Author: EVAI

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV sees a small price increase for the new model year, but few other changes.

After remaining unchanged for the 2024 model year, pricing for the entry-level rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ rises $850 to $106,400. All prices include a mandatory $1,150 destination charge that’s unchanged for 2025.

This single-motor version generates 355 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. An all-wheel-drive EQS 450 4Matic version is also available, adding a front motor and an extra 161 lb-ft of torque (horsepower is the same) for $3,000 more. A dual-motor EQS 580 4Matic model also remains available, boosting output to 536 hp and 633 lb-ft of torque for a starting price of $129,350.

2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV

The Maybach EQS 680 tops the lineup at $181,050, boasting 649 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque, and more opulent accoutrements inside and out. Those include available reclining rear seats with a center-armrest champagne cooler, two-tone paint, and a more traditional grille similar to what’s been applied to the EQS sedan for 2025.

All EQS SUV models continue to use a 108.4-kwh battery pack. The rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ leads in EPA range, at 323 miles. That declines to 317 miles for the EQS 450 4Matic, 312 miles for the EQS 580 4Matic, and 302 miles for the Maybach version.

2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV

Mercedes made some equipment changes. Four-zone climate control, soft-close doors, front headrest cushions, and a center airbag between the front seats are now standard, while automatic-closing doors and an air-control package with HEPA filtration are optional, along with a new Moonlight White Metallic paint color. New 22-inch wheel designs are also available for both the standard EQS SUV and the Maybach EQS SUV.

The Alabama-built EQS SUV arrived for the 2023 model year, and was good enough out of the box to make the Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy finalist list. It’s one of four related models, along with the EQS sedan and the smaller EQE SUV and sedan, that formed Mercedes’ first wave of dedicated EVs. They’re set to be joined by a new generation of smaller models—starting with the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA.

Nissan has unveiled an R32 Skyline GT-R converted to run on battery power The 62-kwh battery was taken from a former Leaf RC race car concept The goal of the project was to deliver a similar driving sensation to the original gas-powered car Whether Nissan launches its next-generation R36 GT-R with an electric powertrain remains to be seen, but the…

Ford is looking at ways to make electric vehicle battery packs easier to repair—especially as their cooling systems become more advanced—a patent filing indicates.

The document, which was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Dec. 12, 2024, after being submitted by Ford Jun. 12, 2023, details how battery modules could be replaced without removing the entire pack from the vehicle. This could reduce repair costs and could be greener, potentially allowing some packs to be rehabbed with new modules rather than replaced.

Patent image of Ford battery pack designed for easier module replacement

Ford discusses retaining the common layout of a battery pack mounted under the floor, with multiple modules that in turn contain multiple battery cells. Electrical terminals with removable caps and spring-loaded connectors would allow modules to be removed as needed.

The patent filing also mentions immersion cooling, in which battery components are directly cooled by a non-conductive fluid that won’t cause electrical shorts. Immersion cooling is a relatively new idea in EV development, as most modern EVs even with liquid cooling use the coolant outside modules and/or with a cooling plate. But this necessitates additional hardware that makes accessing battery modules more complicated.

Patent image of Ford battery pack designed for easier module replacement

Other automakers, such as Mercedes-Benz, have considered going the other way completely, toward air-cooling. The physical configuration of cells and modules is also being considered, with General Motors looking at different cell arrangements to maximize cooling and Canoo designing a structural battery pack with modules interconnected with the vehicle frame and cooling system.

It’s new territory. Rimac is one of the only companies that has detailed a true immersion cooling system that thermally conditions each cell at multiple points (the Cybertruck might qualify for this description too, but Tesla has not yet detailed the system). Bringing such tech to the mass market may help Ford get a jump on others—even Tesla. 

The Sorento Hybrid AWD averaged 32.7 mpg during one Rocky Mountain vacation A center locking differential and Snow mode eased the anxiety of a snowy descent SX Prestige trim handles the altitude better than at least one human If I were to die today, my teenagers might scrawl an epithet that reads, “Drink more water.” It’s my most…

The compact crossover SUV segment is the most popular type of car in the U.S. for how well it serves buyers, due to their versatility, practicality, and affordability. With available all-wheel drive and a range of hybrid and plug-in powertrains, as well as top safety ratings in most cases, they cast the widest net of how most drivers intend to use…

JLR is looking to use recycled content in seat foam to further lower the environmental impact of its future electric cars.

The automaker announced in November that it’s working with chemical company Dow and seat specialist Adient to recycle polyurethane seat foam, a difficult task that means most of the material usually ends up in landfills, according to JLR. The automaker aims to start testing recycled seat foam in pre-production vehicles later this year.

Recycled foam will be one element of a “circular seat” made from material that can be easily recycled, which is estimated to halve the carbon dioxide emissions associated with production of current seats, according to JLR.

