Cars

this-is-cadillac’s-new-entry-level-ev,-the-$54,000-optiq-crossover

This is Cadillac’s new entry-level EV, the $54,000 Optiq crossover

A red Cadillac Optiq

Enlarge / The Cadillac Optiq is the brand’s next EV, slotting underneath the electric Lyriq in the range.

Michael Teo Van Runkle

Earlier this month, Cadillac showed off the all-new, all-electric 2025 Optiq to select media in downtown Los Angeles. The Optiq will slot in below the larger Lyriq, Celestiq, and Escalade IQ SUVs but is still based on GM’s steadily proliferating Ultium electric vehicle architecture.

Having driven no fewer than five different Ultium-based vehicles in the past year, I visited the Optiq preview, hoping to learn how Cadillac can differentiate this compact crossover from other offerings in an increasingly competitive segment. I also wanted to see whether GM has effectively made the case for EV converts who are looking at entry-level options versus a lower price point for the similarly specced Chevrolet Equinox EV.

In person, the Optiq’s exterior styling continues the language established by Lyriq and Celestiq, if toned down to a slightly less-aggressive futuristic level. Straked patterns on the angular, faded quarter panels make for a nice touch, though the details looked two-dimensional, as if they were stickers, until I got up close enough to inspect the use of real glass layering.

On the other hand, piano black plastic cladding around most of the lower panels comes non-negotiable, creating a slightly less premium aesthetic compared to the extensively worked-over, if somewhat familiar, interior. Here, we’re at a new level of materials and patterns compared to any other Ultium vehicle I’ve experienced—including the baffling Acura ZDX, and especially considering the starting price tag of “an estimated $54,000.” Woven textures of 100 percent recycled yarn allow for much more subtle lighting patterns than the de rigueur mood strips that so many EV manufacturers believe are necessary.

  • The Optiq is very… shiny.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

  • GM continues to quote how much range its EVs can gain in 10 minutes at a DC fast charger instead of telling us how long it takes to charge to 80 percent.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

  • Not stickers, actual layered glass here.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

At that price, the Optiq manages respectable, if not overwhelming, specs and stats. Cadillac hopes the 85 kWh battery pack will achieve an EPA-rated 300 miles (482 km) of range and allow customers to add up to 79 miles (127 km) of range in 10 minutes of DC fast-charging. Output steps up to 300 hp (223 kW) and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque for all trim levels, thanks to dual motors and all-wheel drive coming standard.

How will handling compare to the Equinox?

But this Cadillac era is defined by Blackwings and V packages, not dentists cruising around in land yachts. So the real challenge I laid to Caddy’s reps on hand involved driving dynamics since other Ultium cars tend to pair vague steering with a heavy chassis that seems to overwhelm suspension engineering. Thomas Schinderle, lead development engineer on the Optiq, happily fielded my questions.

“When you have the high-voltage battery enclosures as a structural element of the car,” he began, “it’s a really stiff structure overall that gives us a strong foundation to react to the steering forces.”

But that statement applies to all Ultium vehicles, I suggested. Schinderle nodded and explained that reduced electric steering assist, versus the Equinox in particular, will contribute to more resistance when the steering wheel turns off-center. Optiq’s steering ratio also tightens up significantly when compared to the Lyriq.

Cadillac uses this same 33-inch screen in the Lyriq and the facelifted XT4.

Enlarge / Cadillac uses this same 33-inch screen in the Lyriq and the facelifted XT4.

Michael Teo Van Runkle

“We’re leaning into this sporty, fun-to-drive aspect,” he said. “At 6 inches [152 mm] shorter wheelbase than the Lyriq, immediately, just based on physics, we’re 400 pounds [181 kg] lighter. Then you choose [antiroll] bar sizes, when I looked at roll gradient—that’s degrees per g that you’re leaning into the corner—we lowered that number for Optiq.”

I pressed for differences versus the Equinox, Chevrolet’s forthcoming compact EV that shares the same chassis as Optiq.

Damping things down

“We actually have technology on here that’s different than the Equinox,” Schinderle revealed. “We have what we’re marketing as ‘passive-plus dampers.’ Equinox does not have that.”

These dampers use a valve stack that flexes to open a dedicated orifice that allows fluid flow to reduce high-frequency chatter in the suspension. Schinderle brought up expansion cracks and frost heaves as an example, but the point was really that the “passive-plus” valving allowed his team to focus elsewhere while tuning the rest of the suspension.

“I can add control to that low-speed event,” he went on, “where you’ve got body roll and you’re coming through the big swells on the road. We’re able to tie those events down and add control to the damper without sacrificing isolation in those high-frequency events.”

This is Cadillac’s new entry-level EV, the $54,000 Optiq crossover Read More »

porsche-builds-a-hybrid-911-at-long-last

Porsche builds a hybrid 911 at long last

3.6 L —

The iconic sports car gets an electrified option as part of the 992-generation refresh.

A grey Porsche 911 drives on a road

Enlarge / The current 911—known to Porschephiles as the 992 generation—has just been given its midlife refresh. The most obvious visual indicator is the presence of vertical strakes in the front air intakes. But we’re much more interested in what’s gone on under the skin.

Porsche

Today, Porsche gave the venerable 911 a bit of a spiff-up, putting an updated engine in the base 911 Carrera and making some design tweaks to keep the 992-generation machine looking fresh. But the most interesting update is an all-new powertrain in the 911 Carrera GTS. For the first time, you can now buy a hybrid 911.

When Porsche has been asked about adding electrification to the 911, the answer has generally been some variation of “we’ll do it when the technology gets light enough.” Plug-in hybrid Cayennes, Panameras, and battery electric Taycans are all well and good because they are big cars.

But a Porsche 911 remains a relatively small car, even if it has grown a little since 1963. The engine bay behind the rear axle isn’t exactly expansive, and adding a high-voltage battery and electric motors had to be done thoughtfully.

F1-style

There’s still a flat-six engine at the back—Porsche didn’t decide to downsize to the 718’s four-cylinder version to free up space. In fact, it increased the engine’s bore (to 97 mm) and stroke (to 81 mm) to increase the engine capacity to 3.6 L, up from 3.0 L in the previous 911 Carrera GTS. On its own, the six-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine generates a fraction more power and the same amount of torque as the old engine—478 hp (357 kW) and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm).

  • The GTS engine grows in capacity by 20 percent.

