Can a super tiny electric car still work in the US? We'll soon find out! Fiat will soon start selling the 500e hatchback EV stateside in 2024 for $32,500 ($34,095 including the destination fee), the company announced. It hasn't been available in the US since 2019, but the latest model is a big update with more range, a nicer interior, better tech and more. 

The 500e is tiny by EV standards, particularly in the weight department. It puts just 3,000 pounds onto the pavement, making it what Stellantis calls "the lightest passenger BEV in the segment." It's a refreshing change from larger electric SUVs and pickups that can weigh double that, though potential buyers may find its tiny size a detriment, safety-wise. 

Fiat

A big reason for that lack of heft is the relatively small 42 kWh battery pack that allows for a maximum 149 mile range. Considering the relatively slow maximum DC charging rate of 85 kW (giving you 80 percent range in 35 minutes), that means it's likely to be used mainly as a city runabout. On the plus side, the price of the Fiat 500e includes a Level 2 home charger from Fiat's Free2Move subsidiary (Fiat is part of Stellantis group which also owns Jeep, Chrysler, Citroen, etc.). 

With 117 horsepower and 162 pound feet of torque on tap, it goes from 0 to 60 MPH in 8.5 seconds — leisurely, but fine for a city runner. Users will no doubt focus more on preserving charge, so it offers three increasingly aggressive modes: Normal, Range and Sherpa. 

Fiat

The interior is nicer than the plasticky one from the 500e sold back in 2019. So far, Fiat has only shown some concept interiors with crossover designs from Armani, Bulgari and Kartell, though it's not clear if those will actually be sold in the US. In any case, it does come with a 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, along with a wireless smartphone charging pad, 7-inch digital gauge display and more. One fun touch is that the low-speed exterior audio alert (required on all EVs), is custom classical music created by Italian composers. 

My first thought when I saw the $34,095 price tag was "hey that's the same price as the Volvo EX30!" which has 275 miles of range and a lot more room. It's also a lot more than Tesla's Model 3, which is $28,490 after US federal tax credits (it's not clear if the 500e will qualify for those credits, but it doesn't seem likely). 

However, Fiat is no doubt hoping to attract young or urban buyers with the adorable design and high-tech features. And instead of mass-marketing the car, it's using a strategy of "dropping" special versions at regular intervals and making them available for a limited time, according to Car and Driver. It's set to hit dealerships starting early next year. 

Rockstar has released the trailer of Grand Theft Auto VI, the next game in the blockbuster video game franchise a day earlier than expected. You can watch it here:

It's been a decade since Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto V. While fans have been more than able to keep themselves busy with GTA Online and a few re-releases, they've been waiting patiently (or impatiently) for more single-player action. The wait's now much shorter as Rockstar has revealed the first official look at the game's debut trailer.

As indicated by a recent teaser image and various rumors, GTA VI will be set in Vice City, Rockstar's take on Miami. Given the weapons and other tech on display, it seems to be a contemporary game, rather than one set in the '80s like 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It also appears that, as rumored, the game will have a playable female character for the first time in the franchise.

A major leak last year saw 90 videos of a GTA VI test build emerge online. The clips indicated that the game would mark a return to Vice City and that there'd be two playable characters.

GTA VI will be released in 2025, 12 years after its predecessor, which is the second-best selling video game of all time.

This is a developing story and will be updated with more details.

It’s been four years since Tesla first announced the Cybertruck, a hideously ugly electric pickup truck that didn’t seem to actually improve on EVs or pickups in any meaningful way. Instead, the 6,600-pound mass of “stainless super steel” seems to be more the culmination of one man's bizarre fantasy, and that man just so happened to own an entire company he could leverage to birth that fantasy, with all its sharp angles and unnecessary lighting bars, into reality.

Today, Tesla finally delivered the first, long-delayed production Cybertrucks to 10 buyers in a livestream on CEO Elon Musk’s decimated X platform, the first of an unknown number of wealthy consumers who have bought into his grim vision of the future. It's a car that promises — for only those who can afford them — a blank check for vehicular manslaughter and unnecessary survivability from semi-automatic firearms. Its tagline ("more utility than a truck, faster than a sports car") speaks almost poetically to two distinct but orthogonal archetypes of threatened masculinity: the tacti-cool milspec dork, and the showboating rich guy.

