Author: EVAI

Rivian on Tuesday confirmed a number of new software-enabled features for its R1S electric SUV and R1T electric pickup truck, enabled with its latest over-the-air software update 2025.06.

For Gen 2 vehicles (2025 model year and beyond), Rivian is launching a hands-free driver assist system known as Enhanced Highway Assist. Like Rivian’s previous Highway Assist system, it can control steering, acceleration, and braking on divided highways, but now drivers can take their hands off the wheel for extended periods, Rivian promises.

The automaker is also enabling Rally Mode for more vehicles—in this case, for Performance Dual-Motor models. Already available on other R1 variants, Rally Mode heightens throttle response and provides crisper steering within the R1 models’ Off-Road mode.

Rivian Performance Upgrade (extra cost)

Rivian also confirmed that its Performance Upgrade for Dual-Motor models with the Standard+, Large, and Max battery packs is available, at the previously disclosed cost of $5,000. This boosts output to 665 hp and 829 lb-ft of torque while adding three drive modes—Sport, Rally, and Soft Sand.

A previously discussed update for wheel swaps has also been enabled, allowing owners to register aftermarket wheel-and-tire setups in a vehicle’s settings menu for more accurate range estimates.

Rivian wheel swap UI

Other updates include a chime that sounds when the vehicle ahead moves—cueing drivers to start moving after being stopped at intersections—side mirror tilt-down when vehicles are shifted into reverse, the ability to close charge port doors via Rivian’s mobile app, and tire puncture detection. Most of the these features will be available on both Gen 2 and earlier Gen 1 models immediately; the chime feature will initially be available on Gen 2 models and will roll out to Gen 1 vehicles at a later date.

Toyota’s new entry-level electric vehicle is particularly suitable for younger people and wheelchair users.

Porsche isn’t done adding new variants to its 992-generation 911. During its annual general meeting on Wednesday, where Porsche said it will continue to offer gas engines in all of its segments well into the next decade, the automaker also confirmed that two new 911 variants are on the way. One will be a heritage-style model inspired by a…

Lexus has updated its RZ electric compact crossover for the 2026 model year Among the updates is a new RZ 550e F Sport flagship, which is rated at 402 hp The F Sport model also introduces a system that simulates gear shifts Toyota on Wednesday introduced several new and updated electric vehicles, including an expanded Lexus RZ electric compact…

Cadillac’s newest car and its smallest electric crossover will be reviewed in full later this year before it goes on sale. What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Cadillac Optiq? What does it compare to? The 2025 Cadillac Optiq is a midsize luxury take on the related Chevrolet Equinox EV in GM’s growing family of electric crossover SUVs. With seats…

Now that it’s rolling out adapters that allow its electric vehicles to charge at Tesla Supercharger stations, Ford is streamlining things for Apple iPhone users that want to navigate to them.

The automaker on Monday announced that Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers using Apple Maps EV route planning, via Apple CarPlay, can now specify a Tesla Supercharger or other North American Charging Standard (NACS) DC fast charger.

2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E (Premium with Sport Appearance Package)

Drivers can now select NACS as a preference in the settings menu of Apple Maps and then be automatically routed to stations using that connector type, according to Ford. The automaker said that, previously, getting equivalent results required manually entering a Supercharger site as a navigation destination.

This functionality is available with iOS 17 and later versions of Apple’s mobile operating system, and doesn’t require any software updates to the vehicle itself, according to Ford. Adapters that let Ford EV owners use Tesla charging have been available since early 2024.

2025 Ford F-150 Lightning

Ford launched Apple Maps EV route planning for the Mach-E and Lightning in 2023. It announced similar functionality for Google Maps and Android Auto at CES 2024, rolling it out later in the year, with the capability to show Tesla Supercharger stations from the get-go.

Ford emphasized that Apple Maps EV route planning encompasses all NACS chargers—not just Superchargers. While there aren’t many non-Tesla NACS fast-chargers right now, that could change with the continued buildout of the Ionna network. Backed by eight automakers (not including Ford), Ionna aims for 30,000 charging connectors by 2030, with a mix of NACS and Combined Charging Standard (CCS) types.

• An updated bZ4X joins the C-HR+ and Urban Cruiser in Toyota’s European EV push
• A smaller 57.7-kwh pack option gives European consumers more choice 
• Battery preconditioning and a more powerful motor highlight the midsize crossover’s changes

The Toyota bZ4X electric crossover receives its first significant update with battery preconditioning, more powerful motors, and a larger touchscreen. Toyota announced the changes for the European market on Tuesday, but many of those changes are expected to follow in the North American market as well. 

