO Jim Farley surprised the market by unveiling an agreement with Tesla to allow current Ford EV owners to use Tesla Superchargers across the US and Canada starting early next year. And Ford’s next-generation of EVs will include Tesla’s charging plug, eliminating the need for an adapter. 

General Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac)

Within a couple of weeks of Ford’s announcement, General Motors followed suit. Access to the Tesla network will begin in early 2024 for GM customers using an adapter, and GM will start building EVs with a NACS inlet port starting in 2025. After that, GM says it will make CCS adapters available for drivers of NACS-enabled vehicles. The company is also planning to integrate the Tesla Supercharger Network into its vehicle and mobile apps for payment and service, as well. 

Rivian

In June, Rivian announced it had signed an agreement with Tesla for access to Tesla’s Supercharger network across the US and Canada. Sometime next year (as early as spring 2024, Rivian says), the electric automaker will make NACS adapters available for its R1T pickup and R1S SUV. And next-generation Rivian vehicles (2025 and later) will include a NACS charge port as standard. 

Volvo

Volvo intends to manufacture only electric cars by 2030. With that goal in mind, Volvo says its US-market vehicles will be equipped with NACS charging ports starting from 2025. The Swedish automaker made a splash with its recent debut of the affordable EX30 EV, and it also offers the all-electric models XC40, EX90, and C40 Recharge. 

Nissan

On July 19, Nissan announced that it was joining the NACS standard too, and like other automakers, it will manufacture EVs with a NACS port in 2025. In 2024, it will offer an adapter for its Ariya EV; that vehicle currently uses CCS.

Companies actively considering moving to NACS

Hyundai

Hyundai president Jaehoon Chang told investors in June that the company would consider shifting to Tesla’s standard, but it’s still weighing its options. Kia and Hyundai both use the 800-volt battery architecture for fast charging; a Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 6, for example, can replenish up to 80 percent of its range in less than 20 minutes on a CCS DC fast charger. Tesla’s Superchargers, however, employ a 400-volt architecture and can’t charge Hyundai and Kia vehicles as effectively. 

Stellantis (Jeep, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Ram, Maserati, Dodge, Renault, Fiat, and more)

According to The Washington Post, Stellantis is pulling together a network of public electric vehicle chargers (including the Tesla standard) in the US, Canada and Europe. At this juncture, it remains to be seen if Stellantis will move ahead with a plan for its own network or will join together with the others on NACS. 

While the conglomerate Stellantis doesn’t currently sell any all-electric vehicles, it does sell three plug-in gas-electric hybrids: the Dodge Hornet, Alfa Romeo Tonale, and Chrysler Pacifica. An electric commercial van is in the works this year, as well as an all-electric Ram Rev pickup. 

This article has been updated with the news that Nissan will join the NACS standard, too.

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If you’ve ever planned an off-roading excursion, you may have consulted trail guides, travel websites, and enthusiast forums to map out a path. The problem is, paper guides are most certainly out of date even by the time they go to print, and some sites may not be updated. In the last decade, apps like Trails Offroad have come to the rescue with community-driven input to keep the trail maps current.

Using that app, Jeep Wrangler enthusiasts can download trail maps onto portable tablets, which they then mount somewhere in the cabin. Then they follow the carefully curated instructions. Jeep took that a step further with its new Adventure Guides, which is a feature that lets Wrangler owners download and follow those trail maps right on the dashboard itself with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, now standard across the board in all vehicles.

Let’s take a look at how this works for off-roading enthusiasts.

Digital adventuring

Adventure Guides incorporates the information from Trails Offroad, which Jeep senior brand manager Brandon Girmus says is the best source for off-roading information. Trails are rated from one to 10, with one being the  least difficult and 10 being the most. There are also notes available in-app that includes concerns drivers might encounter, like “chance of pinstriping,” which means your vehicle’s paint job will likely be altered by the scraping of branches and foliage surrounding the trail. Some guides also include history about that particular trail and the surrounding area. 

Altogether, Adventure Guides includes 62 Jeep “Badge of Honor” trails like the Rubicon Trail in California, Hell’s Revenge in Utah, and Jericho Mountain in New Hampshire. A $39.99 premium subscription is also available to unlock Trails Offroad’s full catalog of 3,000-plus trail guides.

“Whenever we touch Wrangler, we go to our enthusiasts and customers and find out what they want,” Girmus told PopSci. “Plus, we observe at places like Easter Jeep Safari and we noticed a lot of Jeep drivers using tablets. We reach out to Jeep owners all the time, and one of the things they said they wanted more of is help planning and mapping off-road trails.”

The guides are downloadable into the vehicle’s head unit, or infotainment system, making it accessible even if the Wrangler is out of cell phone range. 

Trail guidance even for newbies

For someone new to the Wrangler ownership experience, routing an off-roading plan can be a little daunting. How to pick a trail, how challenging they want the trail to be, and how long it is are all key factors in determining what is going to work best. And no one wants to go blindly into a situation where they’ll get stuck or find themselves in a dangerous spot.

Girmus says the new touchscreen isn’t about winning the size race. Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, is well known for its UConnect infotainment system. Additionally, they are  standardizing the 12.3-inch screen with digital trail guides specifically for Wrangler drivers.

“This is technology with a purpose,” Girmus asserts. “We didn’t put a larger screen into Wrangler just because we wanted a larger screen. Everything we touch and do to the Wrangler goes back to its purpose and mission, which is first and foremost to be the ultimate off-road machine.”

To prep the car itself for the unpredictable terrains of off-roading, in 2024, Jeep is offering a variety of trim levels for its gas-only and plug-in hybrid 4xe models. As a testament that off-roading can be environmentally friendly, but still enjoyable, the Wrangler 4xe in particular has been wildly successful for the brand; it was America’s best-selling plug-in hybrid in 2022. Offering 21 miles of all-electric range, the Jeep 4xe makes for a quiet ride in the wilderness, as opposed to the loud 392. 

For prospective buyers, entry-level Wranglers start at $33,690 (powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four engine) and goes up to nearly $90K for the Wrangler 392, which includes a roaring 6.3-liter V8. And there’s a variant for just about every preference in-between. No matter what you’re looking for in a ride, Jeep’s trail digitization beckons for adventure.

The post This trail map app will guide off-roading Jeep Wranglers right from the dash appeared first on Popular Science.

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The cruise control function has been around since the late 1950s, allowing drivers to keep a constant speed. Today, this often-standard feature is not just for rolling along while resting your right foot; drivers have learned over time that maintaining speed saves gas, too, and it smooths out the start-and-stop motion of average highway driving. 

What’s most remarkable about cruise control is not the system itself, which represented a breakout innovation at the time. This brilliant tech was invented by an engineer who was blind named Ralph Teetor, and it was his tenacity that led to a patent that changed driving as we know it. Cadillac picked up the technology soon after its debut as Speedostat, and rebranded it as cruise control, installing it in its luxury cars as an option. 

Today, GM is exploring other inventions for and by people with disabilities. The automaker is building an entire division dedicated to improving mobility for all called the Accessibility Center of Excellence, with benefits for all drivers and passengers. 

Here’s what GM is doing in this important field.

Why accessibility matters

A few months back, my 79-year-old dad pulled into a parking space set aside for people with disabilities at a store in Florida. As he got out of the car, my father recalls that a stranger yelled at him using a derogatory term, saying that he probably didn’t even have a disability. 

My father held out his artificial arm.

“Shake my hand,” he said dryly.

The nonprofit organization Disability:IN reports that there are about a billion people with disabilities on the planet, and roughly 25 percent of the US population is comprised of people with disabilities. While people might not notice an artificial arm or leg at first, it’s a visual and important clue that someone has a disability. Those with physical challenges as well as hearing loss, limited vision, or other non-apparent disabilities are doing the best they can in a world designed for people not living with disabilities, but there’s always room for improvement, and GM has put that high on its to-do list.

For the past year and a half, as GM’s chief engineer of accessibility, Carrie Morton has been working to make life easier for people who are disabled. With Morton in this role, which the company says is the first of its kind in the automotive sector, GM wants to change the way we think about cars within its Accessibility Center of Excellence.

Before Morton joined GM in 2022, she spent nearly a decade at the University of Michigan as the managing director of Mcity, formerly called the Mobility Transformation Center. The University of Michigan’s Mcity is a public-private partnership focused on transportation issues at the intersection of academia, industry, and government for the benefit of all.

“When we talk about inclusive design, it’s not just for people who use wheelchairs,” she says. “When you design for inclusivity, it helps everyone.”

Color blindness and (way) beyond

Morton and her team are dedicated to researching customer needs and defining what it means to have accessible solutions in vehicles. Currently, the center has about a half dozen spokes, but they reach far and wide, Morton says. Across the company, she works with advanced engineering, user design, policy, marketing, and more. That broader group actively working is nearing 100 people, and there are also weekly accessibility working groups made up of hundreds of people.

For example, consider something most people don’t pay any attention to: the colors on a dashboard. If you know someone with color blindness, you could imagine how challenging it might be to discern one control from another. Morton’s team is working on projects like that one, and she says they’re looking at current technologies like electronic steering and brake-by-wire as new opportunities to help adapt the controls for customer needs. 

“We have features like SuperCruise and other active safety features that help our customers with low vision or cognitive decline,” Morton says. “We also have RTT [real-time text] tech for the hearing impaired, and our seats use haptic feedback so if you’re not able to use the audio warning you can still benefit from the feature.” Real-time text appears on a screen in the vehicle.

Focusing on an initiative GM calls “Zero Barriers,” the team at the center makes a priority to hear from all customer types—especially people who might not have been included in the past, like those with both visible and invisible disabilities. That includes “situational disabilities” like a broken bone, eye injury, or mobility issues that are prevalent with aging. Think about how challenging it might be to get in or out of a vehicle with arthritic hips or worn-out knees. GM and Disability:IN are working with people with disabilities to find solutions for these challenges. 

One future innovation that could help is full automation. 

“My mother had Parkinson’s [disease] and my dad was having trouble with his eyes, so they couldn’t drive anymore; they became very isolated,” says Leslie Wilson, executive vice president of Disability:IN. “Could you imagine if self-driving vehicles had been available?” (GM owns Cruise, a self-driving car company; another prominent autonomous vehicle company is Waymo.) 

Then there are the issues of cargo and storage space—analog, yet important, features for people with disabilities, Morton says. Wheelchairs, service animals, and other equipment need space, and her team is working on the integration of those features as well. 

“GM is a large company with a lot of diversity and we want to implement that into our vehicles,” she says. “We’re working with the community to serve their needs.” 

The post How GM is moving its autos into an accessible and inclusive future appeared first on Popular Science.

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When folks think about Volvo, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the brand’s reputation for safety features. After all, it developed and patented the modern three-point seat belt in 1959 and then shared the design with the world. Inexpensive cars, not so much. 

However, Volvo is making a statement with its newest EV, the EX30. This super-modern compact electric SUV is packaged competitively at $36,145 to start; that’s more than the outgoing Chevrolet Bolt but less than Tesla’s least expensive EV, the Model 3. Sure, the base Nissan Leaf is still priced under $30,000, but that’s with the smaller battery pack and only 149 miles of all-electric range. The EX30 promises a more luxurious feel than Nissan’s EV and offers a huge difference in range, at 275 miles.

Can Volvo’s streamlined five-seat EV compete? If we shake the Magic 8-Ball, all signs point to yes. Here’s why. 

Outlook good

As Inside EVs reported in March, Volvo set a record for sales in February, moving 51,286 cars worldwide that month. That’s 22 percent more than February 2022 and the best February ever for the brand. Even more telling is its numbers in the plug-in electric car segment: Volvo sold 20,678 plug-ins, an impressive 40 percent of total volume.

The timing seems to be spot on. In April of this year, Chevrolet sounded the death knell of its diminutive Bolt EV with no room for resurrection. Like the college kid who comes home for Christmas to find out his parents turned his bedroom into a supersized home gym, GM will soon retool the production line for the Bolt models to make space for the much-larger electric Silverado pickup and its sibling, the GMC Sierra EV. The introduction of electric trucks is important to the US market, and Chevy is pouring its resources in that direction, pushing the smaller Bolt out even as the tiny EV’s sales started to peak.

Now, the Bolt is kaput. Enter, stage right: the Volvo EX30, which is the fourth EV model for the Swedish brand. Volvo debuted its XC40 Recharge EV for model year 2021, the C40 Recharge EV for 2022, and a three-row SUV (the EX90) is on the way. Volvo, it seems, is ramping up for EVs quickly and steadily. 

Can the EX30 outsell Tesla? Reply hazy, try again

The EX30 is about three inches longer and three inches wider than the Bolt EV, giving the Volvo a more commanding presence on the road than its Chevy competitor. Volvo’s new EV is 18 inches shorter than Tesla’s Model 3, but it wins in the cargo category with 31.9 cubic feet of available space, significantly more than the Model 3’s 22.9 cubic feet (truck and front trunk). 

From a power perspective, the EX30 comes with a 268-hp rear-drive setup; a 428-hp all-wheel-drive upgrade is available. Compared to the Bolt, which was good for 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, the EX30 is considerably peppier, and Volvo says its Twin Motor Performance model will sprint to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour in a zippy 3.6 seconds. That’s only a tiny bit slower—0.1 seconds—than the Model 3 Performance. 

Here’s where the EX30 shines over both Tesla and Chevy’s EVs: the inside. Volvo prides itself on simple but luxurious interiors and the EX30 makes the most of its space and price point with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a full-width sound bar on the dashboard that replaces embedded speakers, and recycled materials throughout. 

Getting more Americans to snap up electric vehicles and reap their environmental benefits means automakers need to produce affordable ones that are accessible to more people. Right now, the EX30’s price tag will make it one of the least expensive on the US market. One forthcoming bit of competition, besides from Nissan and Tesla, may come in the form of the Chevy Equinox EV, which will likely cost around $30,000, and Chevrolet says its range will reach the desired 300-mile mark. 

Every time a new EV hits the market, headlines proclaim “it’s a Tesla killer” and no doubt some will believe that’s true of the EX30 as well. The reality is that Tesla’s legions of fans aren’t going anywhere, and are unlikely to be swayed to the Swedish side. Volvo will likely catch the attention of new EV buyers looking for a solidly built car stocked with technology and safety features in a small luxury package.

The post Volvo’s new electric EX30 is cheaper than a Tesla Model 3 appeared first on Popular Science.

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Teaching a teenager how to drive is often nerve-wracking for parents, and understandably so. Putting a kid behind the wheel of a machine that weighs a ton or more can be daunting, but it’s a necessary rite of passage to get them to that glorious day when they can drive themselves to soccer practice. Some teens take to it immediately, embracing freedom and experience, but others hesitate due to reasons like apathy or even fear.

But an innovative solution to this issue came from Loxley Browne, who is the CEO and founder of Club Athena in California, a non-profit organization that teaches girls aged 12 to 18 about STEM principles via an online platform. Browne works closely with her student advisory board to create hands-on projects for the girls in the program, and one day asked her student board president, Akshaya Koramutla, how her driver training was going.

As Browne recalls, Koramutla flinched and said, “I tried driving my dad’s car in a parking lot and it was really stressful. Another car almost hit me.”

That conversation sparked an idea for Club Athena’s next project: They would take a regular street car and turn it into a driving simulator to get the tweens and teens in the program comfortable behind the wheel.

Here’s how they turned a 1997 BMW convertible into a driving simulator.

Setting the budget

In 2019, Browne kicked off an organization called Athena Racing with the intention of teaching girls go-karting skills with a racing focus. A racing enthusiast herself, Browne wanted to share her passion with girls and help grow their confidence behind the wheel. However, the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020 derailed her in-person plan and she pivoted to online classes, as Club Athena.

From that transition came FABcamp, a week-long live virtual forum designed to inspire girls in the program with expert speakers and an afternoon hands-on fabrication session from their individual locations. The BMW-based simulator, nicknamed “Simmie,” was the group’s most recent FABcamp project, starting with that conversation between Browne and Koramutla.

“The girls all play games like Forza and iRacing,” Browne says. “They love it, and the simulator gives them driving experience without an adult in the car screaming at them.”

[Related: An inside look at the data powering McLaren’s F1 team]

First, the members of the club spent a month talking to companies that make simulators, collecting feedback from experts. Motorsports simulation expert and former racer Sean Yoder is on the advisory board for Athena Racing, and he was a key asset for the project. Now CEO of Nemesis Lab, which builds high-performance simulators and gaming hardware, Yoder has an impressive background. On a previous project, he worked with Yale University Medical Research to develop software to help determine how epileptic seizures affect performance using virtual reality driving simulation during video/EEG monitoring.

Starting with an all-in pie-in-the-sky budget, the team of students—led by Koramutla, Browne, and Yoder—narrowed the budget down to a manageable number.

“The spreadsheet allowed the girls to see the different items that we would need to consider as we built Simmie,” Browne says. “It helped to define the project management and for me to talk through the different steps of the build with them.”

Building Simmie

In 2022, they found a 1997 BMW 318i convertible online that was missing a central processing unit (or CPU) and bought it for $1,200, then spent five full days just cleaning it out. They removed the engine, transmission, and gas tank and sold those components. Then they took a sledgehammer to the front dash, which Browne jokingly refers to as “deconstruction therapy.”

“We weren’t able to get some of the parts out of the car easily,” Koramutla says. “Our solution to this problem was getting our safety gear on and using our hammers and crowbars to hack away at the unnecessary materials. The most intense part of the fabrication was concentrated on the dashboard and console area. Because we would be putting gaming components into the car, we needed to create a stable environment to attach them.”

After deconstruction, they reconstructed the interior, building a new dashboard and structure for the gaming components. The BMW received a new windshield, and the team placed monitors outside the windshield for the closest simulation to driving a real car on the street. Where the engine once was now houses the new structure for all the computer components. The steering wheel was replaced by a gaming wheel and a gaming pedal set is where the brake and accelerator used to be. 

“This is an ongoing process,” Browne says. “We’re going to add a butt shaker and air vents so you feel it when you go faster. We’ll add speakers and bass to feel the rumble.”

Sharing what they learned

Browne recorded all the segments of Simmie’s build and made it available online for FABcamp participants, like a virtual shop class. Soon, she says, the video segments will be available to the public so more kids can learn.

“Akshaya was up to her elbows in the car,” Browne says. “Now she knows how to use power tools and she’ll be able to think about all of these times we used cardboard and paper to create a prototype and then create something out of metal. She wants to be a doctor, and from this experience she’ll have the confidence to walk into an invention laboratory and tell them exactly what to do to create a new medical device.”

Simmie currently resides in a shop in San Diego, and Club Athena hosts one Saturday a month when the girls can book time to play and practice driving. Sometimes, they even bring brothers or friends with them. The car doesn’t move, but its drivers can still practice cruising.  

Browne’s goal is to create talent pipelines straight out of Club Athena and create paths for girls to go on and start STEM-related careers, guiding them all the way through. Her ultimate dream is to find a visionary philanthropist who wants to take it worldwide and build an “Ironman-type lab with hundreds of acres” to test builds. Just imagine a field of Simmies standing by to help teens get more comfortable with driving. 

Watch a short news segment about this simulator, below:

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At first glance, race cars and electric go-karts have nothing in common except for a vaguely similar shape. Both are open-cockpit vehicles with wide wheels, and they both thrive on sharp turns—and that appears to be it. 

What many don’t realize is that go-karts are often the entry point for future Indy 500 drivers, and competitors also practice in the tiny vehicles to develop muscle memory. Several companies manufacture karts, and the most recent iteration of Honda’s version is the eGX go-kart concept, which is equipped with two 10-kilo (about 23 pounds) swappable battery packs good for about 45 minutes at a time. This battery technology allows the brand to test the dynamics of electric vehicles on a smaller scale before rolling it out to the much pricier race cars (and eventually apply this insight to passenger vehicles as well). 

Honda Accord, Civic, CR-V, and Odyssey owners might not realize it, but Honda’s passion starts with racing, and passenger cars reap the research benefits. Only two manufacturers make IndyCar engines, and Honda is one of them. In the last 30 years, Honda has claimed 18 IndyCar championships and 15 Indianapolis 500 wins. 

PopSci had a chance to pilot one of these eGX karts in the Indianapolis area over Indy 500 weekend. It was heart-pounding, arm-muscle-straining excitement, like a taste of the race itself (minus the yellow and red flags). We also got to speak with engineers to better understand Honda’s strategy for its entire product lineup, from power tools to cars. Here’s what we learned.  

Battery packs offer modularity and continuity

Kids interested in racing start with small go-karts and work their way up. If they have enough skill and a little luck, they’ll find themselves behind the wheel of a high-performance IndyCar or F1 machine. As they develop, drivers keep practicing with karts—albeit increasingly high-powered versions—that twist and squeal and mimic the experience of a road course race. 

“Karts are closer to the open-wheel experience than anything else,” says John Whiteman, commercial motorsports manager at Honda Performance Development. (In case you were wondering, an open-wheel car is one that has its wheels outside of the car versus underneath, like a passenger car.)

Honda Performance Development, or HPD for short, was founded in 1993 for the purpose of designing and developing racing engines along with chassis and performance parts for motorsports. HPD has a history of repurposing small engines to make gas-powered karts and quarter midgets (small racers that are about one-quarter scale of a full-size midget race car).

If you’ve ever been to an outdoor recreational karting track with friends and family, you’re familiar with the whine and buzz of the gas-powered version. Gas-powered kart engines are often shared with lawn mowers, made by other companies like Briggs and Stratton as well as HPD, and indoor tracks use electric karts so they’re not filling the air with toxic fumes. 

The eGX takes a typical electric go kart to the next level, employing two saddle packs on either side of the seat to house the lithium-ion batteries that power the kart. That way, the kart is balanced and maintains its grip with the road without adding rear bias or tip-over potential by loading the battery on one side. 

Whiteman says the swappable battery packs offer many upsides, including reduced maintenance costs and environmental benefits. Through this technology, HPD has learned more about energy storage, heat management, and vehicle weights and balances. These battery packs are already in use for small construction equipment like cordless rammers and compact excavators.

Along with reduced emissions and noise pollution, battery-pack-powered vehicles keep the equipment in commission continuously if you have a bank of these batteries that can be charging up while the others are in use. 

How race car research benefits Honda’s passenger cars

Ultimately, Honda and its HPD division are testing new ideas to find out how that translates to performance and customer satisfaction. Rebecca Johnson, HPD director of production and senior manager, says exploring electrification and sharing each division’s findings throughout the company creates opportunities to improve across the board. 

“We’re trying to train ourselves to be better at hybrids and battery packs for electrified racing,” Johnson says. “Let’s build something. Let’s make a car and let’s call it our laboratory, if you will, and let people ‘play’ and iterate on the design or technology. As we strive forward, we can put that together with what customers want.”

In 2024, the IndyCar series will run with hybrid units with 2.2-liter engines; currently, the power is all supplied by renewable race fuel. Honda is getting ready for this change by testing battery packs and a custom concept hybrid built with a tubular cage and sheet metal copied from a production CR-V crossover. It’s mind-boggling to ride in the Beast, as Honda calls it internally, as it looks like an SUV with a giant wing and sounds like a screaming hurricane inside. This is the future, and it’s pretty exciting. 

Johnson is steeped in racing culture, and she has her eyes trained forward as HPD works to maintain the visceral appeal of IndyCar and Formula One races while moving toward drastically reducing emissions.   

“We’re a racing company that happens to sell cars,” Johnson says. “Racing is in our DNA. If we can prove out tough things on a race track, we can surely make a good Civic. If you can do it at [IndyCar] level, then you should be very good at performance for a Civic owner. They want all the things that we want [for race cars] but on a different level.”

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Rejoice, Tacoma fans: The fourth generation of the beloved pickup is finally here, and there’s a lot to like. The midsize truck was redesigned from the ground up, retaining its off-road-capable bones and getting new skin, more power, and more options that should please truck buyers of all types. The last time the Taco, as it’s affectionately known, had a full workup was for model year 2016, so this has been a long-awaited update. 

In its popular TRD Pro trim, the new Tacoma includes brand-new seats for the driver and front passenger that ride on a shock absorber system. The purpose of these so-called IsoDynamic Performance Seats is to keep your head—and in turn, your eyes—steady and focused while driving (or riding in the right seat) on rugged terrain. If you’ve ever ridden a horse or performed in a marching band, you understand how important it is to keep your vision intact while moving. 

Let’s take a closer look at this and some of the Tacoma’s other new features. 

Shock-absorbing seats

When driving off-road, your entire body gets bounced around. Depending on the quality of your suspension system, you could be shaken like a James Bond martini. But wouldn’t it be better to float as though you’re moving in tune with the vehicle? Sheldon Brown, the chief engineer for the Tacoma, says the team started by plumping up the bolsters (the narrow pillows that surround your seat) in the seat and seat back, which snugs the occupant into the vehicle securely and comfortably. 

