Change is inevitable. So is the choice. But the best decisions are made responsibly. Being responsible is good. Whether you buy a zero-emissions vehicle for the sake of the environment or a safer environment comes as a bonus, the important thing here is tapping into your own motivation that drives you to want to do something. And most humans want to feel they are contributing to something bigger than themselves anyways.

Best decisions are also informed decisions. So when it gets to EVs, you should be able to look at them with a critical eye – not only appreciate their advantages but accept the shortcomings as well. We often tend to exaggerate the virtues of EVs, turning a blind eye to their flaws.

Let’s open our minds and look beyond what’s comfortable; embrace the change, give constructive critique – inspire that perfect EV fleet. Let’s have an honest conversation about issues with EVs.

The charging station conundrum

Right now you are used to pulling up to a gas station and being out in a matter of 10 minutes or less. Even if there’s a line – the wait is still acceptable given the number of available fueling pumps.

Now, imagine having to charge your electric ride. The fastest charge would take you about 15 minutes. And what if there’s a line? How much of your valuable time are you willing to spend just waiting for your car to fill up on electricity?

The most obvious solution to this challenge is building more charging stations and optimizing charging time. It may be a valid option, we just need to be patient and wait for the infrastructure to grow and develop.

Besides, an average range today will allow you a trip of 200 miles on a single charge – we rarely drive more than that in a single day. So when we compare EVs with traditional, gasoline-powered cars, the difference is strictly psychological, according to some researchers. But should we really be justifying the slow adoption of electric vehicles based on the imperfections of human nature? Yes, the human species have a hard time parting with something familiar, something that gives at least an illusion of stability.

But curiosity and exploration are also intrinsic to humans. How about those of us who like to go on adventure trips, getting lost among the rugged terrains? Would we be willing to “contaminate” the virgin landscapes with charging stations? Because it’s not like we can just carry a jerry can filled with electricity around.

While this is still far off in the future, and we first need to get more EVs on our streets, this challenge will eventually catch up to us. We might as well start planning early and solve the charging time and battery capacity conundrums first.

The charging time conundrum

Let’s say the new improved charging stations will be able to supercharge your car in 15 minutes or less. Here’s the thing, though, – the faster you charge your battery, the more you reduce its life, and increase the possibility of fire. A flaming EV battery seems like something you wouldn’t want to experience.

So, there is a good reason why you usually trickle charge your batteries – as you do with your lawnmower or vacuum cleaner, or any battery gadget you have at home. But here’s the thing – you are at home and there’s usually no urgency. With EVs, we don’t have patience or time to wait for a slow charging battery to replenish.

I’ll charge my EV at home, overnight, you’ll say. Well, this leads us to the next conundrum.

The electricity supply conundrum

EV advocates have been dodging the attacks of EV skeptics on this front. To begin with, the latter claim that all EVs together will bring the electricity supply grid. Somehow they even got the CEO of Toyota on board, who has also expressed doubts about electrical grid capacity. Unless that’s a marketing trick to steer the attention towards hydrogen-fueled cars.

To counteract this claim, the Department of Energy produced a report that assures concerned citizens that mass adoption of EVs “will not pose significantly greater challenges than past evolutions of the U.S. electric power system.” And some automakers are feeling positive about EVs being able to even add stability to the electric grid.

Another concern hits closer to home. You can’t use your 120V plug to charge your electric vehicle. Or technically, you can – but prepare to stay home for days waiting for your battery to replenish because your standard plug only adds a few miles of range per hour! And I know you are not buying your EV only to stare at it in your garage for days. So you will need a 240-volt charging system at home, which adds a hefty number to the cost of owning an electric vehicle. And not all homeowners are prepared to assume it right away.

A survey at UC Davis found out that 21 percent of California drivers gave up on their plug-in vehicle after driving it for some time. 71 percent of these drivers didn’t have a 240-volt plug at home.

It seems that some EV enthusiasts are, well, being too enthusiastic, deeming the biggest challenge with EVs is actually getting people to try them. They claim that once you try an EV you are most likely going to stick with it. They say it’s fun to drive and joining the ranks of green-minded individuals should not be the last reason either.

But the reality paints a different picture – retaining drivers is paramount for our bright green future.

Will electric cars be just cars someday?

It’s hard to predict the future exactly as it will be. We can speculate, make projections, and set goals. EVs come with a lot of questions, concerns, and confusion, but also a great deal of curiosity and motivation to solve all the unknowns.

For electric vehicles to become part of our everyday life it will take a shifting mindset to learn to love them. But not just for the end consumer. Automakers, government regulators, scientists, regular drivers, and of course, the Big Oil companies would all need to come together and gear up for the challenge of bringing safe and efficient vehicles to our roads.

The post Issues with EVs we (don’t) talk about appeared first on Altered Steel.

At first glance, the whole question sounds ridiculous. As if you are asking “Will taking away your ability to drive kill the joy of driving?”. Of course, it will!

But let us take a step back since things get a bit more complicated than most of us think. To actually understand the whole issue, we have to answer three questions:

• What does it mean for a car to be autonomous (and will it ever happen)?
• Can autonomous and non-autonomous cars coexist?
• What is the joy of driving worth?

