EVs at SEMA 2022

The Electric Age is Upon Us

EVs were one of the major topics at the 2022 SEMA Show. With a dedicated space called “SEMA Electrified”, several EV manufacturers displayed their stock to modified creations. The all-new Ford Lighting was featured with an overland theme. And you can’t miss the abundance of Teslas sitting on air ride suspension.

Hyundai Previews the Future of Hydrogen Tech with the N Vision 74

With the world turning its back on combustion engines in favor of EVs, more and more people have grown concerned about EV range and the speed it takes to recharge. These same fears apply to EV motorsports, as recharge times and range directly affect the length of a race. In comes hydrogen fuel cell technology to the save the day. When hydrogen is mixed with oxygen it starts a reaction that produces electricity, which can then power the electric motors in a car, with only heat and water as a byproducts of the process. But the part that most people are interested in is that hydrogen can be stored in a tank like gasoline, and refueling takes about the same time as if you were refueling an ICE vehicle while providing the same range as a fully charged EV. Because of these attributes of hydrogen, Hyundai has been researching and developing hydrogen fuel cell tech, having started back in 2015 with the reveal of the Hyundai 2025 Vision Gran Turismo and the launch of the N brand. Fast forward to today and Hyundai has given us a glimpse of their R&D with jaw-dropping N Vision 74, the prototype used to experiment with the driving and cooling performance of advanced FCEVs.

While the N Vision 74’s brawny and boxy looks make it seem like it could’ve stepped out from a retro 1980’s sci-fi movie, its actually based on Hyundai’s Pony Coupe Concept from 1974. This design was penned by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro and was to be Hyundai’s first production sports car. Prototypes were even built for the Pony Coupe but sadly, it never reached production. The interior of the N Vision 74 also inherits the driver-centric, piston-shaped layout of the Pony concept, blending classic styling with modern touches, to enhance its motorsport functionality.

…Prototypes were even built for the Pony Coupe but sadly, it never reached production...

Hyundai calls the N Vision 74 a “high performance Rolling Lab” and for good reason, as its driven by Hyundai’s most advanced hydrogen fuel cell. All the futuristic-looking air vents and curvy yet rigid body panels aren’t just for show either, they significantly improve aerodynamics and fulfill the prototype’s heat management requirements, which is further improved by a 3 channel cooling system. The N Vision 74 puts power to pavement with two 235 kW motors on each rear wheel, making the prototype a RWD setup. Not only that, Hyundai tested a logic system called e-TVTM (electronic Torque Vectoring by Twin Motors) for improved cornering ability. The advanced hydrogen fuel cell tech allows the N Vision 74 to travel 600 km (about 373 miles) at a top speed of over 250 kph (155 mph), and can be refueled in about 5 minute, blowing EV charging speeds out of the water and rivaling ICE refueling times, perfect for motorsports and everyday applications.

…Prototypes were even built for the Pony Coupe but sadly, it never reached production...

The stunning N Vision 74 previews the near future use of hydrogen fuel cells as a green alternative to EVs. Can the N Vision 74 and other FCEVs compete with electric vehicles? Only time will tell.

Audi E-Tron GT and RS E-Tron GT Aim for Comfort and Performance

Feb. 10 – With the ever-growing popularity of SUVs in America, it’s a welcoming sight to see the all-new 2022 Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT. Audi announced Tuesday that their new electric vehicle, the e-tron GT, is defined by its duality, a high-performance gran turismo that can be enjoyed through spirited driving, or even just leisurely cruises. To expand on this, Audi Sport has also released its first ever EV in the U.S, the Audi RS e-tron GT, packed full of new tech including an electric propulsion system, air suspension, all-wheel steering, and a two speed transmission. 

Both the Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT are packed with power, both suited with permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM). These motors are ideal because of their ample, instant torque. The e-tron GT produces 235 horsepower from a motor situated in the front, and 429 horsepower from the motor in the rear. The net combined power for these motors is 469 horsepower, but a key feature is their ability to overboots for 2.5 seconds with launch control, shooting that new horsepower number up to 522, with 464 lb-ft of torque. The e-tron GT can launch to 60 in 3.9 seconds, repeatedly, while being able to hit a top-speed of 152 mph. 

