Technology

Tesla Battery Day is one of the most anticipated events in the EV world, and this year, the automaker has decided to hold it in conjunction with the annual shareholder meeting. This year was going to be all about the tech-related advancements from Tesla and not any new products per se, so there are a lot of hopes pinned on this event.

The company has been working on battery technology for quite some time now and nothing concrete is known yet. Musk’s tweets hinted that some major revelations could happen, but he made it clear it will all take time to touch “high-volume production”.

Now that D-Day has arrived, here’s what to expect from the event that will take place following the annual shareholder meeting in Palo Alto, California.

Batteries in electric cars have come a long way. The Tesla Model S, for example, has broken the 400-mile barrier while the upcoming Lucid Air and its 113 kWh battery back will offer as much as 4.58 miles per kWh or more than 500 miles of range With that in mind, it looks like the Lucid Air’s claim to fame might be short-lived as a new battery tech has been developed and it could offer up more than double the driving range and enable fast charging to more than 80-percent in just five minutes. But, there’s a catch (as there always is), and you might not like it.

Until battery technology gets fuss-free and people stop having range anxiety, we’ll have to look at alternatives to extract the maximum EV range possible. A concept that’s been discussed for a long time is having solar panels on EVs so that they help aid the range. However, we haven’t seen anything materialize in production form yet.

Now, a company called WorkSport has come up with a tonneau cover that helps with this. But, it’s not limited to just EVs. It can also be used on fuel-powered trucks for portable on-demand power. That’s a pretty creative idea.

After years of rumors and speculation, Jeep finally revived the iconic Wagoneer though the Grand Wagoneer concept. The production model won’t arrive until 2021, but this so-called concept vehicle doesn’t seem very different from what we will get in showrooms. However, it showcases a range of cool and fancy features that most likely won’t make in on the production model, despite its luxury-oriented status. Here’s a list of items you should expect to find on the upcoming, factory-built Wagoneer.

If you strip down most modern cars on the road today, you’ll find a handful of different computer systems. You’ll find a body control module, an engine control module, and some even have smaller computers like modules that control the anti-lock brakes, airbags, or various other bits of technology. This was accurate ten years ago, and as cars have gotten more advance, these very control modules have been tasked with doing more while being interlinked together via a CANBUS system, and some are even complemented with additional control modules for smaller tasks. If one module failed, you could usually replace it and go about your life, albeit after paying a small fortune for the new computer, programming, and installation. Soon, however, Audi looks to simplify things by bringing everything together into by big supercomputer that’s being called an “Integrated Vehicle Dynamics Computer.” It sounds simple, but it’s actually far from simple. Let me explain…

Hyundai and Kia are two peas in a pod. As sister companies, they share technology, drivetrains, and platforms, among other things. So, when we broke down Hyundai’s Intelligent Manual Transmission – you know, the one with no clutch pedal – we figured Kia would be quick to follow suit. And, it has, but only to a certain extent. We’ve now learned that the mild-hybrid versions of the Kia Ceed Hatch, Xceed crossover, and the facelifted Rio will all be available with an iMT. But Kia’s version is a little different compared to Hyundai in that it still has a clutch pedal. This is getting interesting, huh?

Nissan’s family of V-6 engines falling under the VQ nameplate has an aluminum block and a DOHC setup with aluminum heads. It came to replace the VG series in 1994 and ever since, it’s been a loyal presence in Ward’s 10 Best Engines rankings.

How did Nissan manage to design and build such a terrific engine? This video will run you through every tech aspect of the VQ.

The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is a beast of a car that, as of today, delivers a cool 700 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo, 3.8-liter, flat-six. It’s fast enough to get to 60 mph in a spleen splitting 2.7 seconds and tops out a respectable 211 mph. Those numbers represent an improvement of 0.8 seconds and six mph over the model it replaced. One could argue, then, that the next-gen 911 GT2 RS doesn’t need more power, but Porsche simply wouldn’t agree. This time, however, extra power and better performance aren’t coming from bigger turbos and more most. No, this time it comes, at least in part, thanks to 3D printed pistons.

The death of the manual transmission has been lurking for some time as laziness kicks in and sales continue to decrease. But, what if there was a middle ground where you can still shift on your own without dealing with finessing a clutch pedal? As it turns out, Hyundai has a solution for that, and it’s called the Intelligent Manual Transmission. That’s right; Hyundai now has a manual transmission that doesn’t have a clutch pedal. How the hell does that work?

Porsche is one of the leading carmakers when it comes to innovation and high performance. The new Taycan stands as a more recent testament to Stuttgart’s appetite for new tricks, which is also visible in less obvious places.

Take Porsche’s fancy new tungsten-carbide brake disc, which doesn’t rust, produces little to zero brake dust, and most importantly, offers a no-fade experience.

We all know that the great Enzo Ferrari once said that aerodynamics is for people that can’t build engines. While that’s partly true, the way air flows over a surface - car’s surface, in this case - influences a lot of performance areas, from fuel consumption to high-speed stability to how fast the said car can go or how much downforce it makes to keep it glued to the ground.

