We’ve driven plenty of Mustangs over the years and have owned several, including a 1966 Mustang back in the day and a pristine 2005 Grand Am Cup-themed Mustang GT that resides in the garage now. The latter combustion pony car shares garage space with a charging electric car most of the time, representing a scenario that’s likely to become a fixture of life for many multi-car households in our unfolding mobility future – an EV for most daily driving and a combustion car or hybrid available for good measure.
Playing to this, electrification strategies have varied among the world’s major automakers, from a bit of dabbling with EVs to going all-in with battery electric models. Time will tell which strategy works out best in an era where electrification’s benefits and challenges are often still weighed intently before buyers make their move to go electric, though buyers in growing numbers are doing so these days.
Ford is solidly positioned in the ‘all-in’ category. Along with its electric F-150 Lightning pickup and E-Transit commercial van, perhaps its most high-profile move has been its evolutionary – or perhaps revolutionary – Mustang Mach-E that debuted in late 2020, the electrified stable mate of the legendary gas-powered Mustang.
The Mach-E successfully trades on the Mustang nameplate and carries on distinct Mustang design cues like a long hood and tri-bar taillights, though it is decidedly different with a unique sweeping roofline and coupe/liftback design. While some Mustang afficionados might take issue with the nameplate being applied to a crossover model, it’s really a moot point. The fun factor is there and it’s a Mustang in spirit if not in silhouette.
As expected, the Mach-E continues to evolve with an expanding number of model choices and battery options, including the new dual motor Mach-E GT that we recently drove in the Pacific Northwest. What really got our attention, though, was Ford’s Mustang Mach-E Rally we piloted around the track at the Dirtfish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Washington, just outside of Seattle.
The Rally gets all the content and performance attributes of the GT with additional benefits and features added for its mission. This adventurous model is a departure from the norm for Mach-E, literally, with that departure focused on off-pavement action far from stoplights, traffic, and the hustle of daily life. Our experience test driving for 4 Wheel & Off-Road magazine many years ago means we have a deep appreciation for that kind of opportunity.
The all-wheel drive Mach-E Rally comes specially prepared for the job, with MagneRide suspension featuring an inch higher riding height than the standard Mach-E, RallyCross-tuned shocks and springs, and powertrain calibration and traction control tuned for the rugged and uneven surfaces of dirt-track and rallycross driving. Aluminum underbody shielding provides protection from the hazards and grime inherent in this kind of off-pavement driving.
Power is abundant with the Mach-E Rally’s 480 horsepower delivered by front and rear motors, with an available RallySport drive mode enhancing linear throttle response. Selecting this mode also sets more aggressive damping for improved handling and enables additional yaw for bigger slides, all important in dirt-track driving. Acceleration is impressive with the Rally’s 700 lb-ft torque enabling a 0-60 mph sprint is just 3.4 seconds. Its 91 kWh lithium-ion battery delivers an estimated 265 mile range.
Form follows function with the Mach-E Rally, as it is also distinguished with special body moldings, an aggressive rear liftback spoiler, rally-style fog lights, black painted roof, and eye catching graphics that add to its appeal. Power is delivered to the road via 19-inch gloss-white wheels equipped with Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires ideal for navigating loose surfaces. All this comes at a cost of $59,995, some $20,000 over the base model and six grand more than the Mach-E GT.
Driving the Mach-E Rally at Dirtfish was exhilarating. This specially equipped model exhibited exceptional capabilities and a seriously fun-to-drive nature at speed, which was expected given its rallycross nature. What’s really impressive is the degree to which the Mach-E Rally accomplishes this without sacrificing comfort or capabilities on the street, where most drivers will likely spend most of their time behind the wheel.
So, let’s just share a fundamental: There’s no circumstance in which either of our personal Mustangs would have ventured off-pavement, at least not willingly and not for an extended drive, unless we happened upon a washed-out road and it was our only way home. But the 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally? Well, that’s another story…and it’s a really good one.
Now that we’ve been behind the wheel of a Mach-E Rally on Dirtfish Rally School’s dirt, gravel, and wet course, our Mustang horizons have expanded. We can say with confidence that heading off the beaten path in a Mach-E Rally is not only a reasonable option, it’s one likely to be calling out to Rally owners with some regularity. After all, while the road ahead may be straight and true, often enough there will be a new adventure awaiting on dirt roads less traveled just a turn of the wheel away.
