Although some of the details have already been announced, Formula E officially unveiled its Gen3 car today ahead of this weekend’s Monaco E-Prix. Big changes are coming in terms of power and efficiency when the new cars hit the track next season, but the vehicles will also sport a new look that differs from the current second-gen design. In fact, Formula E has gone so far as to call the Gen3 “the world’s most efficient racing car.”

Until now, much of the focus on Gen3 has been the massive upgrades to performance and efficiency, but the car also sports a new overall body design. Wheel covers are gone in both the front and rear, making the new model more of a true open-wheel car. There are no individual wings over the rear wheels either. Instead, Gen3 has two jet-like fins on the back. That’s because the aerodynamic shape of the car was inspired by fighter aircraft, and indeed the vehicle looks a bit like a more modern F-18 on wheels.

Formula E hopes the new design, which is both lighter and smaller than the Gen2 model, will enable more entertaining racing. Like the new Formula 1 cars that debuted this season, Gen3 is built for more speed, but also for more “agile” wheel-to-wheel racing. Any tweaks that enable more duels on the track usually means a better viewing experience for fans. Plus, these cars should be two to four seconds faster in both qualifying and race conditions.

“The Gen3 is a creature designed for its habitat: racing on city streets in wheel-to-wheel combat,” Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle said in a statement. In fact, the series says this is the world’s first race car specifically designed and optimized for street circuits. With that in mind, it’s fitting that the series would debut the vehicle in Monaco, where last year’s E-Prix saw a half-dozen lead changes and more than 60 overtakes.

Billy Steele/Engadget

When it comes to powertrain, Formula E says the Gen3 car is its “most powerful, lightest, and fastest race car to date,” according to Reigle. “Formula E’s Gen3 race car represents a leap forward for motorsport and electric mobility," he explained. "Designed to demonstrate that high performance, efficiency and sustainability can be packaged together without compromise.”

Inside, an electric motor can deliver 350kW of power (470BHP) to reach top speeds of 200MPH (320 km/h). What’s more, Formula E explains that the power-to-weight ratio for the Gen3 is twice as efficient as the output for a comparable internal combustion engine (ICE). For reference, Formula 1 cars average speeds between 220 and 230MPH during a Grand Prix, depending on the circuit layout. Then there’s the motor efficiency. Formula E says the electric power units can convert over 90 percent of their energy to mechanical power, compared to around 40 percent for an ICE motor.

“The overall performance of the car is going to be much quicker than we have today,” Roger Griffiths, team principal Avalanche Andretti Racing, told Engadget. “That’s the exciting bit – combination of the lower weight, the electric powertrain and the regeneration. Two to four seconds faster around the race track is huge.”

Gen3 won’t rely solely on batteries for power. Around 40 percent of the energy cars will use during an E-Prix will be produced by regenerative braking. This will also be the first Formula car ever with both front and rear powertrains, which will add 250kW to the 350kW in the back. All of it combines for a total of 600kW, which will be more than double the regenerative abilities of the Gen2. In another first for a Formula car, the Gen3 won’t be equipped with hydraulic rear brakes thanks to the addition of the front powertrain and its regenerative output.

Billy Steele/Engadget

“As drivers, we’re always very excited to race with cars that are more competitive with more performance and more efficiency,” ROKiT Venturi Racing driver Edoardo Mortara told Engadget. “With this new Gen3 car, it’s going to be lighter, more powerful and more grip, so it’s going to make [racing] more fun.” Mortara said the second powertrain at the front could be a challenge, demanding a new driving style and enabling new race strategies from the current Gen2 car.

Of course, sustainability is also a key piece to the overall Formula E mission, and Gen3 certainly takes this into account. The series says this will be the first Formula car that incorporates Life Cycle Thinking, or how used components are dealt with once they’re removed from service. In this case, there’s “a second life” already in place for recycling tires, parts and battery cells.