    Porsche

  • I’m going to have to stop writing that F1 MGU-Hs have no road relevance now, because that’s what Porsche has fitted to the GTS’ turbocharger.

    Porsche

  • This is the rear-wheel drive GTS powertrain. The traction battery is that silver box above the front axle.

    Porsche

But it’s not on its own. And, like an F1 car—or perhaps the all-conquering Porsche 919 Hybrid endurance racer—it actually has a pair of hybrid systems. A permanently excited synchronous motor is integrated into the eight-speed PDK transmission, which generates 54 hp (40 kW) and 110 lb-ft (150 Nm) and can send power to the wheels, boosting or filling in gaps in the engine’s torque curve as well as regenerating energy under braking.

A second motor-generator unit is integrated into the engine’s single-scroll turbocharger. This is rated at just 11 kW, but it can spin up the turbine to create boost or harvest electrical energy from the exhaust gases, just like an MGU-H in F1.

Obviously, a hybrid needs a battery, and the 911 Carrera GTS’ high-voltage traction battery lives under the hood up front, where you’d normally find a 12 V battery for starting. The traction battery operates at 400 V and is about the same size and weight as a conventional AGM 12 V battery used in a 911, but it has a storage capacity of 1.9 kWh. There is still a 12 V battery for starting the car, but it’s now a compact lithium-ion battery that lives under the rear parcel shelf.

Working in concert, the hybrid powertrain has a combined rating of 532 hp (398 kW) and 449 lb-ft (609 Nm). And the weight penalty is just 103 lbs (47 kg) more than the old 911 Carrera GTS Coupe.

(Yes, technically, there has been a hybrid 911 before—the 911 GT3-R Hybrid race car, which we’ve written about a couple of times in the past. But it’s now a museum piece, and its flywheel hybrid system has been permanently deactivated.)

Rear seats are now optional

Interestingly, Porsche is now making the 911 a two-seater by default. However, you can still spec one with rear seats—best used by small children or pets and a little torturous for adults for any period of time—as a no-cost option. That applies to all 911s, not just the GTS.

The interior also gets the same 12.6-inch curved digital display in front of the driver as you’ll find in a Taycan or Panamera, replacing the old setup of two smaller digital displays on either side of a large physical tachometer.

  • There’s a new dashboard for model-year 2025 Porsche 911s.

    Porsche

  • The GTS also comes in a Cabriolet.

  • And even a Targa, as long as you’re OK with all-wheel drive.

    Porsche

  • A closer look at the new front air intakes.

    Porsche

  • The changes at the rear are pretty subtle.

The 911 Carrera GTS is available in rear- or all-wheel drive and three body styles. Both RWD and AWD are available as either a coupe or convertible, and the AWD Carrera 4 GTS is also available with a retractable hard top (Targa). All come with the eight-speed PDK transmission, as there’s no option for a manual transmission with the new hybrid powertrain.

The GTS carries a hefty $44,800 premium over the entry-level 911 Carrera, however. The 911 Carrera GTS starts at $164,900, with the Carrera GTS Cabriolet starting at $178,200. An AWD Carrera 4 GTS will cost at least $172,700, and both the Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet and Targa will start at $186,000. Porsche says the GTS is expected at the end of 2024.

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small,-cheap,-and-weird:-a-history-of-the-microcar

Small, cheap, and weird: A history of the microcar

Small, cheap, and weird: A history of the microcar

Aurich Lawson

European car manufacturers are currently tripping over themselves to figure out how personal transport and “last mile” solutions will look in the years to come. The solutions are always electric, and they’re also tiny. What most companies (bar Citroen, Renault, and Fiat) seem to have forgotten is that we’ve had an answer to this problem all along: the microcar.

The microcar is a singular little thing—its job is to frugally take one person (or maybe two people) where they need to go while taking up as little space as possible. A few have broken their way into the public consciousness—Top Gear made a global megastar of Peel’s cars, BMW’s Isetta remains a design icon, and the Messerschmitt KR200 is just plain cool—but where did these tiny wonders come from? And do they have a future?

Well, without the microcar’s predecessors, we may not have the modern motorcar as we know it. Sort of.

Let’s roll back to the genesis of the car: the Mercedes-Benz Patent Motorwagen. While not a microcar by any means (though it seats only two people and has a tiny engine and only three wheels), it got plenty of people thinking.

While Karl Benz was inventing the car and his wife was road-tripping it in 1885, a French inventor named Léon Bollée put his thinking cap on. He was 15 at the time, but it gave him time to be with his thoughts. At that age, he had a keen brain—one that invented a pedal boat of sorts. Bollée was smart, to say the least—he built calculators to help his father’s business, one of which won an award at the 1889 Paris Exposition and went on to be patented all over the world.

  • Most people agree that the 1885 Mercedes-Benz Patent Motorwagen was the first automobile.

    Newspress

  • By 1898, Louis Renault had created the Renault Voiturette.

    Newspress

  • The 1905 Laurent and Klement Voiturette.

    Skoda

In 1895, Bollée and his father created “La Novelle,” a steam-powered trike, and in the same year, Bollée created a gasoline-powered… thing as well. A year later, Bollée founded Léon Bollée Automobiles to mass-produce his tiny cars, dubbing them “Voiturette”—a mashup of the French for automobile (voiture) and the suffix you throw on a word to make it small (ette). Small car, basically.

A few years later, Renault (maker of tiny hatchbacks and the gloriously silly Avantime and popularizer of the people carrier in Europe) became a car manufacturer with the release of its descriptively named Voiturette. Louis Renault’s small mechanical wonder was built in 1898, and the first was sold on Christmas Eve of the same year to a friend of Louis’ father—he liked the fuel economy from its one-cylinder De Dion-Bouton 273 cc 1.75 hp (1.3 kW) engine and the fact that it could get around town with ease.

That same night, the story goes, Renault sold a further twelve cars. Over its mere five-year production run, the first Renault went from open-top two-seater to a four-seat covered wagon capable of over 35 mph (56 km/h). Bear in mind that less than a century earlier, Stephenson’s Rocket and its almost 30 mph (48 km/h) top speed caused great concern about whether human physiology could withstand such speeds. 35 mph was quite the achievement.

Voiturettes and their less “ette” siblings were very successful, but they were a bit too much for some people. That’s where the cyclecar came in.