A “bulletproof” body has been a key feature since the Cybertruck's introduction in 2019; today Musk admitted it was there for no good reason. “Why did you make it bulletproof?” Musk said. “Why not?” he said with a broad grin, before metaphorically waving his genitals at the cheering crowd, while also promising metaphorically larger genitals to anyone who buys the Cybertruck. “How tough is your truck?” Musk smirked.

This admission came alongside video footage of a Cybertruck being sprayed with rounds from a .45 caliber tommy gun, a Glock 9mm and a MP5-SD submachine gun, which also uses 9mm rounds. We'd ask Tesla what cartridges they were firing and if they were being shot from within the effective range of any of these weapons, but the company dissolved its PR team in 2019.

It was a stupid but expected bit of showboating from Musk during his rambling presentation. Right before the gunfire demo, Musk touted the truck’s overall toughness, noting that its low center of gravity made it extremely difficult to flip in an accident. A video also showed the Cybertruck barely moving after a much smaller vehicle moving at 38 mph collided with it. To that, Musk commented that “if you’re ever in an argument with another car, you will win,” glibly encouraging Cybertruck owners to engage in such "arguments."

In a country where both traffic fatalities and gun violence have surged in recent years, it’s a little galling to see Musk promoting his vehicle as some sort of tool for rich people to survive the apocalypse, or even just the inconveniences of a world where their lessers occupy space at all. (All-wheel drive Cybertrucks start at about $80,000; a $60,000 RWD model is supposedly arriving in 2025.) “Sometimes you get these late civilization vibes, the apocalypse could come along at any moment, and here at Tesla we have the finest apocalypse technology,” Musk mused.

Beyond that is the simple fact that SUVs and trucks have gotten dramatically bigger and heavier in the past decade or so. EVs naturally weigh more because of their batteries, but auto manufacturers have been making the fronts of cars larger and taller in recent years, too. That’s a combo that makes these vehicles more dangerous for pedestrians and other drivers alike.

“Whatever their nose shape, pickups, SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches are about 45 percent more likely to cause fatalities in pedestrian crashes than cars and other vehicles with a hood height of 30 inches or less and a sloping profile,” research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states. It also noted that pedestrian crash deaths have risen 80 percent since a low in 2009. Anyone who walks or bikes around a city has probably felt that danger before, and it’s even more startling when the wall of a truck stops short when you’re crossing the street. Finally, it’s well known that the speed of a car dramatically impacts the survivability of a pedestrian, which isn’t great when an extremely heavy car also can do 0-60 in less than three seconds.

Now that the Cybertruck is nearly ready for public consumption, it looks like Musk has basically built a vehicle that, for a steep price, enables the worst impulses of US drivers and gives them the “freedom” to do whatever they want. It doesn’t matter if the Cybertruck’s lightbar headlights blind the drivers of smaller vehicles; they should get the hell out of the left lane. And if someone else on the road pisses off a Cybertruck driver, who cares? Other drivers should just accept that they’re about to lose a very expensive and potentially life-threatening “argument” with the Cybertruck’s front fender.

This all should have been obvious right from the start. From day one, the Cybertruck has alluded to a cyberpunk future, a genre with cool haircuts and hacking and slightly problematic orientalism, yes — but also one where wealth inequality is even worse than it currently is, and the rules don’t apply to those with money. The implicit promise of the Cybertruck has always been a vehicle that waives societal standards for people who can afford it, and today’s spectacle made that explicit. To that end, maybe this marketing is as much genius as it is nonsense.

“If Al Capone showed up with a Tommy gun and emptied the entire magazine into the car door, you’d still be alive,” Musk crowed at one point, either promising to revive the dead or oblivious to the terrifying number of human beings who use guns to commit acts of violence. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in a world where being swiss cheesed by lethal armaments is something I need to consider when I’m buying a car. Maybe the rich survivalists playing out Blade Runner meets Mad Max in their Cybertrucks haven't considered that when everything burns down, the power grid will go down too.

