Category: General

Toyota is due to receive $4.5 million in federal funding for research into automating the teardown and rebuilding of used electric vehicle battery packs for eventual reuse.

The funding comes from the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), under the Catalyzing Innovative Research for Circular Use of Long-lived Advanced Rechargeables (CIRCULAR). That project aims to help foster a domestic circular supply chain around EV batteries, according to Toyota.

Circularity in supply chains emphasizes reuse and recycling of materials wherever possible. When it comes to EV batteries, Toyota claims the primary bottleneck for reuse is a slow process of battery pack disassembly and sorting of materials, including classifying battery cells by degree of degradation.

2025 Toyota bZ4x

With this research project, which will be overseen by the automaker’s Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), Toyota aims to create an automated pack disassembly process, diagnostic tools to classify recovered cells and modules, and a re-fabrication process that will turn those components into “new energy systems.”

Toyota is one of 13 recipients of CIRCULAR funding, and one of several seeking to automate the process. Others include the University of Colorado, which received $1.8 million to test the use of humanoid robots and robot arms to disassemble battery packs, and BMW, which was awarded $4.4 million to develop a battery pack “designed for rapid, robotic disassembly” without compromising structural integrity or energy density.

Getting batteries out to reuse in second-life uses before they need to be recycled for materials will help lower the CO2 footprint of products and potentially cut the environmental and dollar cost of everything along the way. Batteries from everything from Nissan Leafs to Porsche Taycans are already being sent to secondary uses.

2024 Lexus RZ

Toyota’s partnership with Redwood Materials is part of this push, too. And it’s resulted in a coordinated effort to help recycle Prius batteries through automotive recyclers—junkyards or salvage yards—around the country.

Redwood itself is receiving a massive $2 billion Energy Department loan, making this Toyota effort look a bit small—but necessary—clerical work. If this project makes for easier-to disassemble future EV battery packs, it could benefit both reuse and recycling.

General Motors and ChargePoint on Wednesday announced plans to deploy up to 500 DC fast chargers before the end of 2025.

Using GM Energy branding, the chargers will be supplied by ChargePoint, according to the companies. Many of the chargers will use ChargePoint’s Omni Port to allow electric vehicles with Combined Charging Standard (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports to charge at the same station without any adapter.

ChargePoint Omni Port

GM and ChargePoint promise power rates of up to 500 kw, surpassing those of the automaker’s current partnership with EVgo, which goes back to 2020 when GM announced that it would help fund the expansion of EVgo’s network, which is made up exclusively of fast chargers.

In 2021, GM and EVgo doubled down on that partnership, adding 500 more chargers to the original target of 2,750 by 2025, with an emphasis on urban locations and support for electric ride hailing. And earlier this year, the two companies announced 400 chargers in major U.S. metropolitan areas, to come online beginning in 2025. These will charge at up to 350 kw and will feature a gas-station-like pull-through configuration.

GM and EVgo flagship charging station

GM and EVgo also began collaborating on a coast-to-coast charging network in 2022, with 350-kw fast-chargers installed at Pilot and Flying J travel centers catering to road trippers rather than urban dwellers. The first of those locations opened in late 2023.

The additional charging partnership comes as GM plans to reset its battery strategy. Earlier this month the automaker announced that it would sell its stake in a Michigan battery factory to LG, while also partnering with that company on prismatic battery cells as a potential alternative to the pouch cells used in current GM EVs.

• One waiver allows California to set stricter rules for new vehicles—progressively mandating EVs
• A second EPA waiver green-lights the state’s heavy-duty vehicle emissions rules
• Trump may attempt to withdraw the waiver, continuing the regulatory ping-pong

The EPA on Wednesday granted two requests from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to implement and enforce the state’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) that set a course for ending sales of most new gasoline cars by 2035.

California drafted these rules, which would ban all new vehicles with combustion engines except for plug-in hybrids with substantial electric range, under its Clean Air Act waiver, which lets the state enact emissions rules stricter than the federal standards. Several states follow California’s emissions rules and are expected to do the same with ACC II—if California’s emissions authority survives likely attempts by the incoming Trump Administration to reverse it.

