Author: EVAI

There are literally millions of Americans who wake up every day, leave their bedrooms and venture about their days behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV4. They’re everywhere: in shopping malls, at office parks, in the end-of-school day pickup line. Clearly, Toyota’s done something right; people are buying these things like crazy.

Yet, if someone were to ask me what I thought about the RAV4 outside of its durability and reliability merits, I’d probably draw a blank. There must be some method to Toyota’s madness, right? I mean, there are so many on the roads, for a reason. Given how many of them are hybrids, I’d wager that this could be the biggest gateway drug to full electrification among the masses. So when Toyota reached out to me asking if I’d like to get some seat time with the RAV4 Hybrid, I figured I should finally learn why exactly this model is so dang popular. 

After an unexpected week with one of the most ubiquitous crossovers on the planet, I understand why so many people drive them, even if it’s not really my cup of tea. 

In 1994, Toyota literally created the whole small car-based crossover class when it took some running gear from a Corolla sedan and married to a buxom, strapping off-road-ready body with optional all-wheel drive. The resultant “Recreational Active Vehicle, 4-wheel drive” was a hit. Since its introduction, Toyota has sold more than 10 million units worldwide. Safe to say, the thing is a hit.

Yet, when it came time for the model line to go hybrid, Toyota was a little slow. The Prius may have been introduced in 1996 (2000 for markets outside of Japan,) but Toyota’s hybrid crossover efforts were limited to cars like the larger Highlander and more expensive Lexus RX300h, both introduced in 2006. A hybrid RAV4 wouldn’t show up on lots until partway through the last generation’s model, starting in 2016. That’s a full decade after Toyota’s first hybrid crossover. 

For the latest generation, Toyota butched up the RAV4’s shape with some stern off-road attitude. This is a welcome change for drivers who aren’t infatuated with car-inspired designs from other manufacturers.

The RAV4 Hybrid uses the same Toyota Hybrid System (THS) found in a plethora of other models. If you’ve driven a Sienna, Crown, Camry or Mazda CX-50 Hybrid, this car’s 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle gas engine and its trio of electric motors (including the fully electric rear axle) will sound familiar. A 1.6-kWh nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH) battery feeds the electric part of the RAV4 Hybrid. Fuel economy is rated for 41 city, 38 highway, and 39 combined mpg.

Unlike its Mazda cousin, the RAV4’s observed fuel economy came close to its target goal. At 70 mph freeway stints, the onboard fuel economy calculator sat at a healthy 37 mpg. I drove the car around town in somewhat chilly weather with little regard for economical cruising, and averaged a very solid 35 mpg in mixed driving. I’m sure a more diligent driver would easily beat my economy ratings, but it’s nice to get behind the wheel of a hybrid that at least attempts to save fuel.

The RAV4’s dashboard layout is straightforward. Perhaps I’ve been brainwashed by big-screen syndrome and have learned to enjoy spartan screen-only interfaces, but I can understand why the RAV4’s button-heavy approach is appealing. Nearly every function has a button, and it’s all clearly labeled. Like most Toyota products, all of the plastics fit together nicely and look good, but don’t expect an abundance of soft-touch plastics. You’ll have to step up to the Lexus NX for that one.

The Toyota Hybrid System’s dynamic qualities can vary wildly. For many, the car’s power delivery can feel syrupy, inconsistent and unnatural, as the car’s onboard computers do their best to make sure the car is moving down the road in its most efficient way. However, there are different tunings of the system, like in the CX-50 hybrid or the new Prius that feel more natural, if not sporty. Better pedal calibration and a more consistent and predictable balance of gas engine and electric power assist should help the car avoid some of the weird throttle feel or eCVT drone common on a Toyota hybrid.

This is not one of those cars, though. 

The RAV4 Hybrid is the poster child for syrupy and disconnected power delivery. I’d bet that most normal drivers won’t notice or care all that much, but if you dip into that engine for more power, it really feels out of its element. Hard acceleration is accompanied by rubber banding as the engine screams and then the car makes pace with the road, exacerbated by the RAV4’s coarse engine note and comparatively loud cabin. 

