Cars

the-2024-vw-golf-gti-is-the-last-of-its-kind-with-a-manual-transmission

The 2024 VW Golf GTI is the last of its kind with a manual transmission

car review, Cars, Volkswagen Golf GTI / /

blame Europe this time —

Get the manual while you can.

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A grey VW Golf GTI

Enlarge / The latest Volkswagen Golf GTI isn’t perfect, but it has enough charm to overcome its flaws.

Jonathan Gitlin

“They won’t make them like this much longer” is a pretty hackneyed aphorism, but it certainly applies to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The Mk 8 Golf is due for a mid-life refresh next year, and when that happens, VW will be simplifying things by dropping the manual transmission option. That means model year 2024 is the final chance anyone will have to buy a GTI with three pedals. Yes, it has some flaws, but it’s also small and nimble, both attributes lacking in so much of what the automotive industry has to offer these days.

We’ve been a bit deficient in not reviewing the Mk 8 Golf GTI until now. I reviewed the more expensive, more powerful Golf R in 2022, but the last GTI we drove was the outgoing Mk 7 car in mid-2020. That time, we were only able to source a GTI with the two-pedal, dual-clutch gearbox, a transmission I felt didn’t quite suit the engine it was mated to. On the other hand, I was effusive about the old GTI’s infotainment, calling it “one of the best systems on the market.” Well, it was 2020, remember.

Under the hood, you’ll find yet another version of VW Group’s venerable EA888 four-cylinder engine, here with a turbocharger and direct injection. It generates 241 hp (180 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm), with that peak torque arriving at just 1,750 rpm. This sends its power to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG or the soon-to-be-retired six-speed manual.

  • For this review, we tested both the DSG and manual transmission versions of the GTI.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • I don’t know if generations of Golf styling is exactly like Star Trek movies, but I do usually prefer the even numbers…

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • VW decided to drop the three-door Golf body style when it introduced the Mk 8 Golf.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • There’s 19.9 cubic feet (563 L) of cargo space with the seats in use, or 34.5 cubic feet (977 L) with the rear seats folded flat.

    Jonathan Gitlin

You can blame enlightened Europe for the six-speed’s demise. Over there, buyers prefer the two-pedal version by a massive margin, which even the high take rate for three-pedal GTIs in the US and Canada couldn’t make up for. (This is, of course, contrary to popular wisdom, which has it that all Europeans shun auto ‘boxes as a matter of course.) On top of that, getting the six-speed to comply with incoming Euro 7 emissions regulations proved to be just too much, according to VW, so it decided to drop the option.

Here in the US, both transmissions are rated at a combined 27 mpg (8.7 L/100 km), with the DSG getting the edge in city driving (24 mpg/9.8 L/100 km) and the manual beating it slightly for highway (34 mpg/6.9 L/100 km). In practice, I saw as high as 36 mpg (6.5 L/100 km) on highway trips with the three-pedal GTI.

A smarter GTI

A more modern electronic architecture was one of the improvements to the Golf from Mk 7 to Mk 8. On the plus side, it enables some clever vehicle dynamics control via the torque-sensing limited slip differential, the GTI’s stability and traction control, and the adaptive dampers, if fitted. Very keen drivers might prefer a mechanical limited slip diff, but in day-to-day driving, you’d never have an issue with the Mk 8 GTI’s electronic version.

The new electronics meant a big tech upgrade for the interior, too. Out went the physical analog gauges, which were replaced by a 10.25-inch digital display with various different user-configurable views. A move to capacitive control panels instead of discrete buttons adds an extra level of minimalism to VW’s traditionally spartan approach to cabin design, but they’re far too easy to activate by mistake.

The 2024 VW Golf GTI is the last of its kind with a manual transmission Read More »

this-ev-will-make-you-grin-from-ear-to-ear—the-2025-hyundai-ioniq-5-n

This EV will make you grin from ear to ear—the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

car review, Cars, hyundai, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N / /

it goes duggeda duggeda duggeda —

Hyundai N’s attention to detail is on vivid display with this performance EV.

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The front half of a white Ioniq 5 N in an alleyway

Enlarge / Other automakers have half-heartedly tuned their EVs, but Hyundai’s N brand has gone all-out with the Ioniq 5, and the results are spectacular.

Jonathan Gitlin

Hyundai’s transformation over the past decade and a half has been one to watch. The automaker went on a hiring spree, luring design and engineering talent away from the likes of BMW and Audi to grow its own competency in these areas. It worked—few can rival the efficiency or charging speed of the current crop of Korean electric vehicles, for instance. And Hyundai’s N division has shown it can turn prosaic underpinnings into performance cars that push all the right buttons. Both of those things are on vivid display with the Ioniq 5 N.

The regular Ioniq 5 has been on sale for a while now, long enough to have just received a facelift. It’s one of our favorite EVs, with styling that calls back to the angular hatchbacks of the 1980s and an 800 V powertrain that’s easily best-in-class. Now, the company’s in-house tuners have had their way with it, applying lessons learned from rallying and touring car racing to up the fun factor.