For now, the EPA has acknowledged California’s independence regarding the ACC II standards, which cover light-duty and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2026 to 2035. The second waiver granted by the EPA relates to California’s “Omnibus” regulations for heavy-duty vehicle emissions which, like ACC II, set stricter targets than those of the federal government.

Marengo Charging Plaza, Pasadena, California

The move received predictable praise from environmental groups, including the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors. Together, the California-emissions states represent 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population, according to the organization.

“This action means cleaner air in our communities, lower costs and expanded choice for consumers, and more good-paying jobs and investment in manufacturing across America,” U.S. Climate Alliance executive director Casey Katmins said in a statement.

In addition to California, Oregon, Washington State, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont have adopted ACC II starting with the 2026 model year, while Colorado, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Mexico and Maryland have signed on for the 2027 model year. These states represent a significant portion of new-car sales.

Marengo Charging Plaza, Pasadena, California

As noted by The Washington Post, industry trade group the Alliance for Automotive Innovation said in a memo last week that the states following California’s lead here are part of an “unaccountable, unachievable regulatory wormhole.” That’s less because of the legitimacy of California’s regulatory move because of where those states rules might stand in another likely challenge to California’s emissions authority by the second Trump Administration.

Under the previous Trump administration, the EPA was headed by a former coal lobbyist and aimed to withdraw the waiver enabling California’s emissions authority in 2019. Under the Biden Administration, the EPA planned to reinstate it in 2021—with public input. This past week the Supreme Court rejected a challenge from the oil and gas industry, also seeking to withdraw the waiver, but that doesn’t rule out future challenges.

Although it’s unclear whether Trump will ultimately attack states’ rights by once again meddling with California’s waiver, he’s emphasized that he may nix some of the Biden administration’s policy supporting EVs.

Honda will unveil prototypes of its 0 Series electric vehicles at CES in Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2025.

The pair of prototypes follow initial concept versions unveiled at CES 2024 this past January, and preview production models due in 2026. A teaser image shows one vehicle that appears to retain the general shape of the Honda Saloon concept shown at CES 2024, while the other trades the van-like form of the previous Space-Hub concept for something more SUV-like.

Honda previously confirmed that a production model based on the Saloon concept would be the first to arrive, but it will be just one of multiple EVs based on the same 0 Series building blocks. It marks Honda’s first attempt at a scalable EV component set after several false starts, and reliance on General Motors underpinnings for the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX electric SUVs.

At least some of these models will be U.S.-made. The automaker is currently retooling Ohio facilities, and constructing a new battery plant, with the goal of potentially producing hundreds of EVs per day but flexibly mixing production with hybrids as needed. That will ensure the 0 Series EVs aren’t niche models, but Honda has cautioned that they won’t be electric replacements for the likes of the Accord or CR-V either.

Honda Saloon EV concept

In addition to EVs for the main Honda brand, the 0 Series platform will be used for an Acura model drawing inspiration from this year’s Performance EV concept, as well as EVs from the joint Sony-Honda brand Afeela. The Acura and Afeela models will also be manufactured in Ohio.

Honda has also said the 0 Series will have lightweight, energy-dense battery packs, with later versions of the platform using batteries that will eventually be able to charge from 15%-80% in just 10-15 minutes, and will lose no more than 10% of their original capacity and range after 10 years of use. A prototype drive of the 0 Series architecture earlier this year indicated Honda will be able to combine sleek aero-efficient shapes with sharp handling.

• Merger talks between Honda and Nissan might begin
• The merger would put the automakers under holding company
• EVs, hybrids, and software could be at the core of potential overlap
  

Honda and Nissan are close to starting merger talks aimed at fending off electric-vehicle competition, reports Nikkei.

The Japanese news daily reported on Tuesday that Honda and Nissan are close to signing a memorandum of understanding as a first step toward merger talks, with Mitsubishi potentially joining as a third partner. Nissan already owns approximately 34% of Mitsubishi shares, and there has been some platform sharing between the two automakers.

The current plan is for the merged automakers to operate under a holding company, according to the report, which cites competition from Tesla and Chinese automakers in the EV segment as one of the main factors behind the merger talks.