Its on-road dynamics are also just okay. The suspension tuning is inherently soft, enough to make it unfazed by one-off freeway expansion joints. More moderate bumps reward the passengers with a somewhat busy and slightly floaty ride more in common with a truck-based SUV than in a car-based crossover. The steering ratio is somewhat fast, but the car is fairly clumsy and doesn’t carry its weight particularly well if you push things outside normal RAV4 duties like, say,  keeping up with traffic. I’m not saying it needs to be a track-ready race car, but competitors like the CR-V hybrid or CX-50 hybrid are more graceful and better resolved by comparison.

Also, the RAV4’s interior space is solidly mid-pack. I hesitate to call it tight, but at 37.8 inches of rear legroom, this crossover trails its competitors. The Honda CR-V hybrid has a whopping 41 inches of rear legroom. That’s way better for passengers or small families with car seats, who I would imagine buy RAV4s in droves.

In all, the RAV4 Hybrid is a pleasant car, even if it’s not groundbreaking in any real way. Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever have a reason to buy this type of vehicle—it is far too dynamically out of step with what I’d expect from a small crossover to be my daily driver.

But, this ain’t about me. A lot of the negatives can easily be spun into positive aspects for the people who buy these things. The lack of soft-touch plastics could be considered easier to clean and maintain, especially for families with small children, or people using these for rideshare duties. I don’t like the ride and handling of this car, but I recognize that what I may have described as “clumsy” could easily be considered by some as having a “true SUV feel,” without the downsides of poor fuel economy. Toyota is certainly doing something right, since as recently as 2022 nearly of all RAV4s are hybrids.

If anything, it bodes well for Toyota’s future full electrification efforts. In principle, the bZ4X is effectively a fully electric version of the RAV4. Despite the bZ4X’s poor range and lackluster specs, it has been a moderate success for Toyota for similar reasons that people like the RAV4. It’s an inoffensive entry into a market where specifications aren’t always the top concern among buyers. The bZ4X and RAV4 are two sides of the same coin; they’re workhorses sold to people who have a strong perception of Toyota’s reliability and dependability, and want the peace of mind that comes with that. 

The car just has to be not horrible. I get why people buy them. 

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com

The electric version of Mercedes’ off-roader is an improvement in almost every way, with more power, more off-road capability and a way better driving experience than its gas-chugging twin. But as its clunky name suggests, the G580 With EQ Technology is still a compromise. It builds upon everything that was already great about the G, and it adds even more off-road capability, but its brick-like shape and high curb weight make it a bad road-trip companion.

It’s still the best G-Wagen you can buy right now, even if it’s not as fast as the V8-powered AMG version. It’s a perfect encapsulation of why the EV experience is so great—especially when you get a motor for each wheel—even if it also has familiar EV weaknesses.

Electric Evolution: The G580’s Bold New Direction

The Mercedes G-Class’ boxy, upright body is one of the most recognizable sights on the road. It can’t be mistaken for anything else. That’s why Mercedes was careful to retain the signature look when it created the first electric version, the G580 With EQ Technology. Whether that mouthful is better than the initial plan of calling it the EQG is up for debate, but it’s pretty clear that Mercedes was wary of changing any part of this global icon, even its name.

That’s why there are only subtle touches to differentiate the electron-sipping G from the gas-guzzler. Even though it comes with a closed-off grille and a box to hold the charging cable instead of a spare wheel holder, you can tick the option boxes to get a regular-looking grille and an actual fifth wheel on the back. Mercedes has also worked very hard to keep the familiar driving experience the same, even without a big combustion engine up front.

The fake acceleration sound you hear in the cabin of the EV is aptly called “G-Roar” and it does a pretty good impression of what the V8-powered model sounds like. I tried driving the G with it turned off, but it genuinely felt like it was missing something, so I quickly re-enabled the roar and kept it on for the rest of my time with the G.

The exterior pedestrian alert sound is also a combustion engine-like rumble, although it’s not the same as inside the car, and a bit more futuristic-sounding.

Every time I got behind the wheel, what stood out was the feeling that you could conquer any obstacle, whether it was a tall curb, bollard or a parked car. Even on a smooth road, you can feel how capable the G580 is, and it bolsters the sense that it’s overkill just driving it to the shops or anywhere where serious off-road capability isn’t needed.