Back in 2019, General Motors introduced a new four-cylinder engine in the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Developed specifically for the midsize truck, the engine eventually made it into the Cadillac CT4-V sedan for the 2021 model year. So what’s so special about this engine? Well, for starters, it’s pretty big for a four-cylinder at 2.7 liters. It also features a dual volute turbocharged design instead of the more common dual scroll layout. And the folks at Engineering Explained talk about this feature and what kind of benefits it brings to the table.

The biggest challenge that EVs are facing today has to do with batteries. To be more specific, extracting maximum range from the batteries and reduce the charging times. There are a lot of technologies being developed that would be the solution to these problems, but the brightest one as of now is the solid-state battery. These are much safer, but cost a lot more than lithium-ion packs, and its application in EVs is not mainstream yet. How long would it take for it to feature in EVs, you ask? BMW says at least seven years.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has wondered that the EVs may be environment-friendly, but are lithium-ion batteries contributing positively to the same cause? Although these batteries are recyclable, lithium is a highly reactive element and can have adverse effects on the environment and our health if not discarded properly.

But it looks like Mercedes-Benz has come up with a solution to work around this. The German automaker is working on building organic batteries and that could be a perfect alternative to lithium-ion batteries. However, the automaker says that the technology is still 15-20 years away from becoming mainstream.

Not a single week passes by without new

related talking points surfacing online. Whether it’s a Hot Wheels RC Tesla Cybertruck or actual details about the real thing, Tesla’s polarizing pickup truck still has a lot of fire in its belly to stay in the headlines for the time being.

Nissan has been trying to make its presence in the EV world known for a while now, and the Leaf has served its purpose for the most part. The leaf, however, just doesn’t have what it takes to hold up in terms of range or performance. That’s why we were treated to the 2019 Nissan Leaf Twin-Motor Concept and why Nissan has been using the basis of that concept to create the e-4orce twin-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain for its next-gen EVs. Until now, we knew very little, but Nissan has finally spilled some details about e-4orce, and it could have some serious implications on the future of Nissan sports cars.

Unveiled in September 2019, the new-generation Land Rover Defender was showcased at a couple of auto shows last year. Come 2020 and Land Rover is showing off the vehicle’s advanced infotainment system at the Consumer Electronics Show. Why is this important? Well, Land Rover claims that the Defender features the world’s first dual-modem, dual eSIM technology, which enhances connectivity and helps the infotainment system work quicker even when operating system updates.

The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show just kicked off and Lamborghini came to Las Vegas to show off new tech for the Huracan Evo. On top of releasing an updated rear-wheel drive version to replace the old LP 580-2, Lambo added Amazon Alexa to the supercar’s list of features. This is big news as it’s Alexa’s first venture into the supercar market. Also, Lamborghini programmed the voice assistant directly into the infotainment system rather than adding it as a third-party app.

New Upgrade Makes Model 3 Long Range AWD 0.5 Seconds Faster to 60 mph Acceleration Boost Upgrade Costs $2,000 May negatively affect range (unconfirmed) Can be done via n OTA update and via your mobile device

Tesla has now launched a new upgrade for the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range that will boost your acceleration enough to get you to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds – an improvement of 0.5 seconds. This news comes less than 24 hours after fine print about such an upgrade showed up at the bottom of the upgrade section in some people’s Tesla account. The upgrade is aptly called “Acceleration Boost,” and if you want it, it’ll cost you an extra $2,000.

When you talk about the accessories for the Tesla Cybertruck, you think about overlanding and off-road equipment. But, how about a garage for it?

A research, development, and design company called Lars Buro has come up with a garage for the oddly-shaped truck called the Cybunker. Believe it or not, this is the need of the hour because the Cybertruck DOES NOT fit in a standard two-car garage. Also, the Cybunker is not a random concept that will never see the light of the day; Lars Buro says it is production-ready.

China-based NANROBOT has been rapidly expanding its electric scooter portfolio over the past years so that it now includes the D5+. Marketed as an adult-oriented e-scooter, the D5+ ticks a lot of essential boxes that customers are more inclined to consider, including the likes of performance and comfort.

What’s more, the D5+ also looks very good in comparison to most of its peers, but keep in mind that all these qualities are reflected in the price tag. Stay with us to find out more about the NANROBOT D5+ electric scooter as we take a closer look at what it brings to the table.

A variety of entertainment options could be headed to Tesla’s in-car entertainment system after a hacker discovered assets within the automaker’s operating system. These assets were identified as several new streaming apps, including HBO, Twitch, Comedy Central, and even Chinese video hosting service YouKu.

Though no confirmation has been given on Tesla’s plans for these assets, their existence within the company’s operating system suggests that Tesla is considering adding these services in some future version of its software, provided that it has secured agreements with the companies that own these streaming services.

The Volkswagen Golf is arguably one of the most recognizable models in Volkswagen’s lineup. That stature comes with the pressure of standing out in a sea of hatchbacks looking to take some shine away from the famous nameplate. Now that the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf (Mk8) is here, it looks like the competition will have its hands full trying to catch up with the Golf Mk8. See, there are a lot of things to like about the Golf Mk8, but arguably the most important of these things is the incredible amount of new technologies Volkswagen was able to pack into the hatchback. Believe me when I tell you, the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf is so tricked out in new technology, it’s hard to imagine how Volkswagen managed to fit all of them into the hatchback.