Toyota, a firm believer in the power of hydrogen to help remake the world of transportation, has turned its longtime R&D center in Southern California into its North American hydrogen development headquarters. Christened H2HQ, the small complex in Gardena is being repurposed to bring all of Toyota Motor North America’s hydrogen propulsion and stationary powerplant development activities under one roof. Toyota also has hydrogen research and development centers in Japan and Europe.
The new North American hydrogen facility initially will concentrate on hydrogen technology for heavy trucks and stationary power plants but will also continue working on the automaker’s fuel cell system for passenger vehicles. Toyota’s Mirai sporty sedan is one of only three fuel-cell electric passenger vehicles marketed in the U.S., alongside the Hyundai Nexo SUV and the new Honda CR-V e:FCEV plug-in hybrid. All are available only in California, which has all but two of the nation’s publicly available hydrogen fuel stations.
While such vehicles still serve only a tiny niche market, their fuel cell technology is exportable. Toyota uses the same fuel cell stacks developed for the Mirai in its heavy-duty truck and stationary power generation systems as well. On the heavy truck side, the automaker already has developed a hydrogen fuel cell powerplant ‘kit’ it will market to commercial truck manufacturers to offer their customers as an alternative to diesel engines.
The company believes, as do Hyundai and Honda, that hydrogen fuel cells have a robust future as the basis for clean power for transport and that right now, heavy-duty trucking – under tremendous pressure to clean up the air pollution caused by diesel engines – is where a lot of effort needs to be applied.
Work at H2HQ will enable Toyota to localize its global hydrogen work on both light and heavy-duty fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles, on hydrogen fueling, and on stationary fuel cell power plants, thus “creating real-world products to help reduce carbon emissions,” said Ted Ogawa, TMNA president and chief executive. Meaningful carbon reduction requires hydrogen made using renewable energy, and Toyota is working with various regulators and the power industry to promote increased use of renewables.
The H2HQ campus already includes a scalable test bench for working on stationary power plant applications, a hydrogen fueling station for light- and heavy-duty vehicles, and Toyota’s largest dynamometer, a 1.2 megawatt giant capable of testing electric drive systems for the largest heavy duty vehicles.
On the non-automotive side, Toyota recently developed a one megawatt fuel-cell generator for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado and, in collaboration with Kohler Energy, a prototype backup power generator – hydrogen fueled – for a medical facility in Washington.
Toyota also aims to be able to make its new hydrogen research and development facility self-contained. To that end, it is installing a flex-fuel micro grid that combines a 230-kilowatt solar system, a one-megawatt stationary proton exchange membrane fuel cell generator, a 325-kW solid oxide fuel cell, and a 500-kWh battery storage system. It is expected to be able to take the facility off-grid, when needed, by 2026. The company said it also plans to operate a sustainable energy information center at the Gardena facility.
In tandem with the announcement earlier this month of the new H2HQ, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) also unveiled the world’s first ‘tri-gen’ hydrogen fuel cell power plant at its Port of Long Beach vehicle prep facility. The plant, operated by Toyota partner FC Energy, produces hydrogen, electricity, and water from piped-in natural gas. And to offset its carbon footprint, FC pays for an equivalent amount of biogas from a waste facility near the California high desert town of Victorville.
About a third of the Tri-gen plant’s hydrogen – 1.6 tons a day – is sent to a nearby hydrogen fueling station used by Toyota for its fuel-cell passenger car, the Mirai, as well as by heavy duty fuel-cell electric trucks serving the port. The rest is passed through a pair of fuel cell stacks to produce 2.8 megawatts of electricity and about 1,400 gallons of water, a byproduct of combining hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell stacks. The water is used at a car wash at Toyota’s vehicle prep facility. Most of the electricity – 2.3 megawatts – is used at Toyota’s port facility. The remaining 500 kilowatts is used to power the Tri-gen station.
We’re behind the wheel of our Toyota RAV4 long-term test vehicle and just looked at the instrument cluster’s mpg reading. It’s showing 43 mpg toward the end of our 150 mile cruise on the 101 freeway along California’s Central Coast. There was no traffic to speak of, so we had kept our ride at a fairly steady state around 65-70 mph, reasonable for this stretch of California highway though far short of the much faster speeds and stop-and-start driving experienced in Southern California.
The surprise? This welcome fuel efficiency was achieved without hybrid or plug-in power. We were piloting a Toyota RAV4 XLE crossover powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that, at the time we started our adventure, came with a manufacturer’s suggested price of $29,085, topping out at $33,987 after options. Adding to the surprise is that EPA rates this RAV4 at 34 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg in the city. We were beating that by a long shot, not through crazy hypermiling techniques but simply by easy driving without unnecessary bursts of acceleration or driving at higher speeds.