All the G-classes I see around the posh part of Bucharest are always shiny and spotless, often parked outside a fancy restaurant or guarding an impossibly expensive mansion. It’s the same everywhere I’ve traveled to, and if you ever see a G used off-road, it’s usually one from the 1990s that was bought as a workhorse and continues to be used like one.

Off-Road Overkill (That You’ll Never Use)

Not taking a G-Class off-road is a shame, because it was already one of the most capable 4x4s ever made. Now, the electric G580 takes things up a notch.

With a motor for each wheel, each with its own mechanical low-range gear, the G580 gains new abilities that its gas-powered counterparts can’t match. It’s also very fast on the road, thanks to a combined 579 hp and 858 lb-ft (1,164 Nm). That hefty dollop of torque makes it feel quicker than its claimed 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) time of 4.6 suggests (independent tests also suggest it’s a bit quicker than that), and it quickly powers up to its top speed of 112 mph (180 kph)

Because electric motors provide peak torque from a standstill, there’s no real need for a low-range gearbox in most situations. But Mercedes included low-range gears anyway, because they multiply the electric motor’s existing torque advantage, giving you more grunt to crawl up steep and slippery slopes. The G doesn’t have the traditional mechanical locking differentials you’d get on a gas one, but don’t worry. The four-motor setup can provide similar functionality, keeping you moving as long as one wheel has purchase.

Once you’ve put it in low range, you gain access to two features you can’t get in any other G variant. The first is G-Turn, which is Mercedes speak for a tank turn, and which allows you to spin the vehicle around its axis on the spot. There’s an entire procedure that you need to go through to get it to work, but it does exactly what you expect, and it’s pretty cool to be inside while it’s doing this. It was the first time I experienced this in a vehicle, and it felt pretty special.

The more useful of the two is G-Steering, which allows you to take very tight turns on a loose surface. It’s sure to come in handy, say, when you encounter a hairpin on a forest track where space is limited and you can’t cut the corner.

Using G-Steering successfully requires you to be quite brave with the steering and the right pedal, but after you do it a few times, it becomes predictable (and fun). With so much off-road tech, it’s a shame that very few of these will ever drive on anything more difficult than a dirt track.

The Daily Dilemma: Big, Heavy And A Bit Silly

That’s a lot of capability, weight and complexity that you’re paying for if you’ll only use your G580 as a road vehicle. Just get a normal Mercedes-Benz SUV, electric or otherwise, because it’s going to be a better road car and you’ll be using it to do what it was designed for. Something like the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV does regular car things better than the G.

Sure, the G makes you feel special and you sit even higher than in regular SUVs, but its height and weight come at a cost. Looking over the G580’s spec sheet, I was surprised to see it weighs more than 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds).

That means if you get five adults inside and their luggage, it will be over 3,500 kg (7,700 lbs), making it illegal to drive on European roads with a standard car license. That seems excessive to my puny European mind, although Americans may have less of a problem with the weight in a land of 9,000-pound GMC Hummer EVs and other jumbo-size trucks.

Being so tall, heavy and aerodynamically inefficient penalizes the G580 in an area of key importance for EVs: range. With 95% battery, my tester showed an estimated range of 195 miles (315 km), which is way off the claimed WLTP range of up to 293 miles (473 km). The 239-mile (384-km) rating is closer to reality, and you can probably achieve it in real-world driving with a light right foot.

With a 124-kilowatt-hour battery pack (with 116 kWh usable), that’s actually pretty good. This may not be a long-range EV that you would happily pick for a road trip, but it claws back some EV usability points with its 200 kW peak charging rate. That is good for 10 to 80% in 34 minutes, but it’s still not what we’d call a long-distance champ.

Its average efficiency while I had the vehicle was around 2.1 miles/kWh (29 kWh/100 km), which is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be with all the things working against it. Still, it’s a lot less efficient than your average electric SUV.