First appearing around 1910, cyclecars took small engines—single cylinders, V-twins, the odd four-pot—and attached them to simple, lightweight four-wheeled bodies. To be a cyclecar, a vehicle had to have a gearbox and clutch. A huge industry popped up around them, and for good reason—regular cars were expensive to tax and run, whereas a cyclecar wasn’t.

Small, cheap, and weird: A history of the microcar Read More »

the-single-motor-bmw-i4-proves-the-less-powerful-ev-is-usually-better

The single-motor BMW i4 proves the less-powerful EV is usually better

This is a great EV. —

This rear-wheel drive EV is efficient, practical, and has class-leading technology.

A green metallic BMW i4 seen in the rain

Enlarge / BMW’s single-motor, rear-wheel drive i4 eDrive40 ticks an awful lot of my boxes.

Jonathan Gitlin

I have a theory about electric vehicles, and with a few notable exceptions, it’s this: The cheaper, less powerful version is usually the one to get. Big power outputs and short 0–60 times have been the industry’s go-to, but always with the trade-off being less range and a bigger sticker price. Today’s EV is a good example. It’s the BMW i4 eDrive40, a single-motor version of BMW’s smaller electric fastback sedan. It has taken a while to get some seat time in one, but the wait was worth it, because this is one of the best electric sedans we’ve tested so far.

I’ve driven the BMW i4 a few times now since its launch in 2021, but always the very fast, very powerful, rather expensive i4 M50. Which is fine, but not exciting like the M3. The i4 eDrive40 undercuts the twin-motor, all-wheel drive M50 by more than $10,000—it starts at a more reasonable $57,300 and goes more than 30 miles (48 km) farther on a single charge of the same capacity 84.3 kWh (net) battery pack, with an EPA range of 301 miles (484 km).

BMW made its name on the back of a string of driver-focused, rear-wheel drive sedans, and I had high expectations for the eDrive40 to live up to. With no front motor, there’s less weight on the front axle, and the front wheels just have to worry about steering and braking, not laying down power as well. Less power to put down means smaller wheels, which translates into a better ride and more range, although our test car was equipped with 19-inch wheels (a $600 option), which reduced its range to 283 miles (455 km) compared to the 18-inch option.

Although you can pay extra for leather, the standard trim is a synthetic fabric called Sensatec, which comes in four different shades.

Enlarge / Although you can pay extra for leather, the standard trim is a synthetic fabric called Sensatec, which comes in four different shades.

Jonathan Gitlin

Open the door via the aero-optimized recessed handle and things look promising as you slip down into the tan-colored seat. The steering wheel’s rim is thinner than you’d find in most modern BMWs, and its multifunction controls are proper buttons. Otherwise, the ergonomics are the same as the more speedy version, with a large double-screen display that stretches across from the A pillar to the center stack running BMW iDrive 8.5. This might be the last version of iDrive to still offer a physical scroll wheel as an input option alongside touchscreens and voice commands, so enjoy it while it lasts.

BMW builds good electric powertrains

At maximum output, the i4’s electrically excited motor can send up to 335 hp (250 kW) and 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) to the rear wheels. And in Sport mode, the first inch of throttle pedal travel delivers more than enough of that torque to jolt your passengers’ heads back into their headrests. Zero to 60 mph (98 km/h) takes 5.5 seconds, which might not sound like much in a 21st-century game of Top Trumps, but it’s more than enough for the real world.

Truth be told, I spent most of my time driving the i4 in Eco Pro, which dials back the power delivery even more than Comfort mode. Still, it never felt slow on the roads in and around Washington, DC. With the transmission set to B, there was a strong one-pedal driving effect; in D, lifting the throttle leaves the car free to coast, only regenerating (up to 116 kW) when you use the brake pedal.

I prefer D for highway driving, as any kind of downhill gradient, however slight, equals a chance to glide along, often gaining a little speed for free in the process. (This is one benefit of an electrically excited motor, which creates no drag on the drivetrain when not energized; the other main benefit is no use of rare-earth materials in the motor construction.)

Don't get distracted by the fact that the i4 thought it would only have 264 miles by the time it was fully charged—I drove to the charger in Sport mode to warm the battery as much as possible for better charging.

Enlarge / Don’t get distracted by the fact that the i4 thought it would only have 264 miles by the time it was fully charged—I drove to the charger in Sport mode to warm the battery as much as possible for better charging.

Jonathan Gitlin

Indeed, 4.1 miles/kWh (15.2 kWh/100 km) was possible without much effort, and over the course of about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) and who knows how many journalists, this particular car had averaged 3.7 miles/kWh (16.8 kWh/100 km). But then, this is BMW’s fifth-generation electric powertrain, so it’s had plenty of time to learn how to make them efficient.

BMW quotes a DC fast-charging time of as little as 31 minutes from 10–80 percent, with charge rates as high as 200 kW. If you set a DC fast charger as your location in the built-in Navigation, the car should precondition the battery pack for optimum fast charging, but there’s also a way to turn that on manually in iDrive.

In practice, I arrived at the charger with 24 percent state of charge and saw a peak of 186 kW shortly after plugging in. As EV drivers will know, charge curves are definitely not linear, particularly past 80 percent SoC, and getting all the way to 88 percent—55.8 kWh in total—took 1 hour and 2 minutes. (Since that was spent enjoying brunch at Mama Chang, conveniently located next to a bank of Electrify America chargers, it was time well spent.) BMW says an AC charge from 0–100 percent SoC takes 8: 15 at 11 kW.

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the-2024-chevrolet-silverado-ev’s-great-range-comes-at-a-high-cost

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV’s great range comes at a high cost

if you hate big trucks, look away now —

At $94,500, the Chevrolet Silverado RST First Edition offers diminishing returns.

A black Chevrolet Silverado EV

Enlarge / Chevrolet is starting at the top with the Silverado EV RST First Edition. It’s betting that EV truck buyers want a lot of range and towing capability and will pay handsomely for the experience.

Michael Teo Van Runkle

The latest addition to Chevrolet’s growing family of Ultium electric vehicles recently began shipping to dealers in the form of the Silverado EV’s early RST First Edition package. Silverado’s top spec level now joins the lineup’s previous fleet-only WT trim, meaning the general public can now purchase an enormous electric pickup that strongly resembles the Avalanche of 2001 to 2013. But despite any other similarities to the Hummer EV, which shares a related chassis, or ICE trucks of old, the 2024 Silverado aims to change the game for GM’s market positioning despite arriving a full 24 months after Ford’s F-150 Lightning.