Look, reality check: While that kind of better-than-EPA fuel efficiency can’t be expected as a matter of course – because, let’s face it, we aren’t always driving traffic-free and there are times when we want to go fast – it is possible, as our experience showed. There is a lesson here for anyone who wants to optimize efficiency and lessen their carbon emissions while driving conventional vehicles. High fuel efficiency is out there for those who actively seek it.
During our drives, the RAV4 consistently delivered all the power we needed, seamlessly delivered to pavement through an 8-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. Riding on independent MacPherson strut suspension up front with multi-link suspension at the rear, we found ride and handling on the money, as we would expect from Toyota. Along the way we have also appreciated filling up with regular 87 octane gas rather than the premium that some models require, which costs up to 35 to 40 cents per gallon more than regular grade in our area.
Inside this RAV4 is a well-appointed interior with an 8 inch multimedia touch display offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Nicely bolstered seats provide plenty of comfort as the miles drift by. While our RAV4 came with cloth seats and we prefer leather (or these days, artificial leather), Toyota’s SofTex synthetic leather seating only comes with the uplevel XLE Premium trim at nearly $3,000 more, so cloth it is. Hauling life’s usual stuff is well handled with 37 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seat and 70 cubic feet total with the rear seat folded.
Cloth seats aside, our only complaint, and it’s a mild one, is the RAV4’s stop-start system sometimes engages a bit too abruptly from a stop, something we have experienced in other models with stop-start functionality as well. We chalk that up to the quest for maximum efficiency as the engine is shut down after a pause when stopped, then automatically started again when the brake pedal is released.
After six months in our long-term test fleet and some 5,000 miles on the odometer, we can say this: Toyota’s RAV4 is a rock-solid choice for those looking to drive a conventionally powered small SUV at a price a great many can afford. We still find ourselves beating EPA mpg estimates by at least a few mpg if we’re focused, but most of the time we are in the range of the 27 to 34 mpg efficiency expected of this model, depending on whether we’re doing city or highway driving. We’re pretty enthused with our daily drives in this RAV4 test car and looking forward to sharing our continuing experiences in the months ahead.
California has banned the sale of new gas vehicles in the state by 2035. Eight other states have adopted its far-reaching rule and more are considering it. This is an environmental win but also a huge worry for many who feel their mobility way of life will be increasingly challenged as we head toward an electrified future. They have a right to be concerned.
It’s true that many assumptions are at work today as we head toward a world replete with electric cars, and these should be well considered. Perhaps the most controversial notion is that the nation’s electrical grid will support a massive influx of electric vehicles on our highways. If we accept that calculations supporting this conclusion were accurate at the time they were made, it’s apparent they didn’t take into account the challenges now posed by an increasingly contrary climate.
One example is Electric Vehicles at Scale – Phase 1 Analysis: High EV Adoption Impacts on the Western U.S. Power Grid, the first of a multi-part analysis by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conducted on behalf of the Department of Energy. This comprehensive and well-documented report analyzed how the many millions of electric cars expected on the road by 2028 would affect the Western grid.
Without diminishing the considerable work and expertise that went into this report, it’s important to note that there’s an important caveat. In its words, the study’s outcomes “are predicated on normal grid conditions, absent of any grid contingencies, such as generator or transmission outages, extreme weather scenarios, extreme high loads, or fire conditions that require deactivation of major transmission lines.”
This is an eye-opening footnote. In recent years, the nation has experienced a greater incidence of extreme weather events like historic heat waves, deep freezes, high winds, hurricanes, and monsoon-like downpours. These have disrupted the electrical grid and caused blackouts in diverse parts of the country. This not only brings the misery of living in the dark without air conditioning, lights, or staying connected, but also an inability to charge an electric vehicle if one happens to be in your garage.
During yet another California heat wave in a recent summer, the state’s Independent System Operator issued 10 straight days of Flex Alerts asking consumers to cut energy use to avoid rolling blackouts. The ask was that thermostats be set higher and that consumers avoid using major appliances, including electric vehicle chargers, during specific times. Consumers rallied to the call and blackouts were averted. But this is not sustainable as an answer to an overloaded grid.
Overtaxing the grid isn’t exclusively a problem here. Heat waves and a severe drought impacting hydroelectric power affected a million electric vehicles in China, causing public charging stations to go offline. This underscores the challenge, illustrating the fragile balance of power generation and demand, and how unanticipated heat waves, droughts, and wildfires – and of course millions more electric cars – can potentially strain any electrical grid past its breaking point.