A Glorious Misfit (And Why The Baby G Might Be The Real Genius)

Overall, I really liked the G580 With EQ Technology. As a technical achievement, it’s excellent, and it manages to marry old-world ruggedness with new-world tech and electric power better than any other current Mercedes. It’s also exceptional off-road and really quick and relaxed on-road. I can see why it’s so popular around the world.

However, I couldn’t help but feel silly driving a giant, nearly €200,000 ($226,000) EV around town finished in bright matte blue. It was all too conspicuous for my taste, but I understand this is part of the appeal for many buyers who feel comfortable standing out like that.

The electric powertrain is a great match for the G, given the kind of short trips that most of these vehicles go on. I would argue that it’s not only a better off-roader than the gas-burning G, but it’s also a better urban cruiser. Most owners will also have the ability to charge it at home, which they can do through the 11 kW onboard charger that will fully charge the battery from flat in around 12 and a half hours.

Maybe Mercedes is really on to something with its upcoming baby G class, which is expected to retain the style of the big-boy G but in a much more efficient, usable and affordable package that may make more practical sense. The baby G will lose the military-grade suspension and the ruggedness, but nobody was using Gs for that anyway, so it’s okay.

The baby G might just be the vehicle Mercedes needs right now as it tries to straddle its transition from traditional old-world luxury to tech-infused software-defined vehicles that seems to be giving it some trouble. That said, I loved my time in the G580, and it instantly became my favorite Mercedes EV.

There’s a(nother) new Chinese brand heading to the United Kingdom and Europe with the promise of marvellous technology, toys aplenty, and an approach to electric driving that no other brand can hope to offer.

We’ve heard this sort of thing before. But XPeng promises to be different from the rest. It’s a tech-first carmaker with products that aren’t only affordable but also, crucially in this case, take the fight directly to the Tesla Model Y—a car from a brand that’s not exactly winning right now. 

The contender in question is the XPeng G6. And the question is: is this newcomer worth your cash over a Tesla, or any of the other electric options out there?  

XPeng G6: What Is It?

It’s an all-new, all-singing, all-dancing electric SUV hailing from China. XPeng was founded in 2014 and bills itself as a tech company over anything else. That means its cars come with plenty of exciting features that promise magical things like an 800V architecture, an AI assistant that says it’ll predict your needs, and wireless phone charging that doesn’t suck. 

The G6 isn’t XPeng’s first car by any means. It’s made sedans, different-sized SUVs, and even an MPV. But this is the model it seems to be pinning its hopes on for a stress-free voluminous launch. Like the rest of the XPeng lineup, it is EV-only, and aims to fill family driveways up and down the nation. 

You can’t accuse it of being exciting to look at, but it’s not ugly either. In fact, if you compare it to the latest take on the Model Y, it fares favorably. It still falls into the “egg shape good” trap that ensnares many modern EVs. What’s good for aerodynamics and range isn’t necessarily good for the eyes. 

Inside, you’ll find a fairly monotone interior. The outside isn’t feast and neither is the inside. Drivers get a small 10.2-inch instrument screen to keep an eye on the important stuff, and everyone else can clap their eyes on a 15-inch infotainment screen. The keen-eyed among you will spot a double wireless chargepad with built-in fans to keep your phones cool as you glide along. That’s a neat touch. 

If you’re after a big SUV—big for Europe anyway, as everything’s relative—with lots of gadgets and smart looks, XPeng has something to show you. 

XPeng G6: Specs And Features

You want numbers? The G6 has LOTS of numbers.

The car I had on test was a RWD Standard Range, and there’s a RWD Long Range car for people who want to go a bit further. Those two are the UK’s standard lineup, though a mega-quick AWD car is available elsewhere.

The base car comes with a 258 hp, 324 lb-ft motor powering the rear wheels, while the long-range car will net you the same torque and 286 hp, also driving the rears. Standard range cars come with a 66kWh LFP battery, while the LR cars come with an 87.5kWh NCM unit. 

There’s not a huge performance difference between the two cars, with the bigger battery car sneaking 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds to the base car’s 6.6. Not slow, but not so fast you’ll rinse the battery in 30 seconds flat.  

The range for the standard car is 270 miles, while the bigger battery will get you 345 miles. When it comes to charging, the entry-level car can take 215 kW chargers, while the top spec can handle 280 kW. Either way, you’ll supposedly charge from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes. 

