Category: General

• New layout for a 2-speed might be light and compact while maintaining efficiency
• Could potentially allow strong launch with a lower-cost motor unit
• Idea might be due in future Lucid EVs, or engineers might still be pondering it

The Lucid Air electric sedan already achieves impressive efficiency with its existing drive unit, but the automaker might be considering a 2-speed transmission for possible future use, a patent filing indicates.

The patent, first spotted by Motor1, was filed in 2023 and looks to build on the current drive-unit setup, which uses two coaxial planetary gearsets to provide the necessary reduction from motor speed to wheel speed while keeping packaging compact.

It describes the use of one or more planetary gearsets to achieve two gear ratios, with a tapered gear surface on each respective gear plus a system of one-way clutches to switch between them.

Most electric cars do without multi-speed transmissions, but they’ve been a topic of discussion for some time. The original Tesla Roadster was supposed to use a 2-speed gearbox, but that was substituted for a fixed reduction-gear setup after prototypes failed to handle the motor’s copious torque.

Lucid 2-speed transmission. – U.S. patent

Lucid, in the patent application, somewhat parallels explanations provided to Green Car Reports in the past from CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson about why it hasn’t yet used a multi-speed unit. In the filing, the company’s authors explained that the gearboxes already used in a few electric-vehicle models “are complex mechanisms that take up significant space, they may have low efficiency and/or deliver low initial torque, and they place a significant inertia load on the drivetrain (e.g., an excessive jerk when shifting).”

If such a component doesn’t take up initial space or reduce efficiency, while allowing smaller, lighter motors, incorporating them with Lucid’s upcoming Atlas drive unit could pay off in averted cost and weight—although the company has made no claims as of yet that this patent has anything to do with Atlas.

Next-generation Lucid Atlas drive unit – bound first for future midsize EVs

“Lucid continuously explores new ideas and develops technological innovations that could further advance our electric vehicle technology and help accelerate humanity’s transition to sustainable transportation and energy,” the company stated, in response to Green Car Reports’ question as to whether this patent might be connected to Atlas and thus its future midsize models, initially. “Protecting unique IP is a typical part of the innovation and development process, though we can’t speak to potential future applications of specific patents.”

2024 Lucid Air

The Porsche Taycan has a 2-speed gearbox for its rear wheels, which Porsche has said helps balance acceleration and high-speed efficiency. The gearbox has a low gear that helps deliver more torque from a standing start, while keeping the rear motor and power electronics cooler. The high gear automatically engages at a certain speed threshold, or when the drive eases up on the accelerator (manual shifting isn’t possible), and driving it gently can skip the low ratio entirely.

In dual-motor versions of the Model S, Tesla has used motors with different gearing to achieve similar goals. Volkswagen is also confident that it can find other ways to maximize efficiency. In a recent interview with Green Car Reports, Kai Grünitz, VW’s head of global research and development, said the automaker still has no plans for 2-speed transmissions in EVs.

Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, is using a 2-speed transmission in its next-generation MMA platform, which will underpin four compact models starting with the 2026 Mercedes CLA, which will be sold with all-electric and hybrid powertrains. And perhaps Lucid will follow through and include an additional gear ratio in some of its future EVs as well.

–with reporting by Bengt Halvorson

• Refreshed iX electric crossover gets 10% more efficient
• 2026 iX will have three new model designations
• BMW refined the suspension tuning

If you’ve been following EVs, then BMW’s Neue Klasse (noo-ay class-eh) should sound familiar. Even though the “new class” sounds as French as it does German to this anglophone, BMW uses it to classify its generation of electric vehicles that launches with the iX3 crossover later this year, followed by an iteration of the 3-Series sedan.

Meanwhile, the refreshed 2026 BMW iX makes a half-step to this new class of EVs. Launched in 2022, BMW’s electric crossover arrives with significant improvements to its battery packs, propulsion systems, and other internals, though much of what we know we can’t say until late January for its global reveal. 