If you’ve long dreamed of watching a very small number of vehicles roll off an assembly line, today’s your chance. Tesla is holding a livestream event to highlight deliveries of its long-awaited Cybertruck. The company has only managed to manufacture ten of them so far, despite a 2019 reveal, so that’s what we’ll be watching.

You can catch the Texas-based livestream on X, of course, but the event is also available via Tesla’s website. It all goes down at 3PM EST. Being as how there will only be ten trucks to show off, the livestream should also go over pertinent details regarding battery range, towing capacity, up-to-date pricing and, of course, general availability. Tesla plans on ramping up production in 2024 for the cute lil dystopian wonder cars.

It’s easy to make jokes at the automaker’s expense, given the recent history of its CEO, but this is something of a big deal. It’s Tesla’s first truck, despite looking nothing like a classic pickup. The aesthetics are absolutely wild, with it resembling something out of a 1970s sci-fi flick instead of something you’d spot at a tailgate party. As for performance, it remains to be seen if the Cybertruck can compete with rival vehicles in the off-road market.

Tesla’s Cybertruck has been plagued with issues from inception. During its 2019 product debut, Elon Musk crowed about the unbreakable glass window and invited a customer to try to break it by hurling a bowling ball. Well, it shattered, leading to a muttered curse from the embattled CEO. Despite that embarrassment, the company still says the vehicle boasts a “nearly impenetrable” exoskeleton that resists dents, damage and long-term corrosion. We shall see. There have been multiple delays and a redesign back in 2020.

There’s also the matter of price. When it was first revealed, the Cybertruck was set to cost around $40,000. However, the company’s been fairly silent on the subject since then and a lot has changed since 2019. You can reserve a vehicle right now from Tesla by plopping down $100, but who knows when actual shipments will start. Despite that, Musk recently told investors that it has accrued more than one million reservations. Those folks will be waiting a while, as even generous estimates allow for Tesla to manufacture around 200,000 Cybertrucks each year.

The real question. Will Joe Rogan be one of the ten lucky golden ticket holders? We just might find out at 3PM EST.

Tesla, which hosts 50,000+ supercharging stations for electric vehicles globally, is rolling out a new fee system that the company hopes will free up charging traffic at its stations. Supercharger idle fees will roll out globally, while congestion fees will specifically be implemented in the US.

Idles fees will kick in and start charging drivers on a per-minute basis when a car remains stationed at a charging point after it has already been fully recharged. Through the Tesla app, the company says drivers will be alerted when their charge is near complete and once again when their cars reach a full charging threshold. For every additional minute an EV remains parked in a charging station and connected to a Supercharger, Tesla will charge the driver an idle fee of up to 50 cents per minute, or $1.00 per minute when the charging station is at full capacity. These fees will vary by what country you’re in. The company will waive fees if a car is moved after a five-minute grace period.

Tesla explains the move by stating that a car driver would “never leave a vehicle parked by the pump at a gas station” and that the same logic should apply to Superchargers. In addition to idle fees, certain Supercharging locations will start charging congestion fees, which will be incurred when charging stations are busy and a vehicle’s battery is over 90 percent. When charging, cars won't be charged a congestion fee, which will cost US drivers $1.00 a minute. This is to encourage drivers to only charge up as much as they need for their trip, rather than take the time to top off their battery completely.

As more automakers adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) used by Tesla's Superchargers, more EV drivers are gaining access to high-speed charging networks. And while the availability of charging stations is a crucial factor for increasing EV adoption among drivers in the US, Tesla has said that congestion is an issue the company has kept its eye on. The new fee system could help clear up the influx of new EV drivers that are charging at Tesla Supercharging stations as more mainstream electric cars are adopted by the public, while the fees will contribute to the company’s bottom line. Analysts estimate that the Tesla Supercharger network will become worth between $10 and $20 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Lucid’s Gravity all-electric SUV has been on our radar for a while now, since originally being introduced back in 2022. Now we have more details, including pricing, availability and those all-important range metrics. First, the bad news. This thing likely won’t ship until 2025, as production doesn’t officially ramp up until late 2024, as reported by Sustainable Mobility Solutions (SAE).