2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce

This follows a March announcement by Honda and Nissan of a memorandum of understanding for a “strategic partnership in the fields of vehicle electrification and intelligence” expected to cover EVs, hybrids, and software. Mitsubishi was tipped to join that partnership in August. The current alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi, and French automaker has also collaborated with Honda in the past, most recently on the Altna battery-leasing joint venture.

Combined sales of Honda and Nissan in 2023 totaled more than 8 million vehicles. That would make the merged automaker the third largest by sales volume after Toyota and the Volkswagen Group, which sold 11.2 million and 9.2 million vehicles in 2023, respectively.

A full merger would likely be a needed lifeline for Nissan. The automaker in October announced plans to lay off approximately 9,000 employees, representing 6.7% of its global workforce, and cut production capacity by 20% due to declining sales, primarily in the U.S. and China.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid

Both automakers are in the midst of an EV reset, with Honda preparing to roll out its 0 Series starting in 2026 and Nissan preparing a next-generation Leaf, as well as larger models for assembly in Mississippi.

Hybrids could present more immediate opportunities for integration. Honda’s two-motor hybrid system could replace Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, which still hasn’t made it to the U.S. after years of discussion. Nissan, meanwhile, could take the lead in electrifying pickup trucks and SUVs—including the body-on-frame models Honda currently lacks.

• Ram now plans its first electric truck for a 2026 launch
• Series-hybrid Ramcharger on track for the first half of 2025
• Stellantis—without a permanent CEO—says battery-electric demand is slowing

The all-electric Ram 1500 REV full-size pickup truck has been delayed once again, with the series hybrid Ram 1500 Ramcharger now due to arrive before it, Stellantis confirmed Wednesday in a press release.

The REV was shown before the Ramcharger, debuting in a 2023 Super Bowl ad. It had been scheduled to arrive at dealerships before the end of this year as a 2025 model. But last month, now-ousted Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the launch would be delayed until the first half of 2025 to ensure quality. Now Stellantis says the REV won’t arrive until 2026.

2025 Ram 1500 REV

Instead, order books for the Ramcharger, which uses a 92-kwh battery pack and a 3.6-liter V-6 engine acting as a range extender, will open in the first half of 2025. Stellantis hadn’t confirmed exact launch timing for the Ramcharger until now, but it seems that introducing it first is a change of course by the automaker.

“The decision to launch Ramcharger first was driven by overwhelming consumer interest, maintaining a competitive advantage in the technology, and slowing industry demand for half-ton BEV pickups,” the release said.

2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger

The Ram 1500 REV had aimed offset its late arrival with big specs: up to 500 miles of range from a 229-kwh battery pack. If it launches with no mechanical changes in 2026, a 168-kwh pack will be standard, delivering what Ram estimates to be up to 350 miles of range. Ram has also confirmed a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain producing 654 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds, 14,000-pound towing capacity, and 2,700-pound payload capacity.

Ram has said the Ramcharger can get 145 miles of pure electric range, but its V-6 range extender can add 545 miles. It also more or less matches the Ram 1500 REV’s power output, acceleration, towing, and payload numbers. And while its rivals already offer all-electric pickups, the Ramcharger will give Ram a head start on plug-in hybrid trucks. So from the outset, it was always likely that the Ramcharger would upstage the REV—and that is now happening.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a challenge to California’s emissions authority, allowing the state to, for the time being, continue with plans to gradually phase out sales of new internal-combustion vehicles.

The Court denied a petition by Ohio and other states to consider the merits of challenges by oil and gas companies to California’s Clean Air Act waiver, which allows the state to set its own, stricter emissions standards. The Court said it would only consider whether those companies had standing to bring their claims.

This removes one potential threat to California’s regulatory authority, but there’s likely more where that came from. As California prepares to ban the sale of non-plug-in gasoline vehicles by 2035, conservative interests are targeting its EV-friendly policies.

Rivian Adventure Network charging site in Joshua Tree, California

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which might serve as a blueprint for the incoming Trump Administration, doesn’t call for an outright revocation of the waiver, but does aim for it to be reduced to cover only pollution issues specific to that state, as well as ensuring that other states that adopt California environmental standards only do so for “traditional/criteria pollutants”—not greenhouse gas emissions.