Even more impressive power wise is the RS e-tron GT — both e-tron GT’s share the same front motor, but the rear is where the RS has the advantage. At the rear of the RS e-tron GT is a motor capable of 450 horsepower, bringing the RS’ net horsepower to 590, or 637 with overboost. Combined with its total system torque of 612 lb-ft, the RS can jet to 60 in 3.1 seconds, and hit a top speed of 155 mph. 

A unique feature that the Audi e-tron GT’s have that puts them at an advantage over other electric vehicles is their two-speed transmissions. Anything over a single speed transmission almost seems odd now that EV’s are becoming increasingly popular, but Audi may be on to something with this new advancement. The GT’s 1st gear is used for rapid acceleration when needed, while the taller second gear can be used for long stretches of highway driving.

Other key features the Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT will come with standard are a leather-free interior, using Dynamic and Alcantara, a “monoposto” cockpit that angles everything towards the driver, and a full-circumference flat-bottom steering wheel, wrapped in Alcantara. Standard for the RSS e-tron GT is a lightweight, high-strength, five-layer carbon fiber reinforced plastic roof. Another key design detail that Audi wanted to stand out is the strongly chiseled lower doorsill lines that emphasize the battery pack as the car’s powerhouse and foundation. 

The 2022 Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT will arrive in the U.S. this summer, with prices starting at $99,000 for the e-tron GT and $139,900 for the RS e-tron GT.

The Palatov D2 EV

Electrifying From Pikes Peak to Bonneville

Bonneville Speed Week 2019 will go down in the annals of land speed racing as one of the most miserable weeks ever. Rain the night before the event turned the salt into a mushy sponge that was almost impossible to race on, almost unless you went over to the mile-long rookie course where there were a lot less competitors and a lot firmer course.

We spent a couple days running there getting one of our young team members licensed all the way up to his 175 mph ‘A’ license. While we waited in line I couldn’t help but notice a rad little grey sports car with the familiar name Palatov Motorsport across the rear fender. I knew the name from my time in Portland, OR, building the World of Speed museum as Palatov is based in Portland.

Dennis Palatov (DP), a life-long car guy who sketched cars as a kid and began his career in the computer industry, founded the company in 2008. He quit his regular job as a chief technology officer for a California computer company in 1997 and moved north to Portland. This was not an idle move, DP knew that Portland had its own, city-owned racetrack, Portland International Raceway; just minutes north of downtown, where he wanted to pursue track driving.

From his numerous blogs, you can see that DP progressed through a number of cars and projects from an M-series BMW to a Megabusa-powered Westfield kit car to an 430 hp V-8 Ariel Atom described by Road & Track magazine as, “A British-built exoskeleton sports car” and, eventually a Lotus Elise S190 that obviously served to inspire him.

As he journeyed the road less traveled (not many of us can build our own cars) Dennis honed his skills designing and building a number of wildly different track cars. It didn’t take long for DP to realize the dream of building his own car not surprisingly named dp1.

Dp1 was actually started in 2002 with some simple sketches of a Hayabusa-powered, four-wheel drive single seater weighing just 800 lbs. He also consulted with fellow Portland engineer Lee Stohr who is well known in SCCA D Sports racing circles. With what they felt was a viable project DP moved forward and finally had a car up and running in September 2006. Yes, it takes that long and on November 1, 2008, with seed money from Karl Asseily, Palatov Motorsport LLC was formed in a 4,000 sq ft building. Their primary goal was to develop and sell track cars.

It was soon after the formation of the company that DP shifted away from the ‘infernal’ combustion engine and at the end of 2008 announced a new electric vehicle (EV) program dp1/e. Initially, the dp1/e was fitted with a 24 Odyssey PC680 lead-acid batteries and a 100KW RMS controller from Cascadia Motion.