What is an autonomous car?

Honestly, most of us do not even understand what “self-driving” even means. To clear things up, engineers have proposed 5+1 theoretical levels of autonomy. However, the definitions are rather fluid, so take them with a grain of salt.

Level 0 means no autonomy at all, and the drivers have to do everything on their own. You may be surprised, but most cars no longer fall into this category. They are actually Level 1: some driver assistance present. Think of this as adaptive cruise control, sensors for emergency braking, or park assistance, among other features.

Then comes Level 2, which some luxury models have already. They can keep you in your lane, steer in certain situations, and even accelerate if necessary. From there we get to Level 3, where you can take your eyes of the road in certain conditions. At this point, the car has some self-driving capabilities, but you need to be present for navigating more complex situations (e.g. traffic jams, maneuvering). As of now, no cars are truly Level 3, and anything above that still lies in the future.

Think of Level 4 cars as “drivers in training”. They are autonomous, for the most part, but you still have to handle emergencies. Finally, we get to Level 5: full autonomy. At this point, the vehicle does not even need a steering wheel.

Although Elon Musk has said Tesla is close to level 5 autonomy, I remain skeptical. In order for Level 5 cars to actually work, we need to solve more things than just automation. Such vehicles will need fast internet, stable networks, standardized communication, and other crucial details. That leads us to our second question.

Can autonomous and non-autonomous cars coexist?

If both types of vehicles can work together, driving enthusiasts will have nothing to worry about. In other words, we can have our cake and eat it too. Or can we?

Most of the arguments for self-driving cars require us to go to the extreme. That means getting rid of any traditional vehicles. Though that sounds harsh, it is a logical conclusion.

Let’s look at the self-driving vehicles’ case. Autonomous cars will supposedly reduce accidents, alleviate road congestion, minimize traffic overall by improving efficiency, cost you less, and the list goes on. Even if we accept these benefits at a face value, the only way to get them will be… to do away with conventional cars. Why? Because autonomous vehicles rely on near-perfect data sharing and AI reactions.

If you are a fan of driving, this news sounds horrible. Some folks have proposed compromises, but we still do not know if they will work. For instance, we can have “driver” and “driverless” roads. Or we can just vote whether we even want Level 5 everywhere. Though it comes down to one final thing…

What is the joy of driving worth?

According to official data, more than 12 people per 100,000 die in a traffic accident in the US. Many more get severe injuries. If self-driving vehicles can halve that, will it not be worth it? Even a 25% accident reduction translates to millions of lives saved worldwide. Or do we care more about pleasure?

Currently, statistical models show that autonomous cars will reduce deaths by more than 90%. Of course, you may not agree with such estimates, but real-world data will start piling up at some point, and then we will have to face the results. Still, I will be happy to hear the opposing argument. Unfortunately, even enthusiasts agree that autonomous cars will reduce accidents if they take over.

Plus, it looks like most people are not that fond of driving anyway. In fact, folks in Europe are now fighting for car-free zones. Maybe giving up on driving will not be that big of a problem for most of us.

That does not mean driving should cease to exist altogether. Maybe it can be a hobby for special tracks or off-road routes. You can manually do plenty of other automated things for fun nowadays (e.g. woodworking). Why should driving be different?

So, yes – in a sense, autonomous cars will kill the joy of driving. But hopefully, they will make it harder for driving to continue with its actual killing spree. Or maybe they will not? That would be a topic for another day.

The post Will autonomous cars kill the joy of driving? appeared first on Altered Steel.

Even so, this beast was rather short-lived. Who knew a time would come when US folks would actually care about fuel efficiency? Well, the 2008 crisis was a wake-up call for many, and the Hummer fell as one of the business casualties. By 2010, the car marque had officially stopped being manufactured.

Now, almost an entire decade later, the Humvee’s successor is getting revived! However, it will not be coming back with its former reputation. This time around, GMC is joining in the EV revolution. But can the old gas guzzler become the poster electric pickup? Let’s check that out!

The Hummer had a long road to travel

We have to admit one thing – the original Hummer was a great idea. Making a military vehicle viable for the general public seems a very US thing to do. And honestly, it did prove successful for a while.

Even now, the original 1992 Hummer H1 has a fanbase. Thanks to its off-road capabilities and rugged construction, the machine appeals to many. Yet even that very first model was chugging gas like crazy. It had an abysmal MPG ratio of 10.69. For comparison, some modern SUVs can get up to 30 mpg and above. Not quite the fair battle, sure, but a staggering difference nonetheless.

With that said, fewer people cared about efficiency at the time. When GM saw its potential, the company decided to get marketing rights. In 2002, they introduced Hummer H2, which also turned out fairly successful in its niche. It had an even worse fuel economy, with some testers claiming just about 9 mpg.

Seems like the automaker was not even trying to come up with a more efficient engine. The best it managed was 15 mpg on the latest Hummer H3. In light of all that, having  GMC jump straight to an electric SUV (or pickup, depending on the viewpoint) seems a bit… ambitious, to say the least. What is the carmaker really planning?