This would effectively excise the EV portion of California’s emissions standards, making for a much more surgical strike against EV policy than in the previous Trump Administration, which acted to remove California’s emissions authority outright in 2019. That challenge went to the courts, for different reasons, and the emissions authority was eventually restored by the Biden Administration.

Nissan Leaf charging at EVgo fast charger in Baker, California

Last time around, a series of automakers made side deals with California, backing it because it simply made better sense on the global landscape. BMW, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and Volvo asked a federal court to uphold California’s emissions authority, while General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis), and Toyota sided with Trump.

It’s unclear how persistent the second Trump Administration will be in trying to dismantle Biden’s clean-energy and EV-focused policy, but things do not look good on that front. In this case, though, attacking policies will also mean attacking states’ rights—ostensibly one of the core values of the Republican Party.

• Q6 E-Tron EV is Audi’s first on PPE platform shared with Porsche
• Arrives before the end of the year in Q6 and SQ6 forms
• California drive suggested around 300 miles from 100 kwh isn’t a stretch
• Roomy, comfortable interior and good ride quality; quirky regenerative braking

With its 2025 Q6 E-Tron lineup, Audi is helping solve a pesky logic problem that has plagued the whole round of electric sport-utility vehicle entries from German luxury brands over the past few years. 

SUVs are today’s family vehicles of choice. And luxury brands love pointing out that time is the new luxury. 

Then, why are so many luxury electric SUVs time bandits, leaving you to spend more time in the outer fringes of big-box parking lots charging up for the next stretch on the highway—while those in the mass-market Teslas, Hyundais, and Kias come and go?

The German luxury establishment might finally get it and be fixing this conundrum with next-generation EVs. But Porsche aside, Audi’s the only one here right now with circa-20-minute charging in a roomy-but-not humongous two-row luxury vehicle. 

In a first drive experience last week in the 2025 Audi Q6, I didn’t get far enough to warrant a road-trip charge; but it helped underscore that this new vehicle family is generally far better at avoiding a charging stop than its Q4 E-Tron and Q8 E-Tron counterparts.

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Q6 E-Tron family is mostly over the 300-mile mark

The Audi Q6 E-Tron family’s driving range spans from 321 miles for the rear-wheel-drive Q6 E-tron, to 307 miles in E-Tron quattro (dual-motor all-wheel-drive) form, to 275 miles in SQ6 E-Tron quattro form. 

Over an 83-mile drive with the Q6 E-Tron quattro and a 102-mile drive in the SQ6—both emphasizing a combination of tightly curved Sonoma two-laners with short stints on US-101, we averaged 3.0 miles per kwh overall. That’s an excellent result considering we were also driving to explore the ride, handling, and overall dynamics of the vehicle—I’ll get to that shortly—without a lot of heed to efficient driving. It should also be noted that we saw 2.9 mi/kwh in the Q6 E-Tron and 3.1 mi/kwh in the SQ6—perhaps more an indication of some additional afternoon traffic than anything else. 

Audi says that compared to the Q8 E-Tron, the Q6 E-Tron has a 33% improvement in performance and a 30% reduction in energy consumption. A shift to an 800 volts for the battery and propulsion system, borrowing wisdom from the Porsche Taycan and related Audi E-Tron GT, is at the core of the boost in efficiency and range, which makes the charging gains all the more meaningful. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Audi Q6 E-Tron aims for middle, makes it lux

With them, the Q6 E-Tron does indeed slot right into the heart of Audi’s lineup—especially right into the middle of its North American lineup. It’s about eight inches longer than the Q4 E-Tron and a foot shorter than the Audi Q8 E-Tron, but it ends up feeling nearly as big inside as the latter. And while its 187.8 inches of overall length and 113.7-inch wheelbase are only 3.5 and 2.7 inches greater than that of the Q5 gasoline SUV—with less than a couple inches extra in overall height and width—the Q6 feels almost a size larger. 