Cascadia Motion is a combination of AMRacing and Rinehart Motion Systems that provides electric prolusion systems for a wide range of vehicles including professional motorsports and motorcycles. They have supplied Drayson, Lola Cars, Peugeot, Nissan and several F1 teams.

After a huge learning curve and many hours of track testing it was decided in 2012 to try the annual Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado Springs, CA, with their Hayabusa-powered DP4PPS. Well, guess what, with David Donner driving Palatov won the Unlimited Class and placed fifth overall (out of 160 competitors) with a time of 10:04.652 which was only 18 seconds off the new overall record. That was a fantastic result for a first-time effort especially when they found out that they were running on only half an engine.

Palatov returned to the ‘Mountain’ in 2015, ’16 and ’17 and again in 2019 with their latest vehicle the D2EV driven by six times Pikes Peak champ Greg Tracy. In fact, they had not one but two cars the second D2 driven by David Meyer. One problem they encountered was figuring out how they would charge the car at their rental house base. They inspected the house’s wiring, identified the kitchen-stove circuit as the best option and went to Home Depot to get the right plugs, cable and adapter. They had power.

“Our goal with the electric D2 has all along been to do Pikes Peak at the end of June and then Bonneville at the start of August. We knew it was ambitious…”Dennis

Actually, D2EV has 1,000KW of power, which is exactly 10x what the 2008 car had and was totally new with experimental suspension. It weighed in at 3,500 lbs, 1,000 lbs heavier than they’d ever boxed before, nevertheless, on a clean paved surface with racing slicks it accelerates 0-120 mph in 5.1 sec and only takes 500 feet to do so. Despite the advances, the car was pretty much untested when it was time to head east to Colorado and the Mountain is not the best place to test. In order to make it work shocks had to be overnighted back and forth to Penske for re-valving and new softer A7 tires were overnighted by Hoosier.

Things quickly improved but DP was still not happy. Despite the setbacks, Tracy ended with a time of 9:55 minutes, which was good enough for second place in Unlimited and a ninth overall. By the time David was lined up in the second car it had started to rain and he smartly elected not to run. This was not the result DP was hoping for but for a brand new, experimental electric race car it was an amazing achievement.

From the dizzying heights of Pikes Peak the team’s next target was the Bonneville Salt Flats and a totally different environment. As DP said, “Our goal with the electric D2 has all along been to do Pikes Peak at the end of June and then Bonneville at the start of August. We knew it was ambitious and that changes would be required to the car in between events. Didn’t realize just how ambitious and the full extent of the changes at the time, but that’s the case for all memorable endeavors.”

This was not the result DP was hoping for but for a brand new, experimental electric race car it was an amazing achievement.

Like the Mountain, the Flats are a very difficult place to race even more so this year due to the rain and the abysmal track conditions. To make matters worse, the team only had a month to completely reconfigure the car, DP saying, “If we change the gearing in the diffs to 3:1 (from 5:1), the car will be capable of theoretical top speed of 265mph. We have the power to do it, 1,300 hp is about what it would take. Aero stability is the big unknown. We know we’ll have to keep the wings but can set them flat to reduce drag while still providing some down force.

“With only 9 days to go until we are scheduled to leave for Utah, tech inspectors stop by. The list of what they want changed is daunting, neither of them seems to think we can get it done.” Racing is racing but the requirements and disciplines of hill climbing are totally different from the needs and rules of 300 mph land speed racing.

Bonneville is an old school, gasoline-fueled playing field where electric race cars are classed by weight: E1: Under 1,099 lbs, E2: 1,100-2,200 lbs, and E3: 2,201 lbs and over. The 3,500 lb D2EV would fall into 3E where the current record is 314.958 mph set in 2004 by Roger Schroer driving the Ohio State University’s Buckeye Bullet.

Tech inspection of the D2EV at Bonneville took some time, as this was a new car to the inspectors; nevertheless, compliance was achieved if only by the judicial use of some old license plates to block an interior hole. Eventually, Tracy, who has raced motorcycles at Bonneville to a speed of 210 mph, got to make a rookie pass over the one-mile course with a speed of 159 mph. Despite a rough and wet track he made two more passes at 167 and 174 mph. The next day Tracy ran a staggering 196.960 mph.