XPeng G6: How Does It Drive? 

It’s big, it’s quiet, and it’s covered in cameras and sensors to make sure you don’t bend it. All of that’s a huge bonus around town, where the roads are doggedly staying the same width and will continue to do so. The sound deadening in the cockpit is stellar, and means whatever’s going on around you won’t ruin your day. 

There’s enough grunt to get away from the lights clearly, but you don’t feel like you’re entering hyperspace. XPeng, at least on these RWD cars, recognises that you don’t need supercar pace to have a good time. 

Much like its aesthetic, you can’t accuse the G6 of being an exciting car. It’s not a pin-sharp angerbox designed for carving corners. It knows its place, and that’s tooling around posh ‘burbs doing real-life stuff. The steering doesn’t fizz in your fingers, the brakes are easy enough to modulate, and you can see out of the thing (though the rear visibility is, per the norm, not stellar through the rear windshield; there’s a back up camera to take care of reversing) when you’re in tight spots.  

What’s Good About The XPeng G6?

While the XPeng has more than its fair share of intrusive safety systems, it’s also got a way to quickly and easily turn them off. Each key cycle turns the whole suite back on, but when you’re on the move when the speed limit bong goes off, or the driver alertness ping fires up, there’ll be an option on the screen to quickly switch it off.

A couple of prods later and the system turns it all off. Competitors make it difficult to turn all that stuff off, but the G6 doesn’t. 

It doesn’t pretend to be a sports car and that’s a good thing. So many manufacturers seem to think that giving their cars a billion horsepower and putting a “HYPERMASC” button somewhere that kicks the motor up the ass and plasters you to a seat is a good idea. It really, really isn’t. Most people just want something nice, comfortable, and pleasingly brisk. 

The G6 doesn’t pretend to be a rocketship. And it’s all the better for it. 

While there are no buttons on the center stack, there are some on the steering wheel. Unless you’ve got other systems activated, you can control the air con through it. A neat solution to a frustrating problem. 

The G6 comes with Active Lane Change tech to keep you driving in lane, and it won’t complain if you have your hands on the wheel while it does the hard work for you. Knock the indicator, and it’ll change lanes (mostly) without any trouble. For the ‘mostly’ bit, see the next section. 

What’s Bad About The XPeng G6? 

Now’s the time for the “mostly” bit per above. Yes, the G6 can use Active Lane Change to move laterally for you on the highway. All you need to do is tell the indicator you want to move and away you go. Though on more than one occasion, it gave up mid-manuever.. On a fast-moving highway that’s distinctly ungood. Still, you get to practise your swearing as you take back control.  

On a similar note, it does come with a Lane Centering Control lane keep assist function, which is neat for making sure you don’t stray from your lane if you’re not the sort of driver who pays close attention to such things. But it’s a bit grabby if you know what you’re doing. And that’s annoying. 

Everything, pretty much, is done via a screen. It’s a responsive screen, but digging through menus and swapping screens to get around just isn’t IT in 2025. Bring back buttons. Please. 

And again, it’s not very exciting to look at. An old friend has a theory that all cars are, very slowly, morphing into eggs. The XPeng G6 is another step on the evolutionary chain to Auto Ovumiens. Especially in white. 

XPeng G6: How Is It As An EV?

It’s fine at what it needs to do. Removing any pretense of silly speed has done it plenty of favors as even the standard range car managed pretty stellar efficiency in warmish weather, clocking in at 4.2 miles per kWh over mixed driving—a touch more than its quoted WLTP efficiency should be. That was a pleasant surprise. 

It’s quiet, comfy, efficient, and charges fast enough that if you need to splash ‘n dash out in public, you won’t be waiting too long. 

XPeng G6: The Verdict

XPeng is a new brand in the UK, and comparatively new in the wider world. You can see the firm’s keen to make the most of all the tech it has at its disposal—that much is clear from all the stuff going on via the center stack—but as a first car for the UK market, it’s a strong start. 