For the new Hankook tires, Formula E says a new process allows for the overall composition to comprise 26 percent sustainable materials, including natural rubber and recycled fibers. The series plans to use the same process as from aviation and aerospace industries for carbon fiber recycling to produce material that can be used in other applications. In fact, recycled parts from the current Gen2 cars will be used to make components for the new vehicles. Formula E says this is the first time recycled materials have been used in the body for a Formula car. Lastly, Gen3 will be a net-zero carbon vehicle, in line with Formula E’s achievement as the first net-zero sport. And part of that is strict sustainability benchmarks for suppliers.

“For me, the key thing is efficiency,” Mahindra Racing principal Dilbagh Gill explained to Engadget. “If you look at every parameter, it’s more optimized. 40 percent regeneration is so amazing, and I think that’s something that will be applicable to road cars going forward and something that we’ll learn a lot from.”

Though Formula E has done some on-track testing and simulations of its own, the teams have yet to embark on running the new car. The series says seven teams – DS Automobiles, Jaguar, Mahindra Racing, Maserati, NIO 333, Nissan and Porsche – have signed on with the FIA to race the Gen 3 car in Season 9. Pre-season testing is set to begin this winter.

Subaru has detailed pricing for the Solterra SUV, and it's clearly costlier (if easier to pronounce) than its Toyota bZ4X sibling. The company's first EV will start at $44,995 in its Premium trim before the $7,500 federal tax credit and a $1,225 destination fee. This base model includes an eight-inch infotainment system (with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto) as well as driver assists that include rear camera detection, blind spot monitoring and safe-exit door alerts.

Spend $48,495 for the Limited tier and you'll get a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a 360-degree camera view, a wireless phone charging dock, parking assistance, rear cross-traffic warnings and phone-based digital key support. You can also expect more conventional upgrades like a Harman Kardon audio system, LED fog lights and a power rear door. The $51,995 Touring variant adds a digital rear-view mirror with HomeLink support, a panoramic moonroof, footwell lighting and ventilated front seats.

Regardless of model, you're largely paying for Subaru's better off-road capabilities versus Toyota's EV. All Solterra models come with all-wheel drive (optional on the bZ4x) and a dual-motor setup with 215HP, 249lb/ft of torque and up to a 228-mile range. You'll also find an "X-Mode" feature to adjust for dirt and snow, while grip and downhill control features help you maintain a steady course.

Sales are still poised to begin sometime in 2022. Reservations are available, though, and will include offers like EVgo charging credit or money toward a Level 2 home charger.

The starting price is higher than the $39,000 some expected. It's not far from VW's all-wheel ID.4 Pro ($44,440) or Ford's Mustang Mach-E Select ($43,895), though, and may represent a better value than those if you're likely to take your EV camping — and don't mind the slightly reduced range compared to those alternatives.

The electric pickup truck market is now truly competitive. Ford has started "full" production of the F-150 Lightning at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, roughly four months after it stopped taking reservations. The company will start shipping the base Pro model in the "coming days," Ford said at an event (below). It's not certain how many Lightnings will reach customers this year, but Ford expected output to scale to 150,000 trucks per year in 2023.

The automaker capped reservations at 200,000 and has stopped taking orders for the 2022 model year. About three quarters of these potential adopters don't currently drive Ford vehicles, the company said. The firm added that "many" are first-time EV or truck buyers, but didn't provide figures.

The electric F-150 promises usual EV benefits like acceleration (0-60MPH in 4.5 seconds with an extended battery) and strong, near-instant torque (775lb/ft) with up to a 320-mile range. However, it also has a few uncommon perks. The front trunk is unusually cavernous at over 14 cubic feet, and owners can power their homes, work tools and (eventually) the electrical grid.

Ford

The main allure, however, remains the price. While the $39,947 base Pro model won't satisfy some (you'll have to pay $72,474 to get an XLT with the extended battery), that makes it the most affordable electric pickup available and within reach of many conventional F-150 buyers. Rivian's R1T starts at $67,500. Tesla originally quoted a $39,900 entry point for the Cybertruck, but it stopped listing prices. Chevy doesn't deliver its $39,900 starter Silverado EV until 2024.