In a brief drive outside of BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, factory, the new iX rode with more comfort and seemed to have a greater range between its firm sport and soft comfort settings. There appeared to be changes to its polarizing exterior design that bridged the quirky eco-style of the discontinued i3 hatch with some of the more bold if not brash styling elements of BMW’s crossover SUVs. 

It was covered in camo and the interior dash and panels were covered in the kind of thin carpet you’d find in a cargo floor. Our impressions were limited to a 15-minute test drive, and many of the mechanical details are in another kind of camouflage from BMW. Here’s what we know and what’s been leaked, and what we might expect for this iteration of the iX. 

Spartanburg is BMW’s largest factory in the world, and while it makes the X3 and nearly every larger crossover SUV that BMW ships to the world, the iX will continue to be made in Plant Dingolfing, in Lower Bavaria, Germany.  

The 2026 iX arrives in the second quarter of 2025 with a reported three models to choose from, each representing a different performance level, in the BMW way. 

2026 BMW iX battery and motor unit improvements

All three models will have dual-motor all-wheel drive, but the new base model will be the iX xDrive45, instead of the 40, according to a leaked Bimmerpost cited by several automotive outlets. Based on EPA listings, the entry point to the 2025 BMW iX will be the xDrive40 that hasn’t been offered in the U.S. yet; it has a 71-kwh battery pack (usable) and a max range of 219 miles, according to the EPA.

Expect a larger pack and increased range at the entry point of the 2026 iX xDrive45. 

It’s rumored that this year’s iX xDrive50 morphs into the iX xDrive60 in 2026, and this year’s M60 becomes the M70 in 2026. It’s expected to have a larger battery pack than the existing 105.2-kwh battery pack, but it will probably stick with the prismatic cells instead of switching over to more energy-dense cylindrical cells that will underpin the Neue Klasse generation of electric vehicles. Consider this the fifth-and-a-half—not sixth—generation of BMW’s EV battery and propulsion system. 

Neue Klasse vehicles will utilize an 800-volt architecture, but the iX will keep its 400-volt architecture, albeit with efficiency improvements to increase charging times. How much we don’t know. On a DC fast charger maxing out at 195 kw, the 2025 BMW iX could charge from 10-80% in 40 minutes.

Like the Neue Klasse vehicles, however, the 2026 BMW iX may use silicon anodes instead of graphite in the cells, resulting in greater energy density and faster charging speeds. More density means more energy stored, so it should translate to greater range, though that hasn’t been confirmed by BMW and likely won’t be certified by the EPA until early next year. 

Other improvements to boost range include new “friction-optimized” wheel bearings, according to BMW, and more efficient headlights that consume less energy. New inverter technology increases the drive power energy for more burst, and the transfer of energy from the battery to the motor is more dense and efficient.

2026 BMW iX estimated with 10% more efficiency 

The 2025 iX xDrive50 has an EPA-rated range of 309 miles when equipped with 20-inch wheels. BMW cited a 10% increase in efficiency for the new model, so that could boost the range to 340 miles for the 2026 BMW xDrive60, when equipped with the most fuel-efficient wheels wrapped in low-rolling resistance tires.

The 2025 M60 tops out at 285 miles, while the 2026 M70 could get somewhere in the 310- to 315-mile range, based on my crude calculation. It’s much harder to speculate on the xDrive45 because BMW wouldn’t release the battery size.

How the 2026 BMW iX drives

We don’t know if the M70 will improve on the 2025 M60’s 610-hp, 749 lb-ft of torque output and 0-60 mph time of 3.6 second, or if the iX xDrive60 will improve on the 2025 xDrive50’s 516 hp, 564 lb-ft and its 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds. 

In my brief drive, the iX xDrive60 had gobs of power off the line, and slight toe-taps opened up bursts of acceleration at speed. It was quick enough to slap a grin on my face, but not so stark as to upset unsuspecting passengers. Eco mode predictably mushed the throttle response. Sport mode mostly deactivated the stability control system to allow for some kind of drifting, I was told, but I didn’t have the space or lack of passengers to test it. The B mode in the shifter remains for max regenerative braking that brings the iX nearly to a stop without the brake pedal. The brakes remain the same. 