With a large crew cab, a longer truck bed, and angular sail panels, the Silverado EV looks less boxy than GMC’s Hummer EV. Aero gains thanks to the smoother design pair with lower rolling-resistance tires, allowing the Silverado to achieve an EPA range estimate of up to 450 miles (724 km), though the RST First Edition I recently drove over the course of a long day in Michigan earns a rating of 440 miles (708 km).

On the highway, judging by wind noise around the cabin alone, the aerodynamic gains of the Silverado’s styling seem to make a noticeable difference versus the Hummer. On the other hand, tire hum might cover up any aero deficiencies because the RST’s single weirdest detail constantly occupies center stage here: a set of 24-inch wheels, the largest ever equipped to a car, truck, or SUV straight from the factory.

At 24 inches, the Silverado RST rides on simply gargantuan wheels. While it means acceptable towing performance, it comes with quite a hit to the ride.

Enlarge / At 24 inches, the Silverado RST rides on simply gargantuan wheels. While it means acceptable towing performance, it comes with quite a hit to the ride.

Michael Teo Van Runkle

Shod in low-profile Michelin Primacy LTX tires pumped up to 61 and 68 PSI front and rear, which simultaneously maximizes range and load rating, the large wheels and minimal sidewall clearly stress much of the new truck’s suspension and ability to filter out noise, vibration, and harshness. Even in town, on the first few blocks of Detroit’s rough roads, the setup immediately challenged the Silverado EV’s adaptive air suspension, which otherwise worked surprisingly well on the mammoth Hummer.

But the Hummer EV I drove rode on 18-inch wheels, despite the similar 35-inch overall tire diameter. The much more compliant ride quality therefore creates a conundrum, since GM clearly intends for the Silverado to represent a much more rational and capable vision for electric performance in the full-size pickup truck market.

Specifically, the Silverado adds a longer bed, a Multi-Flex tailgate, and a central mid-gate (also à la Avalanche) to provide far more payload volume than the Hummer, as well as that of Silverado’s main electric competition, the F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and Tesla Cybertruck. But the mid-gate required far more rugged materials for the Silverado’s interior to enhance weatherproofing, so even the top-spec RST First Edition that starts at $94,500 now slots in at a much lower luxury level than the aforementioned EVs, as well as most internal-combustion Silverados.

  • The Silverado EV uses GM’s new Ultifi infotainment system, which is built atop Android Automotive OS.

    Chevrolet

  • Super Cruise now works with a trailer attached.

    Chevrolet

  • The flexible midgate allows you to carry longer loads.

    Chevrolet

  • Onboard AC power is quite useful.

    Chevrolet

Still, Chevy says EV buyers love tech and packed the Silverado EV full of big screens, Google built-in (though no Apple CarPlay), and Super Cruise partially automated driving assist (the latter including for towing). That air suspension pairs 2 inches (50 mm) of ride height adjustability with up to 7.5 degrees of rear-wheel steering to make the large truck surprisingly maneuverable, but in the back of my mind, I always knew that the ease with which I just climbed in and started driving comes down to playing with physics as much as possible to mask the Silverado’s significant heft.

Those 440 miles of range come at a serious cost, after all, in the form of a 205 kWh battery pack (around 200 kWH usable). All in, the RST tips the scales at a whopping 9,119 pounds (4,136 kg), not quite as much as a Hummer but fully 2,000 pounds (907 kg) more than a Lightning, R1T, or Cybertruck. No wonder the suspension struggles without taller tire sidewalls to help out. I fiddled through the 17.7-inch touchscreen to set the air suspension on Tour, which reduced unwanted feedback noticeably but created some rafting effects and still never fully eliminated clunking on the worst road surfaces. Future models, including a Trail Boss on the way, should come with smaller wheels and taller tires—to match the current WT’s 18-inch wheels and 33-inch tires, hopefully.

But the prospect of actually off-roading such a heavy EV definitely approaches a level of absurdity that the Hummer EV similarly delivered in spades. Neither comes with a spare tire, despite impressive storage volume that only improves on the Silverado. Flipping down the tailgate and mid-gate allows for up to 10 feet, 10 inches (3.3m) of bed length, or 9 feet (2.7m) with the mid-gate closed and just the Multi-Flex tailgate down. The bed alone measures 5-foot-11 (1.8m).

  • Chevrolet was keen to impress that its truck bed is bigger than other electric pickups.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

  • The aerodynamic detailing was presaged by the turn-of-the-century Avalanche pickup.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

  • There are a whole range of towing assists.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

  • The controls here are for trailer settings.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

  • Two miles/kWh is not great but in the range of what we expect for an electric pickup truck.

    Michael Teo Van Runkle

On the interior, at 6-foot-1 (1.85m) with long limbs, I actually needed to scoot the driver’s seat up and forward. The RST’s (not-optional) panoramic glass roof helps to enhance the perceived spaciousness but required that I keep the air conditioning and ventilated seats at full blast on a hot Michigan day—other than when I struggled to figure out how to keep the system running while parked since the truck has no dedicated on-off button other than a pair of widget icons at the left of the home screen. A retractable screen for the roof is on the way, I was told.

The Silverado EV’s range proved more than legitimate, at least based on this first drive. Over the course of 107 miles (172 km) of combined city and highway driving in one truck, I used 24 percent of the battery and 105 miles (169 km) of estimated range. And that’s including two hard eighth-mile launches with WOW (Wide Open Watts) mode activated, which unleashes the dual motor drivetrain’s full 754 hp (562 kW) and 785 lb-ft (1,064 Nm) of torque. Those two launches alone used eight miles of range, for better or worse.

GM won’t disclose non-WOW power figures, but responsiveness definitely drops to help extend overall range performance. In Tow/Haul mode with a 5,800-lb (2,630 kg) trailer hooked up for 21 miles (34 km), I nonetheless accelerated easily up to highway speeds and even used Super Cruise’s towing capability—all while eating through only 22 claimed miles of range at speeds around 40-60 miles per hour (64-96 km/h).

Chevy set up an impromptu drag strip so we could test the Silverado's launch.

Enlarge / Chevy set up an impromptu drag strip so we could test the Silverado’s launch.

Michael Teo Van Runkle

The Silverado EV’s range sets it far ahead of the Lightning (at 240 miles or 386 km), though Rivian and Tesla do better. Various levels of home-charging setups help to make the large battery pack more attractive, and though I never needed nor got a chance to charge, expect GM’s claimed 350 kW max charging speed to similarly hold up. As usual, charging stations will likely throttle that speed back more regularly than the truck itself, which should manage a 10–80 percent charge time of around 40 minutes in ideal circumstances.