The Electric Hummer – Jumping on the EV bandwagon or something more?

In a world where polarization seems a regular occurrence, the EV market has been steadily growing nonetheless. I can guess why. Modern “green” cars have less to do with the Prius and more to do with Tesla Model S. Or to put it differently, if you want power, you go electric.

When we state it like this, one thing becomes apparent. GM is not shifting the Hummer market – they are catering to it. See, the cool kids do not go after gas guzzlers anymore. Even SUV enthusiasts understand there is no need for inefficiency nowadays. When we have an SUV that can get to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, the bar is now completely different.

I think that General Motors is not trying to set the trend. Instead, the company is playing it safe by going after the performance EV market. But you know what? That is fine. Virtually every manufacturer is trying to shift focus towards electrics, at least partly.

However, as Porsche Taycan has shown us, going electric is not enough. If you do not bring anything new to the table, you will not see much success. How will the new Hummer compete against other premium eSUVs? What about the already infamous Cybertruck? There may be hope!

All you need to know about the new GMC Hummer

First and foremost, the Hummer is no longer its own thing. It falls entirely within the GMC lineup now. Does that mean much? Maybe not, but branding is not done lightly. Perhaps GM is planning on establishing a much more prominent presence once again. Well, with the Hummer, it may be on the right track. Here is why:

• Massive power. GM wanted to make one thing clear from the start – the new Hummer will still be a beast. The engine will have 1,000 horsepower with 11,500 lb-ft torque. Now, that torque number is misleading. It will probably be somewhere closer to 800 lb-ft once you convert the raw torque to actual output.
• Excellent acceleration. GM has stated that the vehicle can accelerate to 60 mph in 3 seconds. Does that sound familiar? Tesla has similar claims for its pickup. We understand whose audience the new GMC EV is going after.
• Versatility to match. The Hummer has a signature look, but it can also fill different roles. Supposedly, it will have regular street-focused models, but also off-road versions too. Plus, GM is making it into an SUV-Pickup hybrid, which could be interesting.

Though all that sounds impressive, don’t be in haste to cheer. The new Hummer is at least two years away. Honestly, I am tired of all these grand reveals, such as that of Tesla Cybertruck. I mean, yes, everything sounds cool, but manufacturers are no longer pitching vehicles. Instead, they are giving us their awesome ideas. For all we know, they might be completely divorced from reality!

The possible pitfall of the electric GMC Hummer

Since everything is turning into a betting game, I take all numbers with a grain of salt. Sure, 1000 hp sounds impressive, but what does it even mean? For starters, horsepower works a bit differently with electric motors. Plus, even if you have a lot of it, performance relies on other things too.

Here is a fun balancing act that all EVs have to manage. The more powerful they are, the more battery they drain. That reduces the range. To counter that, you need a bigger battery. Well, that adds weight, and weight requires more power. It is a bit of a vicious cycle.

Because of this problem, most EV manufacturers are trying to make their vehicles as light as possible. But how light do you think a giant beast like the Hummer can be? I doubt GMC is going to beat Tesla, who has been in this game for a while. Ultimately, any numbers stated by GM may prove less impressive when put to the test.

For instance, the top Cybertruck engine is supposed to deliver real 1000 lb-ft of torque. Instead of addressing that, GM has decided to give us an inflated number. That makes me conclude that the EV Hummer depends too much on marketing and too little on real-life performance.

Does the GMC Hummer EV sound appealing?

In all honesty, I may have been a bit too critical of this EV. That is because I want it to turn out well. See, if Tesla finds proper competition, we can hope to see even better electrics in the future. Other companies will know that they need to step up their game. Even though all are making EVs, most are mediocre. At least the Hummer is aiming higher.

What is your opinion about it? Do you want it to be a good EV contender? Though this vehicle has a bit of a niche look, we could say the same about the Cybertruck. Yet that one proved successful enough. Maybe rough and rugged is the new slick and sexy!

The post GMC’s Hummer EV: Gas guzzler turned eco beast appeared first on Altered Steel.

Then come some secondary benefits, which are just as important – better efficiency, much better acceleration, a simpler build. When you put all of that together you start wondering why we have not adopted the EVs sooner. Especially since the first practical electric car was in use all the way back in the 19^th century. So what went wrong?

We can find the answer by looking at the batteries. While old-timey EVs were great, they were not a viable long-distance option. Their range could simply not exceed 30-40 miles, not to mention the lack of fast charging. Due to the inferior technology and no obvious solution, EVs were slowly phased out by more practical alternatives.

But then came the lithium-ion and polymer batteries. They could hold more charge for a longer time in a smaller body with a quicker fill-up. All of a sudden, the EV dream was revitalized. These batteries are now offering a better performing, greener alternative! Or do they?

Are EV batteries too good to be true?

As with many other things in life, if something sounds perfect, it is probably not. EV technology is definitely an improvement over the old internal combustion engine. But at what cost? It turns out there are some things we did not predict correctly – the recycling of those batteries. While that does not mean EVs are a scam, it may be enough to give us pause. However, the problems are not what you would expect.