The 2024 iX xDrive50 I tested last year had wobbly handling and prodigious weight, making it something of an outlier in BMW’s electroverse, but BMW has worked to improve that across the iX range. I tested the iX xDrive60 with the steel-spring suspension. BMW retuned the hydraulic dampers for a calmer ride while cruising, and on the stretch of state highway I tested at about 70 mph, it made good on that promise. With the exception of the expected tire noise endemic to EVs, it was notably quiet in the cabin, even with the prototype seemingly unfinished. 

The lack of steering feel in Sport mode was one of our editor’s complaints about the 2023 BMW iX. Improvements to the steering have also been made, with a more pronounced feeling between sport and comfort settings, according to BMW, but I didn’t have enough space to test that out. 

The M70, like the M60 before it, will likely have a two-axle air suspension with adaptive dampers. It appears that the iron butterfly grille—one of the gaudiest takes on the kidney grille this side of the i4 electric sedan—carries over, as does the alleged self-healing grille that erases or at least blends in scratches.  

New this year is an M Sport package, as requested by customers. The cosmetic Sport package on the 2025 xDrive50 might not have had enough M. It comes with blue brake calipers, whereas the M Sport Package Pro standard on the M70 gets red calipers. Maybe it’ll make M posers see red.

On the inside, the package means new M power seats with more side bolstering and a longer seat bottom by nearly two inches. Leather upholstery remains an option with the M Sport Package, but it comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, M pedals, and M badging. 

Standard features across the lineup include adaptive cruise control up to 85 mph, welcome lighting, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as a Harman Kardon sound system. 

Options include a glass roof, automatic soft-close doors, and the latest in BMW’s iDrive operating system integrated into a digital instrument cluster and touchscreen of undisclosed size. Driver-assist options include a limited hands-free driving system with automatic lane changes and a remote parking system.  

The 2026 iX adds some newness to this class of BMW electric vehicle, but what future will it hold in the Neue Klasse school? We’ll find out more late in January.   

BMW paid for airfare and lodging for Green Car Reports to attend its brand overview.

• The Mercedes G 580 with EQ Technology is the first electric Popemobile
• Fisker was supposed to supply an Ocean as the first electric Popemobile
• While the electric G-Class is the first electric Popemobile, it’s not the first EV in the Vatican’s fleet

Mercedes-Benz G-Class Popemobiles have been a fixture of the Vatican vehicle fleet for decades, so with the off-roader now going electric, it’s fitting that the latest Popemobile is doing the same.

Mercedes on Wednesday presented Pope Francis with the first official electric Popemobile, based on the all-electric G 580 with EQ Technology that also reaches U.S. showrooms this year as a 2025 model.

As Mercedes points out, the automaker has a long history supplying cars to the Vatican, starting with a Nürburg 460 Pullman sedan for Pope Pius XI in 1930. The term Popemobile was coined for a series of modified G-Class SUVs, starting with a 460-series model first used by John Paul II in the 1980s and also used by his successors Benedict XVI and Francis, with elevated seating platforms and armored glass enclosures for the pontiff.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class electric Popemobile

That makes the electric G-Class’s designation as the first electric Popemobile historically apt, but it’s also the result of Fisker’s failure to deliver a Popemobile based on its Ocean electric SUV, something the now-bankrupt automaker proposed in 2021.

Mercedes was also slated to supply an M-Class (predecessor to today’s GLE-Class) plug-in hybrid Popemobile for Benedict XVI in 2011. At the time, the Vatican felt electric cars were too slow for this role, but that likely won’t be a concern with the modern G-Class EV.

