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Tesla opens up 10 Supercharger locations to CCS charging. The USPS buys Ford E-Transits. And bidirectional charging is coming to Tesla models. This and more, here at DriftBreath Reports. At Wednesday’s Investor Day, Tesla revealed that it will be rolling out bidirectional charging capability to its vehicles over the next two years. The tech will be part of a retool of the company’s power electronics. That said, CEO Elon Musk is still not convinced that EVs with bidirectional charging would be good for home backup and pointed to Tesla’s Powerwall for that. Tesla also confirmed Wednesday that it’s opened “select”…
The Austrian village of Reifnitz, located on the shores of Lake Wörthersee and forming part of the municipality of Maria Wörth, has played host to an annual meet for Volkswagen GTI fans going all the way back to 1982. VW itself has joined the fun and used the event to introduce new models and concepts in the past. The event hasn’t run since 2019 due to pandemic, and now the municipality of Maria Wörth has decided to cancel it due to the sustainability concerns of locals. In a statement issued in February, the municipality said the huge growth of the…
The 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V is the luxury muscle SUV to rule them all. Handling? What handling? This is a freakin’ Escalade. Noise? Oh, this entire review could exclusively consist of noise impressions, and there would still be more to say. Luxury? You bet. Nothing about the Escalade-V’s pursuit of performance interferes with its traditional role of being a driving barcalounger, which is as it should be. Unlike other performance-focused SUVs, Cadillac simply said no to worrying about things like skidpad figures, high-bolstered seats and a boy-racer appearance makeover. Frankly, it’s refreshing that a new “performance” SUV isn’t pretending to be…
Maserati’s redesigned GranTurismo goes on sale this spring, initially as a coupe. However, a new generation of the GranTurismo Convertible, this time branded a GranCabrio (the name the previous car used overseas), is coming, and soon. Our latest spy shots show a prototype for the new GranCabrio in Folgore electric guise. Folgore, the Italian word for “lightning,” is the designation Maserati uses for its electric cars. The Folgore version of the GranCabrio can be identified by its sealed-off grille and lack of exhaust tips. The GranTurismo Folgore has already been revealed, and this GranCabrio Folgore should have the same or…
Tesla is now letting EVs from other brands charge at some U.S. Supercharger sites, while offering a Combined Charging Standard (CCS) retrofit for its own vehicles. “Select” Superchargers are now open to other EVs, according to a video posted to Twitter. Drivers can find these sites using the Tesla app, which is also needed to start a charging session. Select Superchargers in the US are now open to other EVs → https://t.co/zObpFM4li1 pic.twitter.com/wQW0KGvlpw — Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) February 28, 2023 As part of Tesla’s presentation at its Investor Day Wednesday, the company said that this currently includes 10 Supercharger sites—so…
Oh, the possibilities! The array of buttons on the steering wheel of the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS boggles the mind with visions of finding the perfect tune for the perfect lap. From the tiller, I can not only pick the drive mode, but also adjust both the compression and rebound of the front and rear dampers through eight settings each, chose the locking percentage of the electronic limited-slip rear differential both on and off throttle, manually adjust a Formula 1-style Drag Reduction System (DRS), and pick from eight settings for the traction and stability control. It’s heady stuff: confusing,…
Kia’s big, boxy electric SUV is almost here. The automaker will reveal the 2024 EV9 on March 15 and will follow up with full details later in the month. A pair of teaser videos released this week hint at what’s to come. They reveal the light signatures planned for the vehicle, as well as its sculpted, almost Range Rover-esque side profile. The EV9 is the production version of a concept of the same name that debuted at the 2021 Los Angeles auto show. Judging by the teaser footage, as well as spy shots of prototypes, the production version will closely…
The United States Postal Service (USPS) this week announced plans to buy 9,250 Ford E-Transit electric vans, which will get the ball rolling on electrification while the Postal Service waits for its custom-designed electric delivery vans. The first of the Ford vans are scheduled to arrive in December of this year, with deliveries continuing through 2024, and will be accompanied by the deployment of 14,000 charging stations, according to a USPS press release. Specific locations are to be determined, the Postal Service added, noting that the off-the-shelf vehicles are left-hand drive, and thus may not be suitable in all of…
Rivian will deliver a three-row SUV with nearly 400 miles of range later this year. Drive modules for upcoming Ram, Dodge, and Jeep EVs may be made in Indiana. And the Mini Cooper SE tops an annual list of the greenest. What’s the meanest? This and more, here at DriftBreath Reports. Rivian has confirmed that a 390-mile Max Pack version of its R1S electric SUV will be delivered starting this fall. The Max Pack versions will only come in Dual Motor form, with the company’s latest, in-house Enduro drive units. Further, Rivian released updated range numbers for the trucks in…
Ford is trying to patent technology that would allow cars to repossess themselves. As first spotted by The Drive, a Ford patent application titled “Systems and Methods to Repossess a Vehicle” was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Feb. 23, although it was submitted to the agency Aug. 20, 2021. The document describes using vehicles’ built-in data connections to remotely disable “a functionality of one or more components of the vehicle,” which would serve as warnings if the owner has missed car payments. Ford vehicle repossession system patent image According to the document, deactivations would start…