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Archive for the ‘green cars’ Category

Nobody has officially confirmed that the next-generation 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster will be electric or even hybrid, but a new report is saying that they could have 400 horsepower, a figure that will put them well ahead of the current Cayman GTS and pretty damn close to the 414-horsepower Cayman GT4.

The Tesla Model S Plaid tore around Laguna Seca in just 1:36.555 and is slated to be the fastest and most powerful version of the Tesla Model S, effectively dethroning the Model S P100D. The Model X will also get the same treatment and, while we know the Model S and Model X Plaid models will be more powerful – and faster – we’ve been left in the dark in terms of battery size, at least until now, as Elon Musk has confirmed that Plaid models will, in fact, feature a larger battery. In fact, they will sort the largest battery to ever grace Tesla’s lineup.

Ford’s upcoming all-electric and Mustang-inspired SUV was caught testing in the wild with a production body. The crossover is wrapped in camouflage from bumper to bumper, but the details show through the wrap, so it’s our best look at this vehicle yet. The Ford Mach-E, as it’s expected to be called, will make its official debut at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, most likely in pre-production form.

Mazda has the MX-30. Volkswagen has the ID.3, and the ID.4 is almost done brewing. Porsche has the Taycan. Mercedes-Benz has the EQC and Audi the e-tron. BMW had the i3 and is now cooking the i4, while Jaguar relies on the I-Pace, so Volvo couldn’t just sit around and watch the competition get ahead. So there it is, the Swedish carmaker’s first-ever electric car, which opens the avenue for a downfall of EVs grouped under the Recharge moniker. Ladies and gents, let’s meet the new Volvo XC40 Recharge.

The upcoming Tesla pickup truck is the next big thing in the pickup truck industry. There are quite a few things we already know about the truck, like its towing capacity and starting price, but we still don’t know what it’ll be called; well, we didn’t know until now. During Tesla’s third-quarter 2019 earnings conference call, Musk referred the pickup truck as the “Cybertruck” while calling it the company’s “best product ever.” Was this just a nickname, or will it just be called “Cybertruck?” And what happened to the “Model” moniker?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the sort of battle that has the potential to change the EV segment forever. So far, Tesla’s viciously quick Model S has been kicking supercars and muscle cars to the curb in drag races around the world to the delight of Elon Musk’s fanbase. However, it looks like the electric sedan has met its match and then some in the squeaky-new Porsche Taycan. TopGear took the two EVs out for a spin that culminated with both a drag race and a top speed run on the Autobahn. Let’s see how that went, shall we?

Volkswagen held an event in China to show off some of its latest models, including the Vilorian minivan and Tacqua compact crossover, but the highlight of the lineup there was the ID 4 prototype. Undoubtedly, VW plans to enter the Chinese market with the ID 4 compact as well, but since it needs to make a big splash in the states, you’d think that prototype would have been shown here, where the brand has been withholding its new ID lineup.

Mazda just launched its first all-electric vehicle, the MX-30, at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, and it’s quite an exotic crossover in a sea of dull-looking haulers. And that’s mostly because it has tiny, rear-hinged doors like the RX-8, a sports car that Mazda built from 2003 to 2012. Needless to say, it’s a cool feature to have, but it ruins the practicality of the MX-30 and makes me wonder why Mazda went with such a design.

Mazda’s first-ever electric car is finally here and unsurprisingly, the Japanese carmaker is insisting that the EV is still a car for the driver. What’s more, the MX-30 gets the freestyle doors last seen on the RX-8 sports car and it promises to cover around 200 kilometers (124 miles) on a single charge. Let’s find out more.

A photo of Mazda’s first all-electric vehicle leaked online ahead of its debut at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show on October 23. It’s called the MX-30, it’s a crossover, and it confirms its position between the CX-3 and CX-5 in the company’s lineup. It’s not yet clear whether this is a concept or a production model, but we will find out soon enough.

It’s no secret that with the copious amounts of torque they carry, electric vehicles are considered some of the fastest-accelerating cars in the world, faster even than most of their non-EV counterparts. The eight cars on this list are proof of that. These are some of the fastest electric cars on the road today, so if you happen to see one on the road, try not to look at them the wrong way, unless you want to see first-hand just how fast they can go.

If you’ve ever wondered about the etymology of Tesla’s Ludicrous Speed upgrade for the Model S, look no further than Mel Brooks’ Spacebars, the parody of the Star Wars movie franchise that was released back in 1988. “Ludicrous Speed,” as it was called, was a unit of speed that traveled faster than “Light Speed” and “Ridiculous Speed.” It also opened the door for the next fastest form of speed in outer space, referred to only as “Plaid.” All of this is relevant only in Tesla’s world because of the upcoming arrival of the Model S Plaid. This is everything we know about it.

Ford has been touting that its new Mustang-inspired Crossover EV, the one that will probably be called the Mach E, will be able to be charged all over North America. We know this because it was announced that it’s partnering up with Electrify America. That’s all well and great, but Electrify America’s version of the press release pointed out that the new electric SUV will have an “estimated range of 300 miles with an extended battery and rear-wheel drive, in late 2020.”

There aren’t too many models out there that can legitimately lay claim to being funkier than the Nissan Juke, but the BMW i3 is one of them. It was introduced in 2013 as BMW’s first step into the electric market with a single purpose in mind – to see if people would actually be interested in an electric BMW. Well, the i3 has served its purpose very well and actually received a lot of attention. Whether that attention was received because of its funky minivan-like hatchback appearance or because it was an electric BMW is up for debate, but after 6 years on the market BMW has no choice but to dig into the electric car segment even more, so you can write the i3 off as a success either way.