It’s not exactly a novel approach, even for EVs. Kia beat Hyundai to the punch with the EV6 GT; the car is fearsomely fast, but I found it less compelling than the normal version, which is cheaper, less powerful, and more efficient. In fact, I’m on record as saying that when looking at EVs, the cheapest, least-powerful version is almost always the one to get.

Not in this case. The body has extra welds and adhesive to stiffen its shell, with new front and rear subframes and reinforced battery and motor mounts. The N even took mass out of the drive axles to reduce unsprung weight, similar to its World Rally Championship contender.

  • Among the obvious changes are blistered wheel arches and an assortment of aerodynamic ducts, winglets, channels, and spoilers.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • The base Ioniq 5’s bone structure was well-suited for this motorsport makeover.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • This will probably be my car of the year.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • There’s a different center console, and new sports seats, plus a steering wheel with an awful lot of buttons on it.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • The back is roomy, but it’s a little more claustrophobic than normal thanks to the backs of the big bucket seats.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • I mean, it’s not a dungeon back here or anything.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • There’s no need for additional bracing, so there’s as much cargo room as the base model.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • No frunk, just power electronics and HVAC parts.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • 15.75-inch brake discs and four-piston calipers help stop the front wheels.

    Jonathan Gitlin

The power steering has been strengthened and given a quicker ratio, and it has been comprehensively reprogrammed to deliver more feedback to the driver. As you might expect, there are all manner of clever algorithms to control how much power gets put down at each axle or to each rear wheel, with various levels of intervention for a driver to choose from.

Nominal power output is 601 hp (448 kW) and 545 lb-ft (739 Nm), with bursts of 641 hp (478 kW) and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) for up to 10 seconds available with the push of one of the many buttons on the steering wheel. That’s sufficient for a 0–60 mph time of 3.3 seconds, with a chirp from the tires in the process.

The pair of electric motors are fed by an 84 kWh battery pack that will fast-charge from 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes. However, just like with performance variants of internal combustion cars, the combination of big wheels, sticky performance tires, and all those aerodynamic drag-inducing addenda means it won’t be as efficient as the normal version. Here, that leads to an EPA range of just 221 miles (355 km), although that’s measured in Normal mode, not the far more efficient Eco setting.

You either get it or you don’t

The Ioniq 5 N’s best party trick is called N E-Shift, and it’s bound to be divisive. It simulates an eight-speed paddle-shift transmission, changing throttle mapping and lift-off regen to replicate each “gear,” and the effect is extremely convincing.

  • The different levels of performance or efficiency are readily available and easy to switch between using the multifunction steering wheel.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • This is the default instrument panel.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • Here, the N E-Shift button has been pressed, and the power gauge on the right has turned into a tachometer.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • In N mode, with the N E-Shift active.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • This was actually the second charger I visited to recharge the Ioniq 5 N; the first EA charger started smoking and shut down. But that was an EA thing, not an Ioniq 5 N thing.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • Like any car, if you drive it hard, you’ll have to recharge or refuel it often.

    Jonathan Gitlin

  • As you can see, the Ioniq 5 N can also be quite efficient if necessary.

    Jonathan Gitlin

This EV will make you grin from ear to ear—the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Read More »

a-cargo-bike-with-a-low-price-and-pedals-so-low-they-scrape-the-ground

A cargo bike with a low price and pedals so low they scrape the ground

cargo bike, Cars, CycWagon, e-bikes, torque sensor / /

Sometimes, you get what you pay for —

A budget offering with a torque sensor (good!) and a whole lot of issues (not good).

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Image of a grey, long-tail cargo bike with tall handlebars and a basket in front, and a wooden deck and footrests by the cargo area.

Enlarge / The CycWagon.

John Timmer

More so than most other forms of bicycle, cargo bikes are specifically designed to make ditching a car easier. Whether hauling groceries or kids, they can handle a lot more of the day-to-day errand running than most other forms of two-wheeled transport. The problem with some of the higher-end cargo bikes is that the upfront costs can be competitive with a decent used car (although operating costs will be dramatically lower) without offering quite the flexibility that a car might.

Fortunately, as Beth Mole discovered, you don’t necessarily have to spend that much to get a decent riding experience, putting cars at a further disadvantage. That left me curious as to what the price floor for a decent cargo bike might be—how little can you pay and still get a satisfactory experience? I was also keen for a second try on my experiment of going a month without using a car, meant to happen during my earlier review but interrupted by wildfire smoke.

All of which explains why I took delivery of a $1,500 cargo bike called the CycWagon, from a company called Cycrown. It’s currently well on its way toward getting me through a car-free month, but it has… well, a lot of issues.

Evoking wagons of my past

The CycWagon is a long-tail cargo bike, meaning its frame extends well to the rear of the seat, providing an area where you can fit people or packages, depending on whether you set the area up with seating or cargo-carrying hardware. They’re generally not very good as all-around bicycles. For starters, to keep the center of gravity low, they tend to use wheels with a smaller circumference that alters the handling. The longer space between the wheels also requires a relatively rigid frame, and that can translate more of the road’s bumpiness directly to your body. Depending on what attachments you’ve got on the back, they can also be considerably wider than a normal road bike, which is something to take into account while riding.