JLR tests recycled seat foam

Increased emphasis on reusing materials rather than discarding them, the foundation of what’s called the “circular economy,” is the focus of a dedicated JLR research lab. Researchers at this lab have found that a major obstacle to reuse is the difficulty of separating individual materials when a car is disassembled, either because of how their attached to each or because of mixed-material use in certain components.

Besides seats, other areas where Jaguar is looking to improve are front-bumper foam, where JLR is testing a new formulation with a reduced number of polymers for easier recycling, and aluminum body panels. In the latter case, JLR worked with suppliers to reuse scraps from the stamping process in new panels.

JLR tests recycled seat foam

JLR isn’t the only automaker thinking along these lines. Over a decade ago, Ford began incorporating renewable materials—including recycled jeans—into sound insulation for its vehicles. In 2021, BMW showed a concept car based on the idea of a circular economy, which the automaker claimed was made from 100% recycled materials and was itself 100% recyclable.

Such efforts are especially important for electric vehicles, as their lack of “tailpipe” emissions makes emissions from production a more significant part of their overall carbon footprint. JLR aims to make its Jaguar brand all-electric within the next few years, starting with a six-figure GT car inspired by the Type 00 concept shown at the end of 2024, with electric Land Rover models planned as well.

The 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck carries over without major changes. For now at least, that includes prices—remarkable, given the unpredictably of Lightning pricing since the truck’s launch.

Ford substituted 2024’s Avalanche paint color for Space White Metallic, but the least-expensive Lightning is still the fleet-oriented Pro model, which starts at $47,780 with the mandatory $2,095 destination charge.

2025 Ford F-150 Lightning

For non-fleet buyers, the lowest-price Lightning is the XLT, which still starts at $65,090 with destination. The Flash grade introduced for the 2024 model year is positioned above the XLT at $70,090 with destination, while the more luxurious Lariat and Platinum grades remain at $79,090 and $87,090, respectively.

All versions of the Lightning are still configured with dual-motor all-wheel drive and a crew cab with the same bed length, but with two battery options and outputs. Versions with the 98-kwh Standard Range pack make 452 hp while models with the 131-kwh Extended Range pack produce 580 hp, with 775 lb-ft of torque in either case. EPA range is unchanged at a maximum 240 miles for the Standard Range pack and 320 miles for the Extended Range pack.

2025 Ford F-150 Lightning

Don’t be surprised if current prices change, as they have fluctuated substantially in the past. In 2024 alone, Ford initially cut prices on top-trim versions, but increased prices for the rest of the lineup at the beginning of the year. It then essentially reversed itself a few months later with price cuts of up to $5,500.

Those cuts came after high prices hurt demand for the Lightning, something Ford initially tried to address with a production slowdown in late 2023. Production was then paused at the end of 2024 amid a reset of Ford’s EV plans.

Ken Block’s “Hoonitruck,” a heavily modified 1977 Ford F-150 used in the late rally driver and viral-video star’s “Gymkhana” series, will be up for grabs at Barrett-Jackson’s annual Scottsdale, Arizona, collector car auction, which starts on Jan. 18. The truck was commissioned by Block, who died in 2023 in a snowmobile crash, as a follow-up to the…

Tesla is recalling 239,382 electric vehicles across most of its model lines because of rearview camera displays that could fail. Circuit boards in the affected vehicles could short out, causing a loss of the rearview camera image on the central display screen, according to the NHTSA. This could increase the risk of hitting someone or something…

Rivian is looking to patent heated headlight lenses to help increase the performance of the lighting on its electric pickup trucks and SUVs in snow, ice, and rain.

The LED headlights that have become the standard in the auto industry don’t give off so much waste heat all the time as previous HID or halogen lights, which can often melt any accumulated moisture by themselves. That’s what Rivian is trying to address with this patent, which was submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Jun. 21, 2023, but only published by that office Dec. 26, 2024.

Rivian heated headlight patent image

In that document, Rivian discusses adding a layer of carbon nanotube material to the outer lens of a headlight. This would be surrounded by a silver bus-bar heating element, which would transmit heat to the nanotube layer, warming it and in turn allowing it to melt anything accumulating on the headlight lens.

Carbon nanotube material is comprised of tube-shaped lattices of carbon atoms less than a nanometer in diameter—hence the name. Carbon nanotubes are known to gave good thermal conductivity, which might explain Rivian’s choice of the material here.

Rivian heated headlight patent image

There’s been much talk of the importance of heated seats, and even heated seat belts, in EVs as a more efficient way to fight cold temperatures with minimal additional energy draw. But this is more about lighting technology than powertrain technology, specifically the need to clear LED lighting elements of accumulated precipitation that could partially block them.

Not all patented ideas reach production, and it’s unclear how much of a priority heated headlights are for Rivian right now. The automaker is preparing to start production of its more-affordable R2 electric SUV in 2026 and open a new Georgia plant by 2028, with the latter expected to receive a boost from a $6.6 billion federal loan.