Technically, EVs are greener compared to the total use of an ICE vehicle. The problem comes from the human factor in this equation. When a battery reaches the end of its lifecycle, it has to be recycled. Yet it cannot recycle itself, can it? And when was the last time you recycled your phone’s battery?

People have a tendency to disregard older stuff they no longer use. But wait a second, are EVs not a little too big to be ignored? The issues cannot all stem from the human factor as we cannot simply throw our cars in the corner of a drawer. That means there is something fishy with all the explanations here, and I am going to find it out!

The truth behind the battery recycling issues

EVs are polarizing for sure. I have to admit that I am also not impartial to them and come from a position of support. So naturally, I see this recent news on battery recycling mainly as fuel for EV opponents. This made me want to delve a bit deeper and figure out if the issues are as prominent as they are made out to be.

Firstly, recycling is indeed a challenge. Yet, it is unreasonable to claim that for EVs only – it has always been an issue for almost all spheres of technology, including regular cars. Secondly, the recycling issue does not make EVs less viable. It simply reduces the “green” aspect of the batteries. Of course, that is not inconsequential, yet it is not a deal-breaker either. The good news is that EVs, in general, are easier to recycle because they have fewer parts and need less clean-up.

Yet, here is the kicker – none of the above even matters. Why? Because the issue with battery recycling has to do primarily with hybrids, not with full EVs. Think about it – a full EV has giant batteries, which you cannot simply avoid. They are a huge part of the whole car.  With hybrids, though, you can do pretty much whatever you want. Even dumping them is pretty easy.

This is why the recycling issue is strictly a human factor. It has nothing to do with how efficiently we recycle the entirety of the battery. Recycling simply does not happen! People can sell their hybrid without many issues, and most of us do not care about the hybrid’s battery life anyway. Though I do have to admit that it presents a unique challenge for the future of automotive history. It is kind of sad to assume that part of your car will become non-functional with time.

Yet it is all about how hybrids were marketed. Even in the beginning, the range was not exactly a major selling point. They were promoted on the grounds that they increase your mpg ratio and recover some energy from braking. Range became a thing only when full EVs were proven to be a viable alternative to traditional cars.

However, I realize that I cannot simply expect people to accept that without more details. This is why I want us to explore full EV batteries in more depth. That way you will see why they are not the issue!

How long do EV batteries last?

If you do a bit of digging online, you will see that most talks about battery recycling focus on 10-year lifespans. This is the red flag to point us that it has nothing to do with the giant batteries in full EVs. Tesla (and many other companies) are working hard to make their batteries last a whole lot more than 10 years.

The biggest issue for any battery is capacity degradation. It does not simply die on you – it stops holding as big of a charge. However, the tech is improving rapidly, and after 10 years of regular use, most EV batteries only lose 15-20% capacity – a practically dismissible amount. Would you say that such a car can no longer be in use? I do not think so.

Furthermore, such degradation will likely get limited even further. Current predictions have it going below 1% a year. So in the span of 10 years, most batteries manufactured today will not lose more than 10% capacity.

Here are a few things that affect the life of a battery so that you have a better idea of why huge batteries will likely never be an issue:

• Charge cycles. Degradation usually happens over charge cycles not simply with time. However, one cycle is counted for the full capacity of the battery. In other words, every 150-250 miles is one cycle. This is not the same for the batteries of hybrids – their cycles deplete much faster since their range is often below 30-40 miles.
• Charging speed. Faster charging shortens the life of the battery as well. Current technologies are trying to limit that, but it still happens. Even though it is not substantial, over time it may shorten the battery life by 1 or 2 years.
• Outside temperature. Physics teaches us that colder climates affect the discharge rate of batteries. That means they have a lesser capacity, meaning shorter cycles. Again – not substantially so, just enough to add up with time.
• Overall battery capacity. All of the above would be problematic for smaller batteries, but it gets exponentially less of an issue with bigger ones. Think of it as larger batteries having more of a buffer against negative impacts.

Why does any of the above matter though? Because if full EV batteries ever become a challenge, 10 or 15 more years need to pass for us to see that happening. Additionally, Tesla has detailed plans on how to recycle their batteries. That means they are already on top of the issue.

That being said, hybrid battery recycling problems still exist. There are many things that need to be done in order to handle it. Let us see what those are!

The real issues with recycling smaller EV batteries

I will be the first to admit that many people have dropped the ball here. The human factor in this issue is multifaceted. For starters, it may not be too obvious when and how we should recycle hybrid batteries. Who is to blame here though? I believe companies should have been responsible for educating their clients. Something they have clearly failed to do.

As if that is not enough, there is simply not much incentive on recycling your battery anyway. Most folks do not realize the impact of disregarding that aspect of their hybrid. We may be environmentally conscious, but many of us have no idea about the value of battery recycling. This again points to the lack of proper education. If I see my failed battery as nothing more than trash, I may not go out of my way to find the proper channels to deal with it.

In addition, there were some talks about EVs leading us to another dependency. It is natural to assume that battery recycling issues will only make that worse. Thankfully though, that does not seem to be the case. The main reason for recycling the batteries is not to get out the rare earth minerals. It is to put less strain on the environment in general. Although extracting some valuable metals should not be overlooked.

