Automotive

It's been just over four years, and the wait is officially over. The Tesla Cybertruck is here and it's already headed out onto Texas roads. It's still big, aggressive, and weird ... and it manages to outdo some of the 2019 hype.

We've been hearing about in-road EV charging tech for a number of years, including tests from Renault and Stellantis. Now the City of Detroit is reported to be the first installation of wireless charging in a public roadway in the US.

As is the case with their gas-burning counterparts, electric cars are limited in spaciousness and design by the layout of their drivetrain. Hyundai and Kia have set about addressing that issue, with their radical new Universal Wheel Drive System.

Lotus is aiming to go 100% electric by 2028, a mission that's seen it launch hyper-SUVs and hyper ebikes. Now it's turned its attention to hyper-chargers. Its Flash Charge hardware will be future-proofed for outputs up to 450 kW.

To meet demand for a pickup shell built to hold all the provisions of modern adventure, LTA Manufacturing has launched the Venturous brand. The company's lightweight Ozark pickup cap uses an injection-molded design to carry several times more weight.

Humbra presents a lighter, more versatile vehicle awning solution with its new Firefly. Instead of hard-mounting to the roof, this awning packs up and travels in the vehicle, setting up in 90 seconds on the hitch or carrying out for ground setup.

One of the lowest priced vehicles on the market in the U.S. is the Nissan Versa. The term “econobox” is a descriptor that has fit a lot of entry-level vehicle models, including the Versa. But this little Nissan has redefined the term. In a good way.

At the dawn of the current EV revolution, Mitsubishi launched a highway-capable, mass-produced five-door hatchback called the i-MiEV, followed by an electric version of its veteran microvan. Now that Minicab-MiEV is being updated for 2024.

While some off-road vehicles are quite striking in appearance, not many are … pretty. The all-electric Callum Skye could soon change that, with a nice-looking design that will allow it to also be driven on city streets.

Thor Industries has been preparing for the EV age for years with concepts like the Airstream e-Stream trailer and generator-free Tuscany RV. Now it applies that visionary spirit to charging, presenting a concept station specifically for e-RVs.

With suicide doors, a dumping utility bed, and solid off-road capability, the Can-Am Commander Max is a powerfully useful and fun UTV. That sums up our experience with it after a couple of weeks in the wilds of Wyoming.

Here's something we didn't expect to see at the 2023 LA Auto Show: a new Cybertruck-like e-pickup that manages to look weirder than the Tesla. It's the Robotruck 1T, and it comes with a 550-mile range and 6-foot expandable pickup box ... er ...prism.

HW Electro has revealed a new light electric concept called the Puzzle, a boxy minivan designed with disaster relief in mind and sporting external power outlets, USB ports, a crowbar and a first aid kit.

Range Energy makes truck trailers, with a clever connection to any standard tractor cab, loaded with electric powertrains to turn any semi into an efficient hybrid. They also let you push entire trailers around by hand at the depot in "shopping cart mode."

Subaru pulled the covers off an all-new Forester sport utility at the pre-show to the LA Auto Show. The new Forester features new exterior and interior designs and improved chassis components. It'll be in dealerships in North America in spring 2024.