Electric Vehicles & Cars News - Page 13

Ahead of its public debut during the LA Auto Show later this month, the Porsche 911 Dakar underwent testing on gravel, sand, and snow. The Dakar model name is a nod to the victory by Porsche in the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally with a purpose-built Porsche 911 car.

Overall, Porsche tested the 911 Dakar for 300,000 miles in different weather conditions, including 6,000 miles of off-road testing. These varying environments gave Porsche the best baseline on how the car drives in any type of weather or terrain.

During testing on sand dunes in Dubai and Morocco, the 911 Dakar conquered a 160-ft. steep dune climb with outside air temperature topping 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

Swedish automaker Volvo has unveiled the all-electric EX90 SUV, as the company lays the groundwork for a fully electric future. Each EX90 will have next-generation LiDAR and software support to enhance safety for everyone in the EV.

Volvo is known for industry-leading safety and promotes the EX90 as a vehicle able to understand drivers - and will be able to keep drivers and passengers safe with help from constant learning. Volvo teamed up with NVIDIA to roll out the tech company's DRIVE platform, which creates a full 360-degree view around the vehicle, done in real-time. The car LiDAR sensors were designed to assist drivers identify - and avoid - any safety hazards while in motion.

A single charge should provide upwards of 300 miles of driving - and can recharge from 10 to 80 percent somewhere around 30 minutes. The dual-motor configuration is supported with a 111-kWh battery pack, and it's unknown how that will change based on trim configurations.

The push from traditional internal combustion engines towards an electric future is inevitable, with automakers and governments sorting themselves out. Although EV batteries heavily rely on lithium-ion now, researchers hope seaweed-based nanomaterials can one day offer a more energy-efficient storage platform.

The seaweed-inspired battery separator is strong enough to prevent punctures by sodium-created metal structures - and successfully keeps the plus and minus ends separate for the charge to freely move.

EVs are noticeably pricy when released which is heavily influenced by the high costs of lithium procurement - and producing the heavy battery packs. Researchers and engineers are keen to find more sustainable solutions to lithium batteries. Researchers from the University of Bristol, University College London, and Imperial College found brown seaweed cellulose nanomaterials to be an effective alternative.

To commemorate Ford's launch of the F-150 Lightning Lariat this year, the Legoland Florida Resort had a special idea in mind. A full 1:1 replica was created with 320,740 Lego bricks and took a team of 15 Master Builders 1,600 hours. The full build weighed in at 3,730 pounds.

The design team used a honeycomb-like structure to prevent the Lego blocks from collapsing due to the weight - much of the total weight is the steel frame inside the structure. The use of CAD programs and other design software helped design the Lego truck's curves and contours. Even the headlights and rear lights are functional, with the team clearly taking a realistic approach to developing their Lego model of the electric truck.

Lego's Master Builder is an actual position with a salary, reserved for a select few model designers and creative minds. One of their objectives is to create massive Lego builds for retail display or public events with heavy foot traffic to draw attention. The team is tasked with developing elaborate builds that seem impossible - and shouldn't be possible - just to show what can be done with Lego blocks.

German automaker Audi has refreshed the 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron electric SUV, promising better battery range and efficiency. The US auto market will be able to choose from two different configurations, the Audi Q8 e-tron and Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron, which can be selected based on driving style and range expectations.

The fully electric vehicle will feature two different versions of the Q8 e-tron - the Q8 55 e-tron and the SQ8 e-tron. The 55 e-tron has two motors and generates 402 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque - with a 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds. The SQ8 has one front axle motor and two on the rear, generating 496 hp with 718 lb-ft of torque - and can tackle the 0-60mph in just 4.5 seconds.

Although the power output remains unchanged, a redesigned electric motor coupled with improved aerodynamics greatly aids the battery. Certain versions of the new model will have more than 300 miles in drive range, which is a drastic increase over the current 222-mile capacity.

Aehra might not be a recognizable name, but that doesn't matter now, as the luxury Italian electric automaker has introduced its first vehicle. Simply called the Aehra SUV currently, the vehicle designers wanted to find ways to build an efficient EV with a bold design and character to match.

The car's aerodynamic design was made with the help of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which molded the SUV's shape. Since we're early on in the process, Aehra didn't disclose a lot of details, including its first model's wind tunnel results.

Drivers can expect to drive an SUV made with well-researched, light, sustainable materials - including forged carbon fiber - with a monocoque construction.

The Subaru WRX has maintained a long success as a quality all-wheel drive high-performance sedan but faces some real competition. Can the 2022 Hyundai Elantra N outpace the 2022 Subaru WRX? Here are the general specs of both cars, compared head-to-head, courtesy of Car and Driver:

Judging from early comparisons, actual road tests, and head-to-head racing competition, it looks like the Elantra N is highly successful. Subaru will finally be forced to innovate to get back ahead, which wasn't necessary as of late. Hyundai's car is better on paper - and on the road - according to reviewers.

Here is what Car and Driver thought after comparing the two:

In one of the more perplexing vehicle builds at SEMA Show 2022, a new BMW M4 Competition xDrive was converted into a pickup truck. The "M4 Maloo" includes a truck-style bed still fed by the twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine, controlled with an automatic eight-speed gearbox. The six-cylinder engine cranks out 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque.

There was no vinyl wrap on the model shown off - a scratch-resistant polyurethane paint protection film was used. The DYNOchrome can include a color to result in a chrome-like finish that absolutely pops when it's seen.

Automaker Kia is working on prototype pickup trucks, and one has been spotted out in the wild in Korea. Both kia_club_official and Bobaedream were quick to the news and pictures:

Obviously, details about the truck remain scarce, with Kia keeping quiet. We honestly aren't even sure if this was an electric prototype. It does look like Kia's Mohave SUV is now sharing the same front end as this secret truck. Despite a hood cover, the truck's LED headlights also appear to be borrowed from the Mohave.

Cadillac China is showing off a CT5 in honor of the God of War game series, ahead of the impending release of God of War: Ragnarok. The Chinese market exclusive has a clean paint job, featuring white body paint with red, black, and gray highlights on the full exterior, rooftop, and mirror caps.

A God of War logo is placed on the front of the hood, and PlayStation's iconic triangle, circle, X, and square from the controller can be found near the rear wheels.

The car has a striking paint job in honor of Kratos, whose backstory as the protagonist of the game series is quite in-depth. Kratos isn't actually covered in white paint - but the ashes of his wife and daughter to turn his skin white - which is part of a curse placed on him. The red is a tattoo in honor of his brother, Deimos.