“We were looking to do something and provide better stabilization of the driver and the occupant in those high-speed or even some of the tactical off-road driving scenarios,” Brown told The Drive, which is owned by Recurrent Ventures, PopSci’s parent company. “If you think about, for example, a downhill skier or even if you look to the wild you see a cheetah chasing its prey. The eyes are focused and fixed, the body is moving but the head and the eyes are staying stable, so the goal here is to stabilize the upper torso, particularly the head.”

The Toyota engineering team started with a hot-formed steel tube to create the superstructure of the seats, and surrounded it with a lightweight reinforced resin for the seat pan and back frame. A swivel joint, spring-loaded ball joint, and articulation structure provides the flexibility and movement. The human body’s bone structure works closely with tendons and muscles for full range of motion; the new IsoDynamic Performance Seat is designed to move with those elements for a much less bone-jarring ride. 

Most notably, the seat can be customized to your liking. Airing it up is as simple as using a bicycle tire pump to achieve the level of pressure you like, and Toyota provides a set of recommended pressures based on your unique body mass. From there, you can tweak the comfort as desired. And, of course, you can turn off the adjustments entirely and it becomes a plain old truck seat. 

More power, more torque—and the manual remains

Available in a whopping eight variants—SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off Road, Limited, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter—the 2024 Tacoma is offered with two different powertrains and myriad shiny new accessories straight from the factory. 

Starting with the base SR, the Tacoma gets a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine making 228 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. Moving up to the SR5 and above, the same engine is tuned for 278 hp and 317 pound-feet of torque. Automatic and manual transmissions are available, and the manual option is largely attributed to Brown’s influence, as he is not just the engineer but a major Tacoma enthusiast. 

The star of the lineup is the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain. Engineers paired the turbo 2.4-liter engine with an electric motor and 1.87-kilowatt-hour battery for 326 horsepower and an impressive 465 pound-feet of torque. Standard on the TRD Pro and Trailhunter models and available on TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited variants, the i-Force Max is the most potent power combination ever offered on the Tacoma. 

“The great part about the hybrid system, which is what we just launched in the Tundra (and the motor and battery are identical, by the way) is instantaneous torque,” Brown told PopSci. “While we’re waiting for those turbos to spin up, which isn’t too long, it can really supplement the overall drive experience with an instant burst of power, especially when you’re towing or heavily laden.” 

With the i-Force Max, the truck has nearly double the torque numbers of the previous generation’s V6 capabilities. Gas mileage ranges from 19 miles per gallon to 21 miles per gallon for that model year. While we don’t know the EPA mileage ratings for the new Tacoma, Toyota has definitely made efforts to improve those numbers with a massive air dam in front that creates better aerodynamics. Don’t fret, though, off-roaders: it can be removed to increase ground clearance as necessary. 

Trailhunter vs TRD Pro

New for 2024 is the Trailhunter trim, designed for the ever-increasing overlanding population. Since 2020, the popularity of overlanding (in basic terms, camping in or near your car over long distances) has exploded, and Toyota is making the most of that trend with the Trailhunter. 

Before this trim debuted this year, the TRD Pro was the top of the line for ruggedness, but it’s built more for driving fast in the desert. The Trailhunter fills a need for go-everywhere adventurers with a whole catalog of accessories available straight from the factory, all of which can be rolled into a monthly payment versus purchasing piece by piece. Two years ago, the Trailhunter was teased at the Specialty Equipment Market Association annual trade show as a concept, and enthusiasts will be excited to see it in production. 

Toyota chose custom shocks from an Australian company called Old Man Emu to cushion the ride for both on- and off-road comfort. It’s also key for carrying a heavy load with lots of gear, which is what overlanders tend to do with on-board refrigerators from Dometic, rooftop tents, hydraulic lifts, and spare tires. For the uninitiated, Old Man Emu shocks were created Down Under, and are a popular choice to replace factored suspension components for other outdoors-focused brands like Land Rover

“In the Australian outback, Old Man Emu is the OG of overlanding,” Brown says. “They have a reputation for building good, reliable solutions for the aftermarket and we wanted to partner with them to work on the development together. This is a custom-tuned set that you can’t buy off the shelf.” 

The Trailhunter also boasts an onboard air compressor for airing up tires after an off-roading session, plus a fuel tank protector, mid-body skid plate, front bash plate, and rock sliders all designed to safeguard the truck from damage. 

Stay tuned, because the 2024 Toyota Tacoma is scheduled for dealerships later this year. As soon as we can get behind the wheel, we’ll tell you more about how it performs. 

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Dressed in a glorious shade of green called Verde Fangio Metallic, the all-new Alfa Romeo Tonale slalomed through the city streets of Milan. After dodging pedestrians and cyclists in a dance that seemed natural to Italians and startling to visitors, we drove it onto country roads leading to Alfa Romeo’s prime proving grounds at the Circuito di Balocco test track. It was time to test out the brand’s first hybrid and its first compact crossover: the Tonale.

Alfa Romeo has a 113-year history of building beautiful, powerful cars with an abundance of style. Can its new hybrid pass the test with both established and new fans of the brand? We drove one in Alfa Romeo’s homeland to find out.

The two-tone Tonale: one engine, one motor

The brand’s first all-new vehicle in five years, the Tonale is a follow-up to the popular Stelvio SUV. Situated squarely in the popular compact SUV class, the Tonale competes with gas-powered luxury models like the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA as well as the Volvo XC40 plug-in hybrid.

Equipped with a 1.3-liter gas engine up front and a 90-kilowatt electric motor at the rear, the Tonale boasts 285 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of torque. Whether driving on twisty roads or straightaways, I found the Tonale has plenty of vigor, and the responsive steering made for a great drive. The crossover also has a generous sprinkling of Italian charm, which sets it apart from others in the category. 

Drive mode selections include Alfa Romeo’s traditional D, N, and A options, which stands for Dynamic, Natural, and Advanced. Each has its own distinctive personality. Spin the dial to Dynamic for access to the full suite of power and to the highest level of brake regeneration, which sends juice to the battery. Natural is the middle-of-the-road option for daily driving, and Advanced offers a more fuel-efficient choice by running the Tonale in battery-only mode for about 30 miles.

The driver can drill down even further for more options to customize the ride. Choosing Comfort is the default suspension partner to Natural and Advanced mode, providing a softer feel. Sport mode (the preset calibration for Dynamic mode) stiffens the ride, meaning better control when you want more of a track-like experience. Alfa Romeo calls it a “dual stage valve electronic suspension” and says it’s intended to offer the driver a choice between performance and comfort.

On the track, I put it through its paces myself, and also slid into the passenger seat with a professional driver behind the wheel. That’s an unusual twist; most crossovers are marketed for staid comfort, not necessarily adventurous, quick turns and acceleration. 

Maximizing energy from the Tonale’s battery 

Driving the Tonale, I noticed that it was regenerating the battery quickly as I coasted downhill from the mountain passes on the drive route in Dynamic mode. Domenico Bagnasco, head of high-performance vehicles for Alfa Romeo, told me that the vehicle never depletes the battery completely. When the battery starts to run low, the Tonale automatically defaults to Natural mode to recharge it. If you start in Advanced to experience the all-electric range, it will switch over silently and seamlessly. Also, a touch of the e-Save button under the gear shifter helps preserve the battery’s energy by prioritizing the gas engine. 

Bagnasco has a history in performance and engineering for both Fiat and Alfa Romeo, serving as the Abarth racing model chief engineer and product development manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. That means he had a hand in the delightful Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, a Miata look-alike with a spunky ride. With the Tonale, he’s putting that experience to use and expanding upon what he’s learned from previous iterations of a long list of Italian models. 

He also shared the details of the Tonale’s brake-by-wire system, which means stepping on the brake pedal triggers an electronic signal that activates a microprocessor. Brake-by-wire systems utilize electronic sensors and actuators instead of the mechanical and hydraulic components of traditional braking setups. As a result, braking is designed to be smoother and more predictable instead of predicated solely on the uneven pressure of your foot. For the Tonale, brake action also helps recapture energy. 

Brake-by-wire systems are fairly standard fare, especially on hybrid vehicles like the Audi e-Tron and Porsche Taycan. This technology takes stopping power to the next level, compiling input from your surroundings and anticipating braking needs. For instance, if the car senses that you’re headed for a collision based on your speed and that of the car in front of you, the brake-by-wire system can apply maximum braking power for you. And it’s lighter: Dominique says the electronic brake saves 10 pounds overall.

The serpent is a plug

The crossover also includes a generous suite of driver-assist features, including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure assist, and more. It’s also equipped with over-the-air software update capacity, Amazon Alexa, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All of that gilds the performance aspects of this new plug-in hybrid. Even the storied Alfa Romeo logo tells the tale in a version that’s etched onto the driver’s side rear window; the head of the biscione serpent has been stylized into a plug. 

Starting at $44,590 (including destination charges) and ranging up to nearly $60,000 with all the options on the top-level Veloce trim, the Tonale is available in dealerships now. 

The Tonale, up against its competitors, feels like the difference between a pony ride at a county fair and a pedigreed mare at a steeplechase. Sure, the Tonale could be just another compact crossover on the market. But it’s an Alfa Romeo, and there is something magical about it.

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If you have Face ID set up on your iPhone, you can unlock your device by showing it your visage instead of using a pin code or a thumb print. It’s a familiar aspect of smartphone tech for many of us, but what about using it to get in your vehicle?

The Genesis GV60 is the first car to feature this technology to unlock and enter the car, pairing it with your fingerprint to start it up.

How does it work? Here’s what we discovered.

The Genesis GV60 is a tech-laden EV

Officially announced in the fall of 2022, the GV60 is Genesis’ first dedicated all-electric vehicle. Genesis, for the uninitiated, is the luxury arm of Korea-based automaker Hyundai. 

Built on the new Electric-Global Modular Platform, the GV60 is equipped with two electric motors, and the result is an impressive ride. At the entry level, the GV60 Advanced gets 314 horsepower, and the higher-level Performance trim cranks out 429 horsepower. As a bonus, the Performance also includes a Boost button that can kick it up to 483 horsepower for 10 seconds; with that in play, the GV60 boasts a 0-to-60 mph time of less than four seconds.

The profile of this EV is handsome, especially in the look-at-me shade of São Paulo Lime. Inside, the EV is just as fetching as the exterior, with cool touches like the rotating gear shifter. As soon as the car starts up, a crystal orb rotates to reveal a notched shifter that looks and feels futuristic. Some might say it’s gimmicky, but it does have a wonderful ergonomic feel on the pads of the fingers.

Embedded in the glossy black trim of the B-pillar, which is the part of the frame between the front and rear doors, the facial recognition camera stands ready to let you into the car without a key. But first, you’ll need to set it up to recognize you and up to one other user, so the car can be accessed by a partner, family member, or friend. Genesis uses deep learning to power this feature, and if you’d like to learn more about artificial intelligence, read our explainer on AI.

The facial recognition setup process

You’ll need both sets of the vehicle’s smart keys (Genesis’ key fobs) in hand to set up Face Connect, Genesis’ moniker for its facial recognition setup. Place the keys in the car, start it up, and open the “setup” menu and choose “user profile.” From there, establish a password and choose “set facial recognition.” The car will prompt you to leave the car running and step out of it, leaving the door open. Gaze into the white circle until the animation stops and turns green, and the GV60 will play an audio prompt: “facial recognition set.” The system is intuitive, and I found that I could set it up the first time on my own just through the prompts. If you don’t get it right, the GV60 will let you know and the camera light will turn from white to red.

After the image, the GV60 needs your fingerprint. Basically, you’ll go through the same setup process, instead choosing “fingerprint identification” and the car will issue instructions. It will ask for several placements of your index finger inside the vehicle (the fingerprint area is a small circle between the volume and tuning roller buttons) to create a full profile.

In tandem, these two biometrics (facial recognition and fingerprint) work together to first unlock and then start the car. Upon approach, touch the door handle and place your face near the camera and it will unlock; you can even leave the key in the car and lock it with this setup. I found it to be very easy to set up, and it registered my face on the first try. The only thing I forgot the first couple of times was that I first had to touch the door handle and then scan my face. I could see this being a terrific way to park and take a jog around the park or hit the beach without having to worry about how to secure a physical key. 

Interestingly, to delete a profile the car requires just one smart key instead of two.

Not everyone is a fan of this type of technology in general because of privacy concerns related to biometrics; Genesis says no biometric data is uploaded to the cloud, but is stored securely and heavily encrypted in the vehicle itself. If it is your cup of tea and you like the option to leave the physical keys behind, this is a unique way of getting into your car. 

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Buzzwords like autonomy, artificial intelligence, electrification, and carbon fiber are common in the automotive industry, and it’s no surprise that they are hot topics: Manufacturers are racing to gain an advantage over competitors while balancing cost and demand. What might surprise you, however, is just how much 180-year-old agriculture equipment giant John Deere uses these same technologies. The difference is that they’re using them on 15-ton farm vehicles.

A couple of years ago, John Deere’s chief technology officer Jahmy Hindman told The Verge that the company now employs more software engineers than mechanical engineers. You don’t have to dig much deeper to find that John Deere is plowing forward toward technology and autonomy in a way that may feel anachronistic to those outside the business.  

“It’s easy to underestimate the amount of technology in the industries we serve, agriculture in particular,” Hindman told PopSci. “Modern farms are very different from the farms of 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and 30 years ago. There are farms that are readily adopting technology that makes agriculture more efficient, more sustainable, and more profitable for growers. And they’re using high-end technology: computer vision, machine learning, [Global Navigation Satellite System] guidance, automation, and autonomy.”

PopSci took an inside look at the company’s high-tech side at its inaugural 2023 John Deere Technology Summit last month. Here’s how it’s all unfolding.

Where it started—and where it’s going

John Deere, the OG founder behind the agricultural equipment giant, started as a blacksmith. When Deere, who was born in 1804, moved from his native Vermont to Illinois, he heard complaints from farmer clients about the commonly used cast-iron plows of the day. Sticky soil clung to the iron plows, resulting in a substantial loss in efficiency every time a farmer had to stop and scrape the equipment clean, which could be every few feet.

Deere was inspired to innovate, and grabbed a broken saw blade to create the first commercially successful, “self-scouring” steel plow in 1837. The shiny, polished surface of the steel worked beautifully to cut through the dirt much more quickly, with fewer interruptions, and Deere pivoted to a new business. Over 180 years later, the company continues to find new ways to improve the farming process.

It all starts with data, and the agriculture community harnesses and extrapolates a lot of it. Far beyond almanacs, notebooks, and intellectual property passed down from generation to generation, data used by the larger farms drives every decision a farm makes. And when it comes to profitability, every data point can mean the difference between earnings and loss. John Deere, along with competitors like Caterpillar and Mahindra, are in the business of helping farms collect and analyze data with software tied to its farm equipment. 

[Related: John Deere finally agrees to let farmers fix their own equipment, but there’s a catch]

With the uptake of technology, farming communities in the US—and around the world, for that matter—are finding ways to make their products more efficient. John Deere has promised to deliver 20 or more electric and hybrid-electric construction equipment models by 2026. On top of that, the company is working to improve upon the autonomous software it uses to drive its massive vehicles, with the goal of ensuring that every one of the 10 trillion corn and soybean seeds can be planted, cared for, and harvested autonomously by 2030.

Farming goes electric

In February, John Deere launched its first all-electric zero-turn lawn mower. (That means it can rotate in place without requiring a wide circle.) Far from the noisy, often difficult-to-start mowers of your youth, the Z370R Electric ZTrak won’t wake the neighbors at 7:00 a.m. The electric mower features a USB-C charging port and an integrated, sealed battery that allows for mowing even in wet and rainy conditions.

On a larger scale, John Deere is pursuing all-electric equipment and has set ambitious emissions reduction targets. As such, the company has vowed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 from a 2021 baseline. To grow its EV business more quickly, it will benefit from its early-2022 purchase of Kreisel Electric, an Austrian company specializing in immersion-cooled battery technology. Krieisel’s batteries are built with a modular design, which makes it ideal for different sizes of farm equipment. It also promises extended battery life, efficiency in cold and hot climates, and mechanical stability.

Even with a brand-new battery division, however, John Deere is not bullishly pushing into EV and autonomous territory. It still offers lower-tech options for farmers who aren’t ready to go down that path. After all, farm equipment can last for many years and tossing new technology into an uninterested or unwilling operation is not the best route to adoption. Instead, the company actively seeks out farmers willing to try out new products and software to see how it works in the real world. (To be clear, the farms pay for the use of the machines and John Deere offers support.)

“If it doesn’t deliver value to the farm, it’s not really useful to the farmer,” Hindman says.

See and Spray, launched last year, is a product that John Deere acquired from Blue River Technology. The software uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to recognize and distinguish crop plants from weeds. It’s programmed to “read” the field and only spray the unwanted plants, which saves farmers money by avoiding wasted product. See and Spray uses an auto-leveling carbon fiber boom and dual nozzles that can deliver two different chemicals in a single pass.

Another new technology, ExactShot, reduces the amount of starter fertilizer needed during planting by more than 60 percent, the company says. This product uses a combination of sensors and robotics to spritz each seed as it’s planted versus spraying the whole row; once again, that saves farmers an immense amount of money and supplies.

Right to Repair brings victory

Just one machine designed for farmland can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Historically, if equipment were to break down, farmers had to call in the issue and wait for a technician directly from John Deere or an authorized repair shop for a repair. Many farms are located far away from city centers, which means a quick fix isn’t in the cards. That could be frustrating for a farmer at any time, particularly in the middle of a hectic planting or harvest season. 

At the beginning of this year, John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation signed a memorandum of understanding stating that farmers and independent repair shops can gain access to John Deere’s software, manuals, and other information needed to service their equipment. This issue has been a point of contention for farmers, and a new law in Colorado establishes the right to repair in that state, starting January 1 of next year. 

However, that comes with a set of risks, according to John Deere. The company says its equipment “doesn’t fit in your pocket like a cell phone or come with a handful of components; our combines can weigh more than 15 tons and are manufactured with over 18,500 parts.”

In a statement to DTN, a representative from John Deere said, “[The company] supports a customer’s decision to repair their own products, utilize an independent repair service or have repairs completed by an authorized dealer. John Deere additionally provides manuals, parts and diagnostic tools to facilitate maintenance and repairs. We feel strongly that the legislation in Colorado is unnecessary and will carry unintended consequences that negatively impact our customers.”

The company warns that modifying the software of heavy machinery could “override safety controls and put people at risk” and creates risks related to safe operation of the machine, plus emissions compliance, data security, and more. There’s a tricky balance that both benefits farmers who want control over their investments and potentially puts those same farmers—or anyone in the path of the machinery—in peril if the software is altered in a way that causes a failure of some kind. Of course, that’s true for any piece of machinery, even a car. 

[Related: John Deere tractors are getting the jailbreak treatment from hackers]

Farming machinery has come a long way from that first saw blade plow John Deere built in 1837. Today, with machine learning, the equipment can detect buildup and adjust the depth on its own without stopping the process. Even in autonomous mode, a tractor can measure wheel slip and speed, torque and tire pressure, and that helps farmers do more in less time. 

In the life cycle of farming, technology will make a big difference for reducing waste and emissions and offering better quality of life. Watching the equipment in action on John Deere’s demo farm in Texas, it’s clear that there’s more bits and bytes on those machines than anyone might imagine.

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Jeep established its roots back in the 1940s, and the brand quickly established itself as a 4×4 expert. Rugged and utilitarian, Jeep has been an icon of off-roading ever since. For its next act, the automaker is getting electrified. Jim Morrison, senior vice president and head of the Jeep brand in North America, says it has established its line in the sand. 

“We’ve said we will be the greenest SUV brand and by 2025 all of our vehicles will be electrified,” Morrison says. “We expect half our sales to be electrified by 2030.”

Jeep’s plan includes four all-electric SUVs in North America and in Europe by 2025. The automaker debuted sneak peeks of two of those vehicles—the Jeep Recon EV and Wagoneer EV (code name Wagoneer S)—via its YouTube channel back in September of last year.

Remember, electrified in an automotive context is different from fully electric: Electrified refers to using motors to enhance and support gas-powered models for better efficiency and fewer emissions, while fully electric is a pure EV, with no internal combustion engine whatsoever. Jeep will offer both types, at least for now. Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, has ranked at the bottom of the EPA’s 2022 rankings [PDF] for fuel efficiency and carbon emissions between 2016 and 2021; Stellantis includes brands like Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, and Dodge. Each of these brands is finally getting a hybrid version—Dodge unveiled the hybrid Hornet in March and Alfa Romeo is about to launch its first electrified model, the Tonale—so improvement is on the table. 

The electrified plans are well on its way: the Wrangler 4xe, Jeep’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle, made its debut for model year 2021 and the Grand Cherokee was offered as a PHEV for 2022. Since then, both have registered impressive sales, with the Wrangler 4xe taking the crown as America’s best-selling PHEV for 2022. How will the electrification of Jeep affect its off-roading credibility? 

Here’s how it’s working in the real world. 

The Jeep Magneto concept

At its 57th Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah this March, the brand showed off its newest batch of concepts intended to inspire Jeep owners to enhance and accessorize, and to entice non-Jeep owners to dream. (The Easter Jeep Safari is typically a nine-day event with day-long 4×4 trail rides throughout—basically, it’s like summer camp for off-roaders.) One of those was the Magneto 3.0 concept, a fully-electric variant of the popular Wrangler SUV. The Magneto name sounds like a superhero badge, and it’s definitely a way for the automaker to see how far it can go. 

“Magneto has been our test bed and pushed the extremes for 4×4 capability and electrification,” Morrison tells PopSci. “Over these years, we have been learning more and more about how electrification is accepted by our customers. Magneto 3.0 is exponentially better than 1.0; we learned that instant torque is cool with 1.0, then we learned you can modify it with 2.0, adding 40-inch tires and Dana 60 axles. This year, we took it up to 900 hp with Magneto 3.0, and it’s an absolute beast off road.” 

The automaker says the third time’s the charm with this version, as it expands upon the improbable combination of a six-speed manual transmission with a battery-electric powertrain. I got behind the wheel of Magneto 2.0 in Moab last year with Morrison in the passenger seat, and was impressed by the concept’s rock crawling ability; it held up to the capability everyone expects of a Jeep. 

The sounds of (off-roading) silence

Driving a Magneto and a 4xe, what I noticed most of all was the quiet. In the Magneto, of course, the vehicle is nearly silent, but it’s just a concept at this point and not available to the masses. Details on the upcoming Jeep Recon EV are slim so far, and we’ll be waiting to see what features and range it will include.

Unlike an all-electric Jeep, the Wrangler 4xe or Grand Cherokee 4xe are available now. The vehicles default to the hybrid system, and operating it in E-Save mode on the asphalt conserves the electric capacity for the trails. In the Wrangler 4xe or Grand Cherokee 4xe (those two models boast 21 all-electric miles for the Wrangler 4xe and 26 all-electric miles in the Grand Cherokee), drivers can run nearly the entire Rubicon Trail in California if they want to. 

Off-roading competitor and owner of Barlow Adventures in Arizona, Nena Barlow, has led Jeep tours at the Easter Jeep Safari and tested all three versions of the Magneto on the trails. She’s also a six-time Rebelle Rally competitor, and won the last two years in a Wrangler 4xe. Barlow also cited silence as a key benefit to driving an electrified off-roader, not just for the reduction in noise pollution but for the driving advantages, being more in tune with her vehicle. 

“The power with electric motors is just amazing in terms of the torque, the control, and the quiet,” says Barlow. “Even in the 4xe, being able to run obstacles in electric mode has spoiled me. I kind of get irritated by engine noise now; I want to hear what my tires are doing.”

When tackling challenging terrain, it’s a huge advantage to be able to hear your tires. Drivers can hear if they’re slipping off a rock and evaluate how well the rubber is connecting to the road. There’s a crunching sound on loose terrain, and a different noise when you’re at that threshold of losing adhesion, Barlow says. 

Morrison’s daily driver is a 4xe, and he says the wildlife near his home pay him no mind. “You’re just driving around and suddenly you’re face to face with a deer,” he says. “It’s fun to go off road and connect with nature.” 

Does an electrified Jeep provide enough power?

Some have asked Barlow why she would choose the Wrangler 4xe and not the beastly 6.4-liter V8-carrying Wrangler Rubicon 392 for the Rebelle Rally. The 4xe has the same amount of torque (470 pound-feet) but less horsepower (270 hp versus 470 hp) than the 392, but the 4xe gets twice the range out of one tank of gas. 

Those worried about scraping up the battery pack needn’t fret, because the bellies are well protected. In fact, Barlow has been renting out Wrangler 4xe models to tourists for the past couple of years, and she says if renters can’t find a weak spot, no one can. 

What you’ll notice while off-roading in an electrified Jeep is the pure power to take on big hills with no hesitation. In electric mode, the vehicle pushes forward smoothly and without lag, holding on an ascent without much effort. The bigger challenge may be the charging infrastructure, which Jeep is addressing with solar-powered charging stations at its Badge of Honor trailheads.

“I believe the 4xe is the future,” Barlow says. “It has all the power and great range, and that’s the way we need to be going.” 