We already knew some details surrounding the EV, including the roomy three-row interior, but now we have range data. Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson promises a range of at least 440 miles, so it looks like it could inch further than that once the Gravity hits the assembly line. The company has stated in the past that this EV would boast a “greater electric range than any SUV on the market today.”

So let's look at some metrics. According to Kelly Blue Book, the Gravity will easily exceed this promise, as the current top-range EV SUV is the Fisker Ocean, with a max driving range of 350 miles per charge. As a matter of fact, if Lucid’s forthcoming SUV truly gets 440 miles per charge, that’ll place it near the top of the list for any electric vehicle, SUV or not. The only competition will be another Lucid automobile, as the Air Grand Touring sedan gets 516 miles per charge, according to MotorTrend.

Like the Air line, the Gravity is built on a 900-volt electrical architecture that supports DC fast-charging. The company says the forthcoming EV can go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds, via its dual-motor setup, and boasts a payload capacity of 1,500 pounds with the ability to tow a further 6,000 pounds.

Beyond metrics, Lucid also lifted the veil on the interior of the SUV. The Gravity will boast a 34-inch OLED main display and an optional lower display, with multi-tasking available between the two. In other words, you can throw navigation on one screen and the media player on the other. These displays won’t get in the way of the dash cluster and will even offer gaming applications in the future, according to Derek Jenkins, senior vice president of design and brand at Lucid.

The steering wheel includes two touch controllers inspired by the Apple TV remote, as minute thumb movements select items from the infotainment screen and adjust dashboard display elements. Of course, this is a three-row vehicle, so there’s plenty of room for friends and family, if you’re into that kind of thing. It seats up to seven people.

As previously mentioned, the price should be around $80,000, though things could change before these cars hit showrooms in 2025.

Hyundai just announced that its forthcoming Ioniq 5 N electric vehicle will go on sale next March via approved retailers, in addition to officially unveiling the car to US-based consumers at AutoMobility LA. The Ioniq 5 N was first teased back in July, so it’s nice to have a definitive release date, despite the lack of pricing information.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the company’s first N-branded EV, which is basically a sub-brand dedicated to high-performance vehicles. To that end, this upgraded version of the standard Ioniq 5 EV can go from zero to 60 MPH in just over three seconds, with a top speed of 161 MPH. As a reference point, that older Ioniq 5 maxes out at 115 MPH. The dual motors of the Ioniq 5 N create 641 Horsepower (478 kW) with the proprietary N Grin Boost engaged.

This is an electric vehicle, so the battery requires some attention. The Ioniq 5 N’s newly-designed 84 kWH battery features a thermal regulation system to reduce heat-induced power degradation. To that end, you’ll go from 10 percent to 80 percent of juice in just 18 minutes, when connected to a DCFC 350 kW charger.

This vehicle is also outfitted with plenty of high-performance features, many of them with the company’s preferred “N” nomenclature. There’s the specially-tuned N R-MDPS (Rack-Mounted Motor-Driven Power Steering) system, the N Pedal system for responsive handling, the N Drift Optimizer for maintaining the perfect drift angle and the N Brake Regen system to help conserve that all-important juice, among others.

Hyundai

There’s also a greater emphasis on driver feedback, to allow for more precise control during difficult driving conditions. This is aided by the integrated 10-speaker sound system. All aspects of the vehicle, from the steering wheel to the pedals, feature N-branded elements. Finally, there’s a newly-designed control center complete with a sliding armrest, knee pads, shin support, USB-C ports, a wireless charger and, the techiest feature of all, cupholders.

As previously mentioned, the Ioniq 5 N goes on sale next March, with pricing to come at a later date. The standard Ioniq 5 starts at $39,700, so it’ll be more than that, likely much more than that.

The kids’ version of the Tesla Cyberquad is back on sale. Made by Radio Flyer (the 106-year-old company known for its Americana-steeped red wagons), the children’s ride with Cybertruck stylings initially launched in 2021. However, it was recalled for not meeting Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards. Radio Flyer says the new version of the $1,900 children’s vehicle now meets all CPSC requirements and will begin shipping later this month.