Those packaging advantages over the Q5 are made possible by what the Q6 was built on. It’s the launch vehicle for Premium Platform Electric (PPE), a dedicated EV platform that didn’t allow for combustion-engine space and aimed for reduced component dimensions and weight, plus strong performance. Initially shared with the Porsche Macan Electric, PPE is set to be utilized by the Q6 Sportback and A6 sedan lineup, both on the way next year. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

The packaging isn’t all perfect. If there’s a flaw here it’s that the rear door cuts are a little too short. While it means a little wedging for taller folks to get in (or a smaller space for leaning in on tots), there was plenty of space for this 6-foot-6 beanpole to sit behind myself. 

The floor is low, signaling some smart packaging choices with the battery pack, and there’s a 2.3-cubic-foot frunk that’s about the right size for a large daypack or carry-on—or stashing your mobile charge cord. In back, you get 30.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seatback up, or 60.2 cubic feet with them flipped forward—a significant amount more than the Q5’s 25.9 and 54.1 cubic feet.

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Q6 E-Tron batteries, motors, and more

What’s underneath? Keeping the battery pack modestly sized was a great start. Adding up to 100 kwh gross, or 94.4 kwh usable, it’s configured around 12 modules and 15 prismatic cells per module—for a total of 180 cells. It’s less complex versus the Q8 E-Tron’s 36 modules and 432 total cells, and the new pack allows individual modules to easily be replaced.

All models have a permanent-magnet motor unit at the rear wheels, and versions with quattro all-wheel drive get an induction motor at the front wheels. That essentially allows them to switch off the front motor, without drag, in cruising and light coasting situations, and weight savings and silicon carbide power electronics save weight and energy here, too. 

While the battery capacity may be the same, Audi is using two different EV battery cell chemistries, from two different global suppliers—Samsung SDI and CATL. Their lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells, due to slight variations optimizing the charge, get to 80% in 22 or 21 minutes, respectively—with quattro and SQ6 versions getting the NMC cells for their slightly better tolerance of heat in performance situations. 

2025 Audi SQ6 E-Tron

Q6 E-Tron charging, brake regen

Fast-charging peaks at 260 and 270 kw, respectively, for these packs, with the 350-kw CCS DC fast-charging connectors that are increasingly common in the U.S. An adapter for Tesla NACS connectors is set to arrive in the next year. On DC fast-charging equipment limited to less than 800 volts—like much of the Tesla Supercharger network at present—Audi’s enabled 400V charging at a peak around 135 kw, by running the pack as two parallel 400-volt packs, allowing that 10-80% charge in around 35 minutes. Audi says that with a predictive thermal management system and battery management controller developed for this platform, fast-charges will be quicker and more efficient, and it’s planning to add a manual preconditioning setting for the U.S. (to allow for stations that aren’t yet in route planning, for instance). 

For home charging, by the way, the 9.6-kw onboard charger allows you to tap into charge ports on either side of the vehicle (DC only on the driver’s side), and with a home charge connector at that power level, on a 50-amp circuit, a full charge should take no more than 10 hours. 

The Q6 E-Tron packs a lot of energy back away to the battery pack every time you slow or stop; but it’s a different approach than what you’ll find in many other EVs. In its default settings, the Q6 lineup likes to glide when you lift off the accelerator, unless you deliberately select other settings at each key cycle. Audi points out that its stepped up the actual brake regeneration that you tap into when stepping on the brake pedal, to a maximum of 0.30 g, a level that many stops only use the friction pads the past few feet. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Shift to ‘D’ and the default setting takes you to an Auto deceleration mode that is a bit of a black box. It taps into inputs from the forward-facing camera, including the distance to vehicles ahead, as well as traffic and navigation data, making decisions about the curves along the road ahead—but arriving at unpredictable levels of regen that aren’t confirmed on the dash as you lift off the accelerator. Attempting to glide around a roundabout, for instance, warranted an unexpected ramp-up in regen. 

You do have choices, though, and it’s the way to go. From ‘D’ with the steering-wheel paddles you can click through levels 0, 1, and 2, ranging from a flat-neutral coast, to 0.06 g (about like a gasoline car in ‘D’), to 0.15 g (think downshifting one gear). Select ‘B’ on the very odd shift selector—one of my peeves with this vehicle—and you dial up a completely different personality, with a full 0.25 g of regen when you lift off the accelerator. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Audi Q6 E-Tron price and value

The 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron quattro we spent much of the day with started at $67,095, including the $1,295 destination fee, and added the $6,800 Prestige package, $1,300 Warm Weather package (leather upholstery, cooled front seats, Bang & Olufsen audio), and $1,000 20-inch wheel package. That brought the total as tested to $76,195.