Correction on April 25, 2023: This article has been updated to clarify Jeep’s plans for all-electric vehicles, including the Recon EV and Wagoneer EV.

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Boasting 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque, the new Kia EV6 GT is thrilling. Press your finger on the GT button on the steering wheel and, like electrified magic, the crossover seems to catapult into hyperspace. The company boldly proclaims that the EV6 GT can go toe to toe with the Ferrari Roma or the Lamborghini Huracán Evo Spyder RWD, accelerating from 0-60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds. Take a moment and let that comparison sink in.

In fact, this vehicle was recently recognized with the 2023 World Performance Car title at this year’s World Car Awards. After having the EV6 GT in my possession for a test drive, I can report that it has certainly earned its accolades. 

Planning to build a crossover with supercar-like chops is no accident or stroke of luck—this is how Kia’s EV strategy has developed behind the scenes. 

Planning for a winner

Stunners like the EV6 GT have been on the books for years now, a glimmer in Kia’s eye long before it was a reality. 

The EV-dedicated chassis on which the EV6 was engineered was announced back in 2017, which means the design was in the works well before that. The Korean company’s long-term strategy is paying off: Late last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that Kia achieved the largest reduction in CO₂ emissions in the U.S. market for its 2016 to 2021 vehicles. After the Biden Administration’s newest edict to drastically reduce emissions from vehicles was revealed last week, Kia and its parent company Hyundai Motor Group appear to be way ahead of the curve.

Twenty-five years ago, Kia was better known for making inexpensive cars that were more like uninteresting appliances than the attractive vehicles earning accolades now. Its rise to popularity is no accident, as the company has steadily poured money into research and development in its domestic market in Korea, which spills over into the rest of the world. For example, Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Hyundai MOBIS (Hyundai’s global parts company) are banding together to invest $18 billion into EVs. The goal: to catapult Hyundai Motor Group into the global top three global automakers by 2030 with a planned total lineup of 31 EV models. 

Every year, the EPA issues a trend report on the industry’s fuel economy and emissions, and in its most recent report it called out Kia’s performance as exceptional. The automaker recognized that its fuel economy and emissions had been improving year over year, but it wasn’t anticipating doing as well as it did in the report.

“To be frank, it was a little bit of a surprise,” says Steve Kosowski, the company’s manager of long-range strategy and planning. “We knew we were doing well, but seeing it in the EPA report was a nice pat on the back for the company.”

At the intersection of EV product and portfolio planning, regulatory compliance, and charging infrastructure, Kosowski has a job that involves peering ten years into Kia’s future. Soothsayers like Kosowski tackle the tricky prospect of figuring out where the company should spend its time and money, straddling the line between practical planning (production vehicles) and wishful thinking (concept cars and futuristic prognostication). 

With future-predicting analysts like Kosowski on board, the automaker doesn’t have just an inkling about which cars are going to be a success; they have enough data to support their predictions. 

None of this means that Kia is happy to sit back and bask in its achievements. At its 2023 CEO Investor Day on April 5, 2022, Kia ramped up its electrification target even more, announcing it was aiming for 1.6 million EV sales by 2030.

Getting (way) beyond boring crossovers

Any and all success the company is seeing now is due to its meticulous planning and analysis at a micro and macro level, and the product planners read the tea leaves to see what trends are unfurling. Generally, Kosowski says, product planners start at a high level, looking at industry volumes and analyzing trends to get a forecast that is as targeted as possible.

“The first big step is to understand the regulatory requirements,” Kosowski says. “That gives you a really good calculus on how many EVs you need to sell, how many trucks you can sell, and so on. I like to look at it like a wheel: you have the consumer research spoke, the supplier spoke, the dealer spoke, and you start to get a flavor for what people like and want and what they’re willing to pay for.”

Kia seems to be cranking out hit after hit, riding on the wave of success from its Telluride SUV, which also raked in awards across the industry for its affordable, well-designed package. With SUVs taking the lion’s share of attention in the market—two in three Kia vehicles sold in 2022 were SUVs, and the company’s SUV lineup continues to expand with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options—the company is well positioned for the EV surge.

“Electrified utility was an important signal 10 years ago,” Kosowski says. “Buyers love the torque and efficiency, and they feel like they’re part of the solution [to the challenges of climate change].”

On top of that, Kia and Hyundai vehicles on the global EV platform are capable of charging up in less than 20 minutes. That’s faster than many EVs on the market and goes a long way toward adoption. Soon, Kia’s three-row EV9 SUV will become available, opening up competition in the highly desirable family segment. 

Now, if Kosowski and his prognosticating colleagues can map out a way to shore up the infrastructure so that range isn’t a concern, the EV future will roll out as smoothly as Kia hopes it will. 

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In August of last year, Toyota announced an additional investment of $2.5 billion in its new battery plant in Liberty, North Carolina. That’s on top of the $1.29 billion the company started with in November of 2021 when the new facility was established. And it’s well before the first battery is made on site, with production scheduled for 2025. It’s Toyota’s first-ever battery plant in North America and will qualify the brand’s vehicles for the $7,500 federal rebate for EVs.

Toyota isn’t waiting on its US battery timeline before pushing its newest plug-in hybrid to the market: the 2023 Prius Prime. Now sporting a larger 13.6 kilowatt-hour battery and a giant boost in all-electric range over the previous generation, the 2023 Prius Prime is the best version the brand has ever launched. And, in our opinion, the best in the Prius lineup.

Here’s what we know about Toyota’s newest plug-in hybrid.

Launched in 1997, the original Prius was touted as the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle. Over the last two decades or so, the Prius’ status has held steady, attracting celebrity fans and making a name for itself as a pioneer. Toyota has taken its learnings from the Prius and created a whole family of hybrid vehicles, boasting fuel efficiency while allaying range anxiety for those who want electrification but don’t wish to go all electric.

The Prius Prime, which was introduced in 2012, is the plug-in version of the popular hybrid. The Prime offers a key advantage over the typical Prius: it offers all-electric driving. For 2023, the Prius Prime SE now comes with up to 44 miles of all-electric range, a whopping 75 percent more than the 2022 offers. The XSE and XSE Premium models are boosted to up to 39 miles, as they are a bit heavier than the SE version.

The 44-mile number is notable because it exceeds the average number of miles Americans commute every day. According to research from AAA, people in the US drove about 33 miles per day in 2021, but the US Department of Transportation says that number was closer to 37 per day as of May of 2022 as the pandemic effect started to abate.

[Related: Hyundai’s new Ioniq 6 is a long-range EV with Art Deco vibes]

Toyota says it takes about 11 hours to recharge the Prius Prime with a household 120-volt outlet. Practically, you could plug in your car and a coffee maker at the same time. For faster charging, it takes four hours using a 240-volt outlet or home charger. And, of course, once the all-electric range runs out, the hybrid kicks in and you’ll enjoy fuel efficiency of about 52 miles per gallon in the SE trim or 48 mpg in the XSE and XSE Premium versions. 

The automaker launched its reborn 2023 Prius hybrid at the end of 2022. It has significantly more power – Toyota increased the horsepower by 60 percent, from 121 to 194, and the Prius is showing off its improvements in a sleek new body. As a follow up, the Prius Prime takes that a step further. Using the same 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine as the regular Prius, the Prime squeezes out 220 horsepower. 

Aside from the power surge, why would anyone choose the Prius Prime over a regular Prius? By the numbers,  the latter offers more overall range (644 miles versus 600 miles) and a lower price tag (the Prius is $28,545 versus the Prius Prime at $33,445). Plus,  the Prime is available only with front-wheel drive while the Prius is offered with electric all-wheel drive. Aside from that 44-mile all-electric range, the Prime’s advantage comes down to speed. 

With an all-electric battery pack pushing the Prius Prime, the car can zoom from zero to 60 miles per hour in a swift 6.6 seconds. For reference, that’s 0.4 seconds faster than a Prius and only slightly slower than Toyota’s GR86 sports car. Consider that the manufacturer’s RAV4 Prime, which has a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds, is second only to the Supra sports car in Toyota’s lineup. That may explain why dealerships have a hard time keeping RAV4 Prime models on the lot, and the same is likely to be true for the Prius Prime. 

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The sleek new all-electric Ioniq 6 looks very different from the original Ioniq EV. It doesn’t even look like the Ioniq 5, for that matter. It’s based on Hyundai’s Prophecy concept, which was unveiled in 2020. But the Ioniq 6 is measurably more aerodynamic than that concept or the Ioniq 5, with design inspiration from the fantastical, Art Deco 1930s-era Stout Scarab.

Looks are only sheet-metal deep, however, and the technological underpinnings are what makes Hyundai’s newest EV so interesting. The inner workings of the Ioniq 6 include an updated battery module with improved cooling functions and so-called “hairpin wiring” that packs more energy into a smaller space.

Here’s how all those things work together to create more range and power for this EV.

Aerodynamics and “Pop-Tart” battery cells

When Hyundai launched the Ioniq 5 nearly two years ago, it was a big improvement over the original Ioniq EV from 2016, which topped out at 100 miles per hour and offered only 124 miles of range. The Ioniq 6 has taken things up another notch, maxing out at an impressive 361 miles of range with the rear-wheel-drive Long Range version of the EV. That’s 58 miles better than the best of the Ioniq 5 options and nearly triple the range of the original.

How did Hyundai make that kind of progress over a quick couple of years? One key factor is the aerodynamic improvements, on display with a swoopy ducktail in the back, active air flaps, and a low-to-the-ground nose. The coefficient of drag, which quantifies the aerodynamics, is 0.21 for the Ioniq 6, compared with 0.29 for the boxier Ioniq 5. (For efficiency, you want that number to be as low as possible.) At its starting price of $42,715, the Ioniq 6 has no business showing off a drag coefficient that is better than cars that cost three times as much, but it does.

Another important element is the battery design, which in the case of the Ioniq 6 is built into Hyundai’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). Also used as the underpinning platform for the Ioniq 5, this versatile platform acts as the ground floor for a row of battery modules.

“Each battery module is made up of individual cells that are stacked neatly, like a stack of Pop-Tarts,” Dean Schlingmann, Hyundai manager of electrified management systems explains. “We can vary the number of modules and configurations depending on the segment and what the goals are for that vehicle.”

With the packaging improvements Hyundai has made to the battery module, the automaker has been able to reduce the part count significantly, which lightens the vehicle overall. Energy density increased by 7 percent. 

“We can cram more electrons in [the battery], which means more EV range or [heating and air conditioning] usage, wherever you want to use it,” Schlingmann says. 

Amping up the density with flat wires

For all intents and purposes, Schlingmann says, the Ioniq 6 motor is identical to the Ioniq 5’s, but with improvements to the motor winding design. Hyundai uses hairpin winding technology, named for the metal pins used in a salon for elaborate hairstyles, and this technology is widely known to be more efficient, with a higher power density and performance under a variety of hot and cold settings.

“Instead of using a perfectly round wire that goes through some of the winding gaps in the motor housing, we have more of a flat, rectangular wire. The [hairpin wiring] fills the gaps in the spaces around the motor itself more efficiently,” Schlingmann explains. “The more dense you can get the wire (or the more fill you can achieve in those gaps) the more power or performance—or whatever characteristic you’re looking to push with the motor—you can do so more effectively.”

The effectiveness lends itself to other applications, as well. Schlingmann helped develop the vehicle-to-load (V-to-L) capability for the Ioniq 6. This function takes advantage of Hyundai’s bidirectional power capability and allows access for customers to 110-volt power. There is an interior outlet available in Limited trim, and users can also export power with a V-to-L connector accessory. 

Schlingmann personally tested several plug-in devices with the Ioniq 6: air compressors and even a welder, which like an air compressor is not recommended but shows that pickup trucks aren’t the only electric vehicles that can power up a house. If you want to plug in a blender and whip up a smoothie on the road, you can do that. It might not be the ideal camping vehicle because of its ground clearance, but it could be useful for camping at less-remote sites. 

Range is the magic word

At $42,715, Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 is priced to compete with the Tesla Model 3, which starts at $44,380. The EPA says the Model 3 will get 272 miles of EPA-estimated driving range with the base rear-wheel-drive model, and up to 358 miles with the Long Range model (compared to the Ioniq 6’s max range at 361 miles). 

Both of these EVs can charge up quickly. In 15 minutes, Tesla’s SuperCharger network can pump 200 miles of range back into a Model 3. The Ioniq 6 can go from 10 percent to 80 percent charged in 18 minutes. Automakers are eager to kick the ball down the road and get customers to start buying EVs, and that charge-up time makes a difference.

Most trims of the new Ioniq 6 are on sale now at dealerships.

Read our full review, here.

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The Dodge brand leans heavily into performance, with commercials talking about “the brotherhood of muscle” and cars with names like “Demon” and “Hellcat.” So it’s no surprise that when releasing its first electrified vehicle, Dodge came up with a crossover to meet the market demand for family-friendly vehicles that includes a concession to in-your-face swagger. The new vehicle is called the Hornet, and it’s available in both a gas-only (GT) and a plug-in hybrid version (R/T).

Chris Piscitelli, one of the designers of the all-new Hornet, says the vehicle’s stinging-insect namesake is “a nasty little thing.” He says that with a mischievous grin, clearly happy with the association; the five-seater exudes intentional personality. In both drive and looks, the Hornet exhibits the Dodge legacy in the form of a small SUV that feels more like a hot hatch than a family car. 

The Hornet R/T (that stands for road/track) offers a unique feature called PowerShot. When the driver chooses Sport mode and pulls both paddle shifters (for changing gears in manual mode) simultaneously, the system tacks on a bonus 30 horsepower. Then, stepping on the accelerator and mashing it down through a palpable click triggers a mechanism called a detent that tells the car to get moving. Pronto.

Dodge’s first electrified vehicle

This is Dodge’s first foray into electrification, and the brand is not taking any chances with its reputation. In its base iteration, the Hornet G/T is propelled by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine that Dodge labeled the Hurricane4. As a plug-in hybrid, the Hornet R/T combines a turbo four-cylinder 1.3-liter engine and a single electric motor mounted to the rear axle, and together it’s good for 288 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. During the presentation, Dodge representatives said the Hornet’s closest competitor is the Mazda CX-5, which gets 256 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque.

Dodge vehicle synthesis senior manager Brian Del Pup has worked with the automotive companies under the Stellantis umbrella (including Dodge and Chrysler) for the last two decades or so. He says the team pushed the Hornet to be as true to the brand as possible, stretching the limits of what a typical crossover—like a Subaru Outback or a Honda HR-V—might be.

“A lot of [crossovers] are appliances, and people buy them to get from point A to point B and that’s it,” Del Pup tells PopSci. “There’s a lot of things that we did with this vehicle to make it fun and make it stick out. It’s a plug-in hybrid, but that wasn’t the focus. The focus was, ‘Hey, how much performance can we get out of this architecture?’ And ‘How can we make it perform like a sports car?’ It had to feel and drive like a Dodge.”

Part of that vision included the PowerShot for the Hornet PHEV, complete with the detent that requires mashing the pedal to the floor. Other vehicles use that type of tactile click to indicate the pedal is near the end of travel, and it announces the initiation of a more aggressive maneuver. 

During testing, Del Pup was sitting in the passenger seat and encouraged me to press the accelerator more firmly until I could feel it; soon we were traveling at a much higher rate of speed as though we were experiencing a tiny wrinkle in time. 

Boosting the power, 15 seconds at a time

In the Hornet R/T, a PowerShot activation shaves 1.5 seconds from the 0-to-60 time for a total of 5.6 seconds from a dead stop. That said, the feature doesn’t offer a never-ending buffet of power boosts. Depending on the battery health and state of charge, the actual boost will vary, and it lasts for about 15 seconds. 

“[PowerShot works best] at a higher state of charge and when the battery is at temperatures that high-voltage batteries like, which is around 72 degrees,” Del Pup explains. “When you deviate from that, it will still allow a PowerShot, but it may take some away based on where the system is.”

It also requires a 15-second cooldown period between activations. Unlike a video game, however, it doesn’t limit the total number of PowerShots per drive. 

Plugging the Hornet R/T into a Level 2 charger fills up the battery in about 2.5 hours, Dodge says. The 15.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack is capable of 30 miles of all-electric driving under ideal conditions, which is about three miles short of the average American commute (according to AAA). The EPA hasn’t released fuel economy numbers for the R/T, but we expect those to beat the 21 miles per gallon city/29 miles per gallon highway numbers from the Hornet GT. 

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Nestled in the heart of California’s high-tech Silicon Valley is the Alliance Innovation Lab, where Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi work in partnership. The center is a cradle-to-concept lab for projects related to energy, materials, and smart technologies in cities, all with an eye toward automotive autonomy.

Maarten Sierhuis, the global director of the laboratory, is both exuberant and realistic about what Nissan has to offer as electric and software-driven vehicles go mainstream. And it’s not the apocalyptic robot-centric future portrayed by Hollywood in movies like Minority Report.

“Show me an autonomous system without a human in the loop, and I’ll show you a useless system,” Sierhuis quips to PopSci. “Autonomy is built by and for humans. Thinking that you would have an autonomous car driving around that never has to interact with any person, it’s kind of a silly idea.”

Lessons from space

Educated at The Hague and the University of Amsterdam, Sierhuis is a specialist in artificial intelligence and cognitive science. For more than a dozen years, he was a senior research scientist for intelligent systems at NASA. There, he collaborated on the invention of a Java-based programming language and human behavior simulation environment used at NASA’s Mission Control for the International Space Station.

Based on his experience, Sierhuis says expecting certain systems to fail is wise. “We need to figure there is going to be failure, so we need to design for failure,” he says. “Now, one way to do that—and the automotive industry has been doing this for a long time—is to build redundant systems. If one fails, we have another one that takes over.”

[Related: How Tesla is using a supercomputer to train its self-driving tech]

One vein of research has Nissan partnering with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to develop an uncrewed rover prototype for NASA. Based on Nissan’s EV all-wheel drive control technology (dubbed e-4ORCE) used on the brand’s newest EV, Ariya, the rover features front and rear electric motors to navigate challenging terrain. 

Sierhuis calls the Ariya Nissan’s most advanced vehicle to date. It is a stepping stone toward combining all the technology the lab is working on in one actual product. He and the team have switched from using a Leaf to an Ariya for its hands-on research, even simulating lunar dust to test the system’s capabilities in space.

‘There is no autonomy without a human in the loop’

There is an air of distrust of autonomous technology from some car buyers, amplified by some high-profile crashes involving Tesla’s so-called “Full Self-Driving” vehicles.

“It’s hard for OEMs to decide where and how to bring this technology to market,” Sierhuis says. “I think this is part of the reason why it’s not there yet, because is it responsible to go from step zero or step one to fully autonomous driving in one big step? Maybe that’s not the right way to teach people how to interact with autonomous systems.”

From the lab team’s perspective, society is experiencing a learning curve and so the team is ensuring that technology is rolled out gradually and responsibly. Nissan’s approach is to carefully calibrate its systems so the car doesn’t take over. Computing is developed for people, and the people are at the center of it, Sierhuis says, and it should always be about that. That’s not just about the system itself; driving should still be fun.

“There is no autonomy without a human in the loop,” he says. “You should have the ability to be the driver yourself and maybe have the autonomous system be your co-driver, making you a better driver, and then use autonomy when you want it and use the fun of driving when you want it. There shouldn’t be an either-or.”

[Related: Why an old-school auto tech organization is embracing electrification]

The Ariya is equipped with Nissan’s latest driver-assist suite, enhanced by seven cameras, five millimeter-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic sonar sensors for accuracy. A high-definition 3D map predicts the road surface, and on certain roads, Nissan says the driver can take their hands off the wheel. That doesn’t mean a nap is in order, though; a driver-attention monitor ensures the driver is still engaged.

New driver assistance technologies raise questions about the relationship between technology and drivers-to-be: What if someone learns how to drive with a full suite of autonomous features and then tries to operate a car that doesn’t have the technology; are they going to be flummoxed? Ultimately, he says, this is a topic the industry hasn’t fully worked through yet.

Making cities smarter

The Alliance Innovation Lab is also studying the roads and cities where EVs operate. So-called “smart cities” integrate intelligence not just into the cars but into the infrastructure, enabling the future envisioned by EV proponents. Adding intelligence to the environment means, for example, that an intersection can be programmed to interface with a software-enabled vehicle making a right-hand turn toward a crosswalk where pedestrians are present. The autonomous system can alert the driver to a potentially dangerous situation and protect both the driver and those in the vicinity from tragedy.  

Another way to make cities smarter is by improving the efficiency of power across the board. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average home consumes about 20 kilowatt-hours per day. Nissan’s new Ariya is powered by an 87-kilowatt battery, which is enough to power a home for four days. Currently, Sierhuis says, we have a constraint optimization problem: car batteries can store a fantastic amount of power that can be shared with the grid in a bi-directional way, but we haven’t figured out how to do that effectively.  

On top of that, car batteries use power in larger bursts than inside homes, and the batteries have limited use before they must be retired. However, that doesn’t mean the batteries are trash at that point; on the contrary, they have quite a bit of energy potential in their second life. Nissan has been harnessing both new and used Leaf batteries to work in tandem with a robust solar array to power a giant soccer stadium (Johan Cruijff Arena) in Amsterdam since 2018. In the same year, Nissan kicked off a project with the British government to install 1,000 vehicle-to-grid charging points across the United Kingdom. It’s just a taste of what the brand and its lab see as a way to overcome infrastructure issues erupting around the world as EVs gain traction.

Combining EV batteries and smart technology, Nissan envisions a way for vehicles to communicate with humans and the grid to manage the system together, in space and here on Earth.

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Lexus, Toyota’s luxury arm, just started delivering its first all-electric vehicle to dealerships in the US. Starting at $59,650, the RZ 450e is offered in two flavors—Premium and Luxury—and it will play a starring role in the Lexus lineup as the brand works toward an all-electric product offering by 2035. Highlights for this new car include a steer-by-wire system with a controller that looks like it belongs in a commercial jet; radiant heaters to warm your feet and legs where a glovebox usually sits; and silky-smooth acceleration that distinguishes the RZ from its competitors.  

Here’s what sets it apart and what it’s like behind the yoke—more on that detail in a bit.

Two motors

The public got its first glimpse of the RZ 450e when it was unveiled last spring. The RZ was built with some familiar parts and design elements borrowed from Toyota’s bZ4X, including the “skateboard” platform the Subaru Solterra also uses. Automakers build EVs on these flat surfaces as a painter uses a blank canvas, creating unique structures unencumbered by engine and transmission placement. The lithium-ion battery is distributed under the subfloor of the vehicle, establishing an even weight balance and sports car feel when cornering.  

Effectively, that’s where the resemblance ends. The RZ employs two motors instead of one (as in the bZ4X or Solterra), and combined, the dual-motor setup delivers a total of 308 horsepower. Even more importantly, the RZ is tuned for luxury customers with incredibly smooth acceleration and a quiet cabin enhanced by active sound control, which balances unwanted cabin noise with directed sound frequencies. When testing it recently in Provence, France, my driving partner and I found we could carry on a conversation in normal voices with no problem, even on somewhat bumpy rural roads.

Inside the cabin, Lexus is now using more bio-based sustainable materials like plant-based “polyester,” or simulated suede (Lexus calls it Ultrasuede) replacing the yards of leather from previous model years. The RZ’s 14-inch touchscreen was first seen in the Lexus NX when the brand finally replaced the often-criticized touchpad that held court in the console of many Lexus vehicles. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and Wi-Fi connectivity is available for up to five devices. 

A panoramic moonroof is also standard in both trims of the RZ. At the base Premium level, the roof has a special coating called low-e, or low emissivity, to keep the interior cool by blocking some wavelengths of light. Or, you could jump up to the Luxury variant for upgraded dimmable glass that Lexus calls Dynamic Sky. In either case, Lexus opted to remove the motor-driven automatic shade present in many cars with a glass roof. By doing so, the RZ affords more head room and more importantly, it shed 12.8 pounds from the total vehicle weight. 

Steer-by-wire

Also unique to the RZ is an optional steer-by-wire system that Lexus is calling a “game changer.” It’s not the first car to include a U-shaped steering control, typically called a yoke in the aircraft world. A couple of years ago, Tesla dabbled with yoke steering and then offered a retrofit traditional steering wheel for those who didn’t like it. Lexus is not going down that road for good reason: the steering systems are completely different. 

The RZ’s steer-by-wire option is not just a reshaped wheel in the way Tesla attempted. There is no mechanical link between the steering wheel and steering rack with a steer-by-wire setup, as it would be in a car with a traditional steering system. Instead, information is relayed electronically (“by wire”). While a traditional steering wheel can be turned all the way around for a total of about 720 degrees, the steer-by-wire controller tips only 150 degrees in either direction.

“Up until now, there have been other [steer-by-wire systems] but this actually extends the capability by far,” Lexus assistant chief engineer Yushi Higashiyama told PopSci. “Of course, there will be customers who prefer the traditional steering system. The reason why the RZ team took on the challenge of implementing the steer-by-wire system is because that’s also taking on the challenge of the future of electrification and what’s coming next.”

