Daily News: Thursday 9/14/17

Tesla Delays Reveal of EV Semi-Truck 

Tesla–and in particular Elon Musk himself–have been teasing the official release and announcement of a Tesla semi-truck, originally slating it’s debut for this month sometime. In the tween shown above, from two days ago, it seems that this has been postponed for another month until October 26th, although a Tweet is by no means set in stone.

We know almost nothin about the vehicle, besides that it will be able to complete long-hauls with a range of 200-300miles on a single charge. With the introduction of a quicker charging system–again, Tesla is rumored to be working on just such a device–an EV long-hauler may be plausible.

In the meantime, Cummins released their own electric semi-truck with a 140-kilowatt-hour battery and 100 miles of range. Designed as a city-truck, the range is extendable to 300 miles with modular battery packs.

Musk has said the electric semi will substantially reduce the cost of cargo transport while increasing safety. The truck will likely incorporate some form of Autopilot self-driving technology.

Look for more news on October 26th, or more tweets in the days leading up to the date.

Toyota Prices New 2018 RAV4 ‘Adventure’ ModelToyota’s RAV4 CUV has always been more at home in parking lots rather than crawling along dirt tracks, which is an image Toyota seeks to contend with the release of their new ‘Adventure’ trim for their 2018 RAV4. Gaining dirt-ready options, such as large over-fender flares and 18-inch five-spoke wheels with 235/55R18 tires, the RAV4 Adventure seeks to appeal to those with ‘Active Lifestyles”: what this means is they want some of that sweet Subaru Crosstrek money.

The Adventure does receive a bit more off-road prowess in the form of an Active LSD for FWD models and Dynamic Torque Control All-Wheel-Drive for AWD models. To help the RAV4 lumber along through tough conditions, both FWD and AWD models come standard with a Tow Prep Package that includes an upgraded radiator and supplemental engine oil and transmission fluid coolers.

The 2018 RAV4 Adventure is–fittingly–built exclusively at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. and will be available in dealerships later this month. Pricing is as shown below:
2018 RAV4 Adventure MSRP

2017 Volkswagen E-Golf Priced

Electric cars are at the forefront of automotive development currently, and as such, automakers EV offerings tend to receive updated motors and battery packs much more often than, say, a gasoline car would receive a new engine option. As such, hearing that Volkswagen has updated their E-Golf to charge faster, go farther on a charge, and hold more in a charge, is not all that surprising. What is, is the addition of a ‘value model’ to the E-Golf lineup.

Dubbed the ‘SE’ model trim, the MSRP for the E-Golf is just $30,495 plus destination ($820). This price, which competes more competitively with the new Nissan Leaf, also gets you the same new 35.8kWh lithium-ion battery, 7.2 kW on-board charger, and a new 100 kW electric motor as the pricier trims. These numbers are increases from a 24.2kWh battery, no standard onboard charger, and an 85kw electric motor.

Producing 134hp and 214lb-ft of torque, the E-Golf sounds like it should be a pretty chirpy little city car, with characteristic EV acceleration.

It is not.

0-60 comes in an unsafe-sounding 9.6seconds and the top speed is only 85mph. While the top speed is acceptable, such slow acceleration sounds dicey at best. If that is the quickest acceleration, that means you have to be foot-to-the-floor to get that time, eating your charge. If you drive like a normal EV driver, it must creep over 10 seconds to 60, leaving drivers crawling through traffic.

E-Golf pricing starts at $30,495 and can get as high as $36,995 for a no-option SEL Premium model, sans destination.  A federal tax credit of up to $7,500 is available for purchasers; dependent on state, additional credits may be available.