In the end, although it’s not quite as cartoonishly large and simultaneously far more practical than the Hummer EV, the Silverado uses 205 kilowatt-hours worth of lithium and other rare earth metals, contributing mightily to the RST weighing well north of 9,000 pounds. Yes, the truck combines the best utility of any EV on the market, with solid tech and range to attract stubborn EV holdouts. But how many hybrids could Chevy have built using so much battery? Until pricing drops lower than this truck’s $94,500 sticker, the Silverado RST ends up as a reminder of the diminishing returns, environmentally and economically, of building what customers, unfortunately, believe is necessary using today’s technology, which likely still needs to take another major leap forward to make such a truck more feasible for widespread adoption.

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV’s great range comes at a high cost Read More »

teslas-can-still-be-stolen-with-a-cheap-radio-hack-despite-new-keyless-tech

Teslas can still be stolen with a cheap radio hack despite new keyless tech

New Tesla electric vehicles fill the car lot at the Tesla retail location on Route 347 in Smithtown, New York on July 5, 2023.

Enlarge / Tesla sold 1.2 million Model Y crossovers last year.

John Paraskevas/Newsday RM via Getty Images

For at least a decade, a car theft trick known as a “relay attack” has been the modern equivalent of hot-wiring: a cheap and relatively easy technique to steal hundreds of models of vehicles. A more recent upgrade to the radio protocol in cars’ keyless entry systems known as ultra-wideband communications, rolled out to some high-end cars including the latest Tesla Model 3, has been heralded as the fix for that ubiquitous form of grand theft auto. But when one group of Chinese researchers actually checked whether it’s still possible to perform relay attacks against the latest Tesla and a collection of other cars that support that next-gen radio protocol, they found that they’re as stealable as ever.

In a video shared with WIRED, researchers at the Beijing-based automotive cybersecurity firm GoGoByte demonstrated that they could carry out a relay attack against the latest Tesla Model 3 despite its upgrade to an ultra-wideband keyless entry system, instantly unlocking it with less than a hundred dollars worth of radio equipment. Since the Tesla 3’s keyless entry system also controls the car’s immobilizer feature designed to prevent its theft, that means a radio hacker could start the car and drive it away in seconds—unless the driver has enabled Tesla’s optional, off-by-default PIN-to-drive feature that requires the owner to enter a four-digit code before starting the car.

Jun Li, GoGoByte’s founder and a longtime car-hacking researcher, says that his team’s successful hack of the latest Model 3’s keyless entry system means Tesla owners need to turn on that PIN safeguard despite any rumor that Tesla’s radio upgrade would protect their vehicle. “It’s a warning for the mass public: Simply having ultra-wideband enabled doesn’t mean your vehicle won’t be stolen,” Li says. “Using relay attacks, it’s still just like the good old days for the thieves.”

Relay attacks work by tricking a car into detecting that an owner’s key fob—or, in the case of many Tesla owners, their smartphone with an unlocking app installed—is near the car and that it should therefore unlock. Instead, a hacker’s device near the car has, in fact, relayed the signal from the owner’s real key, which might be dozens or hundreds of feet away. Thieves can cross that distance by placing one radio device near the real key and another next to the target car, relaying the signal from one device to the other.

Thieves have used the relay technique to, for instance, pick up the signal of a car key inside a house where the owner is sleeping and transmit it to a car in the driveway. Or, as GoGoByte researcher Yuqiao Yang describes, the trick could even be carried out by the person behind you in line at a café where your car is parked outside. “They may be holding a relay device, and then your car may just be driven away,” Yang says. “That’s how fast it can happen, maybe just a couple seconds.” The attacks have become common enough that some car owners have taken to keeping their keys in Faraday bags that block radio signals—or in the freezer.

Teslas can still be stolen with a cheap radio hack despite new keyless tech Read More »

a-week-with-the-chevy-blazer-ev-shows-things-to-love—but-also-painful-flaws

A week with the Chevy Blazer EV shows things to love—but also painful flaws

take two —

The decision to drop Apple CarPlay was a mistake.

A red Chevrolet Blazer

Enlarge / The Chevrolet Blazer was pulled from sale almost immediately after our first drive in December. Now it’s back on sale—with a price cut.

Michael Frank

General Motors appears to have solved the problem that was holding back the production of its Ultium-based electric vehicles. These are now rolling out of factories—you can expect to read about the new Silverado EV tomorrow and the (allegedly affordable) Equinox EV next week, to name but two. We got a first-blush drive of the Blazer this past winter before GM had to put a stop on sales due to some… glitches. Now, with the vehicle back on sale and the software debugged, it’s time to see if the fixes helped.

In reintroducing the Blazer EV and returning it to market, Chevy has also lowered the price pretty significantly, by an average of about $6,000 per model. The LT AWD now starts at $48,800, and there’s a $7,500 incentive for customers who aren’t eligible for the IRS clean vehicle tax credit. The RS AWD, which we tested, has an MSRP of $53,200, but with the delivery charge and GM’s cash on the hood, it came in at $47,095. Both have an 85 kWh battery good for 279 miles (449 km) max range per charge. The longer-range, bigger-battery 102 kWh RS RWD boasts a more impressive 324 miles ( 521 km) per charge and works out to $48,670.

These are pretty competitive prices when you consider the mid-sized EV SUV segment. An obvious comparison: The Ioniq 5 SE AWD costs $49,350 and cannot qualify for the federal tax credit (unless leased), and its range runs shy of the Chevy Blazer RS AWD, too, at 260 miles (418 km) versus the Chevy’s 279.

The Ioniq 5 is a pretty good comparison, too, in terms of being a wagon-ish ride, which is about where the Blazer lands. The Hyundai is too low to think of as an SUV, and ditto the Chevy. Both are very close in terms of interior dimensions, with almost the same hip, shoulder, and legroom front and rear—although if you get the sunroof package on the Blazer, rear seat headroom gets pinched pretty significantly. Our tester didn’t have a sunroof, and six-footers could sit back there without scraping their scalps.

The interior is quite stylized.

Enlarge / The interior is quite stylized.

