Tag: electric car

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ENYAQ EXPRESSES BOTH POWER AND EFFICIENCY. WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THE NEW SUV’S NAME?

The ENYAQ model opens a new chapter in the 125-year history of the ŠKODA brand. Not just by being the first ŠKODA electric car built on the MEB platform, but by launching a new family of model names.

ŠKODA SUVs have traditionally had names ending in the letter Q, and the new ŠKODA ENYAQ follows this tradition like the KAMIQ, KAROQ and KODIAQ models. But the new model’s first letter shows that this tradition is merging with the eMobility era, referenced by the letter E at the beginning of the name.

The name ENYAQ encapsulates the character of the new model. It is derived from the Irish name ENYA, which means “source of life”, which itself expresses the power of the ŠKODA ENYAQ that goes hand in hand with the temperament of an electric SUV and the passion for innovation that produced the new model.

The Irish name Enya has even deeper roots in the language. It comes from the original Irish word eithne, which can be translated as “essence”, “spirit” or “principle”. These various meanings add broader resonance to the new model’s name.

The Irish origin of the name also carries on the tradition of inspiration from rugged corners of the earth. The ŠKODA KAMIQ, KAROQ and KODIAQ models were inspired by the language of the Inuit living in Greenland and Canada, and the names for ŠKODA’s MEB-platform electric models will also be drawn from northerly regions.

Source: Skoda

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Ford Mustang Mach-E photos, pricing leak ahead of official debut

It appears someone at Ford wasn’t careful enough with the upcoming Mustang Mach-E reservation website, because now a bunch of photos and specs have leaked three days before the car is set to make its official debut. A bunch of screen grabs ended up on the forum site MachEForum.com, and now we know a whole lot more about Ford’s first major EV before we were supposed to.

The screen grabs contain a wealth of information, including the Mach E’s range and charge-time estimates, its MSRP, and its 0–60 time. It also says that customers can expect deliveries by late 2020. But take all this with a grain of salt: this website could have been a placeholder of sorts and the specs could change dramatically before the official debut. Don’t assume these figures represent the final word on the Mustang Mach-E.

Depending on the trim, the range can vary from 210 miles (Select with all-wheel drive) to 300 miles (California Rt. 1 with rear-wheel drive). The upper trim cars seem to be AWD only. Either way, that’s a very respectable range estimate that is sure to give Tesla and other EV aspirants a run for their money. Intriguingly, the leaked images suggest the Mach-E can add 47 miles of range per 10 minutes of charging. VERY RESPECTABLE RANGE ESTIMATE THAT IS SURE TO GIVE TESLA A RUN FOR ITS MONEY

The interior of the car features two digital displays, one behind the steering wheel, and the other sitting in the middle of the dash, Tesla Model 3-style. The center screen appears to be the entirety of the infotainment system, again much like the Model 3. It’s going to be very interesting to watch as Ford engineers and designers dance around the inevitable Tesla questions they will get while showing this car off for the first time. 

Ford has announced recently the imminent release of its next-generation infotainment system, Sync 4. As such, the Mach-E’s touchscreen is probably 15.5-inches, seeing as how that’s the maximum size supported by Sync 4. All of the automaker’s 2020 vehicles are expected to come with the infotainment system preloaded. 

As for the car itself, gone are the traditional trappings of an internal combustion engine vehicle, such as a front grille and tailpipes. But instead of a totally smooth front end like the Model 3, the Mach-E has a cutout surrounding the Mustang logo. It almost looks like a baby Mustang trying to push itself out of a larger car’s mouth. At first glance, it’s a little off-putting and may take some getting used to.

“The future of exhilaration” is the Ford Mustang Mach-E tagline — which is better than the often tangled versions of “Built Ford Tough” that we’ve gotten in the past.

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Watch Porsche’s first electric car make an EV expert’s mind melt

Porsche started teasing its first all-electric car almost four years ago to the month, and we’ve learned a lot about it since then. Two of the biggest things left to discover about the car (called the Taycan) are what it will truly, actually, finally look like, and how it performs. We can now start to fill in the latter, though, because former Fifth Gear presenter Jonny Smith repeatedly put the new electric Porsche through its launch mode paces in a new video published this week.

If you’re not familiar with Smith, he’s an appropriate person to get the first crack at giving the Porsche Taycan a full go. Not only does he make loads of videos about electric cars on the Fully Charged YouTube channel, he’s known for taking a tiny 1970s commuter car and turning it into the world’s quickest street legal EV.

To see a guy that familiar with quick electric cars get delighted by the Taycan’s speed again and again should be a promising sight for prospective buyers. And as Smith and the Porsche reps mention again and again in the video, it’s that repeatability that the German automaker will likely focus on when the Taycan comes to market. Some of Tesla’s cars may be faster to 60 miles per hour, but the Porsche’s liquid-cooled 800V battery pack will apparently be able to dole out more electrons before the software screams uncle.

The video also offers one of the best senses of what the Taycan will sound like, both at low speeds (with its legally mandated pedestrian safety noise) and as it accelerates. It does not, however, give us any look at the interior. In fact, the seats and dashboard all appear to be covered in fabric so that viewers can’t spot any of the final details of the car that’s been years in the making. Porsche’s been quite open about the development of the Taycan over the last four years, but it looks like the company is trying to at least keep some air of mystery in the final month before the car’s official unveiling.

Source: The Verge

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Fresco Motors unveils intriguing electric sedan with unbelievable specs and features

Fresco Motors, Norway-based EV startup, has unveiled an intriguing new electric sedan with unbelievable specs and features.

Norway is without a doubt the world leader in electric vehicle adoption, but despite the market buying more EVs per capita than any other country in the world, Norway is not producing its own electric car.

Fresco Motors wants to change that.

The startup came out of stealth mode this week by unveiling its first car: The Reverie.

It’s an all-electric sedan with a radical design that is somehow reminiscent of both the original Tesla Model S prototype (without the nosecone) and a Chrysler 300 (look at the window/door proportions):

The size of the Fresco Reverie is somwhere between a Tesla Model S and Model 3, two of the most popular electric vehicles in Norway.

Here are the dimensions of the Reverie:

  • Length: 4807 mm
  • Width: 2226 mm
  • Height: 1401 mm
  • Wheelbase: 2746 mm

The company only unveiled a few computer-generated images and clearly doesn’t have a working prototype.

Yet, Fresco is promising some unbelievable specs and features.

For the range, the company didn’t offer any specifics and instead, it only said that owners will not have any range anxiety.

In terms of performance specs, the startup says that the Reverie will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2 seconds and achieve a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).

It claims to achieve that with an AC induction motor and a 4-speed automatic gearbox with “overdrive.”

As for some cool features, Fresco says that the Reverie will come with “portable batteries”:

“It’s common amongst owners of vehicles with internal combustion engines to have jerrycans. Why shouldn’t owners of electric vehicles have the same?”

The startup also says that its vehicles will come with a wireless charging pad.

Fresco is not releasing pricing or a timeline for the availability of its electric sedan, but it started taking reservations this week.