I liked the wood panel aesthetic, but gradually found myself removing them for various reasons.

Enlarge / I liked the wood panel aesthetic, but gradually found myself removing them for various reasons.

JOHN TIMMER

The CycWagon does make some adjustments to make the ride a bit smoother. For starters, it has a front suspension that definitely soaks up some of the road’s roughness. Wide tires that can be run at low pressures improved the situation as well. And I definitely got the sense that the rear of the frame was a bit more compliant than the Trek cargo bike I had tried a year earlier. So, overall, it was a much less jarring ride.

I cannot, however, call it a better ride because of the various decisions made by Cycrown. For starters, the company went a bit too far in trying to keep the center of gravity low, in that the cranks were low enough to the ground that the pedals would scrape pavement if you tried to lean into a turn while pedaling. I gradually adjusted to remembering to stop pedaling when turning, but by that time I had scraped the finish off of both sides of both pedals, leaving bare metal exposed.

I have gotten quite used to e-bikes that are rated for my height but don’t fit my legs, but the CycWagon’s seat was so low that my thighs were horizontal while pedaling, leaving me feeling like I had just shoved a small kid off their bike and taken it for a spin. The low seat was oddly paired with handlebars from a foldable bike, for reasons that mystify me. This does allow you to fold them down, but it’s not obvious to me when that would be useful. But it also positions the grips a bit far forward, making the riding stance even more awkward. Still, the handlebars do come with a vertical adjustment, so it’s possible to find a reasonably comfortable arrangement.

Even at its maximum extension, the seat was very low and close to the pedals, which were in turn very close to the ground.

Enlarge / Even at its maximum extension, the seat was very low and close to the pedals, which were in turn very close to the ground.

John Timmer

There’s probably no way to make a long-tail a fun ride, but all of these design choices made the ride more awkward than it needed to be and more than offset the cushiness that the tires and front shock offered.

The bike itself was a fairly utilitarian gray. But it came with a wooden panel for the deck of the cargo area, and there are two optional foot rests that can be installed on either side of the rear wheel that are also topped with wood. Maybe it’s nostalgia for the cargo wagons of my youth, but I liked the mixed metal/wood look. Unfortunately, I gradually discovered that all of that wood had to go.

A cargo bike with a low price and pedals so low they scrape the ground Read More »

hyundai-updates-ioniq-5-with-bigger-battery,-tesla-style-port

Hyundai updates Ioniq 5 with bigger battery, Tesla-style port

Cars, Ioniq, Ioniq 5 / /

still good —

There’s also an off-road focused variant called the Ioniq 5 XRT.

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A white Hyundai Ioniq 5 XLT drives across the desert, kicking up sand

Enlarge / The lifted, rugged, off-road version-of-normal trend has come to the Ioniq 5 with the new XLT.

Hyundai

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one of our favorite electric vehicles. It offers excellent efficiency and really rapid charging, all wrapped up in a shape that exudes late-’80s hatchback vibes. Today, Hyundai revealed details about the Ioniq 5’s update for model year 2025 (MY25), and it’s noteworthy for a number of reasons.

For starters, when MY25 Ioniq 5s start appearing on dealer lots in Q4, they’ll arrive with J3400 ports concealed underneath their charger port flaps. Once known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS), this is the Tesla-style charger plug, which means MY25 Ioniq 5s should be able to fast charge at more than 17,000 Tesla Superchargers throughout the US and Canada.

The flip side is that a MY25 Ioniq 5 will require an adapter if the driver wants to charge it with a CCS1 charger, although Hyundai will include that dongle with a new car. The automaker says that as it refreshes other EVs in Q4, they will also only come with J3400 ports. For existing Hyundai EVs with CCS1 ports, J3400 adapters are supposed to be available in Q1 2025.

Another benefit of starting production at Hyundai’s new plant in Georgia is that US-made Ioniq 5s will be eligible for some of the IRS clean vehicle tax credit. This is now linked to domestic battery content, and Hyundai says that, initially, it expects US-made Ioniq 5s (and other EVs from the Georgia factory) to be eligible for at least $3,750. (Leased Ioniq 5s qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit.)

  • Hyundai says that model-year 2025 Ioniq 5s will come from the factory with native Tesla-style J3400 ports.

    Hyundai

  • This is the XRT interior, and unless I’m mistaken, it’s the same as MY24 Ioniq 5s. (Hyundai’s press materials say the new interior tweaks are for non-XRT models.)

    Hyundai

  • Hyundai might encroach on some Rivian sales with the XRT.

    Hyundai

A bigger battery

The Ioniq 5 is also getting a battery capacity bump for MY25. The standard-range Ioniq 5 increases from 58 kWh to 63 kWh, boosting the range by 20 miles (32 km) to 240 miles (385 km). The long-range models see capacity grow from 77.4 kWh to 84 kWh—this adds seven miles to the range of the longest-range Ioniq 5, which will be able to travel 310 miles (489 km) on a single charge.

Not all of the longer-range Ioniq 5s can go that far; as EV aficionados know, fitting bigger wheels to one does deleterious things to its range.