“We’re thrilled to announce the official relaunch of the Cyberquad for Kids by Radio Flyer, a product we have been working to enhance for the last two years,” Robert Pasin, Radio Flyer’s CEO (described as “Chief Wagon Officer”), wrote in a press release.

The updated Cyberquad for Kids is Model 915, replacing the recalled Model 914 that quickly sold out nearly two years ago. The CPSC claimed model 914 violated ATV federal safety standards for youths and had an inadequate mechanical suspension and maximum tire pressure, among other issues. When the older model was pulled, the government agency said Tesla had sold around 5,000 units.

According to Radio Flyer, Model 915’s safety updates include the “replacement of the rear spring with a steel tube with rubber-coated metal inserts that secures the rear frame to the main frame,” an updated age range of nine to 12 years old, a tire inflation warning label and another revised warning stating it isn’t an ATV or intended for off-road use.

Radio Flyer / Tesla

The vehicle still includes a 500-watt motor with a max speed of 10 mph. It has an estimated 15 miles of range and an LED headlight and taillight mimicking the Cybertruck. The ride-on toy includes a steel frame, high-pressure rubber air tires and a 36V Radio Flyer battery, which the wagon-maker says provides “the best performance with a lower impact on the environment, as well as the longest run time and fastest recharge time compared to other products on the market.”

Tesla, whose involvement Radio Flyer has described as limited primarily to the sales and the vehicle’s appearance, offers the updated Cyberquad for Kids exclusively on its website — along with Model S for Kids and My First Model Y. The Cyberquad ride-on toy is available now for $1,900. The EV maker says orders will begin shipping in late November.

Volvo has unveiled its first fully electric minivan, which is geared toward comfort. So much so, the brand describes the EM90 as a "living room on the move." While it might be comfy enough to travel in while wearing PJs, Volvo is pitching the EV as an option for those who want a space where they can get work done too.

The EM90 is infused with sound isolation and road noise cancellation tech, while Volvo claims that dual chamber air suspension and silent tires will offer the driver and passengers a smooth ride. If that works as promised, you'll be able to get the most out of an audio system that has 21 Bowers & Wilkins speakers.

Along with a 15.4-inch infotainment screen for the driver, there's a roof-mounted 15.6-inch HD display to which you can cast shows and movies from your phone. Attach a compatible camera, and the screen can be used for video calls. 5G connectivity will come in handy for business-minded users too.

Many of the EM90's functions can be controlled with your voice, including the audio and interior lighting. With a voice command or by flicking a switch, the car's screens, seats, windows, air conditioner and lighting can be adjusted for theater or meeting room use — or even a bedroom setup for the rear seats, Volvo says.

If the EM90 looks familiar, that's because it's based on the 009 from Zeekr, Volvo's sibling brand, as Electrek points out. It has a 200 kW electric motor that can take it from 0 to 100 kmph (62.1 mph) in 8.3 seconds. The EV has a 116 kWh battery (with bi-directional charging support) that Volvo claims can charge from 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes.

On top of all of that, the EM90 has an impressive range, at least on paper. Volvo says it has a range of up to 738 km (459 miles) based on China's CLTC testing cycle. The vehicle will only be available in China at first and it starts at around $114,000. It's unclear if or when the EV will arrive elsewhere.

Other than a bike, helmet and a few emergency maintenance essentials, there aren’t many things a person needs to enjoy a bike ride outside. But having the right accessories can go a long way towards making the experience more fun, more safe and, ultimately, more rewarding. The list of recommendations below cover the gamut of things you can give to the cyclist in your life, from must-have safety accessories like bike lights, to more techie gadgets like bike computers. However, each represents an item the staff here at Engadget have personally tested or swear by, and would make for a great holiday gift.

Crankbrothers M19 Multi-Tool

Knog Rear Blinder or Rear Plus Lights

Garmin Varia Radar

Knog Oi Luxe Bike Bell

Kryptonite New York U-Lock

PS Bagworks Rider Strap

Patagonia Houdini Jacket

Planet Bike Waterproof Bike Seat Cover

Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V2

Ortlieb Back-Roller Plus Panniers

Outdoor Research ActiveIce Sun Sleeves

Steadyrack Vertical Bike Rack

Burley Kazoo Trailercycle