Unfortunately Speed week was cancelled the next day and the Palatov team had to pack up and head home to Portland. Despite some disappointments, Palatov and his associates and sponsors had had a fantastic year racing the ends of the spectrum from the dizzying heights of Pikes Peak to the squishy, salty flats of Bonneville and in both places proved the capability and versatility of Dennis Palatov’s electric race car. For more information visit Palatov.com

The Polestar Precept Is a Greener Future

April 9, 2020 – Due to the cancellation of the Geneva International Motorshow in lieu of the coronavirus, many automotive manufacturers turned to the web to showcase their new products. Polestar is one of such brands that recently shared a video walkthrough of their new product; the Precept.

Watch here:

The Polestar Precept is the all new electric vehicle by Volvo’s sub-brand and is another step towards the future of automotive. This step is not in the form of a revolutionary new power plant or mind blowing 0-60s;  it comes in the form of a brand new way of making cars. Serving as the cornerstone of the Precept’s design is the fact that the majority of the interior and exterior panels are made from recycled and organic materials.

The interior is made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles that are woven to create the fabric on those seats, and the interior body panels are made of organic fibers and are even backlit to show the structure of the panels. The exterior design is sleek and does away with parts that are unnecessary with current like the front grill and even a rear window, and also has recycled materials built in. None of these materials are hidden by layers of paint or additional paneling. Polestar wants to show off their innovative construction, which seems to be the reason for this whole car.

Automotive is in an interesting time currently where we are on the cusp of a huge change from how things were always done. The Polestar Precept is their declaration of which direction they will be heading and how they will be designing their cars to reach their goals for the future. A Precept of sorts.

Polestar has released an additional walkthrough of their concept that you can watch here:

Is the RG Nathalie’s Methanol-Electric Powertrain the New Future of EV?

March 17, 2020 – Roland Gumpert has come out with a new brainchild that presents yet another alternative power source. Branded as a “super sports car”, the new Roland Gumpert Nathalie is electrically powered by a battery and the interesting and innovative methanol fuel cell. With the use of methanol as a secondary source, the Nathalie has the ability to actively recharge its battery, giving it a 500+ mile range. This also solves the recharging time issue experienced by a lot electric vehicle issues. Refilling the methanol cell only takes 3 minutes, and after that you can hit the road right away.

Here’s a video by RG that explains their technology:

Those with reservations about electric vehicles due to accessibility issues will not be changing their minds with this new innovation, however, as methanol is even harder to find than ev charging stations nowadays. But regardless, this innovation provides enough power to the Nathalie to produce some pretty impressive numbers.

The RG Nathalie is driven by 4 electric motors each taking responsibility for 1 wheel. Yep, thats right – its got 4 wheel drive. The motors produce about 536hp and can push its lightweight (GT-R lookin’) body from 0-60 in less than 2.5 seconds. With a top speed of 190mph, this won’t be breaking any speed records like the Jesko Absolut, but it’s definitely quick.

Though we won’t really know how well it performs on the track, we can speculate that it will be a strong contender and a fun drive. The methanol-electric powertrain is an interesting answer to the woes experienced by current EVs, but due to the limited availability of the fuel source the long term viability is questionable. Only 500 examples of the RG Nathalie will be produced and will have a price tag of $447,699.

More on the RG Nathalie:

The i4 Is the New Electric Gran Coupe That Will Take BMW to the Future

March 3, 2020 – BMW unveiled their step into the future with the new Concept I4. The new I4 will be completely electric but is said to maintain the driving ability and luxury that makes it a BMW. On the exterior, this concept is extremely sharp with several body lines leading to the iconic dual grille. BMW has also used this model as an opportunity to show off their new, more modern, identity mark, which will serve as the badge on all future models. This concept focuses on creating a sedan for every day with sports coupe styling. Very sharp indeed.