During a press conference in Brussels last week, Toyota showed off the midsize bZ4X as well as two new electric crossovers, including the Toyota C-HR+ compact crossover in the C-segment and the smaller boxier Urban Cruiser for the B-segment. The three electric crossovers make up half of the six new electric vehicles launching in Europe by the end of 2026. 

A slide showing the silhouettes of the remaining three vehicles suggest a pickup truck likely to be a Hilux EV; a larger, more luxurious crossover believed to be a Land Cruiser EV; and a smaller crossover sized like the Urban Cruiser but with more of a hatchback profile. 

Toyota Urban Cruiser

The product showcase highlighted Toyota’s push to carbon neutrality in Europe by 2035 through a multi-energy strategy that includes hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel-cell technologies. 

The bZ4X’s modest enhancements should provide enhanced appeal. A smaller 57.7-kwh battery pack will be offered alongside a 73.1-kwh (gross capacity) battery pack that gets a blip in capacity from the 71.4-kwh pack currently sold in Europe and in single-motor versions in North America. That pack uses cells supplied in a joint venture with Panasonic as part of Toyota’s Prime Planet Energy & Solutions (PPES). Last September, LG Chem agreed to supply cathode materials for Toyota’s battery production. Toyota did not disclose the reason for the difference in gross capacity. 

In North America, dual-motor all-wheel-drive models use CATL cells in a 72.8-kwh pack. 

The new 57.7-kwh pack comes with front-wheel drive only and a single motor rated at 123 kw (164 hp). Models with the 73.1-kwh pack come with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive, but the motors now use silicon carbide semiconductors that boost power output to 165 kw (221 hp) from 150 kw (201 hp) in the single front motor or 252 kw (338 hp) from 160 kw (214 hp) for the dual-motor setup. Suspension tweaks promise to lower noise and vibration levels. 

Dual-motor models can now tow double the previous capacity, up to 3,300 pounds. 

Toyota also debuted a new F Sport grade on the related Lexus RZ, and that sportier model will have 221-hp motors on both the front and rear axles. 

Toyota bZ4X, C-HR+, Urban Cruiser, from left to right

Toyota wouldn’t disclose more detailed specs on the updated bZ4X. Estimated range for the 73.1-kwh front-wheel-drive model is 356 miles on the generous European WLTP cycle.

More significantly, an available 22-kw onboard charger on top models should significantly cut down the roughly nine-hour charging time with the current 6.6-kw charger on a 240-volt outlet. The max power for DC fast charging remains 150 kw. Battery pre-conditioning now comes standard to optimize max charging power. 

Toyota claims improved aerodynamics due to minor updates to the front fascia, but bigger and welcome changes happen inside. Tilting or telescoping the small diameter steering wheel no longer moves the recessed instrument cluster near the base of the windshield. The cluster appears brighter, better organized, and larger, though Toyota reps said it’s not larger. A 14.0-inch touchscreen that looks identical to the head unit designed in North America and used in Lexus and top-grade Toyota vehicles now comes standard. Navigating to suggested charging stations and a route planner also comes standard, and that functionality was made available to existing bZ4X models in Europe via an over-the-air update. 

The updated bZ4X goes on sale in Europe this fall. 

Toyota paid for airfare and lodging for Green Car Reports to attend its product showcase.

• Lexus RZ employs a steer-by-wire system with yoke for European markets
• Revised lithium-ion battery and more potent motors provide more power and range
• Performance-leaning F Sport model features a virtual manual transmission

The Lexus RZ electric crossover casts a wider net with more range, more power, quicker charging, a new steer-by-wire system, and a new F Sport grade for the European market, Toyota announced Tuesday. 

The first significant update since the midsize crossover launched in 2022 also showcases the luxury potential of an EV onslaught in Europe for both Toyota and its luxury brand. In addition to the new Toyota C-HR+ and Toyota Urban Cruiser, the world’s largest automaker will launch three more EVs in Europe by the end of 2026, including a pickup truck and a large luxurious crossover that could be the Land Cruiser Se EV. 

At a product showcase in Brussels, Belgium, last week, Toyota highlighted its pronged approach to electrification to attain carbon neutrality in Europe by 2035. The new RZ F Sport demonstrates a deepening commitment to Lexus’s premium bona fides. 

