Daily News: Tuesday 9/19/17

1,110 Mile Range: Proterra’s New EV City Bus It isn’t often that a passenger bus makes the automotive news radar, however, with electric bus manufacturer Proterra’s claim that their new Catalyst E2 Max bus traveled 1,101.2 miles on a single charge, this has changed. Beating the previous record of 1,013.76 miles is no laughing matter, especially when one considers that the previous record-holder was a light-passenger vehicle weighing 46 times less than the big bus.

To achieve such a range, the company didn’t strip the bus to the frame or fill it with helium; rather they stuck the largest battery pack that they could inside, to the tune of 660-kWh battery, compared to Tesla’s largest of 100-kWh size. This 660-kWh battery has no fast charging capabilities, nor is it the speediest vehicle, charging in five hours and topping out at 65mph.

What it does have is range, with ranges over 800+miles being theoretically achievable while the bus carries its full load of 40 seated passengers. The five-hour charge time suits the intended use of the vehicle, as most busses are parked for a shift or more overnight.

Expect to see electric busses in more and more cities across the world in the coming years and decades.

Forza 7 Demo and Trailer Released For the past few weeks, Turn 10–the studio behind the popular Forza franchise–has been teasing the seventh edition of their track-racing game with lists including some of the over 700 cars which would be included. Now, they have given gamers the chance to drive a few of those cars, and non-gamers some footage to drool over, in the form of the game’s first demo release and the release trailer.

The demo is available Xbox One, Xbox One X, and Windows 10 and includes the 911 GT2 RS, the Nissan GT-R NISMO LM, and the Mercedes-Benz racing truck. Tracks in the demo include the Nurburgring GP circuit, the Jebel Hafeet Pass, and the Mugello circuit.

The trailer, shown below, demonstrates how close the gap is between watching a virtual race on a T.V., and watching a real race on a T.V.. Certain aspects are clearly digital, while the drivers and cars are as realistic as can be.

The full game releases on October 3rd.

Toyota Launches GR Sporty Sub-Brand For years, ‘JDM’ has been the gatekeeper-phrase with all of the best enthusiast vehicles located beyond; and today Toyota has announced the addition of more unattainable, JDM goodness, in the form of their new GR Sport Series sub-brand. Following the announcement of the supercharged, Yaris GRMN  hot hatchback, the GR series will consist of three levels of performance: GR Sport, GR, and GRMN, with performance increasing each step.

Initially, the brand will only be on offer in the Japanese market, however Toyota does plan to expand the GR Series outside the home market. Sadly, this likely means Europe–who is already getting the Yaris GRMN–and not the US market, meaning these cars will likely remain unattainable.

GR, which stands for Gazoo Racing, is Toyota’s racing arm in Japan, where the introduction of the brand will include more than a hotted-up hatchback. In Japan, Toyota will also launch the GR Garage shop as a gathering place for automotive enthusiasts, replacing the current Area 86 garages in Japan. These will total 39 locations.

The Yaris (Vitz in Japan) GRMN will be the range-topping model, with GR Sport models being available on the Prius Prime, Mark X, and Noah. The middle-GR level will be initially offered on the Vitz and the 86.