This isn't the first electric pickup in the US. Rivian began production in September. As Ford is keen to point out, though, the F-150 is still the best-selling passenger vehicle in the US. While the Lightning is unlikely to outsell its conventional sibling in the near future, its familiar name could draw in EV newcomers who were wary of smaller brands, or even the Mustang Mach-E. At the least, it puts pressure on Chevy, Rivian and others hoping to challenge Ford's cargo hauler.

Keeping an EV's batteries within their optimum operating temperature range is essential to getting the highest performance and longest life cycles possible from them. Too hot and charge seeps from the cells, too cold and the vehicle's range can drop up to 20 percent with charging sessions taking significantly longer than they would in warmer climes. This is why heat pumps, devices that scavenge waste heat from a vehicle's engine components to provide power other systems, have been finding their ways into a number of electric autos in recent years. Tesla has added them to its Model Y, 3, and S Plaid; Polestar includes them with the PS2 single-motor, and Rivian, well, Rivian does it a little different, but on Monday, GM announced its latest entry into waste heat reclamation game with the debut of its "Ultium Energy Recovery" system.

The UER is "based around an advanced automotive grade heat pump that captures and repurposes otherwise wasted energy," Tim Grewe, GM director of electrification strategy, said during a press call last week. "It's more sophisticated than even the most advanced thermal heat pump that you would find in modern homes."

"We could do several things with this energy," he continued, "including increase the range of our EVs, power low-level electrical functions like heating, and even pre-conditioning of our battery for faster charging and acceleration." For an EV like the new Hummer, the estimated ten percent increase in range that this system provides translates into an extra 30 miles of range. Similarly, this heat pump is what drives the Hummer's Watts to Freedom launch control function, autonomously conditioning the battery temperatures to the optimal level with which to dump as much current they can, as fast as they can, in order to propel the 9,000-pound EV SUV from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds flat.

"It's one of those situations where you want to get the magnets in the motor as cold as you can to give you ultimate torque going forward," GM energy recovery system project manager, Lawrence Zeer, said on the call. "And then you want to warm up the battery because the battery is give you a little more power when they're warmed up." Zeer also points out that given the immense size of these batteries — the Hummer's is rumored to weigh more than 2,900 pounds — "it's got a lot of heat capacity to it." Conversely, the pump will also automatically precondition the batteries if the driver selects an upcoming charging station from the nav computer and can cool the cabin as easily as it warms it. 

GM plans to include the recovery system across its electric vehicle lineup including the Hummer EV, the Lyric, and the upcoming Blazer EV. And since the recovery system is already standard throughout GM's EV offerings, folks who've pre-ordered their Lyric and Hummers won't have to turn around and head back to the dealership for a service installation. 

Tesla's in-house insurance is now available in three more states. As Forbesnotes, Tesla revealed during its latest earnings call that its "real-time" insurance has reached Colorado, Oregon and Virginia. The automaker has also filed paperwork in Nevada with plans to offer insurance as early as June, although nothing has been announced so far.

As in some other states, the insurance determines your premiums based on driving behavior rather than standard criteria like age and credit. Tesla examines the safety scores from its EVs and looks for signs of aggressive habits that might lead to incidents, such as collision warnings, hard braking and tailgating. This rewards better driving — and, of course, keeps you buying Tesla vehicles.

The company eventually plans to offer insurance across the entire US. Whether or not that goes smoothly is unclear. Tesla offers insurance in California, but it's still seeking permission to use real-time info. It could be a while before the insurance and its signature feature are consistently available.

Lincoln has finally unveiled its first electric vehicle concept, and it's now a little clearer as to where the company is headed. The upscale Ford badge has unveiled the Star, a luxury SUV that hints at the design direction for production EVs. There are some of the usual concept car excesses, but also some technological developments that might reach something you can drive.

The Star is sleeker than Lincoln's existing lineup, and includes light-up exterior features and doors. The front trunk is covered with electrochromatic glass that turns transparent while in motion. The A-pillars (at the front) and D-pillars (the back) even use 3D-printed metal to allow more natural light. The interior includes lounge-like wraparound rear seating focused on relaxation. Accordingly, the brand is touting "rejuvenation moods" that sync displays, sounds and even scents to calm or reinvigorate you, such as Coastal Morning (complete with sea mist scent) and Evening Chill (evergreen).