The lay version of the electric G-Wagen has a quad-motor powertrain producing 579 hp and 859 lb-ft of torque, which Mercedes estimates will get it from 0-62 mph in 4.7 seconds and up to a top speed of 112 mph. The quad motors also enable a G-Turn feature that initiates 360-degre turns on low-friction surfaces, but it’s unclear if the Pope will make use of that feature.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class electric Popemobile

The powertrain was retuned for low-speed driving during papal appearances, such as the 2025 Jubilee in Rome where the Popemobile will make its debut, according to Mercedes. The roof was also cut back to make room for an open seating area, with a cutout where the tailgate would normally be for ingress and egress. The left rear door was also removed, the right rear door given a reverse hinge to act as another entry point, and the vehicle was given a pearl white paint job with matching upholstery.

While it is the first electric Popemobile, the G-Class is not the first EV in the Vatican fleet. General Motors presented Pope Francis with an Opel Ampera-e (the European sibling of the Chevrolet Bolt EV) in 2017, and Benedict XVI received a pair of electric cars from Renault in 2012. But the Mercedes will be the first to be used in an official capacity for public appearances.

Lexus is delaying production of its next-generation electric flagship, reports Japanese media outlet NHK.

Previewed by the Lexus LF-ZL concept first seen at the 2023 Tokyo auto show, this model was originally slated to launch in 2026 but will now arrive in 2027, allowing time for more development work, according to the report.

The LF-ZL (short for “Lexus Future Zero-emission Luxury”) was an SUV measuring 208.6 inches long. That made it about eight inches longer than the Lexus LX, the brand’s largest SUV, and two inches longer than the LS sedan that has traditionally been the Lexus flagship.

Lexus LF-ZL concept

Lexus said at the time of the concept’s unveiling that the LF-ZL was based on a dedicated EV platform, with a structure comprised of three large “gigacastings.” An engineering method advocated by Tesla, this replaces smaller welded components with large cast pieces, which Lexus has claimed will simplify manufacturing and increase structural rigidity.

The concept also featured prismatic battery cells, which Lexus said would allow for thinner battery packs and thus more design flexibility, and would also be used in future production EVs.

Lexus parent Toyota said last year that it intended to transform the luxury marque “into a battery EV brand” by 2035. In addition to the LF-ZL, the future EV lineup is expected to include a production version of the LF-ZC concept, a sleek hatch also unveiled at last year’s Tokyo show. These vehicles will be a big step forward from the Lexus RZ, the only Lexus EV currently sold in the U.S., and the electric version of the UX crossover sold in other markets.

Lexus LF-ZL concept

Lexus has seemed on track to begin its electric transformation. In 2022, the brand’s engineering boss told Green Car Reports that an 800-volt electrical system for future EVs was ready, and a report earlier this year said Toyota was building a new battery plant for Lexus in Japan.

Toyota has itself walked back some of its EV plans, reportedly delaying the start of production of a new three-row electric SUV at a plant in Kentucky from 2025 to 2026. But the automaker has also said that, on a global scale, it will ramp up EV production to at least one million units in 2026. That represents a nearly tenfold increase from 2023 levels.

• Rivian’s chief software officer confirmed the company’s EVs will get text messaging capabilities in 2025
• The text messaging solution will utilize native text-to-speech via a new voice tech stack
• Google Cast and native YouTube application will come in the next software update

Two years ago, Rivian Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid told owners and fans that the automaker was working on text-to-speech text messaging abilities.

Two years later and that functionality hasn’t appeared in any Rivian electric vehicles.

In a fireside chat with media and owners in November at the Rivian Space in Los Angeles, Bensaid said native text messaging abilities will come to Rivians in 2025.

Bensaid admitted Rivian has “made several attempts for text to speech,” but the problem, according to Rivian’s CSO, is the existing solutions available in the industry “are not great.”

A solution was in place and ready to ship, but during final testing Bensaid refused to sign off and said “no, we cannot ship,” because it was “fragmented.” The exec said the issue was especially prevalent for Android users, and the team wants to ensure both iOS and Android—despite most Rivian owners apparently having Apple devices, according to Bensaid—have a seamless experience.

Another issue with previous attempts included missing texts. “Supporting group chat is really a nightmare,” Bensaid said. He noted emojis or reactions are also “really a nightmare.”

The problem with today’s solutions is “it’s not a rich experience,” Bensaid said.