Still, the real issues cannot be solved by inventing new regulations. Laws and rules work well for companies on a bigger scale, but they are useless for most individuals. No one has the resources to track every single owner of a hybrid, nor should we want that to happen for privacy concerns.

In the end, most problems require a good old information campaign, maybe paired with some incentives. We know they work for phone batteries, so maybe we can think of something similar for hybrid batteries too!

Do battery recycling issues cause you to rethink EVs?

I explained why I do not believe that full EVs are to blame for the battery recycling crisis. Even so, you may still not be convinced that their “green” marketing is that genuine. To be fair, when it comes to sales and money, nothing is done simply because it is better for the environment. I still decide to remain an optimist though.

But what about you? Have you considered buying an EV before and did the recent news dissuade you? And if it did – why? I would be happy to hear an alternative point of view!

The post EV Batteries: A green alternative or recycling nightmare? appeared first on Altered Steel.

Then come the full EVs. Everyone who has ever been in such a vehicle would tell you how surprisingly powerful they are. The electric motor accelerates in a different way, which always leaves people with thoughts of sheer power.

Recently, Lamborghini decided to prove that there is no need for a contrast in marketing between hybrids and full EVs. On top of that, the supercar company did not only come up with an amazing hybrid – they made it their most powerful car to date.  Let us see what makes Lamborghini Sian so special and why the car manufacturer even decided to make it a hybrid!

What you need to know about Lamborghini Sian

The Sian is an exclusive car with only 63 units planned for production. It is meant to commemorate Lamborghini’s founding in 1963. Why now though? I will answer that in a second. First, we need to learn a thing or two about this new beast.

The staple Lamborghini aesthetic has always been a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing. It is aggressive, sharp, and polarizing. Naturally, the Sian model follows the same trend, and I would say that it even steps it up a notch. This is the most futuristic design the company has ever made, looking like it will cut you to pieces just by staring at it.

People have compared it to its Aventador brother (on which the Sian is based). But come on – that one is a happy little kitty, compared to the new vehicle. I guess the translation of the name is quite fitting – flash, or lightning.

That being said, we all know that an aggressive design does not mean a fast car. We should then take a look at the specs to see what monster hides underneath the mean looks. Here are some of them:

• Staple V12 Lamborghini engine – This is nothing new for the company, although they have bumped up the horsepower to 785 bhp. That is still impressive, even if it is not new tech.
• Supercapacitor instead of a lithium-ion battery pack – This may not tell you much, but all you need to know is that a supercapacitor delivers more power at less weight. It powers a 48-volt motor that gives an additional 34 hp. However, the electric motor only ever works alone when parking. The rest of the time it serves to keep constant power to the wheels even when switching gears.
• Top speed of 220mph – This is a speed that only a few people in the world will experience, but the interesting thing is that it is actually an arbitrary limit. It is possible that with some mods the Sian will be able to exceed it.
• Supercar-worthy acceleration of 2.8s to 60mph – Obviously, this acceleration is nothing to scoff at, though it does not break the barrier to enter the top 10 fastest cars ever made.

These specs look impressive on paper, but I noticed something that made me question the whole Sian marketing. It is being touted as the most powerful Lambo ever, yet it is not even the fastest. What gives? I will try to unravel that mystery!

Understanding the hybrid supercar

We have already started seeing the trend of electrified sports cars. Porsche Taycan, for example, stormed the scene with grand promises of unparalleled performance. Other manufacturers are also looking for ways to beat the king – Tesla Roadster. Obviously, the move towards sports EVs has already began.

However, all of those new concept vehicles focus strictly on full electric motors. So why did Lamborghini decide to come out with a hybrid on a limited run of 63 cars? And why do they claim it is the most powerful car in their lineup if it is not the fastest? After all, their own 2017 Huracan Performante achieves 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, beating the Sian by a good margin.

Strictly speaking, the Sian deserves the claim – the engine has combined horsepower of up to 819 bhp. When you actually think about it though, you realize how meaningless such figures become.

Sure, it is technically the most powerful, but good luck reaching those 220 mph during regular driving. Acceleration is more important in real world scenarios and the Sian gets nowhere near Tesla Roadster’s 1.9s for 0-60 mph. Could it be that the Sian’s idea is actually a bit different?

What is the goal of Lamborghini Sian?

One may think we are splitting hairs when talking about the outrageous power outputs of supercars. Who will ever notice half a second of difference? While I understand this remark, it actually misses the point. Indeed, nobody would care, if it was not for Lamborghini’s own claims of power.

The limited-edition Sian run was sold out even before the car was officially presented. Obviously, the buyers do not concern themselves with many technical details. On the other hand, Lamborghini understand that their time to come up with a competitive model is running out – hence the Sian.

This car’s idea is not to prove it is the fastest. Nor are Lamborghini trying to make it a best-seller. In my opinion, Sian’s whole purpose is to serve as a worthy placeholder and buy the automaker some time. With it, the company shows us that it’s definitely paying attention, embracing the EV future one step at a time. Only it is not quite there yet.