In-cabin tech plays an important role, of course. A giant, panoramic front display provides both the essentials as well as a canvas for those moods, with a much smaller control screen sitting underneath. Rear passengers have their own displays, and an "Attaché" briefcase concept hiding in the rear coach door can wirelessly charge and store devices. The Star connects to other vehicles and city grids, and promises driving assistants that help with parking, vision and other common problems.

Lincoln is shy on specs, although that's not surprising when the company doesn't intend to sell the Star. We'd also expect any shipping vehicles to scale back the displays, seating and other flashier elements. This is more about advertising Lincoln's EV ambitions and design language than previewing a real product.

The automaker won't take long to electrify, at least. Lincoln now plans to launch four EVs by 2026, and expects more than half of its sales to come from electric-only models by the middle of the 2020s. It previously echoed Ford with plans to exclusively sell EVs by 2030. These aren't the most difficult feats given Lincoln's smaller range and a wealthier clientele that can more readily afford EVs. Even so, they suggest you might not recognize Lincoln's selection within a few years.

With self-driving vehicles possibly arriving on UK roads later this year, the government is starting to put rules in place to accommodate them, the BBC has reported. As part of that, it will allow drivers in autonomous vehicles to watch TV from an infotainment screen in self-driving mode, as long as they're ready to take back control. That's a modification of a law that has been on the books since 1986 that prohibits drivers from viewing a "television-receiving apparatus" when behind the wheel.

It will still not allow the use of mobile phones, which were officially banned in the UK last year. That's because automakers can implement technology to stop a car's built-in screen from displaying content when the driver needs to take back control, but can't do the same on a smartphone. The government also decided that insurance companies and not people will be liable for accident claims in a number of circumstances. The changes will be an "interim measure" until an all-new set of rules can be put in place by 2025.

Self-driving cars are not yet legal in the UK, but the Department for Transport (DfT) said they may be ready later in 2022. A year ago, the government announced that basic self-driving cars with automated lane-keeping systems could arrive on British roads by the end of last year. 

The UK government predicted that self-driving tech could "improve road safety across Britain by reducing human error, which is a contributory factor in 88 percent of all recorded road collisions." In the meantime, though, self-driving tech has gone nowhere over the last few years, apart from a few exceptions like GM's Cruise offering public driverless taxi rides in San Francisco. 

As automobiles gain increasing autonomy and their occupants spend less time actively paying attention to the task of driving, Audi is reimagining the role of the vehicle’s cabin space — from a rigid, safety-centered, face-forward setup to a more open, communal design. The automaker showcased this evolution in its new Urbansphere EV concept, which it unveiled on Tuesday.

Audi

The Urbansphere is the third in a trifecta of futuristic Audi EV concepts. It joins the Skysphere — a 623-HP EV roadster announced last August reminiscent of the Disco-era Chevy Camaro or Jaguar XJ6 — and the Grandsphere touring coupe announced in September. All three are built with level 4 autonomous vehicle technology in mind, a project that Audi is collaborating on with CARIAD, Volkswagen Group’s software business. The hope is to get to market in the second half of this decade.

The Urbansphere is the largest of the trio and the biggest Audi concept vehicle to date. It sits on 24-inch rims and measures a whopping 18 feet in length — the same as GM’s Hummer EV; it's over 6.5 feet wide (a Paul Pierce wingspan) and 5.8 feet tall (approximately one entire Tom Hardy!) And because the Urbansphere doesn’t have to account for a conventional arrangement of a combustion-powered car's components “it prioritizes the occupants’ need to experience ample space as a distinctive comfort factor,” the company wrote in a Tuesday press release.

Audi

As such, the Urbansphere’s interior offers two bucket seats in both rows, the rear pair boasting seatbacks that recline up to 60 degrees with extendable footrests. The front seats swivel to enable fed-up parents to more easily get at their misbehaving progeny without having to pull this goddamn car over and then NOBODY’S going to Disneyland, though a series of privacy dividers and seat back-mounted television screens should help keep the peace.