Bensaid said the team’s working on a new voice tech stack that will redefine the experience. Text-to-speech capabilities will come on top of this new software stack, and he’s been testing early prototypes for weeks. “It’s way, way different. I mean, honestly, it’s the type of experience that I want to really have,” Bensaid said.

The new voice tech stack will coexist with today’s Alexa implementation, according to Bensaid. The exec noted he sees the future as everything being accessible through the touchscreen and voice, not just one or the other. Bensaid noted that AI offers a tremendous opportunity in this regard.

But it won’t only be text-to-speech. There will be a physical interface on the screen to interact with text messages. Bernsaid wouldn’t elaborate on what that might look like or how it’ll operate aside from noting “it’s really a nice interface.”

“So my message is, please be patient with us,” Bensaid asked of owners. He went on to say Rivian’s implementation will be better than anything else in the industry today.

2025 Rivian R1S

But that’s all to come. The next software update, according to Bensaid, will enable Google Cast along with native YouTube implementation. Google Cast will come with the support of more than 3,000 applications, except Netflix, which Rivian is still working with Google on, according to the software exec. Dolby Surround Sound is in the cards, but no timeline was given. Rivians already feature Dolby Atmos when using the new Apple Music app.

For the time being, Google Cast will only be on the front screen, but Bensaid said the team’s looking at how to enable it for rear screens. Today, the only rear screen Rivian offers is a small screen mounted on the back of the center console, like in Teslas. Bensaid said enabling Google Cast for the rear seats would make it so the feature could be used by passengers while driving.

• Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust was developed to get V-8 sensory experience into EVs
• All 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EVs will include it
• Hardware and energy use is similar to subwoofer, generates V-8 sound and vibes

Paradoxically, to get a new Dodge muscle car with the signature V-8 sound, you’ll need to go with the EV. 

The propulsion systems of modern electric vehicles are naturally smooth and near-silent, and some EV enthusiasts have come to know and love that. Meanwhile, Dodge has phased the V-8 out for its muscle car lineups. But the team behind the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV, which is due to go on sale in its launch Scat Pack form within weeks, aims to show that they might be able to win over traditional enthusiasts, too—by engineering a V-8 sensory experience back in. 

What does it take? In a recent conversation with Kevin Hellman, senior vice president of product for Stellantis’ Dodge brand vehicles, on the floor of the LA auto show, Green Car Reports learned that the much-touted “bone-shaking” Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust makes more than the sound of muscle-car rumble. It adds some finely calculated noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) back into the mix. 

[embedded content]

Hellman said that the rumble is one you’ll be able to feel from the driver’s seat, and the team behind the Charger Daytona wanted an impression that, when you start the vehicle, would leave no doubt whether or not the power was on.

In a quick startup, rev, and power-down—out on the auto-show floor, which would have never been allowed with a real V-8—Hellman demonstrated to us that it sounds the part. But as for the rumble from the driver’s seat, and the whole experience, you’ll have to wait another week or so for first drive impressions. 

“Your butt tells you the car’s on,” he summed, underscoring that it’s the vibration that this system adds back to the experience that makes it something far greater than the in-cabin noise makers that some electric vehicles offer. “And quite honestly, when you’re driving a car fast and driving around a track, everything else, that visceral feeling is great feedback.”

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

Fratzonic generates more NVH for an EV?

To do that, the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust is effectively a noise-and-vibration-generating unit. Four “custom-designed elastomer isolator bushings” support the system and operate much like those on an engine’s exhaust system. Inside there are two “bespoke, high-efficiency extreme bandwidth transducers”—which Hellman broke down to a combination of standard drivers plus two so-called passive radiators (essentially a driver without the magnet). It’s using those passive radiators—”passivators,” Hellman nicknamed them—”to get that low, low growl that’s the rumble that you would expect from a muscle car,” he said.