In all likelihood, we are going to see the Sian’s engine tech in the next Aventador. While Lamborghini have stated that no other model will follow the visual design of the Sian, its technology will be put to good use. I suppose that the company’s engineers will try to perfect the hybrid engine even further, using it to transition to an EV-filled lineup. Or will they?

Lamborghini’s plans about electric vehicles

It may be a bit soon to tell whether Lamborghini has any serious plans in adopting the EV as a whole. However, the automobile maker is under the Volkswagen AG umbrella. Do you know who else is there? Audi and Porsche, which are both working on future EV design and tech.

In fact, in recent news, we have heard that the first Lamborghini EV will be based on Porsche Taycan. That means two things – firstly, Lamborghini is probably not working on its own EV platform right now; secondly, its first EV will likely not be a stab at Tesla at all.

We know that the Taycan will not be able to beat the competition when it comes to acceleration. Porsche’s main focus is developing a platform that can charge much more quickly and still deliver good performance. To be honest though, Porsche makes sports cars, not supercars like its Lamborghini cousin. What may work as a good addition to the former, may be an underwhelming one for the latter.

This is where the Sian comes back into the picture. With its supercapacitor technology, we can actually expect Lamborghini to put its own spin on any future EV platform. So not only is the company showing us it is actively working on proper hybrids, but it is also hinting at future surprises.

The reason I believe I am right is because of certain things Lambo representatives have said. One such thing is their claim that no EV will come out of the company if it cannot at least match the performance of their current models. And since the news for adopting the Taycan platform came shortly after their Sian presentation, I think everything lines up quite well.

What do you think of Lamborghini Sian?

I usually like sharp designs, but even for me the Sian is a bit over the top. Honestly, the Aventador aesthetic, paired with some Sian tech, sounds like the dream to me. I think it will have the potential to be one of the company’s most successful vehicles to date.

What is your opinion though? Do you think Lamborghini is using Sian as a way to wink at us for its upcoming EVs? Or is it just a last-minute attempt to save face when every other company is coming up with an electric vehicle? To be fair, it will not be a surprise if both are true!

The post Lamborghini Sian: The most powerful hybrid supercar appeared first on Altered Steel.

The idea of green vehicles has been around for quite a while. Nevertheless, one company managed to pull ahead by offering an affordable model that became an icon. Since 1997 Toyota Prius has been the staple of the green-thinking community. If you wanted to be known as someone who cares about the environment you would buy that car. But now… things have changed.

While revolutionary at the time, modern hybrid cars are just not that special anymore. Do you know what is? Full out EVs! We want that Tesla, or Kia, or even Hyundai (but seriously, mainly Tesla). Somehow we do not hear about people wanting a green Toyota anymore. What happened?

It seems weird that a company so focused on pushing better and better hybrids has not challenged the EV market yet. One would think they would be among the first to offer such a solution. Today I will try to figure out why Toyota has not done so yet. Perhaps we can even learn a thing or two about the EV situation in general. Shall we hit the road then?

Following the money – is it all about profit?

My first thought is that we have the entire thing wrong. Perhaps Toyota does not care about the green car market at all. Maybe they are just chasing the money and the Prius only served that goal. However, this cynical outlook does not seem to hold up.

For starters, the EV market is growing. If any company is primarily concerned about money, they would definitely go after it. And this is exactly what we are seeing with most of them. Pretty much all major companies have unveiled plans about going electric in the near future. It is almost strange that Toyota is the actual outliers here. Something is going on!

If we are to be honest, money always plays a role. You just cannot divorce a business from its revenue. Perhaps we should be asking better questions. For example: Why does not Toyota care for the growth of the EV market? Do they not want a slice of that juicy pie?

A bit of Toyota’s green history

Have you ever heard of the blue ocean strategy? This is a business concept that explains why certain companies succeed where others fail. To put it simply: a blue ocean is a market that a company develops “out of the blue”. One could say that Toyota did exactly that at the end of the 20^th century.

Their Prius model came to the global market in the year 2000. It broke new ground by being the first mass-produced full hybrid. That means you could drive it solely on battery power! Granted, its batteries would not last long, but they helped to cut back on gas expenditure quite a lot. Who could guess people actually wanted that?

The first major milestone came in 2008 with 1 million Prius models sold. Just 2 years after that they hit 2 million. All in all, they are currently at over 4 million vehicles sold. Seeing such a success, they expanded their hybrid lineup as much as possible.

Nowadays you can get many of their models in a hybrid version. All of them are marketed as fuel-efficient within their segments. Here are some notable examples:

• Toyota Camry – mid-size sedan (52 mpg vs 35mpg on non-hybrid)
• Toyota Avalon – full-size sedan (43 mpg vs 25mpg on non-hybrid)
• Toyota RAV4 – small SUV (34 mpg vs 27 mpg on non-hybrid)
• Toyota Highlander – big SUV (30 mpg vs 23 mpg on non-hybrid)

Okay, obviously Toyota is pushing their hybrids quite hard. It has been a lucrative niche for them, which has driven many other companies to explore the field as well. However, the story is changing now. In the face of affordable EVs, the appeal for hybrids is going down. Other manufacturers are catching onto that, but we do not have a clear view of where Toyota is headed. Except for this one thing…

Toyota’s alternative to EVs

If you have not been paying attention, you may not know that the electric engine is not the only green car solution out there. In the case of the Bajaj Qute, for example, they are trying a different approach. It is not as “green”, but its affordability can make it the more effective solution in certain regions.