Michael Frank

The seats in the Blazer EV are surprisingly good. In fact, it was just a darn fine vehicle in terms of driving comfort, in marked contrast to the models we tested in December. Those cars may have suffered from preproduction glitches, but the Blazer EV RS we just spent a week with is comfortable for both fore and aft passengers over long distances, with about the only demerit that the 21-inch wheels feel as big as they are, so there’s a deadness to the steering. Also, if you’re still cross-shopping that Hyundai, the Ioniq 5 is a significantly lighter car, weighing 4,519 lbs (2,050 kg) vs. 5,337 lbs (2,421 kg) for the Blazer RS, and the driver will feel that weight in the form of sluggish transitions through tight corners. The RS stands for “Rally Sport,” via cars like the Camaro, but this isn’t a rig you want to “rally.”

But that’s fine. The Blazer EV is a family car, and as such, it’s pretty great, with 25.5 cubic feet (722 L) of cargo capacity with the rear seatbacks upright, and 59.1 cubic feet (1,673 L) with them flipped forward. The Ioniq 5 offers a couple of cubic feet more cargo volume than the Blazer EV with the rear seats in use, and with the Ioniq 5’s seats folded, it’s basically a wash.

The Chevy Blazer RS AWD EV delivers 288 hp (212 kW) and 333 lb-ft (451 Nm). This feels plenty muscular, if not “blazing,” with 0–60 mph times reported in the six-second range. However, the Ioniq 5 SE’s 320 hp (239 kW) and 446 lb-ft (605 Nm) make that car quite quick indeed, and right on the heels of the other elephant in the family-car throwdown, the Tesla Model Y.

Driving isn’t the issue—the tech is

The menu structure here feels illogical.

Enlarge / The menu structure here feels illogical.

Michael Frank

It’s important to mention the Tesla Model Y because that’s another EV that doesn’t bake in Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Tesla fans tend not to gripe about this, in part because the software in Teslas is very streamlined and pared back. It’s not lovable, but it’s not hard to pair a phone and play what’s on there. By contrast, one reason GM had to yank the cord on sales of the Blazer was that the car’s software was exceedingly glitchy; this wasn’t about GM switching to its proprietary Ultifi UI but that it wasn’t working. For our test drive week, it worked as promised—just not in a way that argues well for eliminating Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

When GM went to its Ultifi system and ditched Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the argument was supposedly in part about driver control and using the vehicle’s native UI vs. Apple’s. But if the native UI is worse than Apple’s, you have a problem. And both Android Auto and CarPlay—which are just constrained versions of their phone UIs—have been refined through testing with billions of consumers over hundreds of millions of combined hours of use. No carmaker can make anything like that claim about their in-house UI. Megacorp tech giants are by no means the answer to our prayers, but there is a reason these platforms have gained so much ground as infotainment structures in our cars and homes.

And you can get an “exhibit A” for why that matters when you try to tee up an audio source when driving the Blazer EV.

A week with the Chevy Blazer EV shows things to love—but also painful flaws Read More »

the-motiv-argo-is-a-new-modular-medium-duty-electric-truck

The Motiv Argo is a new modular medium-duty electric truck

looks futuristic —

Motiv has made electric powertrains for medium-duty vehicles since 2009.

A white cab-chassis medium duty truck with a bare frame behind it

Enlarge / Fleets looking for a medium-duty electric truck now have a new option.

Motiv

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for about 23 percent of US vehicle emissions. That’s much less than the amount of greenhouse gases emitted each year by light-duty vehicles, but if anything, businesses can often have a clearer case for electrification, whether that’s to save money on annual running costs or to meet ESG goals. The annual Advanced Clean Transportation Expo is currently underway in Las Vegas, and yesterday Motiv Electric Trucks revealed the production version of its new modular medium-duty EV, the Argo.

Motiv has been around since 2009 and has been selling electric powertrains for school buses, step vans, box trucks, and even trolleys. Now it’s branching out with its own vehicle, the modular Argo, which is capable of carrying up to 14,000 lbs (6,350 kg) with a range of up to 200 miles (321 km).

“Overnight we’ve moved from a company primarily serving a narrow slice of the $20 billion medium duty truck market to one that can serve nearly that entire market,” said Motiv CEO Scott Griffith. “The launch of Argo is a transformational moment for our company as we can now offer more vehicles and options to help more fleet customers meet their sustainability goals.”

The Argo looks somewhat futuristic—certainly in comparison to a step van or box truck—and has an integrated cab-chassis design. Argo says that maximizing visibility was a key design target, with low curbside windows, plus the option of side-view cameras in addition to passive mirrors. There are also design features meant to improve driver safety, too, including safety railings and self-cleaning interior steps to help prevent what Motiv says are the most common operator injuries.

  • The rolling chassis.

    Motiv

  • A big windshield helps minimize blind spots.

    Motiv

  • Motiv has tried to make it a bit safer to get into and out of.

    Motiv

  • “Many fleet customers have pointed out the simple design of our new Gen 6 architecture, how much less copper we use and how well cables are routed, how easy it is to access our patented smart hub and how easy our software is to integrate; this apparent simplicity took years for us to optimize and now our customers can finally reap the benefits,” said Jim Castelaz, Motiv founder and CTO.

    Motiv

Motiv developed the Argo’s powertrain together with the Japanese company Nidec. Although Nidec originally designed the electric motor to operate at 800 V, Motiv developed a new control algorithm that allows it to run at 350 V instead, which it previously told Ars is more cost-effective. The battery pack uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry and was developed together with Our Next Energy.

The Argo comes in a range of wheelbases, from 178 inches (4,521 mm) to 252 inches (6,400 mm), with dock-height and lower profile options for almost any application you might want a medium-duty truck for, Motiv says. Pricing will be based on how many trucks a customer orders as well as the specifications, but Motiv told Ars that it “will be price competitive with other Class 6 electric trucks.”

The Motiv Argo is a new modular medium-duty electric truck Read More »

on-self-driving,-waymo-is-playing-chess-while-tesla-plays-checkers

On self-driving, Waymo is playing chess while Tesla plays checkers

A Waymo autonomous taxi in San Francisco.

Enlarge / A Waymo autonomous taxi in San Francisco.

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tesla fans—and CEO Elon Musk himself—are excited about the prospects for Tesla’s Full Self Driving (FSD) software. Tesla released a major upgrade—version 12.3—of the software in March. Then, last month, Musk announced that Tesla would unveil a purpose-built robotaxi on August 8. Last week, Musk announced that a new version of FSD—12.4—will come out in the coming days and will have a “5X to 10X improvement in miles per intervention.”

