New EVs Vary from Inexpensive to Outrageous
The annual Western Automotive Journalist (WAJ) Media Days current an opportunity for automotive journalists and producers to return collectively to check drive among the hottest new autos alongside the coast of the Pacific Ocean at Half Moon Bay.
The 2022 occasion offered a variety of greater than 30 new autos to drive in 30-minute routes that gave writers a style of the efficiency, consolation and expertise featured in at this time’s prime rides.
This yr there have been six absolutely electrical autos within the lineup, so my spouse Judy and I aimed our focus–and our cameras—on these fashions to get a sense for the quickness, consolation, styling and silence that EVs supply drivers. Right here’s our video report. Extra particulars are under.
Video Assessment
The Electrical Lineup
We began with the flashiest EV within the lineup, the 2022 BMW i4 M50.
BMW i4 M50
HORSEPOWER: as much as 536 hp
RANGE: 301 miles
0-60 SPEED: 3.7 seconds
CHARGING TIME: 8.25 hrs at 240V
PRICE: $55,400
Subsequent up was the VW ID4 Professional, an all-wheel-drive model of the mannequin that I drove just a few months earlier than in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the place the automotive can be constructed beginning subsequent month.
HORSEPOWER: 201-295 hp
RANGE: as much as 280 miles
0-60 SPEED: 5.7 seconds
CHARGING TIME: 7.5 hrs at 240V
PRICE: $41,190
Toyota and Subaru have joined forces to develop and produce related electrical fashions, constructed on the identical platforms with the identical battery energy crops, but barely totally different exterior styling.
I initially noticed the Toyota BZ4X at its dramatic unveiling on the Pacific Coast close to San Diego, however this was my first alternative to drive the hatchback EV.
HORSEPOWER: 201 to 214 hp
RANGE: 250 miles
0-60 SPEED: 6.3 seconds
CHARGING TIME: 10 hrs at 240V
PRICE: $42,000
The Subaru Solterra, which was launched on the Los Angeles Auto Present, offered the same journey because the BZ4X, with pickup that was fast and clean, but not fairly as exhilarating as the opposite EVs that we examined.
HORSEPOWER: 215 hp
RANGE: 228 miles
0-60 SPEED: 7.7 seconds
CHARGING TIME: 12 hrs at 240V
PRICE: $44,995
However it was the format of the driving force’s data dashboard that bothered us probably the most. The steering wheel appeared to dam my view of the speedometer, forcing me to maintain making an attempt to regulate the wheel to offer higher view of the digital gauges in entrance of the driving force.
At each WAJ occasion, there’s usually one automobile that stands out above the remainder in recognition among the many attending journalists, and this yr that was the Lucid Air Dream Efficiency EV. This can be a model new mannequin from a brand new firm that’s being designed and constructed at a manufacturing unit in Arizona, and it’s gorgeous not solely in seems to be, however in its efficiency.
We bought to spend some high quality seat time with Lucid consultant Justin Berkowitz, who gave us the lowdown on this high-end EV that has began deliveries in 2022.
Lucid Air Dream Efficiency
HORSEPOWER: 1,111 hp
RANGE: 471 miles
0-60 SPEED: 2.6 seconds
CHARGING TIME: 13 hrs at 240V / however it may possibly cost from 0 to 80 % in 37 minutes at some DC quick charging stations
PRICE: $179,000
And final, however definitely not least, was the Kia EV6, a futuristic trying hatchback that strikes shortly, drives clean and quiet, and has a clear design inside and outside.
HORSEPOWER: 168-320 hp
RANGE: 310 miles
0-60 SPEED: 4.5 seconds
CHARGING TIME: from 10 to 80 % in 18 minutes on a DC quick charger
PRICE: $40,900
After a few days testing this assortment of EVs on related roads, we had understanding of the variations between the fashions. All of them are glorious for the surroundings, being absolutely electrical, and require much less upkeep than gas-burning autos.
Our Rating
Right here’s how we rated the EVs we examined:
1) Lucid Air Dream Efficiency
- Stunning styling inside and outside
- Superfast acceleration and horsepower
- Quickest charging of any EV in the marketplace
- Costly sure, however future fashions can have decrease beginning costs
2) BMW i4 M50
- Exterior colour and styling is a shocking
- Quick, snug and quiet
- Drives like a BMW
3) Kia EV6
- An actual good commuter or day by day driver automotive
- Properly designed inside and outside
- Quick charging occasions
4) Volkswagen ID4 Professional
- Very clear and easy inside styling
- Fast rise up and go
- Enjoyable shifter lever and floating driver’s data display screen
5) Tie: Toyota BZ4X and Subaru Solterra
- Related fashions the identical beneath the pores and skin
- Driver’s dashboard is hidden behind the steering wheel
- Good, however not nice acceleration and battery vary.
All-in-all, we had a blast trying out these new electrical fashions and are thrilled to see that so many producers are getting on the EV bandwagon to supply all-electric decisions which might be enjoyable to drive, nice for the surroundings and don’t burn a drop of fuel.
It’s an automotive EVolution!