That success, however, doesn’t come without a price, and in this case, the BMW i3 is paying the ultimate price – it will eventually die off as BMW focuses on other electric vehicles. With the i3’s time on the Earth limited to the next few years as BMW runs out parts inventory, we decided it would be a great time to test out the i3 before it fades off into oblivion. After all, it’s the last of its kind and, therefore, is probably as good as it will ever get. This is our story of a week well spent with the soon-to-be-extinct BMW i3.

Yes, what you’re seeing is a person, on a treadmill, breathing car exhaust as they do their usual training routine. That person is Hyundai Spain’s brand ambassador and an Olympic athlete, and that vehicle is a Hyundai Nexo – a purely hydrogen-powered vehicle that Hyundai says emits absolutely zero emissions. Of course, that’s not exactly true as hydrogen-powered vehicles emit water vapor, but we’ll leave that argument for another time.

The reason this actually works is because as the vehicle breaks down the hydrogen, it creates water vapor. The Nexo, however, also purifies the air it emits, which means that person in the gas bubble is most likely breathing cleaner air than you right now. Weird, huh? As weird as it seems, I should probably point out that you shouldn’t try this at home. Doing this with a normal vehicle will result in a permanent loss of life that you don’t want. And, you probably shouldn’t try it with your own NEXO either, if you happen to own one. The whole point is to prove that the Nexo – and hydrogen-powered vehicles as a whole – are safe for the environment… and people… obviously people.

Oddly enough, hydrogen-fueled vehicles have yet to take off, even in the limited capacity that electric cars have. Where electric cars have long recharge times, a hydrogen vehicle can be refilled in nearly the same amount of time it takes to fill a take of gasoline or diesel. But, there are two downsides, the first being that hydrogen fuel cells don’t tend to work in cold temperatures, and the other being that there is a serious lack of hydrogen fueling stations. For what it’s worth, Hyundai does say that the Nexo can operate in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit. For now, enjoy the video, and, as I said before, don’t take this is as some stupid challenge. If you try it and kick the bucket, we’ll be forced to say you fell victim to natural selection.

Fresh from the wild land of Bulgaria comes the Kinetik 07, a two-seater, road-legal, track car that’s not only electric but rides on top of Caterham underpinnings. Right now, the Kinetik 07 is merely a prototype, but it was revealed among a group of potential investors and could, one day, be Bulgaria’s first zero-emission sports car. The dynamic of the car – outside of unique look and lack of a roof, lies in its capabilities and ability to adapt to the situation at hand.

I saw an article posted by another outlet just the other day that was titled “idiots are trying to run themselves over with Their Own Tesla’s.” Like most people, I didn’t really read the article – I eventually did, and it isn’t much of an article – however, with all the dumb challenges going on these days (dumb kids eating tide pods, I’m looking at you) I found it very easily to believe people are out there jumping in front of their Tesla on Smart Summon, just to see if it will stop. As it turns out, there aren’t as many cases as I would have expected, and I’m sure they’re coming at some point, but there is one “homemade” test that we’ve posted below. Not surprisingly, the Smart Summon feature is far from perfect. This raises another question in my mind, though: Who the hell is responsible in accidents involving Tesla Smart Summon?

The 2020 Volkswagen ID.3 is an all-electric compact hatchback that the German automaker unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2020 ID.3 is the first Volkswagen based on the new MEB platform, which will underpin a full range of electric vehicles in the future. Heavily based on the ID Neo concept, the 2020 ID.3 is similar to the Volkswagen Golf in size, so it’s pretty much a replacement for the e-Golf.

A competitor for models like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt, and Tesla Model 3, the 2020 Volkswagen ID.3 is available with three drivetrains that provide different outputs and mileage ratings. The range-topping model will deliver in excess of 200 horsepower and return more than 300 miles of range on a single charge. The 2020 ID.3 will cost less than €30,000 in Europe. Sadly, this EV won’t come to the United States. Let’s find out more about it in the detailed review below.

Thanks to an 80-kWh battery pack that sends power down to a pair of asynchronous electric motors, the Mercedes-Benz EQC can travel for 445 to 471 kilometers ( 276 to 292 miles) on a single full charge. We’re telling you this because Mercedes-Benz’s latest bundle of lifestyle accessories for the EQC was coined with this particular feature in mind.




The Germans are sure that those who have decided to own an EQC won’t stick to the daily work-home-supermarket urban routine and will want to drive way from the city on weekends or holidays. So, in a way, the accessories Mercedes-Benz has just dropped are aimed at road-trippers first and foremost. Let’s check it out.

The Chrysler Pacifica was introduced in 2016 as a replacement for the Chrysler Town & Country, but it wasn’t until 2017 that the Pacifica Hybrid was launched. As a model that only has a couple of years under its belt, the Pacifica is still relatively fresh on the market and is one of the few minivans that are still in production for the U.S. Market. What’s even more interesting is the fact that Chrysler has managed to create its own little niche of sorts, as the Pacifica Hybrid – the model you see here – is the only hybrid minivan on the market. That means it doesn’t have any prerequisite standard to live up to and is responsible for setting its own standard. With it competing against non-hybrid minivans we have actually been very curious about how well it stacks up against the less-sophisticated competition.

Is the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid really worth buying in terms of fuel economy, comfort, and value? Is it a worth competitor for the new Honda Odyssey or nearly decade-old Toyota Sienna? Well, we managed to score a week with the Pacific Hybrid, and we set out to answer these questions and more. Here’s what we learned after spending a week with the market’s only hybrid minivan.