That definitely applies to a new addition to the Ioniq 5 lineup, a lifted black-bumper-clad off-road-capable variant called the XRT. The XRT combines an all-wheel-drive powertrain with new 18-inch wheels and all-terrain tires, new suspension tuning, including a 0.9-inch (23 mm) lift, and a whole lot of black trim.

All the other Ioniq 5s (barring the bonkers Ioniq 5 N) get some interior and exterior tweaks for MY25, including new front and rear bumpers, a new rear spoiler, a redesigned center console and new climate control panel, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and some new safety-focused driver assists.

Pricing for the refreshed Ioniq 5 range should be available closer to the cars’ arrival at dealerships.

Hyundai updates Ioniq 5 with bigger battery, Tesla-style port Read More »

audi-replaces-its-bestseller—here’s-the-next-q5-suv

Audi replaces its bestseller—here’s the next Q5 SUV

Audi Q5, Cars / /

q continuum —

Yet again, the US misses out on some options, like the mild hybrid.

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A blue Audi SQ5 and a black Audi Q5 seen in a studio

Enlarge / The third-generation Audi SQ5 (blue) and Q5 (black) go on sale early next year.

Audi

MUNICH—Germany’s triumvirate of luxury automakers made their reputations off the backs of sedans, but the uncomfortable fact is that these days, they sell far more in the way of SUVs and crossovers, particularly in North America, where the prevailing sentiment is that station wagons belong with bell bottom jeans in the suburbs of the ’70s and hatchbacks are reserved for college kids. The ur-Quattro might have made Audi famous, but the Q5 is what keeps it profitable.

There’s a new Q5 on the way, the third in its line. As global electrification timelines are proving to be a little slower than once predicted, automakers are responding accordingly, and at Audi, that has meant developing Premium Platform Combustion, a new flexible architecture for internal combustion engine-powered vehicles (including hybrids) that combines the latest in software-defined vehicle technology with more fuel-efficient powertrains and the latest active and passive safety standards.

In mid-July, we published our first look at the first car to use PPC, the next Audi A5. Expect the SUV you see in this article to be a far more common sight in the US.

The new Q5 is a curvier-looking car than I expected given Audi’s propensity for designing and producing cars with complicated creased body panels—here, that’s relegated to the treatment along the lower parts of the doors. Audi’s growing expertise in streamlining its electric vehicles has been applied to the Q5 as well, although exactly how much it has helped fuel efficiency will remain unclear until closer to the Q5 actually going on sale in the US early next year.

  • The new Q5 gets bigger holes in the radiator grille, which is now more of a 3D design. The grille also conceals the forward-looking sensors. And the air vents are real air vents, not just for show.

    Audi

  • The new Q5 has more room inside for rear passengers and cargo.

    Audi

  • The Q5’s spoiler projects a brake light onto the rear window across its entire length, in addition to providing direct light.

    Audi

  • The SQ5 is the sportier version.

    Audi

  • SQ6s get round tailpipes.

    Audi

  • The interior layout is quite cosseting.

    Audi

When that happens, we’ll be restricted to a pair of models. There’s a 268 hp (200 kW) 2.0 L four-cylinder TSFI engine that powers the Q5, or a 362 hp (270 kW) 3.0 L V6, which powers the SQ5. Both are all-wheel drive, and both use seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions. But we won’t get a less-powerful 2.0 L Q5 here, nor the 48 V mild-hybrid powertrain.

The US is also set to miss out on the animations in the Q5’s taillights. Like the A5, A6 e-tron, and Q6 e-tron, our cars will still arrive with three-dimensional OLED light clusters, but owners will have to content themselves with the ability to pick between eight different static themes. And don’t expect to be able to order a Q5 with a cloth interior—American Audi customers just want leather, apparently.

The similarities with the A5 continue on the inside. There’s more headroom, and it’s an airier cabin generally given the larger internal volume, but the layout of the dash, console, and infotainment screens is basically the same, including the optional passenger infotainment screen, which has an active privacy mode, so the driver can’t see what’s being displayed while the car is moving.

Pricing should be available closer to the Q5 going on sale in early 2025.

Audi replaces its bestseller—here’s the next Q5 SUV Read More »

jaguar-i-pace-fire-risk-leads-to-recall,-instructions-to-park-outdoors

Jaguar I-Pace fire risk leads to recall, instructions to park outdoors

Cars, Jaguar I-Pace / /

fold tab to recall —

The problem is similar to one that affected the Chevrolet Bolt in 2021.

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A closeup of a cutaway jaguar I-apce battery pack

Enlarge / Jaguar sourced the I-Pace’s battery cells from LG Energy Solutions. But now there’s a problem with some of them.

Jonathan Gitlin

The Jaguar I-Pace deserves more credit. When it debuted in 2018, it was one of only two electric vehicles on sale that could offer Tesla-rivaling range. The other was the much more plebeian Chevrolet Bolt, which was cheaper but nowhere near as luxurious, nor as enjoyable to drive. Now, some I-Pace and Bolt owners have something else in common, as Jaguar issues a recall for some model-year 2019 I-Paces due to a fire risk, probably caused by badly folded battery anode tabs.