As with any step into the future, technology will be key. This is prevalent in the new touch Curved Display which is oriented towards the driver. According to BMW, this display is for “those times when the driver chooses to pilot the car themselves.”, which seems like they will have autopilot features much like Teslas, however there was no mention of that technology being added. Drive features will be broken into 3 modes selectable off of the curved screen, which are “Core”, “Sport”, and “Efficient which all effect the way the car will drive. The rest of the interior is actually quite luxurious featuring gold bronze trim all over the dash and steering wheel. There are only 4 seats in there, so you will unfortunately have to say goodbye to the 5th friend in your group.

An interesting feature, and one that is quickly becoming a standard in newer cars, is the addition of automotive sound design, otherwise known as fake engine noise. In the BMW I4, the sound will be designed by none other than the world renowned composer Hanz Zimmer. Yes, the man who brought you the emotional music of your favorite films will now be bringing you emotional sounds from your otherwise soundless electric car. The sounds you will receive will change depending on which of the 3 driving modes you have selected.

Overall, the BMW I4 is a big step for the manufacturer in producing the cars of the future as well as setting up the direction of the new core of the brand.

The Nikola Badger Brings Competition to the Electric Pickup Market

Feb 14, 2020 – An electric vehicle manufacturer by the name of Nikola Corp has unveiled their offering to the electric pickup truck market on. It’s difficult not to see this as an answer to the buzz that revolved around Tesla’s Cybertruck.

Despite their shared namesake (Is there a shortage of electricity pioneers to name corporations after?), the Badger presents a different angle to consumers than the Tesla truck. Nikola stated that, “The electric pickup is designed to handle what a construction company could throw at it and is engineered to outperform all electric pickup trucks on the market in both continuous towing, HP and range.” This, along with a 15 kilowatt power outlet to use for tools which is, “enough power to assist a construction site for approximately 12 hours without a generator.”, suggests that they’re gearing it more towards the working individual.

Performance wise, Nikola points out that their electric pickup truck can perform launches from 0-100 mph and go up to a 40% grade with minimal loss in performance. This is done through their unique software that mixes the power of batteries and fuel-cell. Thats right, this truck can operate both on electric batteries AND hydrogen fuel cell. How that works? Not quite sure. (We’ll probably make an article about it later) But through this technology, the Badger is capable of delivering up to 600 miles of range, 906hp peak output and 980 ft lb of torque.

The Badger is being developed with the help of Heavy D, star of the reality tv show, “Diesel Brothers”, who will be building and testing the truck. It’s clear that Nikola is really trying to develop an all electric pickup truck for the average consumer as one of their goals was to diversify their offerings in order to lower the Badger’s cost. The Nikola Badger is set to be officially unveiled at Nikola World.

GMC Teases Their New All-Electric Hummer

Jan 30, 2020 – In a press release today, GM announced that the next generation of the Hummer is here and contrary to its predecessor’s image of unmatched dead dinosaur consumption; all-electric. The new electric Hummer EV will be teased this Sunday during Superbowl LIV in an ad airing during the second quarter. The 30 second spot will focus on how quiet the truck will be despite its staggering performance capabilities. And the numbers? Staggering for sure. GMC anticipates that the new electric Hummer will produce 1000 hp and a jaw-dropping 11,500 lb-ft of torque making it go from 0-60 in 3 seconds. That’s a pretty sharp contrast from the old image of a Hummer.

Unfortunately there are no images of the new truck except for this teaser of the front grill. From this we can see a clean and moderately futuristic design while still retaining similar design notes of its predecessor. The Hummer name is front and center with a tiny “EV” badge next to it to remind you that this isn’t the same beast you knew before. If this new Hummer retains the hulking size and weight of the H1 or H2, it’ll really say something about how far we’ve come with electric vehicle technology.

GMC also has a series of teaser videos available on their Youtube channel boasting the Hummer’s capabilities. They’re short, but you can definitely tell their aim is to highlight how quiet and powerful this new “all-electric super truck” will be.

Detroit will be the birthplace of this truck as GMC has also announced that they will retain production of their new electric vehicle products in the US. The future of automotive production in the US looks bright and undoubtedly electrified. The Hummer EV is slated to be revealed on May 20, 2020.