2026 Lexus RZ 550e F Sport

2026 Lexus RZ 550e F Sport

2026 Lexus RZ 550e F Sport

2026 Lexus RZ 550e F Sport

Lexus RZ 550e F Sport prioritizes performance

The range-topping 550e earns the F Sport badge with dual-motor all-wheel drive rated at 402 hp from two 165-kw motors. Greater efficiency in the front inverter and less parasitic losses, as well as a larger rear motor than in the existing RZ, contribute to the enhanced acceleration. Lexus stopped short of full specs, but reps said torque gets distributed more effectively between the axles to come out of turns with more gusto. The rear motor can deliver all the torque at launch or in certain situations based on speed and steering angle, and up to 80% can go to the front, typically at turn-in. 

Lexus retuned the damper and spring settings to account for the increased power, and it rides on new 20-inch alloy wheels with aerodynamic resin covers that trim weight as well as smooth airflow. A more aerodynamic lower front bumper as well as more pronounced brake ducts and a racier split rear spoiler highlight the functional design tweaks. 

The interior belies more significant enhancements. The steer-by-wire system we tested in the 2023 Lexus RZ 450e has been tweaked and now rolls out to the full European market; non F Sports get the existing rack and pinion steering with electrical assist and a traditional steering wheel, though mid-level models can get it optionally. There’s no mechanical connection to the front wheels, as Lexus engineers use two motors, one off the steering wheel and another at the axle, with sensors relaying information back and forth. A road bump sends feedback from the axle motor to the steering motor, and the driver turning the wheel does the opposite. The advantage of a steer-by-wire system is quicker communication with the road to keep up with the instantaneous torque distribution and quicker motor braking, as well as less vibration through the steering yoke than a mechanically connected system. 

Surprisingly, we preferred its directness and simultaneous ease. Since our testing early in 2023, Lexus has increased the range lock-to-lock from 150 to 200 degrees. It’s easy to turn the yoke at low speeds, and it firms up at higher speeds. Three levels of redundancy protect the driver in case of a failure. 

Exclusive to the F Sport, a “Interactive Manual Drive” employs steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters to fake shifts as in an 8-speed automatic. Engine sounds with a rev limiter and visual cues indicate when a driver should “shift,” and there’s a meter in the recessed instrument cluster. 

2026 Lexus RZ

Every Lexus RZ benefits from a larger battery pack

Every RZ now comes with a 77-kwh lithium-ion battery pack instead of the 71.4-kwh pack on the current 2025 Lexus RZ. More cells result in higher output with the revised front motor throughout the lineup, and water cooling for the battery and motor system also enables more sustained performance. 

The RZ 350e comes with a 221-hp (165-kw) single motor and front wheel drive; the RZ 500e has dual motors and all-wheel drive with an output of 375 hp (280 kw); then there’s the 402-hp RZ 550e F Sport. 

All-wheel-drive versions can now tow twice as much as before at 3,300 pounds. 

Lexus says the improvements to the battery and motor systems boost range by up to 60 miles, presumably for the 350e. The 300e had a range of 266 miles on the EPA cycle, which is more rigorous and conservative than the European WLTP standard.

A new 22-kw AC onboard charger promises to quicken Level 2 charging on the road or at home, especially against the current 6.6-kw charger. Battery pre-conditioning should also boost DC fast-charging in cold weather. 

Lexus added that every RZ benefits from more rigidity due to the addition of a rear brace, and the suspension has adjustments to the front and rear dampers as well as the spring rates for better stability and ride comfort. Additional soundproofing throughout the crossover should limit noise and vibrations. 

The updated Lexus RZ launches in Europe this fall, and a North America rollout is expected to follow. It remains to be seen if the U.S. will get such features as steer-by-wire or the F Sport grade.   

Toyota paid for airfare and lodging for Green Car Reports to attend its product showcase.

Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume has revealed the first tentative details of Lamborghini’s first electric vehicle, which is currently expected to arrive in 2029. Speaking during VW Group’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, Blume said Lamborghini’s EV will use a platform being developed primarily by fellow VW Group brand Porsche, with additional…

Bankrupt truck maker Nikola Corporation is recalling 95 hydrogen fuel-cell semi trucks because the wrong bolts may have been used to secure their hydrogen tanks. The affected 2024-2025 Nikola Tre semis (which were also sold with battery-electric powertrains) could have tank mounting-block bolts that are too long, according to the NHTSA. This could…