The problem doesn’t affect all I-Paces, just those built between January 9, 2018, and March 14, 2019—2,760 cars in total in the US. To date, three fires have been reported following software updates, which Jaguar’s recall report says does not provide “an appropriate level of protection for the 2019MY vehicles in the US.”

Although Jaguar’s investigation is still ongoing, it says that its battery supplier (LG Energy Solutions) is inspecting some battery modules that were identified by diagnostic software as “having characteristics of a folded anode tab.” In 2021, problems with LG batteries—in this case, folded separators and torn anode tabs—resulted in Chevrolet recalling every Bolt on the road and replacing their batteries under warranty at a cost of more than $1.8 billion.

For now, the Jaguar recall is less drastic. A software update will limit the maximum charge of the affected cars to 80 percent, to prevent the packs from charging to 100 percent. Jaguar also says that, similar to other OEMs who have conducted recalls for similar problems, the patched I-Paces should be parked away from structures for 30 days post-recall and should be charged outdoors where possible.

Jaguar I-Pace fire risk leads to recall, instructions to park outdoors Read More »

feds-award-$521-million-in-ev-charger-funds,-but-rollout-remains-slow

Feds award $521 million in EV charger funds, but rollout remains slow

Cars, EV charging infrastructure, inflation reduction act of 2022, NEVI / /

got the plug? —

The awards are part of a $7.5 billion program for EV charger infrastructure.

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A logo of an EV painted on the ground

Getty Images

The federal government awarded another $521 million in EV charger funding today. It’s the latest tranche of money to be awarded from a $7.5 billion program authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to build out fast chargers along interstate highways as well as bringing charging infrastructure to underserved communities.

$321 million from today’s announcement will be spent on 41 different projects across the country—these projects are a mix of level 2 AC chargers as well as DC fast chargers. The remaining $200 million will continue funding DC fast chargers along designated highway corridors.

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which administers the federal funding, called out a $15 million project to install chargers at 53 sites in Milwaukee and a $3.9 million project to install publicly accessible chargers on the Sioux Reservation in North Dakota as examples of the latest awards.

“Today’s investments in public community charging fill crucial gaps and provide the foundation for a zero-emission future where everyone can choose to ride or drive electric for greater individual convenience and reduced fueling costs, as well as cleaner air and lower healthcare costs for all Americans,” said Gabe Kline, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.

The Biden administration set a goal of 500,000 EV chargers nationwide by 2030. The Joint Office’s latest data shows more than 189,000 chargers across the country, although fewer than 44,000 of these were DC fast chargers.

But it cites real improvements over the past few years—56 percent of the most heavily trafficked highways have a fast charger every 50 miles, up from 38 percent in January 2021. And in June, it says an additional 3,000 charging ports were added to the national network. Other funding has gone to repairing or upgrading existing infrastructure, starting with a currently inoperable site in Washington, DC.

At the same time, progress has not been especially rapid for the highway charger NEVI (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) program. NEVI funds are administered by the states, similar to the way they manage federal highway funding, and the extra layers of bureaucracy have meant that the first NEVI-funded charging station—located in Ohio—only became operational in mid-December 2023.

Feds award $521 million in EV charger funds, but rollout remains slow Read More »

a-lot-of-new-in-car-tech-is-“not-necessary,”-survey-finds

A lot of new in-car tech is “not necessary,” survey finds

car technology, Cars, jd power / /

just because you can, doesn’t mean you should —

Partially automated driving systems scored particularly poorly.

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A Mercedes-Benz EQS with a hyperscreen.

Enlarge / Mercedes-Benz got into the passenger infotainment game with the EQS.

Mercedes-Benz

Jumping into a new car from the driver’s seat of something built before 2010 can cause quite the case of future shock. Over that time, automakers have been on a technology frenzy, loading up new vehicles with all manner of gizmos, gadgets, and features, some meant to make your life easier, others to make your journey safer. But do car buyers actually want all this stuff? A new survey by JD Power suggests they may not.

With enough time, a new convenience feature just becomes something buyers expect to be there. Starter motors replaced hand cranks for a reason, and I imagine most modern motorists would prefer not to deal with manual chokes. Manual window winders became more expensive and heavier than electric ones, leading to their extinction.

Some of the technology creep has come about by regulation or the threat of it. While many bemoan the “iPad on the dash,” the legal requirement for a backup camera means there needs to be a screen in the car to display that feed. Steering wheels and dashboards grew to conceal airbags. And now vehicle fascias conceal sensors that can alert the driver or stop the car in the event of an imminent head-on crash.

But according to JD Power’s Tech Experience Survey, which “measures problems encountered and the user experience with advanced technologies as they first enter the market,” advanced technology in cars needs to solve real problems, and too much tech simply doesn’t do that.

For example, drivers generally appreciate advanced driver assistance systems, known as ADAS in the industry; blind spot monitoring solves a real problem. But does anyone ever actually use their automatic parking system? JD Power found that systems that partially automate a driving task—even the most advanced hands-free systems—had a low perceived usefulness, a finding that dovetails nicely with data published last month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that revealed partial automation did not make cars any safer.