Lexus representatives advised us to take it slow the first time out to get used to the difference in motion, but we found it to be very intuitive and easy to adjust to. Making a 90-degree turn required a gentle twist instead of a hand-over-hand turn, and I thought the steering felt more like a direct connection from my arm motion to the car itself. The RZ is engineered such that the steering ratio adjusts depending on how fast you’re driving, which is intended to feel agile at low speeds and stable at higher speeds.

Before you get too excited about it, know that the steer-by-wire option won’t be available at launch. Lexus has not revealed when it will offer the alternative steering choice; all that the representatives will reveal right now is “not yet.” Incidentally, this feature is called One Motion Grip—OMG, for short—in Europe, and Lexus decided that abbreviation would not play as well in the US market.

Does the RZ offer enough range? 

Because it’s an EV, range anxiety is still a concern for buyers in the US. The Biden administration’s new rollout of standards for EV charging stations, powered by $7.5 billion in federal funding, is aimed at standardizing charging stations across the country. That should help alleviate apprehension, but the market has plenty of room to grow. Still, it may be a surprise to some that the RZ was launched with a range of 220 miles with the standard 18-inch wheels, or 196 miles with the upgraded 20-inch wheels. Bigger wheels mean less rolling resistance and decreased range. 

With a DC fast charger, the RZ’s battery can top up from zero to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. At home with a Level 2 charger, expect it to recharge from zero to 100 percent in roughly 9.5 hours. 

Lexus knows that the RZ’s range is lower than some of its competitors, but Aono says that most RZ buyers will opt for home charging, and that the range is still far above what they need on a daily basis. To entice potential customers who might be skittish about buying an EV, the brand is offering a new benefit called Lexus Reserve. This dealer-led program allows RZ owners to borrow any other available Lexus car from the dealership for free for a total of 30 days over the first three years. That way, if an RZ owner wants to take an extended road trip that exceeds the range, they can borrow a gas-powered GX SUV, for example, to bring the family.

“Americans’ daily average is 40 miles,” Aono says. (According to research from AAA, that number was about 33 in 2021.) “Are you going to be driving 200 miles [in a day]? Probably not. Instead of worrying about that, you can swap your vehicle. We want to make sure our customers are comfortable.”

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Concept cars are designed to be flights of fancy—showpieces that give automakers the chance to put their creativity on display. Quite often, a concept car represents just a blip on a timeline and a blast of buzzy excitement, later shelved in a museum for all of us to marvel at a company’s foresight or folly. 

A concept, by definition, is an idea; in this case, a concept car is an idea that takes the temperature of the public to see how buyers might react to a set of features and designs. Automakers don’t necessarily release a concept every year, and they have to balance the cost of building a vehicle that may or may not ever see the light of the production line. While it’s true that some concepts fade into oblivion, others become successful models that carry many of the same characteristics as the concept. Even those that are wildly futuristic and wacky lay the groundwork for innovations to come. 

Most recently, truck maker Ram announced the 1500 Rev, the production version of its Revolution EV concept. The Revolution (not the Rev) was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, with some exciting features, like coach doors (which open at the center like French doors in a home), and a glass roof that adjusts its tint electronically. But when the production version launched at the Chicago Auto Show in February, some expressed disappointment in how much it looked like its gas-powered sibling. Where were the cool removable third-row seats from the concept? Where was the storage tunnel to hold long objects?

To be fair, automakers—especially when they’re large, public companies—are beholden to not just manufacturing and safety regulations but their shareholders. In the case of the Ram 1500 Rev, the company will build the production vehicle on the new all-electric architecture from its parent company Stellantis instead of the one used by the gas version of the 1500 truck.

Otherworldly concepts

There’s a long history of wild concept cars, many of which never became actual production models.

Consider the otherworldly Berlinetta Aerodynamica Tecnica series commissioned by luxury automaker Alfa Romeo in the mid-1950s. These three cars featured unusual, gorgeous bodies that evoke sea creatures in motion. And somehow, all of them survived in remarkable shape and sold as a set for more than $14 million at auction in 2020. These concepts, which never became production vehicles, were more art than realism, unlike recent modern offerings. 

In 2021, Genesis unveiled its X Concept EV, a sleek coupe with wraparound parallel LED lights defining its curves. Last year, it followed up with the X Concept convertible that peeled back the top and showed off more futuristic details. To our great joy, Automotive News reported that the X Convertible recently got the green light for official production. 

Also under the Hyundai Motor Group, Kia introduced a streamlined concept in 2011 that eventually gave way to the Stinger, which was widely lauded by the industry as a game-changer for the Korean manufacturer. Engineered by a former BMW vice president of engineering and sketched out by celebrated former Audi designer, the Stinger was finally launched to the world in 2017. It was taller than the concept and included more buttoned-down design features on the outside, but under the hood the performance was impressive, especially the 365-horsepower GT model. A moment of silence for the now-discontinued Stinger, please. Hope springs eternal, as rumors of an all-electric Stinger have been swirling. 

On the gas-powered side, the raw and rowdy Dodge Viper started life as a concept showcased for the first time at the 1989 Detroit auto show. Using an existing truck engine as its base, the concept evolved over three years into the 1992 Viper RT/10 and delighted fast-car enthusiasts for more than two and a half decades until it was discontinued in 2017. 

From Revolution to Rev

In the same automotive manufacturing family as the Viper, the Ram 1500 Rev moved quickly from concept to production. And while the Rev may not be exactly the same as the Revolution, it retains the benefit of sharing some parts with the gas-powered Ram 1500 pickup. That will both speed production and keep the cost on the manageable side. Ford did the same thing for its F-150 Lightning, which is purposely built to feel familiar to F-150 customers to avoid alienating its loyal base. 

The 1500 Rev will not be equipped with the removable jump seats from the concept, which could have turned the Ram pickup into the first third-row truck. Ryan Nagode, Ram/SRT’s chief designer for interiors, was inspired to add the track seating when he noticed parents hauling around stadium seats to make hours of sitting on the bleachers at their kids’ sporting events more comfortable. He wondered if something like that could be incorporated into the truck and successfully integrated the idea into the cabin of the Revolution concept. 

“There have been vehicles in the past with jump seats, and I think there is a lot of reality built into these ideas,” Nagode told PopSci at the Concept Garage of the Chicago Auto Show in February. “Obviously, some of these things take a little pushing and pulling with the engineering team, but I think it’s not far-fetched.” 

Alas, those seats won’t be included in the Rev, but the seeds of creativity could feasibly show up sometime in the future. 

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You may not have heard of the Speciality Equipment Market Association, but SEMA, as it is known, hosts a massive event annually to showcase the hottest parts and technology in the automotive industry. But with cars changing, and new types of vehicles emerging in the space, the 60-year-old organization debuted SEMA Electrified in 2019 to highlight gas-free machines and parts. Since then, the section has grown from a handful of features to 60 exhibits encompassing 21,000 square feet.

That’s a big leap for an organization that was founded by a bunch of performance equipment makers making a living from gas-guzzling hot rods. And yet it makes sense, says SEMA director of vehicle technology Luis Morales. Everything about the EV market is growing, including the aftermarket for spare parts, accessories, and components. It only makes sense to give these cars their share of the automotive spotlight—even if some of the event’s audience may be anti-electric.

“There are going to be diehard gas or diesel fans who may be hesitant to convert, and that’s fine. We love where we came from,” Morales told PopSci. “Then again, we also want to bring in all the new options that are coming out to the market.”

Encouraging electrification in the aftermarket

Long before the Prius and other electrified cars were even a twinkle in Toyota’s eye, SEMA formed as an alliance of manufacturers in 1963. Then, gas-powered vehicles were in full swing while alternative fuels were a far-off futuristic idea. As hybrid and electric technology started to take off, leaders at SEMA started to notice not just new powertrains but innovations like portable battery packs and full conversion kits.

SEMA vice president of marketing RJ de Vera points to California-based EV West as an example of a company seeing incredible success selling electric car parts, conversion kits that turn a gas-powered car into an EV, and charging accessories. Interest in full conversions is growing as parts for older gas-powered cars become scarce; after all, an electric motor is made up of just a few components, while combustion engines can contain hundreds of parts. 

Conversion kits are a hot aftermarket item, de Vera says, some with wait lists that are two or three years long. EVs don’t require an engine, fuel tank, or fuel pumps, for example, and really just one moving part: the motor. 

[Related: Chevy’s first electrified Corvette, the E-Ray, is a heavyweight built to be quick]

“That seems to be more and more of an interest point for a lot of enthusiasts that are doing a restomod,” de Vera says. Restomod is the process of revamping a classic car with more modern technology.  “They might be thinking it’s going to be such a pain to get the original engine or get gaskets or things that are no longer made, especially for quirkier vehicles. An EV conversion becomes a lot more enticing because the powertrain is so simple.”

Discovering enthusiasm within the EV market

As recently as the 2018 SEMA show, EVs were scarce and aftermarket parts even more so. However, slowly, then all at once, interesting new niche companies emerged. For instance, companies like Juice Technology, which was founded less than a decade ago, are now selling portable EV chargers that weigh just a few pounds and are capable of charging even at temperatures as low as -22 degrees F or as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s music to an EV owner’s ears, since temperature fluctuations can affect range and charging in a big way. A portable charger for an EV means that it can be toted around for emergencies like a charging bank for a smartphone; it’s meant to offer a bit of a respite from range anxiety with a quick burst of power to get you to the next charging station. 

“Range anxiety is the reason everybody is focused on getting a car with the most mileage they can get per charge, and that drives up the price of the vehicle, which can make EVs a little bit less attractive to the consumer,” Morales says. Portable chargers could ease that. Plus, it’s kind of an old automotive practice, but just in a slightly newer form. 

“If you look at the overland scene, for example, there are trucks that go camping 30 or 40 miles off road. You’ll notice that they carry their spare fuel, just in case they run low on fuel,” he adds. “[These portable chargers] can get you out of a situation where you need to get to a charging station as opposed to calling a tow truck.”

Whether it’s devices, parts, alternative fuels and powertrains, or new technology, SEMA leadership is striving to embrace it all. Not to mention there’s a lot of room for small startups to think creatively, chip away at current challenges, and grow fast in the space. 

“It’s not just about [internal combustion] vehicles or EV vehicles,” de Vera says. “It’s really about the culture of being a proud vehicle owner and having that passion for automotive culture as well as aftermarket customization and modification. And that’s really our message: to make sure that the love for cars and modifying cars and customizing them stays around for generations.” 

Correction on March 6, 2023: This article has been updated to correctly describe SEMA as the Speciality Equipment Market Association, not the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association.

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Take a closer look at a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, and among other places, you’ll see ridges embedded in the housings of the taillights and headlamps. The shape of these 2- to 3-inch lumps evoke a distant memory of the submarine game piece in a Battleship board game, and might go unnoticed if you’re not looking for them.

But once discovered, you can’t unsee them, and you’ll find yourself hunting for them on everything from the Toyota Tacoma to the brand’s Sienna minivan. Technically, they’re called aero stabilizing fins, or ASFs, but Toyota aerodynamics and ride handling specialists Cory Tafoya and Jesse Rydell say they’re affectionately called fish fins.

Here’s how they work, and why engineers use them on vehicles. 

Small but mighty engineering 

Odds are that you’ve noticed tiny symmetrical dimples all the way around any average golf ball. These depressions have a purpose: Unlike a ping-pong ball, which must travel only short distances, golf balls are designed to soar into the air for hundreds of yards at a time. The dimples reduce air friction, directing disruptive air around the back to reduce drag and create a smoother flight. 

“There’s no question a multi-layer cover and technologically advanced core will help your game,” Jonathan Wall wrote for Golf.com. “But without those dimples on the cover, you’re basically driving a Lamborghini with a Ford Pinto engine.” 

In the automotive world, modern race cars employ a longitudinal “shark fin” along the spine, not for a fierce look but to maintain stability by directing airflow and pressure properly. Off the track, everyday drivers on US highways and city streets don’t need that kind of performance, but they definitely appreciate stable, smooth driving dynamics, and that requires a slightly different tool to direct airflow. These components, also sometimes called vortex generators, do something a bit counterintuitive: by creating air vortices, they help the air hug the sides of the vehicles. 

In general terms, a fish fin, or ASF, causes the flow of air to follow the side surface of the vehicle more closely, affecting the ride in a positive way. With extensive testing in the wind tunnel and on the track, they started to find that even though those fins were very small, they were having a noticeable improvement on ride and handling, Rydell tells PopSci.

“If we can avoid random disruption of airflow, it has an effect on the dynamics of the vehicle,” says Tafoya. “The high-level idea is to control the air in a way that’s consistent every time you drive it, or to try to make it as consistent as possible. And if we can keep that airflow close to the vehicle, we can manage what the driving dynamics feel like.”

‘I drove two and a half hours for this piece of plastic?’

The first time Mike Sweers, the executive chief engineer for the Toyota Tundra, Sequoia, Tacoma, and 4Runner vehicle programs, saw these aero stabilizers, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He had been called to Japan for meetings, and one of his teams invited him to the proving grounds, far from the office. When Sweers arrived, the team presented a new solution that they said could reduce body roll and increase stability of the Tundra as it passed large vehicles, like 18-wheel trucks. 

“’The vehicle becomes much more stable if we put these wings on the vehicle,’ they told me,” Sweers remembers. “And I’m thinking, ‘oh, this sounds great,’ and I’m looking at graphs and data and that, and I’m thinking they’re going to take me out and they’re going to have some big aircraft wing on the side of the truck, right? Then the guy reaches in his pocket [and pulls out an ASF] and says, ‘This is our proposal.’” 

Sweers thought to himself, “I drove two and a half hours for this piece of plastic; are you kidding me?’” But as he placed the fish fins on the truck, tested it on the track, and pulled it off and tested it again, he was convinced. He spent four hours on the track that day, noting the stability while passing or experiencing crosswinds. 

Balancing road noise, drag, and driving dynamics

Tafoya says he sees the influence of the fish fins on straight stability, as they generate disruption in the airflow that creates a tighter stream around the vehicle. It may seem paradoxical that a lump creating disruption in airflow channels can direct the air, but that’s exactly what it does. With that tighter airstream, drivers feel a more precise steering field. 

“Sometimes, people will allude to some vehicles not having a very defined center or feel it’s kind of vague in the steering,” he says. “And [ASFs] actually do help to improve those characteristics too.”

Employing a wind tunnel for testing, Toyota engineers use smoke visualization (smoke trails that demonstrate air flow) to see where the flow is fastest. That helps the engineers decide where to place the fish fins to maximize efficiency. 

And as it turns out, designers and engineers interface fairly often to talk about these small pieces of plastic. There’s a balance to ensure that factors like road noise and the amount of drag on the vehicle are not affected. 

“We have it down to where we know kind of what areas we can apply [ASFs] and avoid disruption to other functions,” Tafoya says. “Surprisingly, for such a small feature it takes a lot of time in negotiation.” 

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Ford’s 2024 Mustang Dark Horse is the automaker’s turn-it-up-to-11 version of its iconic muscle car. With a powerful 5.0-liter engine cranking out 500 horsepower, this iteration of the seventh-generation Mustang is made for speed, and for track enthusiasts.  It’s packed with goodies like an interactive digital interface in the cabin along with special ducts to keep the Brembo performance brakes cool. 

The new Blue Ember metallic paint is available only on the Dark Horse, and the color-shifting blue-to-purple finish evokes a mood ring if your mood is “go fast but be chill about it.” This Mustang features blue-themed Recaro sport seats that sit low inside, and a hollow shift knob crafted from blue lightweight titanium, if you choose the manual transmission option. 

But the showstopper is the set of sleek carbon fiber wheels wrapped in track-ready Pirelli P Zero tires. Here’s what these high-tech wheels are all about.

Light, strong rims equals more speed

The Dark Horse is the first performance variant of the Mustang in more than two decades, and Ford opted to equip it with super-light carbon fiber wheels, which are more often spotted on pricey supercars. Ford says it’s the first time a Mustang has worn carbon fiber wheels other than the Shelby GT350 and GT500 (those ended production in 2020 and 2022, respectively), and they look great on the Dark Horse. 

Ford partnered with an Australian company called Carbon Revolution for the 19-inch wheels; this is the first time the brand is using five-spoke single-piece carbon-fiber rims.. At a shade over 20 pounds each, these carbon fiber wheels are about 37 percent lighter than the standard aluminum wheels available on the Dark Horse. Less overall weight increases speed, so the wheels take the potential speed of the Mustang up a notch. 

Carbon fiber is a polymer, which is a class of materials made of repeating chains of molecules. It’s extremely strong and light, which is why race car builders and supercar companies use it extensively. It’s also expensive, so companies like McLaren invest a fair amount of money to create carbon fiber tubs, which are the frame-like structures on which their cars are made. In fact, the British company spent more than 50 million dollars to build the McLaren Composites Technology Center to create lightweight carbon fiber and composites to save weight and generate more energy-efficient cars. 

Mass production automakers like Ford use carbon fiber sparingly to maintain an attractive price point. You’ll see this material surrounding gear shifters, on dashboards, and in door sills, but using it in greater quantities is reserved for a much smaller number of cars. For instance, the one-off Hellucination was built for Ralph Gilles, the lead designer for Stellantis (the parent company for Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and others), and featured a striking carbon fiber body encasing a supercharged V8. That’s not something you’ll see too often on the street. 

A plasma arc spray 

Carbon Revolution used a plasma arc spray process on the inside of the front wheels to protect them from brake heat. Inspired by aerospace technology, where it’s often used on turbine engine blades, the plasma arc spray process is also used on open-wheel race cars for durability.

“The process of plasma spraying is when powdered material like metals and ceramics are fed into a plasma flame spraying machine,” explains Carbon Revolution founder and chief technology officer Ashley Denmead. “The process melts the powder with very high temperatures and sprays it at the target part to be coated. The molten powder particles then solidify again when they hit the target and cool down on impact. The coating created for the wheels is multiple layers of different materials. The resultant coating reflects the brake heat away and also prevents conduction of it into the wheel while minimizing the weight penalty.”

This process results in wheels made for driving fast and braking hard, and Ford’s Dark Horse wheels were subject to a slew of testing. Carbon Revolution says it adheres strictly to Ford’s stringent wheel testing criteria, which uses more than 200 tests for structural and environmental validation.

Interestingly, only the front wheels are treated, and Denmead explains to PopSci that it’s not that they forgot about the back wheels. The front brakes generate much more heat, and in the process of testing the team determined with Ford that only the front wheels needed this thermal management.

“During repeated hard driving on track, with a lot of heavy braking it is possible that the brakes would get so hot (up to 1800°F) that they could damage the resin in the wheels,” Denmead says. “This sort of driving would likely far exceed what most people would do even on a track day, but it is important for us and our customers that our high-performance wheels can perform all day long on the track and the road.”

The Dark Horse will be available this summer. Count us in to put it to the test. 

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You can barely throw a rock in America without hitting a Honda Accord. More than 12.5 million Accords have been sold in North America since 1982, and Honda says 98 percent of those were built in the USA. The latest iteration of Honda’s Accord is now available, and it packs in some new tech upgrades along with improvements to the hybrid powertrain.

Here’s what’s new under the hood, and what it’s like to drive it.

Solid lines, subtle updates

There have been ten previous generations of Accords, and this model kicks off its eleventh. The 2023 Accord is a product of Honda’s intention to amp up its hybrid sales. Honda is actively chasing a 50 percent sales target for the hybrid versions of the Accord, and of its six trims, only the two lowest of the bunch are offered with a gas-only, no-electric-motor option. It’s clear that Honda is checking a box for gas-only fans as a transition, while gently steering its customers away from the lesser trim levels.

And for good reason: While it looks and feels very familiar, the newest Accord hybrid has been to the gym. It’s pumped up with a strengthened core and tweaked powertrain that’s more efficient.

The freshest Accord in the stable is longer and broader than the previous generation, giving Honda’s cash-cow sedan a sleeker profile and a livelier front end that one might attribute to a sportier vehicle. That’s due, in part, to structural updates to the chassis with new brace bars that increase the rigidity of the ride; the result is a smoother ride that absorbs mild bumps in the road like a member of a top-tier college marching band glides across the football field at halftime.  

The lineup starts at $28,390 for the gas-only Accord LX model. Then, the first hybrid skips over the EX (also a gas-only model) up to the Sport for $32,990. At the top of the lineup, the Touring trim is decked out with all the goodies, along with the hybrid powertrain, for $38,985 and up.

Engineered with electrification in mind

Behind the wheel, I expected a pleasant ride, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Accord hasn’t lasted for 11 generations for nothing, after all. It’s an all-around favorite, with solid fuel economy figures (44-48 mpg combined for the hybrid and 32 mpg combined for the gas-only trims) and plenty of value packed in for the price.

Testing out the new Accord Touring in each of its three main drive modes (Normal, Eco, and Sport), I found that Normal makes the most sense for the majority of the time. Reserve the Eco mode only for long highway drives when you’re already moving at a good clip, because the stunted acceleration is a bummer otherwise. Sport mode was the most exciting, with a zip that made it easy to pass and merge from highway ramps onto the freeway. It also adds a weightier feel to the steering, which firms up the driving experience.

[Related: Pete Buttigieg on how to improve the deadly track record of US drivers]

Honda opted to equip the hybrid models (Sport, EX-L, Sport-L, and Touring) with an all-new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with the same two-motor hybrid-electric system that debuted in the 2023 Honda CR-V. Together, the Accord hybrid is good for 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. Gas-only models may be cheaper, but they sacrifice horsepower, torque, and fuel efficiency in the exchange.

The two-motor hybrid system includes an electric generator motor, which supplies power to the battery; an electric propulsion motor to drive the front wheels; an Atkinson-cycle gas engine that feeds power to the battery and propulsion motor; a new, smaller intelligent power unit that protects and controls the battery; and a power control unit that acts as the brains of the hybrid system. 

There’s a prominent button on the console with an “e” printed on it in stylized script, and pushing it notifies the Accord to maximize your electric drive mode as much as possible, defaulting to electric over gas.

“[Pressing the button] doesn’t necessarily make the vehicle more efficient,” says Chris Martin, a communications manager with American Honda. “Let’s say you are trying to pull quietly out of your driveway or out of your neighborhood. You have to manage the throttle carefully to avoid activating the gas engine, and by pushing this button the car is going to require you to give it a little bit more throttle before it engages the gas engine. Kind of like a quiet mode.”

What’s different about the 2023 Accord hybrid system?

Previously, Honda situated the two motors in-line longitudinally, with the generator motor connected directly to the engine and the propulsion motor connected to the front wheels. Engineers for the new Accord hybrid nestled the two electric motors side-by-side instead (in the same configuration used in the new CR-V) allowing for the propulsion motor to be bigger and stronger. Honda eschewed heavy rare-earth metals for this system, which contributes to a higher top speed. The new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine brings a promise of reduced emissions, with 22 percent less nitrogen oxides and 24 percent less total hydrocarbon emissions.

Martin says the entire core package has been improved in many ways, with an eye on improving handling and making the car quieter, smoother, and safer. The Accord chassis itself is responsible for many of the improvements that improve the drive versus the prior model. 

While Honda’s hybrids don’t claim one-pedal driving—the brand calls it “one-pedal like”—the Accord hybrid comes close. (One-pedal driving allows the driver to use just the accelerator without moving their foot to the brake, as the car slows or even stops as soon as they lift their foot off the accelerator. That’s a big benefit in stop-and-go traffic, when a light tap to the accelerator is all you need to move forward.) The new Accord features paddle shifters on the left and right side that control the amount of braking regeneration up to six levels; on the maximum regeneration setting the vehicle will slow considerably when you take your foot off the accelerator. The four-wheel disc brakes are slightly squishy, so prepare to press down a little further than expected.

On the technology front, the new Accord receives over-the-air software updates, making it easy for Honda to push out updates and plug any potential problems. Honda gifted its sedan with a camera offering a 90-degree field of view in the front, which is nearly double the amount on the previous Accord. And the radar was relocated behind the Honda logo on the grille, which bumped up its field of detection from 50 degrees to an astonishing 120 degrees. This, combined with updated driver-assist technology, helps to avoid collisions and more easily discerns objects from people and signs, for example. 

Honda uses a Google built-in system that’s standard on the top Touring trim, including Google Maps and Google Play enhanced by a speech-to-text service that also controls interior functions like climate control. 

Tip-toeing into the EV age

Much like Toyota has been saying for several years, as well as supercar makers like Lamborghini, Honda is not rushing headlong into the EV age with the purpose of being first. The brand seems content to take it slow. Honda has said publicly that it’s committed to 100 percent electric vehicles by 2040. The pathway to get them there, though, is not just to start selling all EVs right now, Martin says. Their first EV will be the Prologue in 2024, which Martin refers to as a “toe in the water for the next generation of EVs.”