On the other hand, Toyota is trying to figure out something much more radical – a car running on hydrogen. They even have a working model in the face of Toyota Mirai. Sadly, it has not been received as well as Toyota’s other green vehicles. There are a few reasons for that:

1. It is complicated. You cannot just take hydrogen and put it in your car. You need quite the infrastructure for that. Basically, instead of a gas station, you would go to a hydrogen station. Obviously, that is quite the drawback compared to the simplicity of electrical charging.
2. No cost incentive. Right now the price of the hydrogen fuel is as high as regular gasoline. It will drop if the technology becomes more widely adopted, but that will not happen for quite some time.
3. Bad marketing. Toyota has done a poor job explaining why their hydrogen fuel cell technology is better than the electric motor. On top of that their terrible design decisions do not help either. Many consider the Mirai to be an utter failure in terms of aesthetics.
4. Safety concerns.  Toyota has done their best to prove the car is as safe as possible. However, people are still concerned about the fact that hydrogen is highly combustible. Even if such worries are unnecessary, it is Toyota’s job to show us that. Which again ties to bad marketing.

In addition to all that, their hydrogen engine does not really run on hydrogen. Instead, the energy extracted from hydrogen is converted to electricity in so-called fuel cells. That means that they basically have a more complicated EV. Why go through all that trouble then? Would it not be better if they simply went the EV route? Let’s see what Toyota has to say!

Why Toyota does not want to explore the EV market

Some of Toyota’s representatives have spoken out, and we can learn a thing or two from what they have said. As it turns out, Toyota may not be shying away from EVs altogether.

Bob Carter, a representative at Toyota’s USA branch, has stated that the company does not focus on any single technology. They will continue selling hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell cars. However, they will also offer EVs as a part of their lineup as soon as 2020.

Here is an interesting note though – Toyota does not believe that the EV market will have much of a share in the grand scheme of things. The automaker predicts EVs are about to take only 4-6% of the entire vehicle pie. That sounds weird to me, considering the much higher projections of virtually every other manufacturer.

So is Toyota in the wrong here? I think so. The company is waiting to see where the market is going, which may be a bad move. I would say the issue has nothing to do with low demand, but rather low supply on the manufacturer’s part. Take the electric SUV market, for example. Do you think people do not want such cars? Of course, they do! We are all just waiting for affordable and good-looking options, that is all!

Do we even want a Toyota EV?

If you read a bit more about hydrogen fuel cells, you may actually like the idea. I see plenty of merit in the whole thing. When I think about it, perhaps it would indeed be better for the world if Toyota focused more of its efforts on pushing that technology.

That being said, I do not know if the automaker can make sound decisions now. Businesses need money to run and there is nothing wrong with pursuing a thriving market. Especially if you are good at making quality cars. Sure, having a blue ocean with little competition is great, but it needs a lot of investment. I think Toyota may lose steam if they do not take the EV market more seriously.

So yes, in my opinion, Toyota EVs would be a great thing. The more options customers have the better. That would also give Toyota enough power to improve its hydrogen infrastructure. At that point we will have two competing technologies and both will be green. Sounds awesome to me!

What do you think though? Maybe you do not care about any future EVs from Toyota. I would understand it if they have lost your trust by now. What about their hydrogen fuel cell technology then? Is it worth it? Let me know!

The post Will we ever see an all-electric Toyota? appeared first on Altered Steel.

As a trend, EVs may have even surpassed our favorite SUVs. They have gained so much popularity in such a short time that we can definitely say the trend is here to stay. The fact that most major manufacturers are considering a total switch towards EVs only supports our claim.

Fortunately for us, EVs and SUVs fit together perfectly. A big car with zero emissions and excellent efficiency? Sign me up!

If you are like me, then you are super excited about this prospect. The drawbacks to getting an SUV are now fewer and fewer. This is why today I want to explore what eSUV options we have as of now (or in the near future). Granted, they are not that many, but they are paving the way for something incredibly awesome. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Is an electric SUV even worth it?

As you will see in a second, the eSUV selection is still very limited. But if you think about it, fully electric vehicles are scarce altogether. We have the Tesla models, of course, but how many others can you name?

Market-wise the EV niche is still in its infancy. It will take 5 or 6 more years for it to become big enough. And contrary to popular opinion this is actually great for us. You can get a new eSUV without remorse now because, by the time EVs have settled firmly, you will be up for a new car anyway.

Even if you are not considering a new vehicle yet, it is worth checking out the state of the eSUV market. It can at least show you what you can expect in a short while. The trend-setting battle has begun and we can be witnesses to it. I, for one, find that very intriguing. Let’s see what the future has in store!