Enough with the screens

My current bete noir is the trend for automakers to include an additional infotainment screen directly in front of the front passenger, separate from the main infotainment screen in the center stack. Blame Ferrari, which started adding a passenger screen to its supercars in the perhaps misguided impression that Ferrari drivers wanted their passengers to know how fast they were actually going.

The early Ferrari passenger displays were somewhat limited, but they have morphed into a second fully fledged infotainment display for the not-driver. Porsche did this with the Taycan, then Mercedes brought us the “hyperscreen,” which was really three separate displays and plenty of blank dashboard, all bonded to a single sheet of glass. The latest trick, as seen in some new Audis, is to have an active privacy mode so that the passenger can watch video but the driver can’t see anything at all on that display.

If the idea of giving passengers their own display when there’s already one immediately next to it sounds excessive, welcome to my club. We’re not alone—JD Power says passenger screens are negatively reviewed by many owners and notes that “it is difficult for dealers to teach new owners how to use the primary infotainment screen, let alone a second one.”

Other examples of new technology solving a nonexistent problem include facial recognition, fingerprint scanners, and gesture control. Having experienced all three in various new cars over the past few years, I am not surprised by their inclusion. I never felt safe enough, though, with Genesis’ facial recognition to leave the key at home, and BMW’s gesture controls mean that you might accidentally turn the sound system to full volume if you talk with your hands too much.

But not every new innovation was met with opprobrium. JD Power calls out AI-based features like smart climate control as having quickly won popularity.

“A strong advanced tech strategy is crucial for all vehicle manufacturers, and many innovative technologies are answering customer needs,” said Kathleen Rizk, senior director of user experience benchmarking and technology at JD Power. “At the same time, this year’s study makes it clear that owners find some technologies of little use and/or are continually annoying.”

The market research company says its tech survey is designed to help automakers decide where to invest their R&D resources. If we start seeing any objectionable in-car tech become less common, we’ll know which OEMs were paying attention.

A lot of new in-car tech is “not necessary,” survey finds Read More »

electric-vehicle-battery-fires—what-to-know-and-how-to-react

Electric vehicle battery fires—what to know and how to react

batteries, battery fires, Cars, EVs, syndication, Tesla / /

sick burns —

It’s very rare, but lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles can catch fire.

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battery pack

Enlarge / The battery pack of a Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric microbus on the assembly line during a media tour of the Volkswagen AG multipurpose and commercial vehicle plant in Hannover, Germany, on Thursday, June 16, 2022.

Lithium-ion battery fires can be intense and frightening. As someone who used to repair second-hand smartphones, I’ve extinguished my fair share of flaming iPhones with punctured lithium-ion batteries. And the type of smartphone battery in your pocket right now is similar to what’s inside of electric vehicles. Except, the EV battery stores way more energy—so much energy that some firefighters are receiving special training to extinguish the extra-intense EV flames that are emitted by burning EV batteries after road accidents.

If you’ve been reading the news about EVs, you’ve likely encountered plenty of scary articles about battery fires on the rise. Recently, the US National Transportation Safety Board and the California Highway Patrol announced they are investigating a Tesla semi truck fire that ignited after the vehicle struck a tree. The lithium-ion battery burned for around four hours.

Does this mean that you should worry about your personal electric vehicle as a potential fire hazard? Not really. It makes more sense to worry about a gas-powered vehicle going up in flames than an electric vehicle, since EVs are less likely to catch fire than their more traditional transportation counterparts.

“Fires because of battery manufacturing defects are really very rare,” says Matthew McDowell, a codirector of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Battery Center. “Especially in electric vehicles, because they also have battery management systems.” The software keeps tabs on the different cells that comprise an EV’s battery and can help prevent the battery from being pushed beyond its limits.

How do electric vehicle fires happen?

During a crash that damages the EV battery, a fire may start with what’s called thermal runaway. EV batteries aren’t one solid brick. Rather, think of these batteries as a collection of many smaller batteries, called cells, pressed up against each other. With thermal runaway, a chemical reaction located in one of the cells lights an initial fire, and the heat soon spreads to each adjacent cell until the entire EV battery is burning.

Greg Less, director of the University of Michigan’s Battery Lab, breaks down EV battery fires into two distinct categories: accidents and manufacturing defects. He considers accidents to be everything from a collision that punctures the battery to a charging mishap. “Let’s take those off the table,” says Less. “Because, I think people understand that, regardless of the vehicle type, if you’re in an accident, there could be a fire.”

While all EV battery fires are hard to put out, fires from manufacturing defects are likely more concerning to consumers, due to their seeming randomness. (Think back to when all those Samsung phones had to be recalled because battery issues made them fire hazards.) How do these rare issues with EV battery manufacturing cause fires at what may feel like random moments?

It all comes down to how the batteries are engineered. “There’s some level of the engineering that has gone wrong and caused the cell to short, which then starts generating heat,” says Less. “Heat causes the liquid electrolyte to evaporate, creating a gas inside the cell. When the heat gets high enough, it catches fire, explodes, and then propagates to other cells.” These kinds of defects are likely what caused the highly publicized recent EV fires in South Korea, one of which damaged over a hundred vehicles in a parking lot.