It’s aimed squarely at people who want a sensible family ride that won’t do their back in, threaten to tear away if you press the throttle too hard, and won’t eat its battery at a moment’s notice. It’s not going to break the bank either. In fact, the base car is £10 shy of the UK’s luxury car tax threshold, which saves a heap of cash. 

Chinese EVs aren’t just becoming a common sight on UK roads. Increasingly, they’re the norm. Legacy brands are holding the top spots for now, sure, but as more and more come onto the market, buyers are drawn in by generous standard equipment, standout design (in some cases), and price points that appear too good to be true compared to the old guard. 

We can’t ignore the Tesla issue either. While those cars paved the way for EV acceptance, the lineup is long in the tooth, and the man at the top has (if we put this really politely) courted controversy to the point that sales are tanking all over Europe. Where once only a Californian car would do, China’s efforts are looking more and more appealing. That’s where the XPeng G6 really shines; if you want a Model Y but don’t want the Elon baggage, this has emerged as a very interesting alternative.

Its flaws are annoying, and it’s not the most exciting car to look at, but as a car to simply be A Car… well, it’s pretty good. Legacy manufacturers shouldn’t necessarily be shaking in their boots yet, but they should be keeping an eye open for XPeng. 

Alex Goy is a freelance journalist based in London. He likes British sports cars, tea, and the feeling of the mild peril that only owning a British sports car can bring to your day.

Slate Auto and Telo Trucks have each announced small electric pickup trucks that are radically different from your run-of-the-mill Ford F-150. 

But the Slate and the Telo MT1 represent very different visions of what an electric truck can be. Here’s how they stack up across key areas like range, price, design and performance. Just remember, neither of these trucks is on sale yet, so we’re going off of targeted, preliminary information. 

Slate Auto vs. Telo Trucks

Slate was founded in 2022 and came out of stealth in April, when it also unveiled its debut model. It’s staffed up by industry veterans from Tesla, Harley-Davidson, Chrysler and more. The idea behind Slate is to create the affordable, bare-bones electric vehicle that the U.S. has been missing. 

Telo Trucks revealed the design of its truck, the MT1, in late 2023. The California-based startup is a scrappier operation, comprising just 11 engineers. It’s all about creating a super-compact, functional truck for people who live in and near cities. 

Both are venture-backed. Slate has raised at least $111 million from investors including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, TechCrunch reported. Telo’s investors include Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning, through his firm Spero Ventures. 

Design & Size

The Slate follows a hyper-traditional, boxy design. Squint and you can barely tell that it’s electric or built after the year 2005. 

The MT1, on the other hand, looks like it’s from the future. It has a squished front end, and you can tell the intention was to leverage the inherent flexibility of an EV platform to create extra space in a compact design. 

The Slate is a spartan two-seater with a five-foot bed. The Telo also has a five-foot bet, but manages to squeeze in five seats. 

The Telo is 152 inches long, about the size of a Mini Cooper. The Slate is 174.6 inches long. That’s still about two feet shorter than a Ford Maverick. 

The Telo boasts a stylish, minimalist interior with interesting textures and a modestly sized touchscreen front and center. The Slate takes the minimalism to a whole different level with a gray interior, manual windows, lots of plastic and no infotainment screen. 

Notable Features

Customization is a big part of how Slate is trying to differentiate itself. Slate buyers get an extremely basic truck as standard, but they can also choose from a vast catalog of cool accessories. 

That includes a bolt-on SUV kit that adds a roof and a second row. Other add-ons include interior finishes, speakers (you don’t get any sound system otherwise) and colorful vinyl wraps (every truck comes in gray from the factory). 

The Telo offers a collapsable midgate, which allows long items like surfboards or full-size sheets of plywood to poke into the cab. It comes with an extra transverse cargo area behind the back seats, much like Rivian’s Gear Tunnel. 

And it can be optioned with extra seats in the bed and an enclosed roof. 

Price

Slate says its truck will start at less than $20,000, after factoring in the federal incentive for plug-in car buyers. That means the actual MSRP should be around $27,000. 

Telo says the MT1 will cost $41,520 and up. Factoring in the $7,500 federal rebate theoretically knocks that down to roughly $34,000. 

Range, Batteries & Charging

Here’s how these trucks stack up in terms of their EV specs. 

