Posts with «author_name|roberto baldwin» label

Automakers dial up the wattage on the future of EVs at Munich's auto show

After over a year of canceled auto shows due to the pandemic, Munich's IAA Mobility 2021 auto show is the first big opportunity for automakers to display their upcoming vehicles to the masses.

Companies including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, and Porsche dropped new electric concepts and even showed off some production vehicles. Engadget has been in Germany this week, and here are four of our favorite new models.

Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan

Right out of the gate, Mercedes took no time to unveil its latest electric sedan, the EQE. While the EQS is the top of the luxury heap, the EQE gives potential buyers the opportunity to slide into Mercedes luxury without dropping as much cash. The EQE shares many of the same design elements and features as the more-expensive EQS including the optional 6-inch Hyperscreen and rear-wheel drive.

Mercedes-Benz EQG electric concept

Not stopping at sedans, Mercedes also unveiled a near-production concept version of the iconic G-Class aka, G Wagon. The EQG has the same distinctive look of the rugged, expensive offroader, but with a whole lot of lighting flourishes. 

How many of those will make it to production is unknown, and there's also no word on what it’ll cost and how long its range will be. But if Mercedes can pull off with the G-Wagon what it did with the EQS then the future of offroading — or driving around while shopping for high-end clothing — will be electrified.

BMW i Vision CIrcular Concept EV

BMW already has two electric production vehicles, the i4 and iX, headed to the US. In Munich, it took the opportunity to unveil the i Vision Circular concept, a vehicle that’s more about the future of manufacturing than it is about the future of driving. Built entirely out of recycled materials, the Circular is manufactured from mono-materials that are easy to recycle and take apart.

Porsche Mission R electric concept race car

For those excited about motorsports and the future of sports cars, the Porsche Mission R concept race car gave fans of the German brand a peek at what the future has in store. The all-wheel-drive vehicle uses a 900-volt architecture that supports DC fast charging at up to 340kW, and its battery is tuned for intense track days rather than cruising around town. While it’s currently a concept, the technologies found in the Mission R will likely make their way to the motorsports division and potentially into a future Cayman electric.

First look: Cadillac’s luxury EV debut seems like a winner

As parent company GM begins its rollout of EV’s based on the Ultium battery platform, automaker Cadillac is readying its very first electric Caddy, the Lyriq, for production. With a range of over 300 miles, a starting price of $60,000 and all the bells and whistles expected from the brand, the Lyriq could be a surprise hit when it starts landing in dealerships in the first half of 2022.

Cadillac gave us an opportunity to check out the vehicle at a studio in Los Angeles and while we can’t comment on how well it drives, it does look the part. It's a Caddy with some extra bits of flair afforded to an EV including vertical headlights and taillights that are an homage to the automaker’s classic fin era. Reservations for the 2023 Lyriq will open in September. Check the video above for the full story.

Holoride’s in-car VR gaming system leaves the track for the real world

Holoride’s VR gaming system for passengers caught our attention a few years back at CES when we were given a ride in an Audi on a track and had the game react to the movement of the vehicle while we played. Well, the company is back and this time they demoed two games and threw off the shackles of the track for the real world.

We took a ride in an Audi with the Holoride system and again enjoyed video games while someone else drove. The company is currently courting developers to build games via their recently announced SDK and are partnering with automakers to make sure that the data they need from the car to make their games a reality is available. Watch the video above for the full story.

Audi e-tron GT first drive: Beauty and performance in an impressive EV

When unveiled at the LA auto show in 2018, the Audi e-tron GT wowed the world with its incredible design. It immediately became the best-looking EV coming to market and now that it’s here and frankly not much has changed from what we saw at the event in Los Angeles.

We got a chance to drive both the regular 2022 e-tron GT and its performance variant, the RS e-tron GT, in Southern California to make sure the design is matched by the technology. While the vehicle shares the same platform and many of the same bits of technology as the Porsche Taycan, Audi has worked to make this vehicle its own. Watch the video above for the full story.

Relaxing behind the wheel of Mercedes’ level 3 autonomous Drive Pilot

The dream of autonomous driving everywhere is still a long way away. But soon Mercedes will launch Drive Pilot, its level 3 autonomous driving system in Germany on the S-Class and EQS. We had a chance to try the system out at the automaker’s test track and, while it did what it was supposed to do, we found it hard to turn off our driving brain while behind the wheel.

The system works on highways in traffic at speeds up to 60 kph (37 mph). Essentially it’s for daily commuting. But during that time the driver can stop paying attention and the Mercedes is responsible for everything that happens. That’s not to say you can nap, the vehicle still tracks the driver with an in-car monitor and it requires the driver to take over when it’s about to go faster than 37 mph, an emergency vehicle shows up, it rains or other situations that the vehicle is not built to handle. But you can play Tetris and text people. So that’s fun. Watch our video for the full story.

Mercedes EQS first drive: S-Class luxury in an EV

Mercedes has a lot to prove with its first proper EV coming to the United States. The EQS will land in dealers this fall at a yet-to-be-announced price point and, when it does, it’ll take on offerings from Tesla and Porsche. How will it fare against these EVs? We had a chance to drive the 2021 EQS for two days and figure out how it stacks up not just against competitors but up against the S-Class itself.

On our drive we got time behind the 450+ with rear-wheel drive, the 580 4Matic with all-wheel drive, and the Edition One version with its two-tone paint and 580 4Matic powerplant. All vehicles have a 107.8 kWh capacity battery pack and on the WLTP range test, the vehicle is rated at 485 miles. Of course, the more stringent EPA testing needs to be done and that number should fall. For now, we have a drive and impressions while we wait for range estimates and pricing. Watch our first drive video above for the full story.

Zero's FXE offers electric motorcycle fun in a slightly new package

Zero Motorcycles has been around for over a decade and in that time it’s consistently improved its fleet of electric bikes. With the new FXE, the northern California company has taken the thoroughly enjoyable FXS supermoto and transformed it into something a bit more futuristic looking with a new easier-to-parse display.

The FXE likely isn’t a great pick for two-wheeled beginners or for folks that want a weekend cruiser, but for the experienced rider who needs a daily commuter that packs agility and power into a fun package, the 100-mile range FXE might be the best way to get to and from work. Watch our first ride video for the full story.