How to react if your EV catches fire

According to the National Fire Prevention Agency, if an EV ever catches fire while you’re behind the wheel, immediately find a safe way to pull over and get the car away from the main road. Then, turn off the engine and make sure everyone leaves the vehicle immediately. Don’t delay things by grabbing personal belongings, just get out. Remain over 100 feet away from the burning car as you call 911 and request the fire department.

Also, you shouldn’t attempt to put out the flame yourself. This is a chemical fire, so a couple buckets of water won’t sufficiently smother the flames. EV battery fires can take first responders around 10 times more water to extinguish than a fire in a gas-powered vehicle. Sometimes the firefighters may decide to let the battery just burn itself out, rather than dousing it with water.

Once an EV battery catches fire, it’s possible for the chemical fire to reignite after the initial burn dies down. It’s even possible for the battery to go up in flames again days later. “Both firefighters and secondary responders, such as vehicle recovery or tow companies, also need to be aware of the potential for stranded energy that may remain in the undamaged portions of the battery,” says Thomas Barth, an investigator and biomechanics engineer for the NTSB, in an emailed statement. “This energy can pose risks for electric shock or cause the vehicle to reignite.”

Although it may be tempting to go back into the car and grab your wallet or other important items if the flame grows smaller or goes out for a second, resist the urge. Wait until your local fire department arrives to assess the overall situation and give you the all clear. Staying far away from the car also helps minimize your potential for breathing in unhealthy fumes emitted from the battery fire.

How could EV batteries be safer?

In addition to quick recalls and replacements of potentially faulty lithium-ion batteries, both researchers I spoke with were excited about future possibilities for a different kind of battery, called solid-state, to make EVs even more reliable. “These batteries could potentially show greater thermal stability than lithium-ion batteries,” says McDowell. “When it heats up a lot, it may just remain pretty stable.” With a solid-state battery, the liquid electrolyte is no longer part of battery cells, removing the most flammable aspect of battery design.

These solid-state batteries are already available in some smaller electronics, but producing large versions of the batteries at vast scale continues to be a hurdle that EV manufacturers are working to overcome.

This story originally appeared on wired.com.

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As EV sales slump, Volkswagen scales back battery factories buildout

Cars, Volkswagen, vw / /

another one —

VW might only need 170 GWh of cells in 2030 if demand stays depressed.

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A VW worker assembles an EV battery pack

Enlarge / A VW worker on the assembly line at Emden in Germany.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen will wait to see what electric car demand is like before building out all six of its previously planned battery factories. Thomas Schmall, VW’s board member in charge of technology, told a German newspaper that “building battery cell factories is not an end to itself” and that a goal of 200 GWh of lithium-ion cells by 2030 was not set in stone.

It’s a bit too simplistic to say that all new technologies conform to the now-infamous Gartner hype cycle, but it’s hard not to think of that squiggly line when discussing EVs. After years of hearing lofty goals of all-electric lineups and an end to internal combustion engines from OEMs, Tesla’s skyrocketing valuation got investors interested in electrification, and for a while, things just went mad.

But the promised fall in battery costs never really materialized, and in the US, EVs still command a price premium, at least for the first owner. The initial hype, coupled with the limited availability of new models, saw dealers load the cars and trucks they could get with hefty markups, further alienating potential customers. And now, when those markups and inventory shortages are mostly a thing of the past, interest rates have soared.

All of that makes it pretty hard to escape thinking we’re in the trough of disillusionment, and the automakers are reacting accordingly. Both General Motors and Ford have already made their electrification plans more modest, with more hybrids and fewer EVs in their roadmaps now.

For VW, the previous goal of 200 GWh by 2030 from six factories (through a new subsidiary called PowerCo) could now be just 170 GWh capacity from three already-announced plants in Valencia, Spain; Ontario, Canada; and Salzgitter, Germany. If necessary, Schmall said that the Spanish and Canadian battery factories could be expanded to meet additional demand.

This battery news follows another sign of slowing confidence in EVs at VW. Last week, it emerged that the company has pushed back plans for the ID.4’s successor, which now may not see showrooms until 2032.

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Lufthansa is using artificial sharkskin to streamline airplanes

air travel, Cars, lufthansa, Shark skin / /

don’t bite —

Copying a trick from the animal kingdom can help cut aircraft emissions.

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An outline of an airplane going through the water with its wing mimicking a shark fin

Aurich Lawson | Getty Images

Companies are often caught between wanting to cut emissions but also grow profits. But for airlines, these two different imperatives actually align. Cutting carbon emissions means burning less fuel and spending less money buying fuel. This is why Lufthansa has been copying a trick from the animal kingdom: applying a special film that mimics sharkskin to parts of its aircraft.

When it comes to decarbonization, reducing the emissions of air travel is both a high priority and something of a difficult task. Globally, air traffic accounts for about 2.5 percent of carbon emissions, but since those emissions are emitted at altitude, studies have found that the warming effect may be almost twice as large.

The problem is that it’s extremely difficult to rival the volumetric energy density of jet fuel, which contains almost 50 times as many megajoules per liter than alternatives like hydrogen, ethanol, or lithium-ion batteries. That’s less of a problem for ground or sea transportation, where weight and volume is less important, but it’s a real stumbling block for switching jet airliners to a different fuel source.

