For all the talk we’ve heard of using EVs to share power back to the power grid, earning car owners money from utility companies (!), or as de-facto extra batteries for storing excess solar-generated home energy, there exists no affordable option for making this possible. Until now, bi-directional chargers, which can take energy from a home’s solar array or link to the power grid to charge up an electric car as well as suck energy from said car’s battery when, say, the power goes out or the grid needs help, have been expensive and rare. Spanish EV-charging device company Wallbox is about to change that with its Quasar bi-directional charger.
After launching in the U.K, the device is being launched at the 2020 CES in Las Vegas. It will be reconfigured for North American use by converting the plug from CHAdeMO spec to our CCS standard. It is no larger than typical level-2 chargers, yet [...]
Byton wants you to think of its new M-Byte electric crossover as “the world’s first smart device on wheels.” It’s a corny tag line inspired by tons of research indicating that customers are starting to value connectivity over the traditional automotive characteristics we here at MotorTrend hold dear. It’s also why this story, ostensibly about a new car, the M-Byte, will read a bit like coverage of a new smartphone or something.
Seriously. Byton’s Chief Customer Officer Dr. Andreas Schaaf even went so far as to articulate the chilling phrase “Data power over horsepower,” when noting that “On average, 40% of users say that they would switch [car brands] for better connectivity services—this is twice as many as three years ago. In China the need for connectivity is even higher with about 65% of the users ready to switch brands for better connectivity services.”
A likely story, you might mutter, for a company like Byton [...]
The Spanish brand Seat has recently been making hot news, particularly with its new sub-brand Cupra, which focuses on performance-oriented models. Although we didn’t get a chance to sample the new Cupra Ateca or León Cupra, we drove Seat’s version of the Volkswagen Tiguan—the new three-row Tarraco, which debuted at the 2018 Paris Motor Show and has proven to be a popular alternative with its sharp styling. During a recent trip to Mexico City, I had the chance to drive Seat’s new flagship SUV.
Propelled by the same 1.4-liter turbo-four engine that’s in the Golf, the Tarraco produces 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox that sends power to the front wheels. Although we’ve enjoyed this engine in the Golf, it simply feels too small for the Tarraco.
With only 150 hp under my command, the seven-seater SUV had trouble [...]
Jeep is getting serious about electrification, and it now vows to offer an electrified—read: hybridized—version of every model by 2022. Its green revolution ramps up this year, in fact, when the automaker confirms it will roll out plug-in-hybrid versions of its Wrangler, Compass, and Renegade.
The three vehicles will carry a “4xe” badge, as will all electrified vehicles from the Jeep brand moving forward. Jeep says full details on the Wrangler, Compass, and Renegade 4xe will be revealed at the Geneva, New York, and Beijing auto shows, respectively, but consumers will get a first taste at CES 2020.
We knew this was coming. Jeep confirmed plans for a pluggable, hybridized Wrangler back in 2017, and we saw Euro-spec plug-in versions of the Compass and Renegade at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. The European Compass and Renegade get a 1.3-liter turbo-four paired to an electric motor system. With this setup, Jeep estimates the Renegade plug-in can [...]
It’s back! Well, not really. The 2019 Dodge Neon is technically a rebadged Fiat Tipo, and it arrived in Mexico back in 2016. Although there were rumors that the Neon could make it to the U.S., those were dead once the Big Three abandoned sedans in America. But in Mexico, where the sedan is big and very healthy, a car like the Neon works well. During a recent trip to Mexico City, I had a chance to sample the Neon, and although this is an economy car, its compact size and generous interior have made it popular among Mexican buyers.
The Dodge Neon arrived in Mexico from Turkey, and it’s based on the same platform as the Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade. The original Neon from the ‘90s, which was built at the FCA plant in Toluca, Mexico, was a popular car in the country, and the automaker decided to bring back its name for [...]