But I think fans expecting Tesla to launch a driverless taxi service in the near future will be disappointed.

During a late March trip to San Francisco, I had a chance to try the latest self-driving technology from both Tesla and Google’s Waymo.

During a 45-minute test drive in a Tesla Model X, I had to intervene twice to correct mistakes by the FSD software. In contrast, I rode in driverless Waymo vehicles for more than two hours and didn’t notice a single mistake.

So while Tesla’s FSD version 12.3 seems like a significant improvement over previous versions of FSD, it still lags behind Waymo’s technology.

However, Waymo’s impressive performance comes with an asterisk. While no one was behind the wheel during my rides, Waymo has remote operators that sometimes provide guidance to its vehicles (Waymo declined to tell me whether—or how often—remote operators intervened during my rides). And while Tesla’s FSD works on all road types, Waymo’s taxis avoid freeways.

Many Tesla fans see these limitations as signs that Waymo is headed for a technological dead end. They see Tesla’s FSD, with its capacity to operate in all cities and on all road types, as a more general technology that will soon surpass Waymo.

But this fundamentally misunderstands the situation.

Safely operating driverless vehicles on public roads is hard. With no one in the driver’s seat, a single mistake can be deadly—especially at freeway speeds. So Waymo launched its driverless service in 2020 in the easiest environment it could find—residential streets in the Phoenix suburbs—and has been gradually ratcheting up the difficulty level as it gains confidence in its technology.

In contrast, Tesla hasn’t started driverless testing because its software isn’t ready. For now, geographic restrictions and remote assistance aren’t needed because there’s always a human being behind the wheel. But I predict that when Tesla begins its driverless transition, it will realize that safety requires a Waymo-style incremental rollout.

So Tesla hasn’t found a different, better way to bring driverless technology to market. Waymo is just so far ahead that it’s dealing with challenges Tesla hasn’t even started thinking about. Waymo is playing chess while Tesla is still playing checkers.

The current excitement around Tesla’s FSD reminds me of the hype that surrounded Waymo in 2018. Early that year, Waymo announced deals to purchase 20,000 I-Pace sedans from Jaguar and 62,000 Pacifica minivans from Fiat Chrysler.

But the service Waymo launched in December 2018 was a disappointment. There were still safety drivers behind the wheel on most rides, and access was limited to a handpicked group of passengers.

It wasn’t until October 2020 that Waymo finally launched a fully driverless taxi service in the Phoenix area that was open to the general public. And even after that, Waymo expanded slowly.

Waymo began offering commercial service in San Francisco in 2023 and is now expanding to Los Angeles and Austin. Today, the company has only a few hundred vehicles in its commercial fleet—far fewer than the 82,000 vehicles it was planning to purchase six years ago.

What went wrong? In an August 2018 article, journalist Amir Efrati reported on the limitations of Waymo’s technology. Efrati wrote that “Waymo vans have trouble with many unprotected left turns and with merging into heavy traffic in the Phoenix area.” In addition, “the cars have trouble separating people, or cyclists, who are in groups, especially people near shopping centers or in parking lots.”

On self-driving, Waymo is playing chess while Tesla plays checkers Read More »

this-ev-builder-has-given-a-land-rover-defender-four-electric-hub-motors

This EV builder has given a Land Rover Defender four electric hub motors

who doesn’t love a defender? —

BEDEO and Protean have been converting commercial vans to hybrid power for some time.

A green classic land rover defender drives through some standing water

Enlarge / The Land Rover Defender has a cult following, and if you’re looking to make one electric, there’s now one more option.

BEDEO

British electric vehicle company BEDEO specializes in turning diesel vans into hybrids thanks to smart in-wheel motor tech. And its latest project—an electric Land Rover Defender conversion—could see its tech wind up on your driveway.

Land Rover’s now defunct “old” Defender is a ripe candidate for an EV restomod. There’s space for motors, batteries, and various other sundries within; in certain parts of the world, you’ll find yourself tripping over them without trying. For some reason, people go all gooey with nostalgia over them, so they don’t mind throwing money at their perfect Landie. There are plenty out there already—the UK military is looking into converting some of its fleet of Defenders into EVs, while restomod companies will sell you one upholstered with the skin of an exotic creature, and numerous others promise super silent cruising up and down the lumps and bumps of the world.

Whereas most will rip out the diesel motor and replace it with a traditional EV powertrain, BEDEO’s method is different. Rather than mounting the motor(s) on the chassis, connected to the wheels by driveshafts, the company hub-mounts them, putting a motor in each wheel, saving room elsewhere to avoid encroaching on space previously used by oily bits.

  • There’s not much to see from the outside.

    BEDEO

  • A peek underneath will reveal a battery box.

    BEDEO

  • There’s a display built into the rear view mirror that displays your state of charge and other information about the powertrain.

    BEDEO

  • There’s a rear-view camera, too.

    BEDEO

  • No one would ever accuse the Defender of having good ergonomics.

    BEDEO

  • Hub motors have been tried before, but they add unsprung weight.

    BEDEO

  • Off-road, you can feel the four motors working independently in slippery conditions.

    BEDEO

BEDEO isn’t planning on selling directly to consumers, though. Instead, it will offer its solution to other businesses looking to offer electric conversions and let them give whatever level of resto-service they want. Before that happens, the company has converted its own Land Rover as a proof of concept.

The motors are from partner Protean, which has been working on hub motor tech for years. The two work together on BEDEO’s bread-and-butter business of converting existing diesel vans into hybrids—the ICE components remain in place driving the front wheels, and the rear wheels gain electric power, linked to a conveniently placed battery. Fleets can keep their existing vehicles in service and still comply with the UK’s low emissions zones. (BEDEO also offers a full EV conversion as an alternative to the hybrid upfit.) These EV and hybrid conversions have given BEDEO plenty of real-world data—over 37 million miles (60 million km) of it—and have shown how hardy Protean’s wheel motors are. Few things stress test wheels like a van driver in a hurry.

How does this system work, then? Rather than a couple of axle-mounted motors being fed by a battery, here there are four in-wheel motors and a 75 kWh battery. This combination, says BEDEO, means it weighs about the same as the ICE setup it’s replacing and is good for 153 miles on the WLTP cycle. Charging to 100 percent takes five hours on a 22 kW AC charge, or you can spec a 50 kW DC fast charge to get the job done in 90 minutes. The motors generate 320 hp (239 kW) and a staggering 1,916 lb ft (2,598 Nm), though that doesn’t mean it’s mega quick; 0–62 mph (0-100 km/h) takes 10 seconds, and the vehicle tops out at 80 mph (129 km/h).

