New Electric Cars Have Problems In Latest Consumer Reports Survey

schwit1 shares a report from Autoblog, adding: “And CR decides to predict poor reliability on EVs it hasn’t even evaluated yet.” From the report: The latest auto survey from Consumer Reports shows several newer electric cars to be beset with problems, contradicting the conventional wisdom that EVs with their simpler powertrains should have fewer issues than gasoline- or diesel-powered cars. The…

How Tesla Improves the Range of Its Electric Cars

Car and Driver magazine explores what gives Tesla’s vehicles their comparatively long range. And apparently one factor is just “big batteries.
This may be obvious, but a battery that holds more energy should translate to more range, and Tesla has the largest battery packs out there… What isn’t always obvious is how much of a battery pack’s energy is usable versus its…

Porsche Found a Way To 3D-Print Lightweight Pistons That Add More Horsepower

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Drive: With select bucket seats from the 911 and 718 as well as various classic car parts — including clutch release levers for the 959 — already being produced using 3D printing, Porsche is more familiar with the technology than most. Now, the automaker is taking things even further, 3D printing entire pistons…

Modified Tesla Model S Reportedly Outguns Porsche Taycan at Nurburgring

Tesla is being a busy bee at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and after multiple videos and rumors, we have our first idea of how capable its modified Model S electric sedan is. From a report: Road & Track reported Tuesday that the stripped-down Model S clocked a lap time of 7:23. Do note, that is not an official time and comes from…

Volkswagen’s Bold Plan To Create a New Car OS

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: VW Group is now consolidating its software all under one new internal group, similar to the way that financial services or the ride-hailing Moia exist alongside individual vehicle brands. And that means in the future, a single unified automotive OS will run on everything from a VW Polo to an Audi A8….

Jaguar and Audi SUVs Fail To Dent Tesla’s Electric-Car Dominance

Tesla has managed to expand its electric-car marketshare, despite two new battery-powered luxury SUVs that have been in U.S. showrooms for the last 10 months: Jaguar’s I-Pace and Audi’s e-tron. Bloomberg reports: Their starts are the latest indications that legacy automakers aren’t assured instant success when they roll out new plug-in models. Tesla’s Model S and X have largely held its…

Ask Slashdot: Why Did It Take So Long For Cars To Become Aerodynamically Shaped?

Here’s what dryriver wondered after hearing that the oldest Porsche T64 in the world — built in 1939 — was going to be auctioned:
What stands out about this nearly 80 year old car is how curved and aerodynamically shaped it is. If you then Google 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s car images, you find that they are nowhere near as aerodynamic in…