Last year, Honda launched the CR-V hybrid and hoped to incentivize customers to make the switch with attractive two-year lease deals. That stopgap allows the brand to hold onto electric-hungry customers, marking time until the all-electric Prologue SUV is ready for its debut. 

“We’ve got more than the Prologue coming,” Martin says with a wink in his voice. “We haven’t announced a lot of things, but obviously as we’re going to be selling a hundred percent [EVs] by 2040 there are a lot of other products in the pipeline.”

In the meantime, car buyers can climb into the muscular 2023 Accord and enjoy both the legacy this sedan offers plus all of the new technology and engineering Honda brought to the table.

The post Honda’s newest Accord hybrid is a sleek, brawny beast appeared first on Popular Science.

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The name Lamborghini evokes powerful acceleration and large engines, with oodles of cylinders and a sound to match. But the supercar builder isn’t blind to the electrification movement. And while Lamborghini is not yet phasing out its thundering herd of combustion engines, the brand is moving towards a compromise that feels true to itself: internal combustion plus an electric motor. 

In 2019, Italy’s Raging Bull automaker teased its future with a hybrid, the V12 Sián FKP 37. The vehicle went above and beyond with 819 horsepower, the company’s most powerful model ever. However, with a $3.5 million price tag, it wasn’t made for the masses (nor even an average Lamborghini buyer). Only 63 were made in honor of the year Lamborghini was founded, and collectors snapped them up quickly. The Sián, which means “lightning” in Italian, contains a 48-volt electric motor that adds 34 horsepower to V12; it was made to showcase the brand’s capabilities and show a hint of what’s to come. Here’s what’s next.

Vitamin V12 deficient

The leadership team is making it clear that it’s not the right time for the Raging Bull to go all electric. All in due time, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says.

“If you would have asked me five or six years ago, I would have been convinced that hybridization would happen, but I’d have my doubts on the execution and acceptance,” Winkelmann told PopSci. “Now, it’s a generational issue. We have a lot of young fans who are telling us we’re on the right path in terms of sustainability.”

While an all-electric vehicle is slated to be revealed in 2028, Lamborghini is first launching a hybrid-powertrain successor to its top-of-the-line Lamborghini Aventador sports car before the end of Q1 2023. 

[Related: Behind the wheel of the thunderous Lamborghini Aventador]

“We have to take care that we have this kind of emotional attachment, but always the technology will find a way,” Lamborghini chief technical officer Rouven Mohr told PopSci. “Even if I personally like the combustion [engine], it would be a mistake to think that there will be no tipping point.”

Mohr says they are not following the engine-downsizing trend, pairing a smaller powerplant with an electric motor to compensate for power. The plan is to take existing internal-combustion vehicles and add power in the form of electricity, so the electric motor isn’t a replacement but an enhancement, with the benefit of hopefully fewer CO2 emissions.  

Rumors hold that the follow up to the Huracán, which is more compact and less expensive than the Aventador, will be a V8 hybrid, which is a smaller engine than the current V10. Whether or not the whispers are true, Lamborghini isn’t yet willing to say. It’s too soon to talk about that, Winkelmann told PopSci.

The heart of the bull

In the last couple of years, the automotive market has flipped inside out. The pandemic affected the supply chain in ways no one anticipated, but even more surprising to Lamborghini was the uptake of luxury products in the aftermath. Lamborghini broke its own sales records for 2022, delivering 9,233 vehicles worldwide: that’s a stunning ten percent over the sales figures for 2021. Lamborghini launched its SUV, the Urus, in 2017, which has been an explosive seller for the brand. Winkelmann says 80 percent of its new customers are Urus buyers; breaking into the SUV segment also helps attract more female buyers.

In the meantime, in 2021 Lamborghini shared the details of its Direzione Cor Tauri (“Heart of the Bull”) program, which lays out a roadmap for a nearly two billion dollar cash infusion. This, the highest-ever investment in the company’s history, translates directly to the development of hybrid and all-electric cars to get the Italian automaker primed for the switch to EVs in the next few years. That funding will be welcome as the automaker shifts its design and production to include electrification. Software and its upkeep will be another significant line item as driver-assist technology advances.

[Related: Behind the wheel of McLaren’s hot new hybrid supercar, the Artura]

Machine learning, for example, will allow engineers to do new things. Imagine there’s a kind of algorithm Lamborghini could use to train its motorsports teams to be better drivers on the track. “You can have an intelligent stability control, for example, that understands exactly your driving style, analyzes it, and helps you enter the corners [more efficiently],” Mohr said.

It may seem incongruous to tie advanced driver-assist tech to a supercar for people who love to geek out on cars and live to drive. What’s the attraction of a car that takes over for you when a car like a Lamborghini Huracan—or even the Urus SUV—is designed for the sheer pleasure of driving it? The technologies Lamborghini is looking at can enable a driver to improve their driving skills and enjoy the limits of the car, Mohr says.

The sounds of silence

For the 2023 Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona International Speedway this month, Lamborghini fielded five teams: four in the GT Daytona class and one in the GT Daytona Pro category. The distinctive sound of the Raging Bull Huracáns echoed across the lanes, its voice calling out clearly. One of those teams was the only all-female lineup, the Iron Dames, piloting a can’t-miss-it hot pink Huracán. 

Motorsports like this endurance race give manufacturers a chance for research and development in high-stress situations for the cars. It also gives them an ear to the ground to listen to the fan base and get more insight on what’s needed to improve. 

What Lamborghini is hearing now is that the younger generation is demanding more sustainability, and they want to see change. The other is an open question about a personality crisis for supercars when EVs take over. EVs are much quieter than combustion engines, and that will affect not just motorsports events but everyday satisfaction while driving the cars. 

Mohr, who grew up admiring a poster of a purple Lamborghini Diablo on his wall, says he’s not about to let the brand lose its grip on the super sports car community. While both he and Winkelmann say they don’t have an answer to the sound question quite yet, they know it’s going to be uniquely Lamborghini. 

Mohr says people often suggest to him that he might have enjoyed working for Lamborghini 20 years ago instead of today, but he disagrees. “I say no, because from the engineering perspective, you now have much more freedom,” Mohr says. “To influence this kind of new generation of cars, this is a good change. I want to ensure that in 20 years I still like to buy cars, and if they are only boring cars, it will be really a mess. Because at the moment, to be honest, there are a lot of boring cars on the market that I will not buy. And I can see that in the electric world the dream of Lamborghini is continuing on. It’s pretty exciting.” 

The Huracán and other models by the Bull remain a touchstone goal for many, and Mohr welcomes the challenge to make sure it lives up to its reputation as it shifts into hybrid, and eventually all-electric, mode. 

“The favorite part of my job is the fact that I can influence the dream cars,” Mohr tells PopSci. “Because at the end of the day, every Lamborghini is a dream. It’s not like [with] volume manufacturers, they [launch] a kind of icon of the brand every 20 years. In our case, you work permanently with dreams.”

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It was just a few short years ago that Chevrolet debuted the first mid-engine version of its venerable all-American Corvette. After more than six decades punctuated with whispers and rumors, the mid-engine ‘Vette was finally a reality, and it was all-new from the ground up for model year 2020. That eighth generation (commonly called C8) Corvette was touted as the quickest one in history, leveraging better weight distribution and improved responsiveness.

Now Chevy has done it again, launching a new sports car on January 17 that shakes up the market. The 2024 Corvette E-Ray is electrified for the first time in the car’s history, moving the General Motors company toward its electrification goals. 

Here’s how we got here.

Seven decades of power

General Motors set hearts aflutter back in 2015 when it filed an application to patent the name E-Ray. Eight years later, the hybrid sports car is finally a reality. In fact, the E-Ray was launched 70 years to the day after the first Corvette prototype debuted at Motorama in New York City on January 17, 1953. Every one of the first batch of Corvettes was white with a red interior, only available with a convertible top.

While the Corvette is best known for its roaring V8, the first ‘Vette was built on a modified passenger car chassis and was propelled by a 3.9-liter inline-six engine called the “Blue Flame.” In 1955, Chevy upped the ante with a 4.3-liter V8 making 195 horsepower paired with a three-speed manual.

[Related: Behind the wheel of the most technically advanced Corvette on the market]

In 1966, the Corvette was the first to get the 427 cubic-inch engine, one of several powertrain options that included a 300-horsepower small-block 327 cubic-inch engine along with the larger 427, which came in 350-, 390-, and 425-horsepower versions. With stats like these, it’s no surprise that the Corvette’s appeal has grown through the decades with everyone from early astronauts like Alan Shepard to President Joe Biden counted as fans.

In 2019, the last year of the front-engine Corvette, the car was available with a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 in 455- and 460-horsepower flavors. The Z06 came with a supercharged version making 650 horsepower and the even fiercer ZR1 was good for 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque. 

As for the forthcoming E-Ray, it pairs the 6.2-liter V8 from the gas-powered mid-engine 2022 model (called Stingray, a term that has been in the Corvette family since the 1960s) with an electric motor for a total power output of 655 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque. This combination gives the E-Ray all-wheel drive, and the brand says the E-Ray is the quickest production Corvette in history, boasting an impressive zero-to-60 miles per hour time of 2.5 seconds.

The E-Ray is a heavyweight 

That very first Corvette weighed less than 2,900 pounds. Over the decades, Chevy’s sports car has steadily gained heft, tipping the scales at about 3,600 pounds in 2020. Electrified powertrains like the one in the E-Ray are heavier than gas-only engines, requiring revised calculations for everything from the frames to the axles to the wheels and tires.

Chevrolet says the coupe version of the E-Ray will weigh in at 3,980 pounds, and the convertible adds 76 pounds for a total of 4,056. That’s a heavyweight sports car, compared to McLaren’s plug-in hybrid Artura at 3,303 pounds. It’s still lighter (and exponentially less expensive) than the ultra-exclusive all-electric $2 million Rimac Nevera, which is 4,750 pounds.

[Related: Strapping into the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to take turns at 1.3 Gs]

Starting at about $60,000, the reimagined mid-engine 2020 Stingray was a shockingly affordable American stunner. The E-Ray, however, starts at a whopping $104,295 and tops out at $120,000 or more with options. 

While it may not be as destined to be as affordable for the masses as the gas-only Stingray, it still handily beats the price of rivals such as McLaren’s Artura and the Ferrari 296 GTB. Plus, the E-Ray doesn’t require a plug like the McLaren and Ferrari; the E-Ray’s small 1.9-kilowatt battery pack regenerates energy when the car slows and brakes. Unlike an all-electric vehicle, the hybrid E-Ray leans heavily on the gas-powered engine and uses the battery to increase torque and conserve fuel. 

Stealth mode and more

The E-Ray will also have a lower and wider stance; it’s 3.6 inches wider overall than the Stingray and offers a bit more elbow room. Plus, the tech of the new electric motor will affect how this iconic vehicle sounds.

Believe it or not, the delightful roar of a V8 isn’t music to everyone’s ears. When in hybrid mode, the Corvette will retain its distinctive growl. However, those who prefer a less-flashy approach in the neighborhood will appreciate Stealth Mode, which is a quiet all-electric drive mode that operates up to 45 miles per hour (let’s hope that doesn’t surprise pedestrians). 

EVs are quiet by nature, but automakers like Ford have created ways to make gas-powered vehicles quieter as well. You might remember the debut of Ford’s “Good Neighbor Mode” on the 2018 Mustang, which muffled the muscle car’s voice by adapting the active exhaust function.

As the US continues to explore new ways to bolster the EV infrastructure in terms of charging stations and alternate energy, the E-Ray is timed perfectly. While this iteration doesn’t ever need to be charged because it’s a hybrid, we expect to see an all-electric version next. 

In the meantime, expect to see the 2024 Corvette E-Ray available for sale later this year.

The post Chevy’s first electrified Corvette, the E-Ray, is a heavyweight built to be quick appeared first on Popular Science.

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Colorado State University freshman Danika Fickler has drag racing in her blood—and her name. Her middle name, Carrera, is Spanish for “race,” and it was given to her by her drag-racing champion parents. Fickler’s father, Kyle, notched his most recent National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) win in 2019 at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas and her mother, Debra, won her class at the same track from 2005 to 2007. In many ways, that track is their home. Kyle and Debra even honeymooned there, and now Danika Fickler is making a name for herself in the family business.

If you’re a drag racing fan, you’re familiar with a variety of vehicles on the strip in 75 classes from street roadsters, to souped-up sedans, coupes, trucks, and more. All of it is governed by the NHRA, which sets the rules for drag racing at facilities across North America. That includes Fickler’s home track, Heartland. 

Here’s a look at Fickler’s career so far as well as the Blazer’s history—and the tech that makes it go. 

400 horsepower (or more)

Piloting a 1986 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, Fickler, who is 19 years old, spent part of her senior year of high school racing. Heartland Motorsports Park started a new High School Points class two years ago, and she signed up, eager to continue her trajectory as a racer. She and the Blazer found their way to an NHRA championship event in September of last year as she finished out her season and got ready to start college, so it’s been a great vehicle for her. But what really makes it special is that Fickler bought it from her godmother Beth Hyatt, a fixture in the drag racing scene herself.

Hyatt’s husband Tim, who died in 2015, had built out the Blazer with all the muscle it needed to be a hot rod. While the body, brakes, and fuel tank are original, just about everything else is built with aftermarket parts, including its powerful small-block 355-cubic-inch Chevy V8 racing engine.

[Related: This Florida teen is making a business out of rebuilding old-school auto tech]

The 1986 Chevy S-10 Blazer wasn’t born to be a track monster. It was originally built with a 2.8-liter overhead-valve V6 making 125 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque, which is a far cry from what Fickler’s drag racer gets with its 400-hp replacement engine. That horsepower figure is an educated guess, Fickler tells PopSci, because the engine has never been measured on a dynamometer. (A dynamometer, or “dyno” for short, measures torque, which allows for the calculation of horsepower with a standard formula: torque times revolutions per minute divided by 5,252.) 

It’s sturdy, too, and Fickler has learned to trust the vehicle and herself. 

“The only time [we almost] crashed the Blazer was when my dad and I first took it out to the track,” she says. “Other than that, I’ve felt the car break on me once and it had to sit for two months. It was scary to get back in the car because I didn’t want something to make the car break again. It’s a thing where you get in the car and pray, ‘Please shift, please shift.”

Even more important, Fickler learned how to take the laws on regular roads that exist for safety very seriously. When she was racing quarter midgets (a one-quarter-scale version of a midget race car, which is in itself a tiny car) and then junior dragsters as a kid, she practiced controlling the car in various situations to avoid potential mishaps. 

“You see so much bad stuff happening to other people [on the roads],” she said. “Speeding at ridiculous high speeds is dangerous, and there is ten times more danger doing that on regular roads.” 

The psychology of drag racing

Not everyone can be born into a racing family, and Danika encourages anyone with an interest to try it. She’s seen people show up at test and tune events (those are basically open call opportunities for anyone to try drag racing for fun) at Heartland and they get hooked. 

“It may seem complicated, at first,” she said. “If you’re not born into it, you might think it’s hard,  but the drag racing community is so helpful. If you indicate you need assistance, someone will help you.” 

For Fickler’s races, the vehicles line up at the staging area each with a “dialed” time that predicts the amount of time it will take for that car to complete a straight-line quarter mile. The cars don’t have to have the same dialed time; if one car is predicted to be slower, it starts first and the other jumps off the line after the difference has elapsed. 

“You’re either chasing or being chased,” Fickler told the Wall Street Journal last year. “If you go quicker than your dialed time, you are disqualified. So you want to beat the other person by the smallest margin possible. In order to do that, you are working both the gas and the brakes.”

After 10 years of motorsports, Fickler isn’t planning to stop any time soon. Now that she has her diploma and finished out the season that she started during her senior year of high school, she can no longer compete in the High School class. She is planning to get her Super Gas license, which means she’ll be able to race what the NHRA describes as “primarily full-bodied cars and street roadsters,” using electronic timers and throttle stops to “run as close to the class standard without going under.”

That means her 55,000-mile Blazer will be retired soon, but it’s staying in the family. Currently, the market for mid-80s Blazers is hot, but it’s special to the Fickler clan—so it’s not going anywhere. Meanwhile, Fickler is pursuing a degree in psychology, which might sound like an odd choice for a racing enthusiast until she notes that both of her parents were lawyers and drag racers at the same time. The college student is planning to come home to Topeka to race at Heartland to hone her skills and stay competitive while exploring new tracks across the country. 

“I was racing the three same guys over and over again,” Danika said. “The class will be much bigger for me, with more rounds. One of the biggest things I learned is that you don’t plan to win a race, you plan to win a round.”

In September, Fickler won an NHRA championship event and finished second in points for the season. 

The post Meet the college freshman who races a souped-up Chevy Blazer and studies psych appeared first on Popular Science.

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The annual Consumer Electronics Show may be known as a venue for tech companies to show off gadgets like folding screens, smart watches, televisions, and even random gizmos like a “Smart Hose Timer.” But CES is also a place for automakers to reveal how they’re embracing technology, too. A few rose to the top with high-profile launches that caught our eye. These are the three unveilings we thought were the most fascinating.

Ram Revolution electric truck concept

The biggest automotive moment from the show may well have been the splashy reveal of the much-anticipated Ram Revolution, an all-electric pickup truck. Ford is already selling its Lightning EV and Chevrolet’s Silverado EV will go on sale this spring, so while it may seem that Ram is catching up, it appears that it may be right on time in the grand scheme of things.  

President and chief analyst at AutoPacific Ed Kim says the importance of the Ram Revolution, the truckmaker’s first EV, can’t be overstated for the North American market. Kim was on the show floor at CES and saw the launch in person. 

“In the EV world, there is so much discussion about EV pickups,” Kim says. “We have already seen Ford and GM’s EV trucks, and we’ve been waiting to see what Ram would come up with. Yes, the Revolution is a concept, but the brand did have a real production frame on the show floor. It’s more than a flight of fancy.” 

Ram’s gas-powered 1500 pickup received a major overhaul a few years back, with the brand inserting its excellent UConnect infotainment system into the new model with a large optional screen. The electric Revolution concept took that a step further with not just one but two 14.2-inch displays, and the lower screen can be removed to use as a separate tablet when the truck is parked. 

The body style also showcased the possibilities of what can be done with EVs when designers don’t have to work around massive engines that take up a lot of space. “Here’s a truck you can use to carry an 18-foot pole or log with a pass-through from the nose to the tailgate,” Kim said. “What’s interesting about that feature is that it really does demonstrate just how much an EV car or truck can change the basic architecture of a vehicle. In an ICE vehicle, you can’t run something through the truck. Electric motors are miniscule compared to an engine, and you can do a lot with that.”

The Revolution features three rows, with highly configurable second- and third-row seats. Its extra-long cab allows a limo-like experience when the second row is pushed back or when more passengers need to ride along, all three rows can be pressed into service. Fully independent rear suspension is a step above where it is now. It should drive more like a big, nice SUV than a pickup truck after it goes on sale in 2024.

BMW i Vision Dee

Ram wasn’t the only automaker making waves at the show. BMW showed off a flashy concept car called i Vision Dee (that last word stands for “Digital Emotional Experience”) featuring a color-changing exterior. Working with company E Ink, BMW had the i Vision Dee covered in 240 different panel segments that can alter the appearance of the car into 32 available hues, controlled by a smartphone. 

“With the BMW i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge,” BMW Group chairman Oliver Zipse said.

Last year at this time, BMW unveiled a similar concept exterior with comparatively limited capabilities. The concept from last year could only change from white to black to gray, laminating the body of the car with an electrophoretic film (which separates charged molecules) containing “microcapsules the diameter of a human hair,” BMW said. As the company explained it, each capsule contains differently charged particles which become visible when an electric field is applied. 

Beyond the wild exterior, the BMW i Vision Dee showcased a virtual dashboard that displayed on the windshield instead of the usual spot and integrated that with virtual reality. It also debuted a new voice assistant, Dee, that operates more like an artificial reality bot than a simple voice  command prompt. 

While it’s unlikely the i Vision Dee will become a production car, BMW still hopes to draw attention to one of its new EVs and to its vision for future technology.

Volkswagen debuts the ID.7

Fans of the Passat were crushed that Volkswagen discontinued the gas-powered sedan, and the ID.7 is the German brand’s peace offering in the form of an EV. It also serves as hopefully a better follow-up to the electric ID.4, which has been plagued with software challenges that have prevented the brand from dominating the EV segment in ways it hoped. The ID.7 is six inches longer than the now-defunct Passat, with a higher roofline that shows echoes of Mercedes-Benz’s EV lineup. 

Interestingly, the new ID.7 is a sedan like the Passat, which bucks the crossover/SUV trend automakers have followed in recent years. 

“The last 10-15 years has seen the sedan market decline dramatically and people want more crossovers,” Kim said. “You can see the details and proportions of the ID.7, and it looks like a traditional sedan. I do think it is important to point out that even though consumers have been less interested in sedans than SUVs, in the EV universe we have seen one particular product that bucked that trend—and that’s the Model 3.”

Kim believes sedans may make a bit of a resurgence in the EV segment because of the success of the Model 3 and also because sedans are more aerodynamic. With a lower profile, sedans typically achieve better range; since range anxiety remains a main concern of EV shoppers and rejectors, a sedan can add more appeal. 

Masked in “smart camouflage” to obscure the design details for now, the ID.7 model at CES was covered in “at least” 40 layers of paint to create 22 disparate electrified illuminated zones. We probably won’t see that paint scheme in production, however.

Hungry for more news out of CES? PopSci’s gear team has created three different roundups of the coolest stuff they noticed last week.

And watch the reveal of the Ram Revolution Concept, below.

The post The 3 most exciting automotive reveals from CES 2023 appeared first on Popular Science.

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Imagining a 9,000-pound GMC Hummer EV racing a 3,600-pound Corvette Z06 sports car evokes an image of an elephant lined up next to a cheetah. Considering that the Hummer EV’s Ultium battery pack alone weighs nearly as much as the Corvette, the question of which will win seems obvious. 

Not so fast, though: YouTuber Austin Everett of Speed Phenom recently pitted his own Z06 against the massive all-electric truck, and the results were much closer than you might think. 

Here’s what a race like this can teach us about the difference between being fast and being quick—and what aspects of a vehicle contribute to those qualities.

Quick vs fast

For a traditional drag race, two vehicles generally start side by side on a flat, straight quarter-mile strip. A device called a “Christmas tree” sits between them, initiating a light sequence that usually switches from amber to green for go. During a race, a red light indicates an infraction of some kind at the start. For an amateur head-to-head drag race (don’t try this at home, kids), someone can signal the cars manually. 

While horsepower makes a car fast in terms of its top speed, getting the jump at the starting line is about quickness, and torque plays a starring role. The 2023 Corvette Z06 boasts 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, for which Chevrolet claims a 0-to-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds. Equipped with the Z07 Performance Pack (like Everett’s vehicle), the car can achieve that acceleration in 2.8 seconds. 

In contrast, the Hummer EV has an astounding 1,000 horsepower and brags of 11,500 pound-feet of torque. To be clear, the latter number is the sum of four motors, one at each wheel, each generating between 380 and 400 lb-ft of what enthusiasts call “grunt.” As is, the powerful EV truck can reach 60 mph in about four seconds. But in a setting called “Watts to Freedom” mode, the Hummer EV can shave a second from that time.

Surprising (and unsurprising) results 

Electric cars like the Hummer EV turn stored energy into speed nearly instantaneously, versus gas-powered cars like the Z06, which employ a mechanical process to convert fuel to energy. Still, on this particular chilly day for the competition in question, the Z06 raced to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and the Hummer EV reached that speed in 3.8 seconds. 

Driving the Hummer in WTF mode (remember, that technically stands for “Watts to Freedom”) provides an unexpected thrill if you haven’t experienced it before. WTF mode enables peak torque for a few seconds, much like launch mode in gas-powered cars. When I tried it, my face broke into a wide, uncontrolled grin that erupted into a laugh. The sensation of being propelled into the space ahead with that kind of force in such a big car feels like being strapped to a bullet train. 

During Speed Phenom’s test, the big Hummer EV rocketed off the line, as expected. Everett said it was faster than Chevrolet’s vaunted sports car up to about 40 mph. By the time each vehicle reached 60 mph, however, the internal-combustion-powered Z06 made up the time and then some. In the end, the Corvette handily won the competition, but it wasn’t the pounding many might expect between the sleek car and the hulking EV. 

Ultimately, while torque is impressive up front for the GMC, the Chevy won with sustained torque and horsepower that carried it to the finish line. Contributing to the Hummer EV’s relative lag is its bulky weight and off-road-ready 35-inch tires, which are fantastic for tackling dirt and rock but less so for speed. 

EVs are getting even quicker

For the uninitiated, a reminder: EVs can be really quick, and that’s thanks to several factors. As Car and Driver explains it, EVs quickly deliver maximum torque due in part to the front and rear motors providing additional traction to all four tires. As a result, EVs can “channel more of their power to the pavement than if they had two-wheel drive and to launch from rest aggressively with minimum or no wheelspin.” EVs also ride on specially-designed wheels and tires crafted to carry the extra weight of electric components. 