I wonder what vehicle BEDEO will convert next.

Enlarge / I wonder what vehicle BEDEO will convert next.

BEDEO

On the road, it feels much like a Defender—heavy, not all that quick, and very much of its era. The controls, bar some fancy displays and a new steering wheel, are just as you’d expect from Solihull’s finest. The biggest difference is that all the squeaks and rattles that came standard from the factory can’t hide behind a clattery diesel engine anymore. There are a few regenerative braking modes to pick from, and in town, I found it was best to leave it at its strongest setting, allowing one-pedal driving. Power delivery is smooth, and though its 0–62 mph time seems a smidge glacial by modern EV standards, in this context, it feels appropriate.

For my test drive, BEDEO didn’t limit me to road driving, pointing me toward some muddy tracks with instructions to see what it could do. I’d not call the route that challenging, but it was enough to show the benefit of having four independently controlled wheels. You could feel the wheels doing different things when the going got a little slippery. The advantage of having power going to each wheel on its own is evident here—no need for big, heavy mechanical differentials, just motors talking to an electronic brain.

As a concept, it works well. The cabin and trunk don’t end up full of electronics or battery, and you can have at least 100 miles (160 km) of fun. The issue of unsprung weight will come into play for some, but it doesn’t really matter here. The car is a heavy lump already, and no one driving it will be trying to clip apexes at top speed. This might be an issue in a supercar, but in a Landie? Nah. More BEDEO kits are potentially on the way using Protean tech, but who knows what they’ll be. For now, the Defender concept works and will soon be coming to a restomodder, or maybe even a bold OEM, near you.

This EV builder has given a Land Rover Defender four electric hub motors Read More »

this-is-volvo’s-production-ready-fully-autonomous-class-8-truck

This is Volvo’s production-ready fully autonomous Class 8 truck

still need a human to hook up the trailer —

Some believe autonomous trucks are the answer to a shortage of truck drivers.

A Volvo VNL truck covered in autonomous driving sensors

Enlarge / Aurora’s sensors festoon this Volvo VNL class 8 truck.

Volvo Trucks

Recently, we took a look at Volvo’s VNL new Class 8 heavy truck developed for the North American market. Last night at the ACT Expo trade show, the company debuted a new variant, called the VNL Autonomous. The name should give it away—this truck has been designed to drive itself using autonomous tech from the startup Aurora.

The VNL Autonomous has been designed for SAE level 4 autonomy and combines long-range lidar with radar, cameras, and other sensors. Input from these sensors is processed by a redundant pair of computers running Aurora’s AI software. Aurora has been a partner with Volvo Autonomous Solutions for some years now, working on hub-to-hub driverless freight systems for the North American market.

“Our platform engineering approach prioritizes safety by incorporating high-assurance redundancy systems designed to mitigate potential emergency situations,” said Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ chief product officer Shahkh Kazmi. “We built the Volvo VNL Autonomous from the ground up, integrating these redundancy systems to ensure that every safety-critical component is intentionally duplicated, thereby significantly enhancing both safety and reliability.”

This is the first production-ready system from this partnership, and the two companies say the truck has driven more than 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km) on public roads in testing and billions of miles in simulated environments.

“This truck combines Aurora’s industry-leading self-driving technology with Volvo’s best-in-class truck, designed specifically for autonomy, making it a must-have for any transport provider that wants to strengthen and grow their business,” said Sterling Anderson, cofounder and chief product officer at Aurora.

Autonomous trucking remains of interest to the freight industry due to ongoing shortages of commercial drivers. But the future of Class 8 heavy trucks carrying cargo with no human on board may still be some time off. The California Legislature is again trying to pass a law that would require a trained human to be present aboard any autonomous vehicle weighing more than 10,001 lbs (4,536 kg); a similar bill was vetoed in 2023 by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

This is Volvo’s production-ready fully autonomous Class 8 truck Read More »

connected-cars’-illegal-data-collection-and-use-now-on-ftc’s-“radar”

Connected cars’ illegal data collection and use now on FTC’s “radar”

wipe your data when you sell —

The regulator is warning OEMs to respect data privacy or it will get mad.

An image of cars in traffic, with computer-generated bounding boxes over each one, representing the idea of data collection

Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Technology has issued a warning to automakers that sell connected cars. Companies that offer such products “do not have the free license to monetize people’s information beyond purposes needed to provide their requested product or service,” it wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. Just because executives and investors want recurring revenue streams, that does not “outweigh the need for meaningful privacy safeguards,” the FTC wrote.

Based on your feedback, connected cars might be one of the least-popular modern inventions among the Ars readership. And who can blame them? Last January, a security researcher revealed that a vehicle identification number was sufficient to access remote services for multiple different makes, and yet more had APIs that were easily hackable.

Later, in 2023, the Mozilla Foundation published an extensive report examining the various automakers’ policies regarding the use of data from connected cars; the report concluded that “cars are the worst product category we have ever reviewed for privacy.”

Those were rather abstract cases, but earlier this year, we saw a very concrete misuse of connected car data. Writing for The New York Times, Kash Hill learned that owners of connected vehicles made by General Motors had been unwittingly enrolled in OnStar’s Smart Driver program and that their driving data had been shared with their insurance company, resulting in soaring insurance premiums.

The FTC is not taking specific action against any automaker at this point. Instead, the blog post is meant to be a warning to the industry. It says that “connected cars have been on the FTC’s radar for years,” although the agency appears to have done very little other than hold workshops in 2013 and 2018, as well as publishing guidance for consumers reminding them to wipe the data from their cars before selling them.

(By contrast, the California Privacy Protection Agency announced last year that its enforcement division had begun making inquiries with automakers to ensure they complied with the state’s 2018 Consumer Privacy Act.)

The FTC says that automakers and other businesses must protect users’ data against illegal collection, use, and disclosure. It points to recent enforcement actions against companies in other sectors that have illegally collected or used geolocation data, surreptitiously disclosed sensitive user data, and illegally used sensitive data for automated decisions.

The FTC says the easiest way to comply is to not collect the data in the first place.

Connected cars’ illegal data collection and use now on FTC’s “radar” Read More »