Cars That Think

APRIL 4, 2022

Some automakers keep trying to soothe it with ever-larger and heavier battery packs, so that consumers can go farther between charges. But their ability to charge to 80 percent capacity in as little as 18 minutes shows how EVs might circumvent the problem of battery overkill and still be fully viable as interstate cruisers.

Volt 104

Volt Range Charging Hummer 104

Baua Electric

MARCH 18, 2024

Motors whirl to life as they whorl out warp-speed forward thrust. Traffic cones fly by in the side windows like mailboxes on a country road until I let off the pedal and let “B” mode’s regenerative braking lasso this electric SUV down for a gradual right turn back into its parking spot. It’s fancy without the frippery—and it’s fast without foibles.

Audi 52

Audi SUV Volt MPH 52

Charged EVs

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

Open charge port door on the exterior of the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ. Almost 19 feet long, almost 3 tons in curb weight, the Escalade ESV (most often in black) is a staple of affluent driveways and high-end car services across the country. It seems about as relevant to the electric-vehicle transition as a Caterpillar excavator.

All-Electric 52

All-Electric Cadillac North America GM 52