As an extreme example, a few months ago, I took a spin in a 1,914-horsepower Rimac Nevera, which cranks out 1,741 lb-ft of torque for its $2 million-plus price tag. “Do you mind if I drive fast?” the Rimac engineer asked me, before flattening the back of my head to the passenger seat with an explosion of power. Further, Rimac’s engineers claim a 0-60 mph time of less than one second is possible. 

For those without that kind of balance in their bank account, even Kia’s new EV6 GT claims an impressive 576 hp and 546 pound-feet of torque for about $50,000. With that level of power, Kia says its humble four-door crossover matches up to a Porsche Taycan, Ferrari Roma, and Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder RWD for acceleration. 

In the real world, most people don’t need massive torque or horsepower to enjoy the ride. On the other hand, it does feel good to dust that obnoxious tailgater every now and again. 

Watch the competition, below:

The post Which vehicle would win—an electric Hummer or a Corvette? appeared first on Popular Science.

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The electric vehicle spotlight is typically trained on range and charging speed, along with battery makeup and sustainable materials. However, EV news rarely gives enough credit to one unsung-but-critical factor: tires. EVs are heavier than their gas-powered cousins, and as a result, the electric motors generate more on-demand torque, which puts additional pressure on the vehicles’ rubber shoes. Tires made for EVs use special tread compounds and patterns and are engineered to take on the heavier components, as well as more torque strain.

Reducing tire drag

Companies like Pirelli, Goodyear, and Continental have actively ramped up research and development of tires designed specifically for EVs. Rolling resistance is an important aspect of tire construction for EVs, as it directly affects both range and ride quality. Continental Tires defines rolling resistance as “the amount of energy a tire uses over a defined distance.”

Reducing rolling distance requires a shallower tread depth and narrower footprint, along with harder tread compound and stiffer sidewalls. By decreasing tire “squirm,” or excess movement, EV-specific tires are designed to improve efficiency – or more aptly, to avoid losing energy.

“Rolling resistance coefficient is always the issue when designing for EVs,” Pirelli Chief Technology Officer Ian Coke told PopSci. “You have to understand the compromise between lowering the rolling resistance to match range and maximize performance. It’s a big challenge.”

Building from scratch

Two years ago, a two-woman team driving a pre-production Rivian R1T pickup truck competed in the Rebelle Rally, a grueling 1,500-mile off-road competition. The R1T had been in production for several years at that point, but testing it out in a tough desert environment at the rally laid bare its strengths and weaknesses. Emme Hall, the R1T driver, found one of those strengths to be the custom-designed Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain tires.

“The Scorpions are usually set to 48 [pounds per square inch] for street use, but I kept it around 35 psi most of the time, airing down to 20 psi when I hit the soft sand of Big Dune, Dumont Dunes and Glamis,” Hall wrote for CNET. “These Scorpions took everything I could throw at them without a hiccup.”

The key to a safer, more efficient, and quieter ride, Pirelli’s Coke says, is to create the tires for a new EV from the ground up. EV drivers tend to wear out their tires an average of 20 percent faster than those operating a traditional gas-powered vehicle, so using the same tires non-EVs do could cause a fair amount of hassle, as they must be more frequently exchanged. 

“It’s very important to us that the tires we provide are tailored to the vehicle itself,” Coke said. “[A manufacturer] program starts at least three years before it’s launched. We’re designing the tires as the vehicle is being designed.”

[Related: As electric vehicles get bigger and faster, they also get more dangerous]

And those tires are built with a prescribed air pressure in mind for that particular vehicle. Altering that formula could cause skids, slides, and worse. Coke told Forbes that “while increasing air pressure in a tire does lower rolling resistance…it also reduces the tire’s ability to grip at the same time, which can be a dangerous trade in adverse conditions, when hard braking or when cornering loads push traction to the limit.”

What’s next? 

Rivian isn’t the only EV maker with bespoke tires; some Tesla models and the new Volkswagen ID.3 wear original equipment tires formulated by Continental. There are countless other examples in the works or already on the market also. 

For example, GMC’s Hummer EV rides on specially engineered 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory tires made for both on- and off-road performance. While we know that GMC will introduce the Sierra EV pickup in 2023, we don’t know what kind of tires it will have. The brand has indicated that the new Sierra EV will include the same CrabWalk feature as the Hummer EV, a GMC-exclusive feature that syncs the turn and angle of the rear and front wheels, allowing diagonal movement of the vehicle at low speeds. That combination of movement and weight will certainly require rubber shoes that can handle the stress as well as those on the Hummer EV or Rivian R1T.

In the meantime, companies like Goodyear and Michelin are working toward the next EV frontier: airless tires. These types of tires use a unique system of spokes to support the outer ring instead of air, effectively eliminating flat tires Whether these can support EV heavyweights is still in question, but the sustainability factor is attractive, as airless tires require fewer replacements.

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A curious phenomenon took hold in the criminal world over the past years, and it has left Toyota Prius hybrids all over the country with a missing underside piece. Thieves have been sliding under the cars with cordless reciprocating saws to slice off the catalytic converter, a key part of the vehicle’s emissions management system.

Prius models from 2004-2009 have become big targets. Green Car Reports says the theft rate for Prius models from those years were more than 40 times higher in 2020 than it was four years earlier, based on information from the Highway Loss Data Institute. But there is a reason that criminals are absconding with this particular component. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) stated in a 2021 release that reduced mining production in recent years have caused prices for rare metals (like those used in catalytic converters) to skyrocket.

What is a catalytic converter and why steal it? 

If your catalytic converter (or cat, for short) is missing, you’ll know pretty quickly. Once you start up the car, it will sound and smell different than usual, as the exhaust gasses will be pushed out straight into the air with no filter. Don’t mistake a cat for a muffler, though. Mufflers and cats are both exhaust system components, but mufflers reduce the pressure of exhaust gasses and catalytic converters convert fumes into less-harmful gasses. 

Inside a catalytic converter, metals like platinum, rhodium, palladium, and a ceramic honeycomb structure work together to break down carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide contained in emissions directly from the engine. Then it traps the harmful molecules and releases outputs like hydrogen, water, and carbon dioxide. 

Theft rings know they can slice-and-grab a cat in a few minutes and sell the part for $1,000 or more. Just last month, federal, state, and local law enforcement partners busted a ring of thieves, dealers, and processors who profited by tens of millions of dollars on stolen catalytic converters. 

Advantages of the new Prius

The new Prius will come with a bigger engine and better, faster-charging batteries. The engine in the 2023 Prius has been upgraded from a 1.8-liter to a 2.0-liter version, and it’s paired to a new lithium-ion battery pack that replaces last year’s nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) version. Lithium-ion batteries are known to charge faster, perform better across various temperature changes, and hold their charges longer than NiMH batteries. Toyota says that this 2023 Prius battery in particular is 14 percent more powerful compared to their previous NiMH battery. Plus, the car’s body style has been improved drastically, featuring a lower roofline, a wider stance, and larger wheels. The 2023 model got a full refresh inside and out. It offers a 60 percent increase in horsepower, 16 percent increase in torque, and a frame that is reinforced for rigidity, which improves the ride quality.  

Should we be concerned about cat theft in the newest generation of the Prius? The brand didn’t say no, but Toyota Prius Chief Engineer Satoki Oya told PopSci that a reduced quantity of rare metals in the newest generation catalytic converter might make it less appealing to thieves. Although looks-wise, it wouldn’t appear too different.

Automotive journalist Amelia Dalgaard reported that the Prius “is particularly attractive to thieves because the cleaner the exhaust, the cleaner the converter, and the more valuable the metals.” It may be tricky to completely cut down on all cat thefts, so automakers will have to continue finding new ways to utilize fewer rare metals. In the meantime, etch your VIN on your catalytic converter to give it a fighting chance for tracking, or consider putting a sensitive alarm on it. 

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Now in its fifth generation, the Ram 1500 pickup truck was originally born as the Dodge Ram in 1981. It made the moniker switch in 2010, and soldiered on as your average full-size pickup truck until it was treated to a full makeover for model year 2019, earning accolades the brand hadn’t seen before. In sales numbers, the Big Three truck manufacturers compete for customer dominance, with the Ford F-150 handily leading the market and the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 trailing behind in a relatively distant second and third.

In that order, the automakers have released their versions of all-electric pickup trucks. Ford launched its F-150 Lightning EV last year, and Chevy plans to start selling its Silverado next year for model year 2023. Meanwhile, Ram is hyping its version of a full-size electric truck, aiming to unveil the Ram Revolution Concept on January 5 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares will take the stage for the keynote.

What we know so far

One of the first questions that pickup truck tire-kickers ask is how much the vehicle can tow and haul. Ram hasn’t answered that query definitively yet, but CEO Mike Koval enthusiastically set the bar high, saying the Revolution would “push past” its competitors’ “core attributes,” like hauling and towing. Considering the F-150 Lightning claims 10,000 pounds of towing capacity and the Silverado EV has advertised matching numbers, it’s almost a certainty that Ram is shooting to beat that. 

As for other automakers, Tesla says its Cybertruck will tow up to 14,000 pounds, but after three years with not a single Cybertruck on the road, it’s difficult to muster the energy to buy in.

Rivian is the current outlier with its R1T offering an estimated 11,000 pounds of towing capacity. On the surface, the R1T seems to be significantly more expensive than the Lightning or Silverado EV, with a starting price of $67,500. Ford put together a similar strategy for its F-150 Lightning, starting at just under $54,000 and soaring to nearly $83,000 with the extended range battery that improves both towing and distance between full charging. And, while the Silverado EV costs $42,000 for its Work Truck variant, that’s a stripped-down model that won’t appeal to many; the cost is estimated to jump up to $75,000 for the well-equipped LTZ trim. 

As for range, Ram says the Revolution will achieve 500 miles on a full charge, which is more than the Lightning (230-320 estimated miles), the Silverado EV (up to 400 miles) and the Rivian R1T (314 miles). Tesla claims the Cybertruck will get 500 miles of range, but imaginary trucks can’t travel far. 

Where it could set itself apart

A new teaser video of a clay model appears to show a two-door single-cab truck, which is different from the Lightning, Silverado EV, Hummer EV pickup, Cybertruck, and R1T, all of which are four-door vehicles. However, spy photographers captured pictures of the Revolution mocked up with a crew cab and long bed, which suggests that perhaps the Ram 1500 BEV (battery electric vehicle) will be available in a variety of body styles like the gas-powered version. 

Stellantis reporting specialists Mopar Insiders snapped the spy photos, and the reporter developed some assumptions based on what the pictures show. Referencing Stellantis’ EV Day 2021 event, Mopar Insiders recalled a claim that vehicles built on the new EV-ready frame architecture will include individual electric drive modules (EMDs) capable of 330 kilowatts (443 horsepower) each and that each frame can accommodate up to three of those modules. Considering the Lightning uses two EDMs and the GMC Hummer EV uses three as well, Insiders believes a Ram Revolution with three motors can generate up to 990 kilowatts, or more than 1,320 horsepower. (That’s a lot.) 

On top of that, Koval said the Revolution will be enhanced by a gasoline or diesel-fueled range extender. You can think of a gas-powered range extender as the exact opposite of a hybrid, which harnesses the power of an electric motor to boost the initial torque. Ram has experience with hybrids, as it launched its eTorque mild hybrid system in 2019 on the Ram 1500. Ram’s eTorque replaces the traditional alternator and adds more functionality for a quieter ride, improved fuel economy, and better towing and hauling capability.  

The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, has become a popular platform for technology and vehicle reveals; in fact, GM CEO Mary Barra unveiled the Chevrolet Silverado EV at the 2021 event. While Ram is trailing the Silverado by a year, that may not be a detractor for the Stellantis brand considering all-electric trucks are still such a new entity. Truck buyers are still skeptical of towing numbers and range when it comes to EVs, and the uptake is going to take more time. By the time the Revolution arrives in dealerships in 2024, the market (and the beleaguered supply chain, which has struggled to manufacture the necessary chips that run the electronics systems) will hopefully be ready.

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Scrappy Italian brand Fiat has risen from the proverbial ashes once again. Launched way back in 1899, Fiat established itself in the US in 1908 and has weathered storms through the two world wars, twice departing the American market to regroup. Now a subsidiary of auto conglomerate Stellantis, which also owns brands such as Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Ram, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo, Fiat is finding its footing with an expansion of its small-car lineup. Only this time, it’s as an EV manufacturer. 

Seeing an opening with the departure of the Ford Fiesta from the market this year, Fiat showcased a trio of super-chic 500e models mocked up with designer-brand interiors at the LA Auto Show on November 18. The ultra-compact, Euro-stylish Fiat 500 has always been adorable and represents la dolce vita (“the sweet life” in Italian) that Americans find charming. In EV form as the 500e, its appeal expands exponentially. 

Lavishly festooned with design elements from luxury brands Giorgio Armani, Kartell, and Bulgari, the 500e models on display were intentionally set up to lay out the brand’s direction and pricing structure. Fiat boss Oliver François told Autocar UK that making small electric cars affordable is a challenge, but he’s tapping into all the resources of its parent company to leverage experience and manufacturing synergies. 

“The only super-profitable, easy way to go electric is to make it super-premium, because you embed the horribly high cost of batteries into something that is anyway expensive,” François said. 

Fiat called the 500e “irresistibly cool, small and Italian” and a “fashion accessory” in its November 17 press release, indicating the automaker’s branding strategy. Combining the electrification trend with fashion is a bet the brand can win, especially in Europe where small cars are more common. However, in the US, where consumers have been in the middle of a love affair with large SUVs and trucks, these vehicles represent a welcome step in the other direction—if people can be convinced to buy them. 

At some point, we may get an Abarth version of the 500e, too. Following the tracks of its (sadly) now-defunct 124 Abarth, the new 500e Abarth will be a performance-focused option available later on, with no confirmed date currently in place. The result of a glorious partnership with Mazda, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth was based on the popular MX-5 Miata and shared many of its attributes. However, the 124 Spider Abarth possesses a spunky attitude that reveals itself on the autocross as the back half slips around with a delightful wiggle not unlike the wagging tail of an exuberant dog. The 500e may not have the same swagger and is narrower and taller than its 124 counterpart, but the 500 model has always been equally eager to please in all kinds of driving conditions. Except, perhaps in the snow (unless it’s hard-packed).

In Europe, the 500e is available with a 23.8 kilowatt-hour battery pack good for 100 miles of range or a 42 kWh battery pack capable of 199 miles on a full charge. On the surface, that sounds shockingly inadequate, until you consider that this car is made for the urban environment where owners will be driving it short distances from charger to charger. It’s the right car for the city for short commutes and tight parking, but it may not be the best choice for a road trip. 

According to Consumer Guide’s Tom Appel, gas- and electric-powered versions of the 500 were available in the US between 2012 and 2019, with the caveat that the 500e was offered only in California and Oregon. Appel expects the new Fiat model to be offered more broadly for the 2025 model. The North American 500e will launch officially at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show with availability expected in the first quarter of 2024.

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At the start of the pandemic nearly three years ago, the number of outdoor activities increased rapidly. Off-roading and overlanding (adventure traveling in a vehicle combined with camping) pursuits have been front and center ever since, and bicycle riding is on an upswing. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a US-based nonprofit that promotes the transformation of unused rail corridors into trails for hiking and biking, says its trail counters showed an average increase in trail use of 51 percent for 2021 compared to 2019. This number continues to expand.

Bike riding isn’t just for outdoor fun, however. Cars and city streets are making room for more cyclists, and e-bikes could help reduce emissions and smog while offering benefits for riders. E-bikes are a less-sweaty way to get around compared to manual cycling since they have an electric motor that can give the  bike a boost. That brutal hill on the way to work? Easy to get up with motorized wheels.

More e-bikes, fewer cars in city centers

Robin Stallings, the executive director of Texas-focused bicycle advocacy and education organization BikeTexas, told PopSci that e-bikes could replace cars in many urban settings.

“We need to at least get some people out of their trucks to make room for the rest of us,” Stallings told NPR. Continuing the conversation with Houston Public Media, he said: “You take up less footprint, less space, you have fewer parking issues [with bikes]. And you save a ton of money on gasoline and car payments and insurance.”

To be clear, e-bikes aren’t motorcycles; the two modes of transport have different rules. Vehicles must fit into one of three classes to qualify as an e-bike: class 1 covers bikes that use pedal assist up to 20 mph; class 2 covers bikes that also include a throttle along with pedals and can travel at speeds of up to 20 mph; and class 3 is an expansion of class 1 with e-bikes that can reach speeds of up to 28 mph. 

Protecting cyclists on the road

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, bicycle trips make up only 1 percent of all trips in the United States, but bicyclists account for more than 2 percent of fatalities involving a motor vehicle. Every year, nearly 1,000 cyclists are killed and more than 130,000 are injured on US roads. The cost impact from health care expense plus lost lives and work productivity is estimated to be around $23 billion.  

Nonprofit bike advocacy organization League of American Bicyclists’ executive director Bill Nesper says US roads weren’t always built to prioritize cars the way they are today. In fact, the first vehicles to use paved roads were carriages and bicycles. Members in the organization have witnessed the evolution since it was founded in 1880, several years before cars became commonplace. It wasn’t until after World War II that our streets became so car-centric, Nesper says. Community groups like Strong Towns call city infrastructure roads “stroads” (street plus road) and are trying to bring more attention to the unsafe conditions it presents for pedestrians and bikes.

“It’s absolutely true that people moving and getting around by foot and by bike is an afterthought, you know, if thought about at all,” Nesper told NPR.

Organizations like BikeTexas and the League of American Bicyclists have successfully lobbied lawmakers to add bike-only lanes to city streets, especially as the number of cyclists increases.

E-bike battery safety critical

Claudia Wasko, Vice President of Bosch eBike Systems Americas, stresses the importance of e-bike battery safety. To this end, she notes that Bosch voluntarily adheres to testing by safety certification company Intertek to the Underwriter Laboratories (UL) 2849 Safety Standard. Intertek gives E-bike companies the UL 2849 certification after carefully examining the electrical drive train, battery, and charger systems.

Bosch’s Kurt Hoy says the manufacturer voluntarily creates components with extra layers of safety beyond the legal requirements and certifications. Bosch competes with the likes of Brose, Shimano, and Yamaha for e-bike market share, and Hoy says it’s critical to look for a product with stringent standards, because there are plenty of companies pairing a substandard motor with a bike and selling it for pennies on the dollar online. Honestly, high-quality e-bikes aren’t cheap; I tested a Tern with a Bosch motor that provided 400 percent assist that retails for about $5,000.

That said, part of what customers are paying for is the safety factor, and cheap e-bikes with poorly maintained or damaged lithium-ion batteries have a much greater potential to catch fire.

Legislation under consideration for e-bikes and batteries

Delivery cyclists swapping batteries between subpar bikes are unknowingly contributing to the risk, and organizations in big cities like New York are considering bans on sales of second-hand electric vehicle batteries along with batteries that haven’t been approved by a nationally recognized testing lab like UL. 

“As e-bikes and e-scooters become more popular, unregulated knockoff parts including batteries and chargers are flooding the market, sometimes with disastrous consequences,” Molly Hurford wrote on Bicycling.com. 

Companies using multiple safety protocols are highly unlikely to have batteries or chargers that catch fire because each component in the devices is isolated from the others. Bosch, for instance, encases individual lithium-ion cells in its batteries in flame-retardant plastic and tightly seals the compartment to protect it from water.

Charging is a critical point for e-bikes, and Wasko says her company’s battery management system can detect high temperatures and immediately shut down the battery. That protocol protects owners from “deep discharging” and overcharging their e-bikes, which can cause excessive heat that leads to a fire. Responsible brands should comply with laws and certify their systems to voluntary and/or mandatory standards and norms, she says.

With all that added in, e-bikes may be a considerable investment. But for those living in crowded urban areas with limited parking, it could still be a smart one. For one, an e-bike costs a fraction of the price of a car and doesn’t require costly trips to the gas station or electric charging station. The key is to purchase and use bikes that are tested at a qualified testing laboratory, and it should serve for years to come. 

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Lamborghini has pulled the cover off the newest iteration of its Huracán supercar and—as you might expect—it’s blisteringly fast and roars with the power of the Raging Bull. The new Huracán Sterrato, however, is in a whole new category: It’s built for off-roading. 

Wait, what? Taking a quarter-million-dollar supercar off-road and getting it all scuffed up seems as wise as wearing a pricey pair of Italian leather shoes for a hiking trip. But wrap your head around it, because it will be revealed on November 30 in Miami, Florida. This new model is named appropriately, too: Sterrato is “dirt road” in Italian. 

A supercar made to get dirty

Back in 2019, Lamborghini started teasing out information about the Huracán Sterrato with a concept car powered by the same 640-hp 5.2-liter hand-built engine from the current Huracán Evo trim. Most versions of the Huracán, including the newest Tecnica model (which sits just below the Evo on the model’s price scale), are crafted to grip asphalt and showcase its prowess on twisty roads with a low center of gravity. But the Sterrato will be more than a little extra.

While the Sterrato seems like a giant leap away from Lamborghini’s sweet spot of producing performance machines made to tear up asphalt, the company does have some legacy in the off-roading realm. After all, the brand’s Urus SUV does include a specific drive mode called Terra, made for driving in the dirt. Astonishingly, test driver Bob Wallace modified a Lamborghini Jarama and an Urraco and competed in desert rallies in 1973 and 1974.

Lamborghini released three videos today (watch them here) showing the Huracán Sterrato in action on the dirt, and it’s clear the supercar isn’t destined for slow, plodding rock crawling (although that would be a fantastic concept idea) but fast Baja desert driving, kicking up sand and dust.

Specs still under wraps

While the brand hasn’t confirmed any specs yet (stay tuned), we do know that the initial concept was displayed with 1.85 inches more ground clearance than the Evo. Considering that an Evo has only about five inches of ground clearance, that puts a Sterrato between 6.5 inches and 7 inches off the ground, which gives it nearly the same height as a Hyundai Santa Fe crossover. Increasing the distance between the dirt and the chassis improved the Sterrato’s approach angle by 1 percent and the departure angle by an impressive 6.5 percent, which means it can tackle tougher, uneven terrain with fewer instances of scraping the bumper.

With this new vehicle, Lamborghini seems to have its affluent finger on the pulse of the latest automotive trends, as off-roading and overlanding (camping while off-roading) have become uber-popular in the last few years with us commoners. The surprising part with the Sterrato is that the brand modified one of its coupes instead of adding more capability to the Urus SUV. 

[Related: Behind the wheel of the thunderous Lamborghini Aventador]

Lamborghini isn’t the only luxury brand that has created a vehicle for the adventurous wealthy set. If Rolls-Royce can take its Cullinan SUV off road and win the inimitable 8-day Rebelle Rally and a driver in a Porsche 1956 can win the grueling Dakar rally overseas, it doesn’t seem out of the realm for Lamborghini to be next. Porsche, in fact, is upping the ante with a new 911 Dakar version, which will be equipped with all-wheel drive, robust all-terrain tires, and higher ground clearance than its standard 911; it’s scheduled for a reveal this week at the LA Auto Show.

With the Sterrato, Lamborghini claims the title of “first all-terrain super sports car with V10 engine and all-wheel drive” and while all of its models are available with AWD, none of its other sports cars are equipped for going off-road. It seems the Sterrato will hold onto that crown for the foreseeable future.

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Renault was founded in 1898, a long time before computers and the internet. Perhaps that’s what makes it feel a little surprising to find that its current goals are of the high-tech, modern kind. For instance, the Renault Group is working toward being carbon neutral in Europe by 2040, two years after the Stellantis supergroup’s 2038 target. And Renault just minted an expanded partnership with Google for in-vehicle software.

Electronics and over-the-air software updates have exploded in the automotive industry over the last several years. Renault says the partnership is focused on what they call the “Software Defined Vehicle,” which brings more opportunities to update its cars, melding further the relationship between tech and autos. SDV may sound like a new acronym, but it’s a term on the rise as more automakers embrace electrification and find ways to improve efficiency. Companies like Rivian have already been pushing out over-the-air software updates, elevating its status as a tech company with upgrades such as Soft Sand Mode, which appeared like magic on customers’ touchscreens earlier this year. 

The Renault Group is made up of four brands: Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize. It formed an alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors in 2016 and has boosted its performance credibility with Formula 1 cars under the Alpine name. The next frontier is the collaboration with Google. “The complexity of the electronic architecture of cars is increasing exponentially, driven by the sophistication of the functionalities and services expected by customers,” said Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo in a press release. “Equipped with a shared IT platform, continuous over-the-air updates, and streamlined access to car data, the SDV [software defined vehicle] approach developed in partnership with Google will transform our vehicles to help serve future customers’ needs.”

Renault says it will “eventually transform its entire operational model to the cloud for more agility, better performance, and higher profitability.” In other words, working with Google means Renault can gather more data about its customers’ driving habits and increase residual value and retention, two of the most important value metrics for automakers. By creating what it calls a digital twin—a digital representation of the physical machine—in the cloud, Google and Renault can use AI to quickly make changes and improvements. The benefit of this type of tech is that changes can be tested and monitored digitally before rolling out the updates to the physical realm, minimizing the chance of error.  