Synthetic carbon fuels are obviously of great interest to the aviation sector, but they have their own problems—biofuels can divert cropland away from feeding humans, and the direct air capture of carbon dioxide to turn it into methane (and then more complex hydrocarbon fuels) is massively energy intensive and extremely expensive, costing perhaps five times as much as oil extracted from underground. And we’re yet to see direct air capture working at a proper industrial scale, either.

Sharkskin isn’t a magic fix

Lufthansa will fit four Boeing 777-200ER aircraft (operated by Austrian Airlines) with the shark skin technology, joining 17 other airframes (a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, 12 Swiss Boeing 777-200ERs, and four Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777Fs), which already feature the film.

Nearly 9,000 square feet (830 m2) of the planes’ surface—along the fuselage and also the engine nacelles—will be covered with sheets of AeroSHARK film, which mimics the scales on actual sharkskin with 50-micron-thick riblets that reduce friction by minimizing the turbulent boundary layer.

Lufthansa is adding the sharkskin panels to four more aircraft.

Enlarge / Lufthansa is adding the sharkskin panels to four more aircraft.

Lufthansa

In sharks, it’s calculated this equates to about a 10 percent reduction in drag versus smooth skin, and using this approach has helped Olympic swimmers cut through the water more easily. But that’s for swimming through water; the effect on a plane traveling through the air is more modest, but it should still cut fuel by around 1 percent per flight. (For a longer explanation of how this works, check out this coverage from Ars Senior Reporter Jennifer Ouellette from last week.)

“We take our responsibility seriously and take every possible step to reduce CO2 emissions within our flight operations. At one percent, the sharkskin’s efficiency potential may not sound like much, but in total it will save thousands of tons of CO2 per year on long-haul flights,” said Austrian Airlines COO Francesco Sciortino. “Even though our Boeing 777-200ERs are in their final years of service, we take this investment to get one step closer to our CO₂ reduction targets.”

Lufthansa says the upgrades should be completed by March next year.

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Why the Fiat 500e could be your ideal second EV

bevs, Cars, EVs, Fiat 500e, Inspired By Music, Stellantis / /
The Fiat 500e Inspired by Beauty.

Enlarge / The Fiat 500e Inspired by Beauty.

BradleyWarren Photography

Over two decades of parenting has left me with a healthy appreciation for SUVs and minivans. But there comes a time when the nest empties and transportation needs change. While it’s useful to have a larger car around for road trips and hauling stuff around, one such vehicle is sufficient. The second car can be small, economical, energy efficient—the kind of car that I wouldn’t have given a second glance in the past.

When Ars first drove the Fiat 500e last spring, we were impressed with what we saw and how it drove during the few hours spent behind the wheel. But Fiat is positioning this as an ideal second car, as Fiat CEO Olivier Francois told Ars at the drive. “My ambition is not to replace your sedan or [S]UV.” The automaker wants the 500e to be your stylish but economical secondary ride.

A novel approach to branding

After spending a week with the Fiat 500e Inspired by Beauty, I can attest that the 500e does indeed make for an ideal second car, at least if you don’t have regular backseat passengers. Fiat’s tiny hatchback is also one of the most efficient BEVs Ars has ever driven, as it consistently averaged 5 mi/kWh (12.4 kWh/100 km).

Returning to US shores after a five-year absence from the market, the 500e rolls on an all-new platform designed from the ground up for EVs. That’s a great change—and here’s a weird one. Instead of buying a black 500e, one purchases the Fiat 500e Inspired By Music edition, which is black. I drove the Fiat 500e Inspired By Beauty edition, which is a striking rose gold. The 500e is also available in red (RED) and silver Marine Layer Mist (Inspired By Los Angeles).

The branding may be a bit twee, but it makes sense for a car that Francois has referred to as the “ultimate fashion accessory.” But you’re reading Ars, not our most-excellent sibling Vogue, so this review focuses more on functionality than style.

That said, the 500e is all kinds of cute. In an ocean of black, white, and gray SUVs, Fiat’s wee, rose-gold car stands out. It’s not just the color—Fiat has given the 500e a distinctive face, with the hood giving the headlight/running-light combo an eyebrow-eyelid-eyeball appearance.

A rose gold car stands out in a sea of monochrome SUVs.

Enlarge / A rose gold car stands out in a sea of monochrome SUVs.

BradleyWarren Photography

No frunk for you!

Enlarge / No frunk for you!

BradleyWarren Photography

Although the materials feel more fast-fashion than haute couture, the 500e interior looks sharp. Seats are white, with “FIAT” embossed all over. Most importantly, the front seat feels bigger than it should. There’s never a sensation of feeling confined or penned in. Visibility is excellent (unless there’s an SUV next to you blocking your view), and storage is adequate with the rear seats folded down (unfortunately, they do not fold flat). With the back seats up, there are 7.5 cubic feet (212 L) of storage. Unlike most other BEVs, the 500e is frunkless, as the short (142.9 in/3,630 mm) chassis means the motor, power electronics, and other equipment needs to live there.

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