All said, the materials that go into the Fratzonic unit are “very similar” to what’s built into a subwoofer box, according to Hellman, albeit with a design that’s patented around how those passivators and speakers work together within its volume to create the sound. The physical volume of the system is about 36 liters—about the size of a 10-gallon gas tank, or a smallish carry-on suitcase, at just 1.3 cubic feet. 

That’s most but not all of it. There is some “active noise management” of the system throughout the vehicle, including some tweaks from the sound system, Hellman said, but about 90% of what the driver is hearing is coming from that external unit at the back of the car. 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

Up to 126 dB, but Charger V-8 growl is what matters

The sound isn’t just for those inside the EV. The team’s functional objective for the system was to be as loud as the outgoing Hellcat—which is a screaming-loud 126 decibels. But it really came down to getting the tone right with the engine’s low notes, Hellman explained, as you can play a really high-pitch sound and hit 126 decibels rather easily. 

The EV had to sound like a Dodge V-8, the team decided early on, so it started out with a lot of sampling of historical Hemi V-8s, 426 V-8s, modern Hemis and Hellcats, and even the 1960s Chrysler Turbine car, folding those sounds into the output. It then asked all the participants a chance to evaluate each theme on how they liked the way it starts up, shuts down, revs, and runs. And they asked whether it sounds or feels like a Dodge. 

The system does involve psychology and being perceived as an inspiring sound, not a cheap imitation, so Dodge spent some time clinicking the solution. “We did a lot, and the agency we worked with put together some themes from mild to wild muscle, to crazy futuristic space-ship kind of things, and we clinicked it at our vehicle clinics, and then we took it to SEMA,” said Hellman.

What results, he explained, is the low-frequency growl, with a bit of a futuristic edge. Meanwhile, the waveforms don’t resolve at the same time, so as to give it some of the organic complexity of the original. 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

While the Daytona EV team avoided the super-futuristic route, there are plenty of EVs that have gone that way. The Ford Mustang Mach-E sounds, for instance, were influenced by classic 1980s sci-fi cinema, including “Blade Runner” and Batman’s Tumbler. But they’re only for those inside the vehicle. 

“When you’re out driving the car you may notice that there’s a familiarity of the sound that you can’t quite put your finger on,” he explained. “That’s because it operates at 38 Hz, which is very close to the firing order of a Hemi.”

Location, location, location is part of this, too. In this acoustic puzzle the sounds were all tuned to sound the most like a natural V-8 to the driver—although they’re pretty on-target from the outside of the car, based on the auto-show sound check. 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

Fratzonic solves an acoustic-physics puzzle

As with the sound of the Hellcat and a lot of the vintage muscle cars that preceded it, the project became larger than life. Hellman said that the Fratzonic project started with a simple: “This car’s gonna make sounds all the other EVs aren’t,” but it soon pivoted toward a deeper V-8 feel. 

Tying in, briefly, a lesson in linguistics and acoustic physics: You have to use breath to make vowel sounds, and each of those vowel sounds can be seen as a particular band of frequencies. After I heard, in brief, Fratzonic in use on the car, when idling and revving, I can say that it’s getting all those growly vowels in a V-8 idle that make the difference. 

Stellantis NVH engineers in Michigan—essentially the same people who would tune an exhaust in a real-V-8 muscle car—together with an unnamed agency that works on sound and special effects for Hollywood movies, created essentially six instruments. Then for this system, they trained them to play at different levels and variations depending on variables fed through the car.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

The list of parameters influencing the sound the vehicle actually makes is long, and includes the speed of the vehicle, the speed of the motors, the throttle position, the load, the regen mode, and the drive mode. 

In general, Hellman says, a change to a more aggressive drive mode will drive up the amplitude and volume of the sound. Auto is the baseline, while Sport gets a little louder, and Track and Drag get the loudest.

You can also turn the sound completely off if you don’t like it. Or there’s a Custom drive mode that can dial a different level in for each of the modes as desired. 

Adding that NVH efficiently and reliably

The noise-and-vibration-making equipment will be included on all examples of the upcoming 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV. When I pushed about the cost of the system, Hellman would only say that “we treat it like any other component on the vehicle that we believe is part of the experience.”