The alignment between the Mountain View, California tech firm and the Boulogne-Billancourt, France-based manufacturer started in 2018. With this announcement, Google becomes Renault Group’s preferred cloud supplier, playing a big role in the automotive conglomerate’s “Move to Cloud” digital transformation.

Renault Group and Google aim to improve the driver experience by predicting maintenance intervals and detecting mechanical issues. SDVs, or software defined vehicles, can also adapt to individual driving patterns and route to EV charging stations and other frequent destinations. 

Renault isn’t alone in this kind of initiative. Tesla has embraced a software-focused strategy for several years and Hyundai is jumping in, vowing that every one of its models will be an SDV by 2025. Renault says its tech focus can also affect insurance models based on actual usage and driving behaviors, which may or may not be a positive thing depending on your driving habits.

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Sarah “Bogi” Lateiner’s latest vehicle creation, called “Iron Maven,” made its debut at an automotive trade show last week in all its purple-hued glory. Starting with a 1961 Volvo PV544, Lateiner’s team retrofitted the build with the powertrain from a 2021 Volvo S60 T8 Recharge Polestar Engineered sedan, along with various parts and components from the newer car. 

The result is a vehicle that looks like a 1961 Volvo, but under the vintage hood is a modern Volvo S60. Now completed, the Maven is a feat of mechanical prowess by Lateiner and her leadership. 

“We took the S60 and we cut everything off of the outside of it, keeping the floor, subframes, suspension, and engine,” she said. “Then we welded them together; it’s cut and paste. The big challenge was fitting as much of the electronics and the gadgets and the bells and whistles of the S60 hybrid into the PV544.”

Lateiner stars in MotorTrend’s show “All Girl Garage,” and launched her own laboratory, the Phoenix-based Girl Gang Garage, for special projects like the Maven. Behind the scenes is the real story: About 150 women put their hands on this project at Lateiner’s hometown facility.

Many authors 

At the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, the air was electric as at least 50 of those women gathered around the custom vehicle filled with pride. It’s challenging enough to fuse the body of a 60-year-old car onto a new vehicle, let alone build it in bits and pieces. Girl Gang Garage welcomed women of all abilities to wrench on the car, and some of them had never worked on any kind of vehicle in the past.

Lateiner led the team each day to layer on a little work at a time toward completion. Each person was encouraged to take a look at what needed to be done and problem solve; there was no blueprint. It was like trying to write a story line by line with different authors, each of which with varying levels of expertise and time allotted.

That’s how Lateiner likes it. She’s trying to kick off a conversation. “I want to shatter the stereotypes [about female mechanics] violently,” she told PopSci with a laugh. “That’s why I choose these crazy projects.”

Iron Maven closeup

Most weird car projects involve endeavors such as swapping out an engine or boosting a 1995 Mustang with eight turbochargers. But it’s rare to see modifications to Volvo vehicles; not many aftermarket parts exist for Volvo mods, and the average enthusiast likely doesn’t think about tearing apart one of these Swedish family cars to create a hot rod. 

Many people don’t know what a Volvo PV544 is to begin with, Lateiner noted. As the Iron Maven, the car is now so heavily modified that people won’t know what it is. That curiosity leads to an exchange about the car and the people behind it.

Colorado Springs-based Volvo technician Porsha Conrad (who worked on the brake lines for Iron Maven with me when I traveled to Lateiner’s garage in June) says Volvos are typically straightforward for making repairs. This concept was technically difficult to build, however, because they had to squeeze the hybrid powertrain into a much smaller car, and the electrification itself was a bit intimidating.

To get a picture of the differences between the vintage PV544 and the S60, the older car was 10 inches shorter and 10.6 inches narrower than the S60. The PV544 had a four-cylinder engine making 40-80 horsepower and the S60 brought a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged and supercharged engine to the party. 

In 1961, hybrid setups like what’s in the S60 weren’t even a sparkle in Volvo’s eye, and the Swedish automaker has come a long way to arrive at this power combination. Along with its electric motor, Iron Maven boasts a combined output of 415 hp and 472 pound-feet of torque.

In total, the project took 18 months to complete. Starting with old school bodywork and fabrication, the Girl Gang crafted panels from scratch and 3D-printed door handles and door lock actuators. Lateiner and friends had to accept a certain amount of cutting and welding as part of the process. They sliced open the floor of the PV544 and slashed out the firewall to essentially “fit 15 pounds into a five-pound bag,” Lateiner said. 

After a year and a half, they did it. Chemical company BASF provided the custom Rebelberry paint to get it ready for its appearance at SEMA. Only some of the professional and amateur mechanics, welders, and painters got to see the final build in person, but the results will last way past this show. This is more than a conversation starter.

The post Inside the ambitious project to turn a 1961 Volvo into a powerful modern hybrid appeared first on Popular Science.

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At best, experiencing a flat tire is an inconvenience. Whether you’re pulling out the jack and lug wrench and changing it yourself or waiting for AAA to come to your rescue, it’s a big waste of time. And in the age of electrification, a new level of tire complexity is emerging. Electric vehicles are heavy, and designers are opting to omit spare tires to save weight. Also, batteries take up a lot of real estate, leaving less room to carry a spare. Overall, tire company Bridgestone says that approximately one-third of all new passenger vehicles sold in the US today are not equipped with a spare tire.

Self-sealing technology can mitigate the issue of an absent spare tire, freeing up space and providing a way to lighten the overall weight of the vehicle, which in turn improves total driving range. Global manufacturer Dow has announced the launch of a recyclable silicone self-sealing tire solution that will allow drivers to travel long distances even after a sharp object (like a nail) punctures the outer wall of a tire. It seals the inner layer to retain tire pressure. No lug nut wrenching required. 

Here’s how it works.

Silicone versus other sealants

Giving the driver an opportunity to continue down the road after a puncture offers a major benefit on its own, but what’s more impressive is the sustainability element of silicone sealant, Dow and Bridgestone boast. Bob Lux, Bridgestone Tires’ director for consumer tires, explained to PopSci why silicone is easier to work with than traditional sealants like natural rubber and butyl. An elastomeric polymer used widely in adhesives and sealants, butyl is a synthetic rubber invented in the 1940s. It has been effectively used as a sealant for many years, but companies like Bridgestone are finding that it has a host of challenges that can be solved with silicone. 

“Manufacturers are starting to apply sealant more widely,” Lux says. “It’s not necessarily new as they have been around in some form since the 90s, but it’s much better today because silicone sealant doesn’t cause ride disturbances. In the past, sealants didn’t stay in place and would shift and cause unevenness. Today’s sealants don’t cause that issue.”

Unlike aftermarket sealants like Fix-a-Flat, which are sold in single-use cans, this silicone sealant is applied to the tire for preemptive protection during the manufacturing process. This seals the puncture wound to maintain tire pressure like a superhero absorbs and instantly heals from epic battles on screen.

Sustainable tire practices

From an energy-saving standpoint, silicone is also easier to employ because it’s applied at room temperature. Natural rubber and butyl require heat from the preconditioning phase to application, and heat consumes more energy. Previous sealant materials are sticky, too, which causes a significant problem in the recycling process. Tires are chopped up and recycled in a number of ways to use in roads, as playground material, or back into the tire manufacturing cycle.

“At the end of life for a tire, recycling becomes very difficult with traditional sealant inside,” Lux says. “[Traditional] sealant will gum up the machines that chop up tires for recycling.”

Not silicone, however. Using this kind of new sealant technology could result in a reduction of the number of tires in the landfill, although the silicone needs to be removed first. Then the silicone itself can be recycled separately and used as an industrial lubricant, playground mulch, and more. 

Run flats or sealant?

Speaking of getting a flat, you may have heard of run-flat tires. They have been growing in popularity in recent years, thanks to their convenience factor. Companies like Bridgestone and BFGoodrich manufacture run-flats, which employ reinforced sidewalls to give drivers a way to limp to a safer place to change it out. 

Meanwhile, the repairable area of a tire is approximately a quarter-inch in case of a puncture, and sealant holds the tire together. Basically, run-flats can help in the case of difficult sidewall punctures, while sealant protects the tread area. 

Theoretically, silicone sealant could be paired with run-flats for extra protection, but that combination isn’t a priority for EVs currently. “We see a big impact on range with silicone sealant,” Lux says. “It’s lighter and doesn’t impact rolling resistance.”

Bridgestone will be adding this co-developed sealant into tires for a car manufacturer fitment soon; Lux says it will be released in 2023.

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Iconic Italian automaker Alfa Romeo is all in on the electrification train, claiming its spot as the first brand under the Stellantis umbrella (created through the merger of car companies Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot S.A.) to go all electric by 2027. 

Alfa Romeo revealed its ambitious plan to release five new vehicles in the next six years, and the first model on that list will be an electrified crossover, the Tonale. This new plug-in hybrid will be available to customers in the US in early 2023 as part of Alfa Romeo’s transition to an EV brand.

With its Dare Forward 2030 strategy, which it announced on March 1, Stellantis committed to selling more than 75 different kinds of battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs. That includes Jeep’s first fully battery-electric SUV launching in early 2023, followed by the Ram ProMaster BEV later next year and the Ram 1500 BEV pickup truck in 2024. Stellantis is also targeting carbon net zero emissions by 2038. Even Alfa Romeo’s stablemate Dodge, famous for producing gas-guzzling muscle cars, is on board with the shift and plans to sell its first fully electric performance model in 2024. 

Some Stellantis brands have been paving the way towards full electrification by first offering a series of hybrids. For example, Jeep’s Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models are available as plug-in hybrids and have been selling quite well. Meanwhile, Americans looking for a rugged EV pickup now have a new option in GMC’s just-announced Sierra EV, competing with the upcoming Ram EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV along with Ford’s already-available F-150 Lightning. 

[Related: Carmakers are pouring billions into producing EV batteries]

The whole trajectory is leaps and bounds away from where executives thought it was heading as recently as a year ago. 

It’s an especially sharp turn for Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, who said at the start of 2022 in an interview that he felt that “electrification is a technology chosen by politicians, not by industry.” However, the industry’s race toward electrification is sweeping up everything in its path, and the pressure from policymakers, as well as the public, are mounting. Many big car makers have stated that they’re onboard, despite progress being slower than expected.

“The people have decided: we will be purely electric,” the company’s European Head Uwe Hochschurtz declared during an interview this month. 

And it seems that most are in favor of Alfa Romeo’s metamorphosis. After the global reveal of the Tonale PHEV in February, a flood of curious virtual tire-kickers made their way to the Alfa Romeo website to learn more. Surprisingly, about 82 percent of website visitors checking out the Tonale are new to Alfa Romeo. This statistic is a good sign for Senior Vice President and Head of Alfa Romeo and Fiat North America Larry Dominique, since the company’s, and industry’s, move to electric cars will require the 113-year-old brand to cater to a new buyer demographic.

Alfa Romeo is profitable and stable for the first time in several years, Dominique says, riding the success of the Giulia performance sedan and the Stelvio SUV. The brand has promised its fealty to the popular Giulia, which will become an EV at some point in the coming year or two. 

“We will still build a flagship sedan and Giulia will be electrified,” Dominique told MotorTrend’s Alissa Priddle in an interview in May. 

While the Stelvio seems to be the logical second act, it seems the production of the all-new Tonale may open the door to other innovations. Currently, Alfa Romeo’s Formula One team is running with a Ferrari V6 turbo hybrid engine in its cars, and Alfa’s production engineering team worked closely with its F1 engineers and drivers to create the Tonale from the ground up. These synergies may spawn a reimagining of the electric-vehicle course as the line between racing and mass production blurs, cross-pollinating the Italian performance brand across the board. 

Head of Alfa Romeo’s F1 group Cristiano Fiorio told PopSci at the Grand Prix in Austin that he fully supports the CO2 reduction goals Stellantis set. The future, for him, is clear. 

“It’s very easy for me because I have two kids, 7 and 11 [years old], and we owe them because we have not done our job [to reduce carbon emissions],” Fiorio said. “Now we don’t have time to wait. There is no other way.” 

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Long before Tesla entered the market, automakers have been tinkering with electrified vehicles and working toward creating an alternative to gasoline-powered cars. Targeted at urban commuters looking to save some coin at the gas pump, cars like Toyota’s Prius and Chevrolet’s Volt emerged as promising frontrunners, followed by today’s Hyundai Ionic 5 and Volkswagen ID.4, among others. 

Today, the race is on for the next frontier: battery-powered off-roading trucks. GMC accelerated its production schedule for the Hummer EV, which features a crab-walking trick made for tight turns on tough terrain, and Ford’s new all-electric F-150 Lightning wasn’t far behind. Chevrolet is nipping at its heels with an electric-powered Silverado truck coming to market soon. 

Meanwhile, small-batch upstart Rivian has been selling its R1T pickup since 2021 and R1S SUV since 2022—and coming up with new ways to make electric trucks as capable off the pavement as they are on it. Part of that formula can be attributed to the kinetic system, a proprietary electro-hydraulic roll control setup that replaces a mechanical anti-roll bar and smooths out the ride. On traditional vehicles, an anti-roll bar is a simple U-shaped piece of metal that acts as a torsion spring, connecting the axles to prevent excessive roll that is both uncomfortable and makes controlling the vehicle difficult. 

The company sent teams in both of its vehicles to this year’s all-female Rebelle Rally, the longest rally raid (long distance off-road racing that takes place over several days) in the United States, at over 1,600 miles between Nevada and California. At the rally, Rivian put its trucks to the test on dirt, rock, and sand, finishing triumphantly. Rookie team Lillian Macaruso and Alex Anderson, both engineers for the automaker, placed fourth overall out of 53 teams in an R1T and Rosanna Nuch and Nicole Johnson also performed admirably in the top half of the field in an R1S. Macaruso explained more about Rivian technology to PopSci during a ride along after the competition to explain how it works.

Rivian’s hydraulic roll control provides stiffness when cornering in the same manner (and with similar equipment) as a McLaren 720S supercar. That’s no coincidence: Rivian recruited chief engineer Charles Sanderson from the auto manufacturer in 2018, and Sanderson integrated the Tenneco-supplied linked hydraulic damper system he knew quite well. That means the R1T has a sportscar feel, especially when accelerating, but the system leaves space for a looser fit in situations where articulation—vertical wheel travel, or how far the axle can move up and down— is present.

On a typical gas-powered off-road-capable vehicle, the sway bar (another name for an anti-roll bar) reduces the vehicle’s body roll and “sway” to stabilize the weight distribution. One thing you don’t want when you’re entering a turn on a racetrack, or cresting a dune, is for a weight shift to cause the car to tip; in heavy electric vehicles, even more so. Significant “head toss,” or the way the vehicle shakes your body around while traversing uneven terrain, is clearly undesirable, and Rivian strives to improve the drive to what Macaruso calls “living room comfort.”

“Essentially, you feel the vehicle tip or tilt when you turn a corner, and that’s what [the hydraulic system] is controlling with different pressures on each corner of the vehicle,” Macaruso says. “Imagine if you were to try to walk up a set of stairs with your arms and your legs on all fours and one leg starts to get more tired, the other three compensate for it.”

Rivian’s R1T has 800 horsepower and more than 900 pound-feet of torque on tap, and drivers can mash the accelerator and reach 60-mph in a scant three seconds. That’s fantastic when speed is the goal, but four-by-four driving requires more finesse to avoid breaking the truck. The R1T boasts balanced geometry for its approach, breakover (the angle between the vehicle’s tires and the middle its underbelly), and departure angles matched with a fairly generous ground clearance of 15 inches, giving the truck plenty of poise and steady movement over obstacles on the trail.

The company is watching how the truck handles tough test runs and is adjusting accordingly. After longtime Rebelle team Emme Hall and Rebecca Donaghe found the settings in their model R1T to be unconducive for sand dune driving during 2021’s rally, Rivian added a soft sand mode to both the R1T and R1S and pushed it out via an over-the-air software update earlier this year. On hard sand, changing to soft sand mode isn’t necessary, but floating on top of dunes or on a beach requires more rotation, and the mode allows for better control.

“When you activate soft sand mode, it changes how much wheel spin you can have,” Macaruso says. “And it’s essentially telling the truck, ‘Hey, you can dig more’ because every single wheel is independently controlled. And that means that each motor can control a wheel and move it differently.”

While Rivian’s recent recall due to an insufficiently torqued steering knuckle fastener spooked investors this week, the company is plowing forward with its impressive truck and SUV. If they can handle the Rebelle Rally, they’re positioned well to succeed.

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Solid state batteries, or SSBs, have been the holy grail for EVs for the past several years. Sometimes whispered about in the way one might regard a legend or ghost story, the longer-range, faster-charging promise of SSBs has seemed to be just out of reach.

That status may be shifting. Several automotive manufacturers like BMW and Ford have invested in battery maker Solid Power, which was established in 2011 and claims its SSBs will be safer, offer higher energy and cost less than lithium-ion batteries. Ford’s F-150 Lightning’s chief engineer Linda Zhang says the company is not using SSBs right now but they’re “definitely something we’re looking at.”

With the wild popularity of the Lightning right now, the Blue Oval is doing everything it can to keep up with demand as is. However, implementing another new element into the vehicle can’t be a far behind plan.

So, how does a solid state battery work?

GMC’s new Hummer EV is a gigantic machine in frame alone, and the 24 stacked battery cells on the Ultium platform adds nearly 3,000 pounds to this heavyweight. The Hummer EVs power comes from a proprietary NCMA combination (nickel, cobalt, manganese, and aluminum) packed into a lithium-ion cell technology much like the battery in your smartphone. 

Commonly used EV batteries are comprised of a cathode, anode, separator, and liquid electrolyte. While driving, positively charged lithium-ions inside the battery are attracted to the cathode and electrons zip through the high-voltage circuits. A solid-state battery, on the other hand, uses solid electrolyte in place of the liquid.

Why does that matter? Not only is the solid state battery lighter and denser, and able to pack more power into a smaller footprint, it’s also studier. Imagine a waterbed and a typical mattress. If an object forcibly falls onto a waterbed, the risk of leakage (and flooding the room where it sits) is high. A solid mattress can withstand more damage without ruin. Current Li-ion batteries are prone to swelling caused by temperature changes and can certainly leak in a crash. Solid state batteries are known to be less prone to fires and more stable for features like quick charging.

Current lithium ion batteries versus solid states 

Solid state batteries will offer more than just expanded range and increased stability. Many EVs today use a familiar “skateboard-type” architecture (an expansive sheet of lithium-ion battery packs placed neatly below the cabin floor between either axle), AutoPacific analyst Robby DeGraff tells PopSci. Moving to smaller, more-efficient SSBs affects the construction of the whole vehicle.

“Shifting to solid-state batteries could mean we’ll see new possibilities of further maximizing interior space and a bit more flexibility when it comes to drafting an EV’s overall shape itself,” DeGraff says. “When solid-state batteries are ready for primetime use, I think that’s going to be a turning point in the ongoing migration towards EVs. Solid-state batteries will likely address one of the biggest hesitations consumers may have committing to going all-electric: range anxiety.”

SSBs charge quicker too, which is another roadblock in the adoption of EVs. For automakers, these batteries have the potential to open up new doors when it comes to designing an EV, as solid-state battery packs are much more packable, compact, and safe.

According to Brussels-based group European Federation for Transport and Environment, SSBs also have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of EV batteries by up to 39 percent compared with liquid lithium-ion batteries. The Federation says that although making solid state batteries would use up to 35 percent more lithium than the current lithium-ion technology, it would also need less graphite and cobalt.

What’s taking so long?

The promise of SSBs sounds tantalizingly good. However, it’s important to note that the technology isn’t fully developed and has not been tested yet, so there is going to be a bit of a wait. Chris Martin, who heads up advanced technology communications for Honda, tells PopSci the development of materials optimal for a solid state battery is quite challenging, as is establishing an efficient production process.

“In chemical products, like batteries, it is often much easier to make small battery sizes in small numbers in a lab; mass production of larger products is much more difficult,” Martin explains. “Honda began the process of developing all solid state battery technology nearly 10 years ago, and we anticipate that it will still take more time to achieve mass production at Honda’s exacting quality standard.”

Martin says Honda is making progress and will invest approximately 43 billion yen (nearly $300 million USD) to establish a pilot production line in Tochigi, Japan to produce solid-state batteries, aiming to introduce EVs with all solid state batteries into the market in the second half of this decade. 

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On April 17, 1964, Ford launched a legend at the New York World’s Fair. Named after a WWII-era fighter plane, the Mustang was conceived as a car to reach young people looking for fun, as well as families in the market for a second vehicle. The coast-to-coast promotional efforts were tremendous. Right out of the stable, the new pony car succeeded beyond the Blue Oval’s wildest dreams; 22,000 Mustangs sold in that same day.

With the seventh generation of the mighty Mustang revealed on September 14, Ford is once again reaching out to the youth market, but this time with technology instead of price and novelty. Well, there is some novelty in the gamified digital dashboard sprawling across the cockpit, but it’s a new iteration of the Mustang. Let’s take a look at the tech inside the vehicle and under its hood.

Techy interior

Starting with the base model Stang, the overhauled cockpit is illuminated by a 13.2-inch touchscreen and 12.4-inch gauge cluster replete with more data than Mustang owners have ever seen. Stepping up to higher trim levels means that those two panels are combined into one, blending into one fluid glass panel.

Like the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, the interior of the 2024 Mustang is awash in an ultra-modern appearance that replaces the previous blue and gray tones. Nearly every feature can be controlled with a video-game-like interface that will appeal to the generation that grew up with computers and smartphones. To build a three-dimensional car graphic rendering that manipulates settings with a swipe, Ford leveraged Unreal Engine 3D, which is a creation tool from Epic Games used in many current video games. Other automakers like Volvo and GMC are using the tool as well. 

[Related: This Florida teen is making a business out of rebuilding old-school auto tech]

It’s definitely a shakeup from what Ford has employed in the past, and the automaker has done its homework to better understand the desires of up-and-coming buyers and future Mustang fans.  

“We knew what customers wanted and designed the most digital Mustang ever while retaining the all-important driver-focused cockpit,” said Ford Interior Design Manager Ricardo Garcia. “Removing some of these physical buttons, such as radio and climate control, and integrating them into a digital display was popular in research with Millennials, Gen-Z and traditional Mustang drivers alike.”

Here comes the Dark Horse

Like the new Cadillac Lyriq, the Ford Mustang is getting flashier sights and sounds, with animated welcome lights and splash screens. Owners who want to show off will make use of the Remote Rev feature, which gives the key fob holder the option to rev the Mustang remotely with pre-programmed sounds. (But do so at home only if your neighbors are tolerant of noise.)

In all models, Ford opted to keep the 2.3-liter turbo-four engine and a 5.0-liter V8 from the previous-gen Mustang, but modified both heavily for performance. The automaker says it subbed in a new fuel-delivery and ignition system as well an updated turbocharger for better fuel efficiency and performance overall. And for those who like big power plus the option to row their own, the V8 comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission.

At the top of the heap is the Mustang Dark Horse, which is the first new Mustang performance series in more than two decades and boasts a screaming 500-hp V8. Ford’s promoting the improved aerodynamics, upgraded hardware, new software, and more to make it “the most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever.” 

The new Mustang Dark Horse uses what Ford described as “nostrils” embedded in the grille for better engine breathing, enhanced by street-legal, track-ready tires and streamlined aerodynamics. The trapezoidal nostrils and lower front bumper “fangs” complete the menacing look of the Dark Horse. (As internal combustion engines burn gasoline, they require oxygen to feed the fire, and that’s where the intake nostrils come into play.) 

To recap: more power, more efficiency, more technology. The Mustang is not fading into oblivion anytime soon.

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EV news is spilling at a fast and furious pace this week as automakers clamor for attention to reach Wall Street, the media, and future buyers. The exception is Pagani, which unveiled its newest model, the Utopia, with a price tag of $2.2 million and an 864-hp V12, proudly describing it as using “no heavy batteries, no hybrid power, just a wonderful V12.”

On the luxury EV side, the new Audi RS e-tron GT is twice as much as the average EV cost at close to $150,000.

But wait: We have good news. Motor companies from Chevrolet to Jeep to Honda are announcing a range of new EV options, with prices that are mass-market friendly.

Chevrolet electrifies the Equinox

Coming to the rescue is Chevrolet, which just revealed its shiny new 2024 Equinox EV. Starting at around $30,000 for the base 1LT model, the all-electric version of Chevy’s SUV will be seven inches longer and three inches wider than the gas version. The brand says the Equinox EV will have up to 57 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded, which is nearly seven cubic feet less than the gas-powered Equinox.

[Related: Everything you need to know about EV tax credits and the Inflation Reduction Act]

Offered in five trims, the Equinox EV will be available with GM’s Super Cruise driving assistance technology and adaptive cruise control starting at the second level up. GM estimates the total range for the EV version of the Equinox to fall between 250 and 300, depending on whether it’s a front-wheel-drive or e-all-wheel-drive variant.