Audi

Audi also has plans to include a “large-format and transparent OLED screen” that pivots vertically from the roof down between the two rows. It would span the entire width of the cabin interior, like a taxi divider, and allow the rear passengers to watch movies or take conference calls. (Because even in the most idealized future Audi can imagine, we are still inconvenienced by conference calls.) When not in use, the screen will remain transparent or will fold up against the vehicle’s equally clear glass roof.

Audi

The vehicle could include an anxiety detection program that “uses facial scans and voice analysis to determine how passengers are feeling" and might offer "personalized suggestions” to relieve stress. Audi does appear to be taking the relaxation of the Urbansphere’s conceptual drivers quite seriously, incorporating calming wood accents throughout the cabin and obscuring display panels in the central infotainment screen until the car powers on.

Audi

Part of the experience that Audi envisions is the Urbansphere serving as a pseudo-assistant, allowing the driver to, say, make restaurant reservations from inside or order groceries for curbside pickup. It might also leverage level 4 capabilities to ferry riders to their destination then independently find a parking or charging station.

Audi

With an 800V architecture supporting a 270 kw max DC charging speed, it shouldn’t take too long to top off the Urbansphere’s cells. Its 120 KwH battery pack requires just 25 minutes to charge from 5 to 80 percent of its 466-mile range capacity. Overall, Audi estimates it can wring 186 miles out of a quick 10-minute charge.

Tesla has stopped including a complimentary Mobile Connector Bundle with new vehicle orders. The change was first spotted by Twitter user Tesla_Adri, and later confirmed by CEO Elon Musk. The accessory, currently priced at $275 on its own, allows you to connect your Tesla to a wall outlet and get about two to three miles of range after an hour of charging.

“Usage statistics were super low, so seemed wasteful,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in response to someone commenting on the news after it was shared more widely by investor Sawyer Merritt. “On the (minor) plus side, we will be including more plug adapters with the mobile connector kit.”

Musk later tweeted that Tesla would reduce the price of the mobile connector to $200 and make it easier to order the accessory alongside a new car. He was also quick to note you don’t need an adapter to charge your Tesla at one of the company’s Superchargers or a Tesla Wall Connector installed in your home. At the moment, the charging bundle is listed as out of stock on the Tesla website.

As Electrek notes, this isn’t the first time Tesla has removed a charging cable. the company previously shipped both Level 1 and Level 2 connectors with every new car, but later stopped bundling the latter adapter. 

Hyundai will manufacture EVs in the US starting in December this year with the electrified Genesis GV70 crossover model, the company announced at the NY Automotive Forum in a video seen by Automotive News. It's part of a grand plan to invest $7.4 billion in the US by 2025 to develop a family of EVs and smart mobility technology. 

Hyundai will start electrified production at its Montgomery, Alabama plant in October with the Santa Fe Hybrid, the company announced at a ceremony with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. It'll invest $300 million to start with, creating 200 new jobs at the plant (its only manufacturing facility in the US). The company currently builds the Elantra sedan, Santa Fe and Tucson SUVs and Santa Cruz sport adventure vehicle on the Montgomery assembly line.

Genesis

The Genesis GV70 EV was quietly revealed late last year at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China. The company has yet to announce US specs, which may be why it didn't mention the GV70 EV at all in its press release. However, the Korean version will come with an 800 volt charging system and 77.4 kWh battery good for about 400 km (247 miles) of range according to the Korean testing cycle. 

It also features two electric motors that produce 482 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, considerably more than the ICE version of the GV70. According to photos, the luxury and tech-adorned interior will be similar to the one on the current gas-powered GV70. 

It's taken Hyundai awhile to establish US EV production dates, and follows recent, similar announcements by Toyota and Volkswagen. All three companies, which operate non-union plants in the US, opposed the Biden administration's plan to provide extra tax incentives to unionized automakers. At the same time, Hyundai's unionized workers in Korea want the company to boost domestic EV production rather than investing abroad. It has to balance all that with US vehicle import tariffs, set at 2.5 percent for cars and 25 percent for pickups and SUVs.