The quattro is right in the middle of the lineup, and it makes 356 hp in its launch mode and can get to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Rear-wheel-drive Q6 E-Tron versions make 322 hp and take 6.3 seconds. SQ6 E-Tron bump power to 509 hp and can get from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds. 

The Prestige package, which I didn’t test a Q6 E-Tron without, adds two features that might change the fundamental feel of the vehicle: an adaptive air suspension, and acoustic glass in front. 

To those two points: The Q6 E-Tron doesn’t feel tuned like a performance vehicle, and we noted a fair amount of pitchiness that got in the way of backroad poise. This isn’t a vehicle that invites driving roads. Despite all the weight-saving measures in the propulsion system, this vehicle weighs nearly 5,300 pounds—but the air suspension and buttoned-down damping do help calm big body motions under hard acceleration and strong braking, making it feel very confident overall.  

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

But as I note in a companion review of the 2025 Audi SQ6 over at Motor Authority, what amounts to a collective set of tuning and hardware differences amounts to a very different-feeling vehicle that I actually enjoyed driving much more, while only modestly more expensive and less efficient. 

Q6 E-Tron Prestige versions also get acoustic front glass, and it’s hard to tell what additional noise this helps quell, as the Q6 E-Tron is very, very quiet inside—so much that it made us question why Audi has three simulated propulsion levels inside, with none of them completely off. 

Q6 E-Tron family gets all-new interface

The Prestige package also includes some head-turning personalized OLED exterior lighting, plus a noteworthy piece of technology in front of the passenger—a 10.9-inch front passenger display, with an active privacy filter, that lets the passenger view, communicate, or play DJ. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

It’s all part of a revamped interface the brand is calling the Audi Digital Stage, wrapping a 11.9-inch configurable cockpit screen with a 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen in a curved panoramic design, as well as an augmented reality head-up display that seemed to jam a lot of info in front of the driver (we turned it off, but appreciated the directional lighting within the dash. It’s shifted seemingly all of the climate controls into the screen area, but over the course of a day’s drive I found most of the controls, with a basic menu of icons on the left rail signifying items like sound, navigation, phone, and the like, quite intuitive. 

Audi has also added a new AI-informed digital assistant that can perform some tasks (like turning down the very strong heated seats) flawlessly—and it doesn’t appear to need a data connection for everything. 

While the Q8 E-Tron (and its E-Tron SUV predecessor) was among the first electric SUVs on the market—a full year before the Tesla Model Y—the brand has shown it’s learned and improved in nearly every respect with the Q6 E-Tron and its underlying PPE platform. For those holding out for better-driving, longer-range, faster-charging luxury EVs, they’re here.  

• Macan Electric builds on Taycan’s 800V tech
• Leads a new generation of very quick-charging EVs
• Up to 315 miles of range, 21 minutes from 10-80%

The Porsche Macan Electric is brimming with technology and engineering innovation that will help transform the middle of the luxury market, not just the fringes. That’s why it’s one of Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2025 finalists

As other brands have shuffled toward EVs in fits and starts, Porsche hasn’t wavered in its effort to remake nearly all its lineup around EVs, and redesigning a next-generation Macan, its top seller, without a combustion engine has been an especially bold move. 

Porsche’s sharp focus on electrifying its lineup started with the Mission E concept nine years ago, resulting in the production Porsche Taycan, sandwiched between the 911 and Panamera. Fully electric, and arriving for the 2020 model year, it was one of our Best Car To Buy 2020 finalists. 

PPE platform for VW Group, developed by Porsche/Audi

This past year, the 2025 Porsche Taycan has received all sorts of improvements to gain efficiency, boost performance, and make good on the mission. But the Macan Electric’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) takes all Taycan’s tech in perspective—by allowing easier scalability, and simplifying for a higher level of mass production. It all shows that the electric version can be more space-efficient, comfortable, and luxurious, in addition to all those other clean-energy qualities. 