Following the launch of the Blazer EV and Silverado EV, the Equinox EV will be available in about a year and will be produced at GM’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico facility.

Jeeps goes Recon

Twitter has been afire with comments about the name of Jeep’s new EV, Recon. Merriam-Webster says the word “reconnaissance” means “to conduct a preliminary and especially an exploratory survey,” and considering Jeep’s heritage as a vehicle people buy to explore and adventure, it seems apt. One of four zero-emission vehicles set to be launched in North America and in Europe by 2025, the Recon joins an all-electric Wagoneer S on the main stage, with two more to come. While Jeep hasn’t revealed the Recon or Wagoneer S starting price yet, it would be a safe bet to assume each will carry a higher price tag than its gas-powered siblings.

Jeep’s plan is for 50 percent of its US sales to be fully electric by 2030, while 100 percent of European sales will be all-electric in the same time frame. That explains why it’s also pushing out the Avenger EV, Jeep’s first all-electric EV, which will only be available in Europe and some Asian markets to start in 2023.

When Jeep released its PHEV 4xe, it showcased mobile solar-powered charging stations on the trail. For the Recon, Jeep says that it has the capability to traverse the brand’s home away from home, the Rubicon Trail, with enough juice to return to town to charge. After experiencing both the 4xe and the Magneto electric Jeep concept in Moab and in Austin, Texas, we can share that the silent-Jeeping experience is stunningly good.

Honda brings the two-wheeled fun

Automotive, powersports, and equipment conglomerate Honda Motor Company announced it would release “10 or more” electric motorcycles by 2025. That’s ambitious, but seems possible for the brand that brought us motos from the Grom to the Gold Wing and everything in between over the last 70 years or so. 

Yesterday, Honda said it was planning to “accelerate electrification of its motorcycle models while also continuing to advance ICE (internal combustion engines),” which is a smart strategy to cover the market. Citing an uptick in demand for business-use two-wheelers, Honda revealed plans to launch two all-electric commuter models between 2024 and 2025 in Asia, Europe and Japan. During the same time period, it will introduce three large EV models in Japan, Europe, and the US based on its “Fun EV” platform currently in development. 

With the instant torque EV provides, we hope Honda reminds riders to go easy on takeoff.

The post Take a look at Honda, Jeep, and Chevy’s new electric lineup appeared first on Popular Science.

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Carburetors may represent old-school tech in the automotive world, but don’t tell Riley Schlick, a high school senior in Florida who rebuilds them for a tidy profit. Send your tired, dirty, mucked-up carburetor to Schlick and she’ll return it to you clean, shiny, and ready for duty once again. She has operated her Bradenton-based business, Riley’s Rebuilds, for three years now, and a steady stream of carburetors has crossed her path.

At first, Riley’s Rebuilds was a way for 17-year-old Schlick to buy her first car, which had to meet her parents’ specifications: It needed to have a manual transmission and a roll bar. Within a few months, she made enough money to buy a Jeep. Then, she brought on four friends to work with her. That hiring spree solved two problems, in Schlick’s mind. Her friends make more money rebuilding carburetors than they would working a minimum wage job, and they get to spend time together. 

She learned how to do the work from her dad. “I said to her, ‘You can get a job at Publix or I can show you how to do some restoration stuff in the garage,” says Schlick’s father, Dane Trask, who rebuilds classic cars as a hobby. He showed her how to do it, and also made use of some YouTube tutorials. “She picked it up quick,” he says.

[Related: At $1,807, the Honda Navi is the perfect starter motorcycle for a beginner]

Once a vital piece of equipment for cars, carburetors regulate the fuel and air ratio for internal combustion engines. In the same way that fires need oxygen to burn, engines require air to create the chemical reaction that propels the vehicle forward. In its simplest form, a carburetor (or “carb” for short) is a device that takes in air from one end and forces it through a narrow section that causes the air to speed up and the pressure to drop, too. As a result, the falling pressure creates a vacuum that sucks in air and fuel through another hole in the side. (Since the 1980s, carbs have been replaced by fuel injection, and now, the industry is moving towards electric vehicles.)

A carburetor’s combination of pipes and crevices tend to accumulate dirt and impurities, which creates performance problems like stalling, flooding, rough idling, and decreased fuel economy. Chemical carburetor cleaners sometimes addressed the issues, but not the way a full rebuild can. That’s where Riley’s Rebuilds comes in.

Schlick and her staff—her school friends Dagny, Katie, Amelia, and Elaine—unbox carbs that arrive in the mail and first determine if it’s a donation or a rebuild. She says that now that her business has attracted some attention and started to grow, people from all over the country are sending their carburetors to Riley’s Rebuilds as gifts. She cleans them up and resells them at local auto events. 

Once the origin of the carb is determined, Schlick and the team document the model number and CFM rating (cubic feet per minute) and get the device ready to break down. Each carburetor has eight screws on top, Schlick explains, and they remove the hat and the floats (those work similarly to a float in a toilet tank, regulating the fuel level). Out comes the choke, which controls the air intake, and all the springs, screws, and bolts inside.

The team takes the screws and bolts and tosses them into a tumbler for about 20 minutes. Next, they soda blast the body, which harnesses tiny baking soda fibers to remove the dirt and grime. Then they transfer the parts to an ultrasonic tank, and blow out the ports with an air compressor to clear any remaining soda bits.

“We use soda blasting instead of sand or glass because it’s not super aggressive,” Schlick said. “The soda doesn’t get stuck in the carburetor like other materials would.”

Once the gunk is gone, they dry the carburetor thoroughly and put it back together again. On average, Schlick said, the team works on 20 or more carburetors a week.

Riley’s Rebuilds charges $145 and up to rebuild a carburetor and send it back to its owner, depending on the model, year, and how clean they can get it. They’ll even clean up a marine carburetor, which costs more in the $300 range.

“Carbs look complicated and difficult, but they’re not,” says Trask. “From a business standpoint, it’s a forever growing market for her and for younger kids.” 

At this rate, Schlick and her friends aren’t going to need a minimum wage job any time soon. 

“It takes about an hour to 90 minutes to rebuild one carb,” Schlick says. “With our system, we have one girl breaking down, another soda blasting, and another building, so we’re hitting several at a time. They go from all grimy and sticky to shiny and clean.”

For more information, check out Riley’s eBay and Facebook pages. 

The post This Florida teen is making a business out of rebuilding old-school auto tech appeared first on Popular Science.

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Honda is working its way toward the goal of a 100-percent zero-emission lineup in North America by 2040. It’s an ambitious but achievable endpoint, as many of its competitors are on similar (if not accelerated) timelines. 

One of Honda’s latest strategies is to invest a hefty sum into a brand-new battery plant in the US for its electric vehicle lineup. This week, Honda Motor and LG Energy Solution announced its $4.4 billion joint venture intended to produce lithium-ion batteries for Honda and Acura EVs; it’s waiting for regulatory approval. With plans to produce about two million EVs a year by 2030, Honda has no time to waste. 

While the Japanese automaker didn’t reveal the location of the new US-based plant, it stands to reason that it could break ground near one of its existing facilities in Ohio, Alabama, or Indiana. The companies plan to start construction in early 2023 and commence mass production of advanced lithium-ion battery cells by the end of 2025. That’s a fairly speedy goal, but Honda is motivated and determined, and the cash infusion from LG appears to have tipped the scale. 

Honda is not alone. Stellantis, the umbrella company over US auto brands Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo, announced in May that it is building a $2.5 billion EV battery manufacturing facility with electronics giant Samsung. It will be situated just north of Indianapolis in Kokomo, Indiana. Stellantis is committed to selling five million battery-electric vehicles per year by 2030, and they have a lot of work to do to reach that goal. 

Other manufacturers jumping on the US-based-battery-factory train include General Motors, which is also working with LG at its battery plant in Lansing, Michigan. Ford is partnering with SK Innovation to build an EV battery lab in southeast Michigan, and Hyundai is building a gigantic $5.5 billion dedicated electric vehicle and battery plant near Savannah, Georgia. 

Meanwhile, electric vehicle maker Rivian went public last year and brought in a reported $11.9 billion in cash, and it’s planning to spend $5 billion of that to expand its operations in Georgia. Rivian is watching its competitors and chasing success using best practices; it makes sense for it to follow Tesla’s lead in building its own batteries. 

[Related: Everything you need to know about EV tax credits and the Inflation Reduction Act]

If there is any doubt about the importance of keeping as much technology and development in-house as possible, take a look at what happened to small-batch automaker Henrik Fisker’s previous company, Fisker Automotive. The creator of the Karma and Revero relied on battery maker A123 Systems, and when A123 went belly up, so did Fisker in 2013. With his new company, Fisker Inc, Henrik Fisker hasn’t changed its position on outsourcing through its “asset light” model, and is farming out the manufacturing of the Ocean to Magna Steyr’s carbon-neutral factory in Austria. However, he has indicated he’s keeping his eyes open for ways to increase production in the U.S. 

Finding a wealthy dance partner like LG is a win for automotive companies like Honda, which all have big manufacturing problems to solve. Leveraging resources takes some of the pain out of a multi-billion investment, and presumably distributes the pressure. Honda Motors is reading the room and seeing the massive potential for EVs in North America and throwing its considerable weight behind giving it every chance it can to succeed. 

If the past two and a half years have taught us anything about the automotive industry, it’s that plans can go awry quickly—especially considering that global supply chain challenges have ramped up from a mere annoyance to an all-out hindrance in many cases.

Now, if we could just solve the chip shortage problem. 

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During Monterey Car Week in California last weekend, Acura revealed its Precision EV Concept with a sleek and futuristic silhouette. The concept vehicle is intended to set the design tone for the brand’s all-electric line, showcasing eye-catching lines and LED lighting set in a luminescent sapphire blue finish the brand is calling Double Apex Blue. Acura, the Honda-owed luxury brand, spilled some details about the interior, and we know from the renderings that designers are favoring a two-grip yoke-style steering wheel. The concept also features what Acura is calling “Spiritual Lounge mode,” which will retract the steering wheel, pipe in “soothing scents” and project animated water scenes when the car is autonomous mode.

While that vehicle and its futuristic lounge mode is just a concept for now, what’s real and set for its debut during calendar year 2024 is the brand’s first all-electric model, the Acura ZDX SUV. In case that name rings a bell, it’s because Acura built a gas-powered ZDX from 2010-2013 that wasn’t particularly popular. The ZDX will take design cues from the Precision EV concept, although Acura hasn’t revealed which cues will survive the production process. 

For the new battery-powered ZDX, Acura borrowed nothing from the old one except for the name, and decided the “Z” was a good fit for its new zero-emissions vehicle. Toyota opted for a similar moniker for its bZ4X, which is unfortunately experiencing some new-model pains and a major recall.

None of this is shocking, as automakers worldwide are jockeying for position in the EV landscape. What is interesting, however, is that Acura is teaming up with an unlikely partner to power its EV line: American legacy giant General Motors and its Ultium platform.

“The partnership with GM helps unlock economies of scale that benefit both companies and accelerates Acura’s electrification roadmap in North America,” Emile Korkor, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales, tells PopSci. “The Acura Design Studio is leading the top-hat styling direction of the all-electric ZDX. There has been co-development work of the vehicle between Acura and GM engineers, but Acura is responsible for the design of the new ZDX.”

Ultimately, that means the concept may be a pie-in-the-sky wish for the designers tasked with creating something unusual. However, when the production version of the ZDX is built, some of those futuristic details will likely be smoothed out or omitted altogether. 

Featured prominently in GMC’s Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq SUV, GM’s Ultium platform is designed to be flexible and modular. American Honda recognized an opportunity to harness already-developed technology. The platform is built on a proprietary NCMA combination—nickel, cobalt, manganese, and aluminum—in the cathode (that’s one of two electrodes in a battery), which improves overall stability. Current batteries often use much larger amounts of cobalt, which is not only expensive but largely mined in Congo, where forced and child labor are reportedly exploited to collect the mineral. 

Ultium’s rectangular cells take up less space and can be configured in two ways: stacked like a deck of cards or slotted vertically like a sliced loaf of bread. As Ultium is deployed in vehicles of different sizes and power needs, engineers can adjust the number of cells. In the Hummer EV, for instance, the total battery weight is nearly 3,000 pounds and consists of 24 individual battery modules. Cadillac’s Lyriq uses half that with 12 battery modules. GM says its battery packs can use six, eight, 10, 12, or up to 24 modules in total, depending on what is needed for that particular vehicle. These configurations allow for creative configurations that work around the vehicle’s mechanical parts with fewer constrictions. 

Acura co-developed the ZDX with GM with the intention to use Ultium batteries. Next, Acura is planning to break off to launch additional EV models on its own global EV platform. Honda has dabbled in EV production in the past with the mostly-forgotten Fit EV, EV Plus and the simply-named e, which was only available in Europe and Japan. All-electric vehicles have come a long way since then, and the brand is trying again with the GM partnership.  

“Following ZDX will be an additional number of Acura EVs,” Dave Gardner, American Honda’s executive vice president for national operations and sales said during a media briefing last week. “That’ll be based on the company’s new global e:Architecture, starting to arrive in 2026. These are exclusive products, which we are designing and engineering completely from the ground up.” In 2021, Honda announced its plan to make battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles to represent 100 percent of its North American vehicle sales by 2040, starting with 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2035. Perhaps even more optimistically, the company has set its sights on carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050.  

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Fisker bills itself as providing “the world’s most sustainable electric vehicles and advanced mobility solutions.” The automaker has made bold claims about tech behind its first vehicle, the upcoming Ocean EV. Additionally, to add to its environmental claims, all of the company’s cars are built in Magna’s carbon-neutral factory in Graz, Austria. 

Founder Henrik Fisker is a mad genius, designing a slew of iconic vehicles like the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9, and Aston Martin V8 Vantage before starting his latest company, Fisker Inc, in 2016. The outspoken entrepreneur’s Midas touch is proving itself once again, as his company has already sold out two trim levels of its Ocean SUV, the Ocean Sport and Ocean Ultra. It also sold out 5,000 units of its Fisker Ocean One edition.

Since the announcement of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which changed the requirement for tax credit qualification to only include cars with final assembly in North America, Fisker has been contacting interested parties in the US to mitigate any concerns about retaining the $7,500 federal tax credit before the act potentially takes effect (Fisker’s vehicles no longer qualify for tax credits under the new law). Fisker told Ocean reservation holders that if they have a binding order and take delivery before the end of 2023, they still qualify for the tax credit. 

The company made waves at the Consumer Electronics Show and the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, where Henrik Fisker himself debuted the Ocean and its unusual features. Its available roof-mounted solar panels (called SolarSky) are touted to power 2,000 miles of range per year. The center-mounted 17.1-inch touchscreen rotates vertically and horizontally like a personal tablet. And inside the cabin, the Ocean employs all sustainable materials, like recycled plastic bottles and other recycled plastics. Activate the Ocean’s “California mode” to lower all the windows (including the tailgate window) and slide back the sunroof for an open-air feel. 

The Ocean, the company’s base model, is equipped with a single motor with 275 horsepower. Fisker says it will have 250 miles of range before needing to recharge. Stepping up a level, there’s the Ultra, which adds a second motor for a total output of 540 horsepower, with a zero-to-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds. The Extreme and Ocean One models reduce that time to 3.6 seconds and sport 550 horsepower engines. 

The Ocean SUV comes standard with what the company calls the Fisker Intelligent Pilot package, which is its suite of driver-assistance technology. Included are programs for automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, forward-collision warning, and available adaptive cruise control. 

With a starting price of under $40,000, the electric-powered SUV is betting on the company founder’s vast experience and creativity to build and market its vehicles. Only 537 employees work for Fisker—an incredibly small number for an automaker. 

One of the ways the company is staying nimble is through its “asset light” approach, which means it keeps its balance sheet healthier by farming out the manufacturing to Magna Steyr’s carbon-neutral factory in Austria. In a press release, Fisker said it’s exploring ways to increase production of the Ocean to meet demand in the US by the end of 2023. No promises have been made yet, however. With less than 100 days to go to production, Fisker is focused on getting the first set of orders out the door. 

“Our asset-light, rapid-product-development business model enables us to bring state-of-the-art technology like a revolving 17.1-inch center screen, SolarSky sunroof, and the world’s first digital radar to market earlier than other brands, offering the latest technology for $68,799 for our top-end, fully loaded Fisker Ocean Extreme,” Henrik Fisker tells PopSci.

Those who remember Fisker’s previous endeavor, the luxury plug-in range-extended sports car Fisker Karma, know that the CEO isn’t shy about stepping outside of what is considered “typical.” Unfortunately plagued by the bankruptcy of its battery supplier, A123 Systems, Fisker’s design, tooling, and manufacturing facility were sold to Wanxiang Group in 2014. The Chinese company renamed Fisker Automotive to Karma Automotive, and Henrik Fisker started over with Fisker Inc. 

Fisker says it will resume production on November 17 and ramp up to 40,000-50,000 units in 2023. The company will reopen the order process for the Fisker Ocean Extreme trim on November 18.

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Unity Technologies, a developer of video game software, revealed this week that it will be providing the technology backbone for Mercedes-Benz’ next-generation infotainment system. The newest headline on the company’s blog repeated what Mercedes-Benz Group AG Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener said in 2019: “Screens are the new horsepower.” Considering that screen size inside vehicles has been growing hugely in the past few years, some exploding past most iPad dimensions, he may be right.

For Mercedes-Benz, California-based Unity Technologies will underpin the automaker’s newest operating system, MB.OS, which will launch with 2024 models. The new OS will connect the powertrain (along with current semi-autonomous driving) with the infotainment and body and comfort systems in ways it hasn’t before, turning its cars even more into computers on wheels. Ultimately, the intent is for the car to become more tuned in to its capabilities as well as the driver’s and passengers’ desires. 

“With our own operating system, we want to achieve three key things: to shape the user interface according to a luxury brand, to create a bidirectional communication with the customer and to integrate the digital lifestyle of the customer into the vehicle domain,” Magnus Östberg, chief software officer for Mercedes-Benz, told Automotive News.

Unity offers a development platform with some serious street cred. Gamers recognize the name for its licensed game engine, and Unity claims nearly half of the world’s games are built on Unity technology. On top of that, it says that 72 percent of the top 1,000 games were created with its platform. With heavy emphasis on 3D modeling, the technology company is working with the automaker on 3D navigation enhancements and digital avatar assistants for the future. Unity says its development enables Mercedes-Benz to create “visually compelling” and “highly interactive” graphics, incorporating all of the passengers in the cabin. 

“Unity wants to be the 3D operating system of the world,” says Sylvio Drouin, VP of the Unity Labs R&D team, according to TechCrunch. Drouin isn’t speaking theoretically: Unity works on 30 platforms, including Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, Oculus Rift, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Competing head-to-head with Epic’s Unreal Engine (the brains behind Fortnite along with scores of games for PS4 and Xbox One), Unity is a legitimate powerhouse and Mercedes-Benz anticipates reaping the benefits of Unity’s experience. 

Mercedes-Benz says it will be fully electric by 2030, including its high-performance AMG subdivision and uber-luxury Maybach brand. The automaker started with its EQS sedan in three flavors—EQS 450+, EQS 580 4Matic, and AMG EQS—and it’s ramping up as quickly as possible considering the constraints of supply chain challenges and chip shortages. 

The Hyperscreen is the centerpiece showpiece of the EQS cabin. Behind a single soaring piece of glass, this eye feast includes a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster for the driver, a 17.7-inch OLED center infotainment display, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. The OLED screen is particularly impressive, its pixels emitting their own light source instead of other tech that requires a backlight. As a result, the graphics are video-game crisp. 

If the name Unity sounds familiar in the automotive realm, it may be because BMW is using a Unity platform to pressure-test cars with Level 3-enabled automation. (On the scale of automotive autonomy, Level 3 means the driver must be ready and able when the system alerts the driver to regain control of the vehicle.) Currently, cars equipped with Level 3 autonomy are not legal on US roads, so BMW harnesses Unity’s development expertise to simulate driving conditions in three dimensions.

It’s a smart move for Mercedes-Benz, which is looking to expand its digital footprint and appeal to a younger audience. Experimental vehicles like the all-electric Vision EQXX concept vehicle have the potential to turn heads and show that the German brand is making an attempt to stay ahead. In fact, it was the Vision EQXX prototype that launched the Unity and Mercedes-Benz collaboration five years ago. The combination of zoomy powertrains and high-tech usability gives the brand a fighting chance to get ahead in the next decade.

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Ford looked into its crystal ball, saw the red-hot firestorm it had created with the launch of the Maverick, and predicted it would sell out. Sure enough, it did, and as reported by The Drive, the Blue Oval opted to close orders in January of this year to keep up with customer demand. Gird your loins, because the window for Maverick orders is about to open again, and the truck has a shiny new option on tap.

The original Maverick launched in 1970 as a two-door coupe (and later, a four-door sedan) available in the US until 1977 when it was discontinued, and the name temporarily retired. The Maverick moniker bubbled back to the surface inside the Ford hive mind and burst back onto the scene as a cool new compact truck for model year 2022. Offered with either a 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter engine or a hybrid version with a 2.5-liter engine that is rated for an impressive 40+ miles per gallon, the Maverick starts at $22,490. 

When it comes to fuel economy, the Maverick is a superstar as a hybrid; to compare, its competitor the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz truck mashup gets 23 mpg combined. Even with the gas-only engine, the Maverick fares pretty well at 25 mpg with all-wheel drive and 26 mpg with front-wheel drive. 

In truck form, the Maverick is affordable and compact, making it usable for work. Plus, it’s easy to park, unlike some of its larger compadres. Inside, Ford gave the Maverick clever storage cubbies and even spots where owners could insert 3D-printed accessories such as grocery bag hooks or cupholders as desired.

As off-road exploring continues to grow in popularity, Ford has been reading the room and came up with the new Tremor off-roading package for the Maverick. While orders were on pause, the company put together a set of features to satisfy those who want their compact truck with extra capability in the dirt.

The Tremor package includes a 1-inch lift over the Maverick’s standard 8.3 inches and improves ground clearance. One inch may not seem like much, but that matters when traversing a rocky trail and could save the underbelly of the truck from damage. An off-road-tailored front and rear suspension is also exclusive to the Tremor package, meaning your back and backside (and possibly your teeth) will appreciate the smoother ride. 

Other additions include a rear differential lock, which ensures that both wheels spin at the same rate to improve traction, and trail control, allowing the driver to choose a set speed and have the vehicle manage the throttle and braking. And the new heavy-duty transmission cooler keeps the vehicle from overheating, particularly when pushing the towing capacity or payload to the limit. 

All this is not to say that the Maverick is suddenly on par with the burly, uber-capable Bronco, which Ford re-launched for model year 2021 to great fanfare. However, the improvements will give off-road-curious buyers some leeway for slightly tougher terrain.

On the surface, the Maverick Tremor shares some aesthetic touches that match the F-150 Tremor. Orange accents lasso the Maverick’s grille with the Tremor package, etching an oval that bisects the Ford logo, and coordinating tow hooks and the fender badge are also tinged with orange. A single carrot-colored stripe adorns each wheel. Inside, the truck sports matching orange stitching and “Tremor” embroidered into the back of the seat in case you forget the name of your trim.

[Related: Ford’s electric Lightning still drives like an F-150 truck, but better]

Buyers who want just the look of the Tremor in all of its orange-accented glory can choose an appearance-only package without the off-roading goodies for $1,495. For the real-deal lift kit, upgraded shocks and springs, and the other enhancements plus the appearance, prepare to shell out $2,995 on top of the price of the Maverick, which starts at $22,490.

You’ll want to note that the Tremor package reduces the payload, which is what you can toss in the bed of the truck. A standard Maverick can haul 1,500 pounds in the bed and the Maverick Tremor capability drops to 1,200 pounds. Why? A Ford spokesperson told Popular Science that the additional Tremor Off-Road equipment (heavy items like the additional skid plate, upgraded half shafts and twin mechanical rear drive unit) reduces the payload rating. 

And really, that won’t matter to customers interested in the Tremor, as it’s geared to adventure types who are more likely to tow a pair of UTVs (it has a total towing capacity of 2,000 pounds) than hauling equipment. Also, the Tremor is only currently available with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine and not the hybrid. 

While the Maverick isn’t available as an EV, the hybrid version has been popular, and as the industry barrels on toward full electrification it wouldn’t be surprising to see a Maverick-E in the future. Meanwhile, Ford’s all-electric Lightning has similarly rocked the brand’s numbers, and early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

In June, Ford reported it had sold 38,753 Mavericks. That means the new compact truck outsold the Ford Ranger pickup, and the Maverick sales number was double the number of Mustang Mach-E (the brand’s all-electric crossover) units sold. With the Tremor package, expect the Maverick to keep on growing.

The post How Ford adapted one of its coolest trucks for off-roading appeared first on Popular Science.

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