The system is powered by a dedicated 600-watt amplifier, and energy consumption is comparable to that of a high-end audio system. The design of the Charger Daytona already likely earns back some of that in the aero-savvy of its front R-Wing setup that guides air for efficiency or downforce. 

When asked whether there were challenges in making the Fratzonic solution weatherproof from puddles, road salt, and the like, Hellman said without hesitation, but without further comment: “Oh yeah!”

Fratzonic for Ferrari…or Maserati?

As for whether Stellantis would be able to tune this system for a completely different type of vehicle—like a Maserati or Ferrari—Hellman essentially said not yet. There are some things that would carry over into other vehicles, like the approach, but it’s not the sort of thing that’s scalable at face value. 

“This moment in time, it’s absolutely developed for Dodge, developed for this,” he emphasized. 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

But Hellman, who previously oversaw the Challenger and Charger model lines for eight years, sees it as more than a bridge-building gimmick. “I think it’ll become one of those things that, as the EV market shifts, helps you find that familiarity,” Hellman said. “The sound is such an important piece for Dodge and for muscle cars. It’s something that we’ll continue to lean into and develop.”

“The way it looks, the way it sounds, we created something that no one else has done,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve heard anyone that even had a slight hesitation when they’ve heard it and seen it in person.”

California-based Telo Trucks on Tuesday confirmed a lower base price for its space-efficient MT1 electric pickup.

When the MT1 was unveiled in 2023, Telo said it would launch in dual-motor all-wheel drive form at a cost of $49,999 before incentives. The truck’s configurator has now gone live and shows a single-motor rear-wheel drive base model with a $41,520 starting price.

Telo truck vs Mini Cooper SE

The base MT1 develops 300 hp and Telo estimates 260 miles of range from its Standard battery pack. A Long Range pack delivering an estimated range of more than 350 miles is also available for an additional $3,980, while the 500-hp dual-motor powertrain costs $4,769. This enables maximum payload and towing capacities of 1,600 pounds and 6,600 pounds, respectively.

Range estimates are the same regardless of powertrain. Telo previously said the Long Range pack would have a 106-kwh capacity, but has not confirmed a capacity for the Standard pack. It’s also said that, with the bigger pack, the MT1 will be able to recover 210 miles of range in 20 minutes when DC fast-charging.

Telo truck (rendering)

Telo is still accepting reservations for $152—the length of the vehicle in inches. That’s the same as outgoing Mini Cooper SE two-door hatchback, yet the MT1 has room for five adults and a 60-inch bed, which is larger than what you get in a Rivian R1T. A midgate allows long objects, including a 9-foot surfboard or a 4-by-8 sheet of plywood, to fit behind the front seats, Telo claims.

Telo claims to have 3,700 reservations so far, and aims for a press launch event in early 2025. But, as Canoo and Alpha Motors have shown, showing off an attractive small electric pickup and actually getting it into production are two entirely different matters.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution dropped two noteworthy pieces of news Monday.

In separate announcements, GM said it planned to sell its stake in a Michigan joint-venture battery factory to LG, while the companies also agreed to a continued technical partnership for development of prismatic cells.

Pending closure of the transaction, which is expected in the first quarter of 2025, GM said it anticipates recouping its investment in the Lansing, Michigan, plant, which the automaker said is nearly complete but is awaiting installation of equipment. The plant was said to cost $2.5 billion when first reported in 2022, with GM and LG splitting that amount.

GM said the transaction would not change its ownership interest in the Ultium Cells LLC joint venture with LG that the plant is a part of. And so far there are no plans to change the ownership status of Ultium Cells plants in Warren, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, according to the automaker.

In what is considered a separate matter from GM’s divestment in the Michigan battery plant, the two companies will also extend an existing technical partnership to include prismatic cells for future GM electric vehicles.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution partner on prismatic battery cells

GM has for the moment standardized its EV hardware around pouch cells, which are currently being manufactured at the existing Ultium Cells LLC plants in Ohio and Tennessee. But the automaker said it aims to “diversify its supply chain, leveraging multiple chemistries and form factors.”