Truck Stuff & Performance

Neither of these trucks is designed to replace your Ford Super Duty. They’re more for trips to Home Depot or carrying a couple of bikes to the trails, or potentially specialized fleet applications. But the Telo claims better performance numbers across the board. Again, the Slate is more about basic transportation. Telo plans to charge more for more capability. 

When Can You Buy One?

Both trucks are available to reserve now with a refundable deposit. Telo aims to start production in 2026 through a contract manufacturer, using off-the-shelf components to bring down cost. 

Slate has taken over a Warsaw, Indiana, printing factory, where it will kick off production in Q4 of 2026. 

Got a tip or question about the EV world? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com

All-terrain tires and camping gear make everything more interesting. But don’t hold your breath for a U.S. release.

• The BYD Han L sedan and Tang L both have 160-liter front trunks, or “frunks.”
• Without an engine to account for, electric vehicles can offer novel packaging options like front storage containers. 
• BYD claims they’re the world’s biggest, but a couple of America’s EVs would like a word. 

Okay, BYD: So you make a car capable of 1,000-kilowatt charging that adds 250 miles of range in five minutes, and it comes in plug-in hybrid form, and it’ll do zero to 60 mph in under three seconds. Great. But how’s the front trunk?

Well, it turns out that’s pretty spectacular too. It seems like this pair of electrified vehicles can do almost anything. 

While in China this past week, I made a point of seeking out BYD’s pair of ultra-fast-charging EVs, the Han L sedan and Tang L crossover. Those are the cars that can use BYD’s new Megawatt charging system to add 250 miles of range in just five minutes, with peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts. (If you need context, that’s four times the max charging speed of a Tesla Model Y and Model 3.)

I can tell you that both look rather unassuming in person; the Han L looks a bit Honda Accord-ish to me, and the Tang L has anonymous, Grand Theft Auto-car vibes. 

Under the skin, both are remarkable EVs boasting some of the world’s most cutting-edge tech. The EV versions come with a 83.2 kWh BYD “Blade” battery rated between 373 miles (601 km) and 436 miles (701 km) of range on China’s optimistic CLTC testing cycle.

As is the case with many Chinese cars, the plug-in hybrids don’t skimp on battery size either; they get a 29.4 kWh BYD Blade battery mated to a 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder engine and are rated at 870 miles (1,400 km) of total range. 

Impressive specs all around. So how’s the frunk? Well, reader, I can safely report it’s big. Very big, in fact. 

Both cars share a trunk that comes in at 160 liters, or 5.6 cubic feet, or 42.2 liquid gallons. It’s quite voluminous, especially for a sedan and a fairly midsize crossover. 

The sheer depth of these frunks (they are the same on the crossover and the sedan) is what impressed me most. You could easily fit an entire Costco-grade haul of groceries in this thing. In fact, a person who’s small enough, and maybe does a good amount of yoga, could squeeze in with the lid closed.

Now, BYD claims that this is the world’s largest frunk. Respectfully, I beg to differ. The new Onvo L60 SUV, from Nio’s affordable-minded EV brand, comes in at 8.4 cubic feet (240 liters) of storage space—supposedly the largest in China, according to CnEVPost. 

And here in America, both the Lucid Gravity and the Ford F-150 Lightning have bigger frunks at 8 cubic feet (227 liters) and 14 cubic feet (400 liters), respectively. The Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV both offer 10.7 cubic feet, and the Hummer EV gets up to 11.3 cubes. Sure, America can’t match China at battery technology, but we have them beat on the storage space of our large EVs.

So while a big frunk may not be the signature achievement of BYD’s new L models and E-Platform, it is a nice net benefit to an otherwise extremely advanced vehicle that already does a lot well. I got to drive both the Han L and Tang L while in China, so check back soon for even more updates on these cars. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

Tesla has been in the news cycle a lot lately, and not for the best reasons. Yes, sales are down. Profits are way down. And Elon Musk is stirring the political pot faster than a Model S Plaid gets to 60 mph. But let’s forget all that for a moment and remember one thing Teslas are really good at: Going fast.