The Macan and its PPE platform-mates, including the Audi Q6 E-Tron, evolve the motor tech and carry over the Taycan’s 800-volt basis for battery and propulsion tech. However, it’s built with a 100-kwh battery pack that reduces complexity and shifts to a smaller number of prismatic cells and improved thermal regulation—enabling a 10-80% DC fast-charging time of as little as 21 minutes. With an EPA range rating of up to 315 miles, and 288 miles in even the top Macan Turbo, that’s not a lot of road-trip time spent charging. 

2024 Porsche Macan EV

2024 Porsche Macan EV

2024 Porsche Macan EV

So far, the German luxury establishment has been missing out on faster 800-volt charging, but the Macan and PPE shepherd it out to the 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron and SQ6 E-Tron, also arriving now, and next year to the Audi A6 E-Tron hatchback and more. 

The Macan Electric’s thermal systems and performance credentials were well proven by our editorial team during Best Car To Buy testing at Georgia’s Atlanta Motorsports Park, where the battery, brakes, or motors never overheated, despite this performance SUV’s curb weight of nearly 5,400 pounds—although the Pirelli P Zero Corsa summer performance tires were definitely worse for wear. 

2024 Porsche Macan EV

The Porsche Macan Electric is offered at a range of different power levels, including the 335-hp Macan, 402-hp Macan 4, the 509-hp Macan 4S, and the 630-hp Macan Turbo—with the latter achieving a 0-60 mph dash in just 3.1 seconds. An air suspension and adaptive damping are included, allowing the Macan to raise or lower its ride height based on the drive mode, and the PPE underpinnings for the Macan Electric also include a new front suspension geometry plus a steering gear that’s rigidly attached to the structure for better steering feedback. On the street and on the track alike, the Macan’s rear-wheel steering is its secret weapon, allowing for better maneuverability in tight corners and better stability in high-speed maneuvers. 

Fun track time aside, it’s the Macan Electric and the platform it’s built on that will help prove that EVs don’t have to involve compromise, which can help elevate this technology to a broader market. 

It’s not “mission complete” yet, but this bigger mission is just starting.

• Eight EVs have earned Top Safety Pick+ ratings from the IIHS
• The Cadillac Lyriq was not one of those EVs
• Mazda and Volvo PHEVs joined the list of Top Safety Pick+ winners

A few more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids earned the industry’s toughest safety award with a Top Safety Pick+ rating in the year’s final round of testing by the IIHS, but one model missed out.

The IIHS toughened requirements to earn the Top Safety+ award and second-tier Top Safety Pick award this year, but eight EVs achieved Top Safety Pick+ status in the first round of awards announced in September, with a further nine models earning the lower Top Safety Pick award.

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally

On Tuesday the IIHS announced that, after an additional round of testing meant to accommodate models that hadn’t yet undergone the updated moderate front-overlap crash test or had been changed to achieve better performance, the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E and 2025 Rivian R1S have joined the list of Top Safety Pick+ winners.

Plug-in hybrid versions of the 2025 Mazda CX-70 and 2024 and 2025 Volvo XC90 are also newly minted Top Safety Pick+ winners. No new EVs or plug-in hybrids joined the ranks of Top Safety Pick winners this time around.

To qualify for either award, vehicles now need the highest “Good” rating in the small front-overlap and updated side crash tests, an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the pedestrian front-crash prevention tests, and headlights with those same ratings across all trim levels. The latter requirement tripped up the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq, which received a “Poor” headlight rating.

2025 Rivian R1S

Introduced for the 2023 model year, the Lyriq sees minor changes for 2025, as well as a price cut, but nothing that would likely impact its headlight ratings. That being said, automakers sometimes work with the IIHS to address issues found in the organization’s testing, so Cadillac could make changes that filter in later in the model year.

The Top Safety Pick+ award also requires a “Good” or “Acceptable” score in the updated moderate front-overlap test, which adds a second crash test dummy behind the driver and looks closer at rear-seat safety. A “Good” rating in the original version of this test is enough for the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award.