Stating the obvious – Tesla Model X

I open up our list with probably the most popular electric SUVs. As with other Tesla models, Model X has suffered through quite a lot of nasty remarks. The interesting part here is that most of them seem to be unsubstantiated.

First, let me say that this vehicle is obviously not targeted at the mass market. It is a luxury car through and through. That puts it more in the enthusiast category. But, as you may know, enthusiasts are not the most welcoming people in the world, hence all the criticism towards it.

Whether you like Tesla or not has nothing to do with the merits of this vehicle though. Model X has a lot going for it, and we should not simply dismiss it because it is Tesla. For instance, I appreciate how much thought there is in its safety systems. Even if this was the only major thing about it, I would still consider it a worthwhile benefit. But there are other things as well!

Tesla Model X comes with a great range (thanks to its huge batteries), and superb acceleration as well. The aesthetic appeal is up to personal taste, of course, but I like the futuristic design language. However, I also understand that you may be tired of hearing about Tesla. So come and check out our next entry!

Luxury is definitely a thing – Jaguar I-Pace

When we talk about the high-end market, most people do not immediately think of Jaguar. However, this car marque has a long history and I have always appreciated them. This is why I have to say that the I-Pace is perhaps my favorite electric SUV.

Aside from having an appealing exterior, its interior is what catches my eye the most. The folks at Jaguar have managed to strike a nice balance between futurism and timelessness. Plus it comes at a much lower price than one would expect for such a car.

That being said, not everything about it is great. Some have criticized it for not being a true SUV. Though I would say such criticism can fly in the face of most such cars nowadays. I have already written about the rise of the crossover and my opinion on it. But even if the I-Pace is not the off-road beast people want, I can still enjoy it for what it tries to do.

A beast with German blood – Audi E-Tron

It seems like we are going to stick with luxury SUVs. Though this time around, things are a bit different.

One of the most common complaints people have about EVs is that most of them do not look like normal cars. Perhaps the designers are deliberately trying to say “Hey, look, this is not your traditional vehicle”. Well, I kind of agree that they may be overdoing it a bit. This is why Audi E-Tron with its more traditional design is a breath of ironically fresh air.

Aside from its looks, you should also pay attention to its overall utility. It comes with great range (about 250 miles) and supposedly faster charging than that of the Model X or the I-Pace. It lacks a bit in power though, making it fall behind in acceleration tests.

In my eyes, the E-Tron is not going to win over people, who are not already fans of Audi. But if you are looking for a more conservative design with that staple German luxury, the E-Tron is definitely a great choice!

The affordable spaceship – Kia Niro EV

All of the previous eSUVs fall within the luxury category. Naturally, many of us may feel a bit excluded. Then comes Kira Niro EV – the eSUV for the everyday person!

Granted, Kia cars are not exactly a synonym of exceptional quality or utmost attention to detail. Yet you cannot deny that they have something going with the Niro EV. Design-wise it reminds me of a spaceship both inside and out. Specs-wise… things are not exactly stellar.

All things considered, this eSUV comes with a decent range, plenty of space (for its class) and is extremely affordable. I say it is suitable for anyone who wants an electric crossover but does not want to spend a lot on it!

Going too far – Mercedes-Benz EQ C

Mercedes-Benz is one of those companies, which has some sort of its own niche. People know them to be German cars with class. While BMW and Audi usually try to tackle the sports car segments too, the folks at Mercedes stay primarily in their conservative lane. This makes their EQ C model even more surprising.

First of all, the frontal design of this car is hideous. I know that is subjective, but it carries little of Mercedes-Benz’s spirit. Second of all, I think it does not know what it wants to be. Who are they targeting with it? Tesla fans would not go with such a car, while Mercedes fans would want the conservative aesthetic.

Of course, I could be wrong. It is possible that they come up with something extraordinary about it, which would make it sell well. As of now though nothing in it excites me, and even its range is not anything to brag about.

Staying within your lane – BMW IX3

In the world of vehicle manufacturers, BMW is known to experiment quite a lot. Sadly, their foray into luxury hybrid cars with the i3 and i8 has proven to be somewhat underwhelming. I feel much more optimistic about the IX3 though. It looks like a real gem that is worth considering.

As the name suggests, it is the electric brother of the X3. That means it carries that appealing design into the EV territory. Sadly, we cannot say anything more about it because… Well, there is not a lot of information out there.

To make things worse BMW IX3, like Porsche Taycan, may prove to be a little bit too late to the party. It is expected in 2020, by which point people may be expecting something more. Not to mention that current speculations place it quite deeply into the luxury pricing tier (currently sitting at above $80,000). Considering it is on the rather small side, its success is far from certain. We can only hope that the design language and supposedly great range will be enough to satisfy people’s expectations!

Are you ready for an electric SUV?

When I look at the current eSUV market I cannot say it is a welcoming place. The I-Pace draws me in, but honestly, I would rather wait a little longer. Too bad that car innovations do not happen that rapidly.

But what do you think? Are you ready to get your piece of the EV pie with a nice electric SUV? Even if you do not want one now, I am still curious which would you pick if you had to!

The post SUVs: Enter the electric motor! appeared first on Altered Steel.