CRA Motoring News

BY IAN WRIGHT  ELECTRIC VEHICLES 

From sedans, to hypercars, to trucks and SUV’s.

As the hype over electric cars starts reaching fever-pitch, both new and old automakers are racing to get in the mix. The next ten years look to be incredibly interesting as we find out if it has all been wishful thinking, or if consumers are ready to buy wholesale into an all-electric car revolution. Either way, these are the electric cars we are most excited about seeing rolling on the road over the coming years.

GMC Hummer (Due: 2021)

One of the electric vehicles closer on the horizon that excites us is the rebirth of the GMC Hummer. Once, the GMC was an obnoxious middle finger to the environment. Now, it’s returning without a gas engine but with a rack of batteries and up to three electric motors. The new Hummer promises to be a luxurious and capable off-roader as well as a comfortable highway cruiser. GM promises 1,000 horsepower from the drivetrain and 11,500 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. We’re expecting a more realistic but still exceptionally powerful 850 lb-ft using the commonly used torque measurement system at the motor.

Lagonda All-Terrain (Due: 2023)

Aston Martin is hedging bets by reviving the Lagonda name as a lineup of luxury vehicles powered by zero-emission powertrain technologies. We don’t know much about the Lagonda All-Terrain yet, other than that it will be built on the same platform as Aston’s new DBX model. According to Aston Martin’s recently departed CEO Andy Palmer, it will have a range of around 300 miles and be equivalent in performance to Aston Martin’s gas-powered vehicles. According to Aston Martin, when the concept was first shown in 2019: “This is a car that would be at home whisking someone straight from a glamorous red carpet event to a remote scientific research lab.”

Aspark Owl (Due: 2020)

One of the more obscure but exciting electric vehicles coming is from an obscure Japanese company and called the Owl. A pair of 40-kW electric motors send a combined 429 hp and 563 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels, which doesn’t sound crazy. However, the lightweight chassis and all-carbon body bring the weight down to just 1,900 lbs. Owl claims a 0-62 mph time of under two seconds, and some sources have it down to 1.6 seconds. Even a two-second time would be spectacular and justify the $4.4 million price tag for each of the 50 cars planned for production.

Lucid Air (Due: 2021)

Lucid has been quietly flying under the radar since 2001 and a California battery-technology company. More recently, using Saudi money, the company has broken ground on a new factory in Arizona to build an all-new electric sedan. The Lucid Air promises to challenge the Tesla Model S and Porsche Taycan for power with up to 1,080 horsepower generated by its dual electric motors and a 113-kWh extended-range battery pack. Not only have we seen a video of the Lucid Air laying down a 9.9-second quarter mile, but it also looks like it’ll be roomier than its competition inside and capable of charging up to 300 miles in 20 minutes.

Nissan Ariya (Due: Late 2021)

Nissan was early to the EV game with the Leaf, and the Ariya will be its second all-electric vehicle. We’re excited for a couple of reasons for the Ariya. First, the planned production vehicle actually looks like the concept, which is a rarity. Second, it will feature ProPilot 2.0, Nissan’s new semi-autonomous driving system, and will pressure Tesla. Other highlights include dual motors providing all-wheel-drive, a range of 300 miles, and a price tag around $40,000 when it gets to us in the US.

Rivian R1S (Due: 2021)

Rivian has been playing the slow, patient game for the past ten years and is getting ready to release an SUV and crossover based on the company’s in-house developed platform. The SUV can seat up to seven people and tow up to 7,716 lbs. Like the truck, which will have a larger towing capacity, power will be stored and released from 105-, 135-, and 180-kWh battery packs and have a range of 240 miles, 310 miles, and 400 miles, respectively. The most powerful version will be capable of hitting 0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds, while the base model will still have a still-respectable time of 4.9 seconds.

Tesla Cybertruck (Due: 2022)

Who wouldn’t be excited to see one of the most awkwardly childish vehicle designs since the 1970s to hit the road? Of course, there’s no way it will make it onto the road with bodywork that doesn’t even acknowledge basic safety standards for the streets, so we’re excited to see what it actually looks like when an adult takes over the design. It’s due in 2022, but we’re taking that with big rocks of salt.

Lordstown Endurance

We’re excited to see the Lordstown Endurance reach the market because we want to see what a politically motivated electric truck looks like. GM’s Lordstown plant was closed in 2019, which became a broken promise from President Trump. Lordstown Motors was scrambled together, and the Lordstown Endurance has been turned into a literal campaign vehicle. Vice President Pence gave a party-political speech at the vehicle’s unveiling. Trump’s handling of Lordstown was then defended heavily in a pre-recorded video segment for the 2020 Republican National Convention. Not much is known about the truck other than it will feature a four-wheel-drive hub motor system and have a range of 250-miles.

Ford F-150 Electric (Due: 2021)

When it comes to electric trucks, all eyes will be on the Ford F-150. It has to appeal to people who are cynical about electric power and steeped in tradition. Simultaneously, it has to appeal to new customers attracted to electric vehicles’ environmental positives and help Ford keep its firm grip on the truck market. Ford knows this, and our first real citing of it was a publicity stunt where the prototype electric truck pulled 1,000,000 lbs of rail cars loaded with conventional pickups.

Lotus Evija (Due: 2021)

Originally, the Lotus Evija electric hypercar was due to hit the road in 2020, but the global pandemic popped that balloon. Instead, the 2,000-hp Evija will be with us sometime in 2021. Along with an absurd amount of horsepower, Lotus promises 1,253 lb-ft of torque from its 2,000 kW battery and two electric motors. Lotus says the Evija will hit 0-60 mph in under two seconds, but that’s not its party trick. “When you’re cruising at 70-80 mph and hit the throttle, it’s got more performance than it has from a standstill. The straights at Hethel (Lotus’s test track) become quite short,” said Lotus chief test driver, Gavan Kershaw.

Ford Mustang Mach-E (Due: 2021)

By using the Mustang name in an electric SUV, Ford has set itself the herculean task of winning over the enthusiasts that hate Ford’s idea of using the Mustang name for an electric SUV. Still, it comes out of the box with 332 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque in the base model while the GT version will lay down a frenetic 459 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque. If Ford doesn’t win over the enthusiasts, it will sell well anyway to the mass market, and enthusiasts will still buy regular Mustangs, so it’s unlikely Ford will lose out either way.

BMW iNext (Due: 2021)

BMW’s iNext SUV is set to become the flagship for the automaker’s next generation of electric vehicles. According to BMW, it will have around a 400-mile range, Level 3 autonomous driving capability, and be the perfect vehicle to procreate in. It also won’t be called the iNext, and will be launched with the name iX, and the first production BMW since the Isetta not to have a number in its designation. The most potent version will generate 522 hp, while the long-range version will make 610 hp using two electric motors.

Mercedes-Benz EQS

Mercedes has a whole new lineup of electric cars coming, starting with the small EQC crossover. What we’re more interested in, though, is the sedan. There’s little information now, but we’re expecting some at the 2021 Munich Auto Show. Something we do already know is that it will be Mercedes’s flagship electric sedan and based on the automaker’s modular MEA architecture that maximizes interior space. Most importantly, it will be a direct rival to the Tesla Model S.

Article Credit To Car Buzz.