To help, we turn to Wheels Plus on YouTube. This short video captures a trio of Model 3s and a single Model Y enjoying some speed runs on the drag strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Among the challengers are two C8 Corvettes, a Mustang Shelby GT500 and a hilariously large Ford pickup truck. We don’t have any details regarding the gas burners, nor do we know specific trim levels on the Teslas. We can tell you everything here is pretty darned quick. Two of the Tesla dip into the 11-second range.

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The action begins with a Model 3 facing a black C8 Chevrolet Corvette, and this one doesn’t end well for Team Tesla. Despite a healthy starting line advantage, the ‘Vette charges past to take the win. Still, the Tesla goes 13.84—that’s not slow by any definition.

Vengeance comes with race number two. Another C8 Stingray lines up, only this time the competition in a Model Y. It’s a pretty close race, too, with the drivers separated by just a tenth of a second. However, when you’re turning a low-12-second quarter-mile, a tenth may as well be a mile. Chalk a win for the Model Y.

The third race sees a big ol’ Ford at the starting line, off-road tires and all. The driver still does a burnout, and to be honest, it sounds pretty good. Clearly there’s a V-8 under the hood, and we reckon it has quite a few modifications because it goes 13.62 in the quarter, lifted suspension and all. But its competitor, another Model 3, goes much, much faster.

That brings us to the final race, and it’s the quickest run of the video. We have another Model 3, this time facing down a Mustang Shelby GT500 on drag tires. Both cars turn an 11-second quarter-mile, but only one wins.

We’ll leave that mystery for the video to solve.

The ID. Evo, ID. Aura and ID. Era concepts are “specifically tailored to the needs of Chinese customers.” But will those customers show up?

The production-version of this hyper-luxury van will come to the U.S., Mercedes says.

• BYD is reportedly doing what no other non-Japanese automaker has ever done: it’s working on a kei car.
• The new model will be electric and arrive in Japan in 2026.
• The BYD kei model targets a lower starting price than Japan’s most popular EV, the Nissan Sakura.

Japan’s electric vehicle market fell 33% in 2024 from an already low baseline. But China’s BYD still saw sales growth in the country. Nissan still dominates the Japanese electric car market, and Tesla leads among imported EVs, but BYD is now reportedly working on a model it hopes will slingshot it to the top of the country’s EV sales charts.

Nikkei reports that BYD is working on an electric kei car to rival Japan’s best-selling EV, the Nissan Sakura. The Sakura is a Kei car with a starting price of around $18,250 USD. The Sakura has a tiny 20 kilowatt-hour battery that’s good for a claimed WLTC range of 112 miles (180 km). It gets a heat pump for efficient cabin climate control and 100 kW fast-charging capability.

In order for BYD to hit it big with its kei car in Japan, it needs to beat the Sakura’s specs and offer the car at a lower price. One of the reasons why Japanese car buyers are avoiding EVs (which accounted for just 2% of all new cars bought in 2024) is their higher price. If BYD can undercut the country’s bestseller, it shouldn’t have a problem dethroning it.

According to Nikkei, BYD is currently targeting a starting price of around $17,700, which would fulfill the all-important affordability criteria that would give it the best chance of success.

For a car to meet Japan’s kei car regulations (which bring low taxes on top of the parking/usability advantages of having such a small car), it must not be longer than 11 feet 2 inches (3.4 meters), wider than 4 ft 10 in (1.48 m) or taller than 6 ft 6 in (2 m). Kei cars are also limited to 64 horsepower.

Because kei cars so specific to Japanese regulations and not sold anywhere else, pretty much no company outside of Japan has ever made one. The sole exception (with an asterisk) is Smart, which made its ForTwo narrower and limited its cubic capacity to 660 cc to meet kei regulations in the Japanese market. The closest thing to a foreign kei car today is probably the Hyundai Inster, but it’s still around 10% too big since it’s not designed to meet the specific regulations.

BYD may therefore be the first non-Japanese automaker working on an actual bespoke kei car. It currently sells four models in Japan: the Dolphin, the Atto 3, the Seal and the Sealion 7. The first of these is a small city car, but it’s too wide for the kei car classification, so it’s not as popular as it could be. Its new electric kei car is reportedly coming sometime in 2026.