This is something GM has been investigating for awhile. In 2023, CEO Mary Barra noted that GM was flexible on battery-cell format and said the automaker was looking into both prismatic cells and cylindrical cells, albeit with no definitive plans to use either.

The automaker is now saying that prismatic cells could provide packaging advantages, as well as simplified manufacturing by reducing the number of modules in a battery pack. And LG already has experience with prismatic cells, GM noted.

Some retrenchment was likely after initial struggles with GM’s EV ramp-up. The automaker earlier this year backed away from a previous target of having production capacity for one million EVs by 2025, with Barra saying the market wasn’t developing as anticipated. GM’s own EV production issues might have contributed to that as well, although increased EV deliveries beginning in Q2 indicated the automaker was turning a corner.

Porsche is recalling 2,941 electric Macans because their headlights are too bright, which can reduce visibility for oncoming drivers and increase the risk of a crash.

The recall includes 2024 and 2025 Porsche Macan Electric models manufactured between Mar. 15, 2024, and Nov. 04, 2024. Headlight-control software in the affected vehicles was programmed to European standards rather than U.S. standards, resulting in beams that exceed brightness levels specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, according to the NHTSA.

2024 Porsche Macan (electric)

Porsche told the NHTSA that the programming error was corrected for later-production vehicles, but that 100% of the recalled vehicles are estimated to have this issue. And customers will have to take their cars to dealerships to have the headlight software reprogrammed, free of charge, as the fix can’t be implemented via an over-the-air update.

Porsche expects to mail owner notification letters Jan. 24, 2025. Owners can also contact the automaker’s customer service department at 1-800-767-7243 for more information. Porsche’s reference number for this recall is ARC5.

2024 Porsche Macan (electric)

The electric Macan arrived for the 2024 model year as one of the first electric vehicles based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) shared with Audi, and also underpinning that brand’s Q6 E-Tron SUV and A6 E-Tron sedan. The new architecture advances tech first used in the Porsche Taycan to the mass market, including an 800-volt charging system that allows a peak charge rate of 270 kw.

Only dual-motor Macan 4 and Macan Turbo grades were available for 2024. Porsche expanded the range for 2025 with a single-motor rear-wheel drive base model that effectively lowered the electric Macan’s price by about $3,000, as well as a dual-motor Macan 4S slotting between the Macan 4 and Turbo models. Porsche is still selling the previous-generation gasoline Macan alongside the Macan Electric, but has said only the electric model will be available starting in 2026.

Testing of an electric version of the Range Rover luxury SUV continues apace.

Reservations for the electric vehicle, dubbed the Range Rover Electric, opened in late 2023, with deliveries slated to start next year. That will likely make it a 2026 model in the U.S. Before that can happen, Land Rover is conducting testing in extreme conditions to ensure the Range Rover EV offers the same off-road capability as the internal-combustion version.

Range Rover Electric prototype

Land Rover said that it was close to finishing a hot-weather testing program in which prototypes were subjected to temperatures as high as 122 degrees F, as well as up to 90% humidity.

Prototypes were also taken to Dubai and driven up a 300-foot sand dune five times. Accomplishing this without any loss of performance from high temperatures is required of all new Range Rover models, Land Rover said.

Range Rover Electric prototype

This follows a trip to the Arctic Circle last winter for cold-weather testing. Engineers evaluated how prototypes responded to temperatures as low as -40 degrees F, and tuned chassis systems for low-grip surfaces. These include a traction control system that manipulates the electric motors, rather than the brakes, as in combustion Land Rovers.

The Range Rover Electric is expected to use a modified version of the MLA (Modular Longitudinal Architecture) platform from current gasoline and plug-in hybrid Range Rover models. It will be built at the same Solihull, U.K., factory that has built Land Rovers for decades. An electric Range Rover Sport, as well as an electric replacement for the Range Rover Velar, are expected to follow as well, along with three EVs for sibling brand Jaguar.