California has been successful in increasingly moving toward renewable wind and solar power, but phasing in renewables to displace the need for conventional power generation takes time. In anticipation of projected electricity shortfalls and the potential for blackouts in the years ahead, California extended operation of the state’s last operating nuclear powerplant, Diablo Canyon, which was scheduled to shut down in 2025. The powerplant supplies 9 percent of the state’s electricity and was deemed critical to California’s short-term electrical needs.
Over three decades ago when attention first turned to electric cars, the need for environmental improvement was real. It is, by all measures, now acute. Will a 2035 ban on gasoline cars in California and other ‘green’ states come to pass as planned, and will we be able to charge the millions of electric vehicles this will bring? A great many people hope so. But along the way, history shows us we need to be prepared with realistic options and contingency plans…just in case.
Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and the environment for 35 years. He is an acknowledged electric vehicle expert and spent a year of daily travels behind the wheel of GM’s groundbreaking EV1 electric car.
Alfa Romeo, one of Italy’s legendary performance brands, returned to the U.S. market in 2006 to reassert its Italian heritage with the sporty 4C. Since then, the Guilia coupe and Stelvio SUV have done an admirable job relaunching the brand.
The newest Alfa, the Tonale luxury subcompact SUV, speaks to buyers here that overwhelmingly skew toward crossover and SUV models. The Tonale, with its performance styling, advanced engine/battery technology, all-wheel drive, and high levels of utility, offers a combination that has never before been available in an Alfa Romeo.
Tonale is not only Alfa’s first hybrid powered car of any kind, but also its first plug-in vehicle. When fully charged – which takes somewhere under three hours with a Level 2 charger – the Tonale will deliver an EPA estimated range of 33 miles on battery power alone. With a combined average rating of 29 mpg and 77 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) on electric power, total range on both gas and electric power brings about 360 miles of driving.
Green Car Journal editors' recent time behind the wheel of a Tonale allowed experiencing how this sporty and efficient Alfa performs on the open road and while negotiating the meandering, twisty canyons of California's Central Coast. As with all Alfa Romeos, performance is expected, and in this case delivered via Tonale’s 1.3-liter MultiAir turbocharged four-cylinder engine that provides 180 horsepower to the front axle. The rear axle is separately powered by a 121 horsepower electric motor generating 184 lb-ft torque. The sum of all this is a best-in-class power rating of 285 hp and 347 lb-ft. torque, all in. A 15.5 kWh lithium-ion battery provides power for the electric drive system. An integrated high-voltage belt starter-generator mounts to the engine to assist in delivering smoother drive cycle transitions and start-stop capability. Notably, at times we found the Tonale delivering slightly more than its rated 33 mile battery electric range.
The Tonale sports a host of family friendly features that allow this stylish Alfa to hold lots of things, as SUVs are required to do. Along with the ability to transport your stuff, the Tonale’s standard content is also quite high. Among its many systems are Adaptive Cruise Control, Intelligent Speed Assist, Blind Spot and Rear Cross Path Alert, Lane Departure and Lane Keep Assist, and Forward Collision Warning with Automatic Emergency Braking for pedestrians. Yep, they are all there. Level 2 autonomy with Traffic Jam Assist is also available, as is an optional 360-degree camera system.
Three versions of the Tonale are available, starting with the Sprint edition, then the Ti, and finally the high end Veloce version that we drove. All three feature an excellent Uconnect 5 system with information displayed through a 10.25- inch center-mounted touch screen and a 12.3-inch drivers’ dashboard screen. Each screen can be customized by the driver to display the data most desired. In addition, an on board Alexa system allows connecting to the vehicle via voice commands – no inputs necessary.
The Tonale is one of the best looking subcompact SUVs on the market with its exceptional style and signature Alfa Romeo grille set into the surrounding bodywork. Its sculpted side profile flows past cool alloy wheels and is pure Italian. An elegant interior continues to delight, with a blend of brushed aluminum and suede-like seat upholstery. The stamp of Alfa approval adorns each seat back – very cool.
Alfa Romeo’s Tonale is covered by a four year/50,000 mile limited warranty with a full powertrain warranty for the same length of time. Pricing for the base Tonale Sprint is $43,845 with the Ti coming in at $46,500 and the Veloce $51,040. The Tonale Veloce we drove, with its extras and destination charge, featured an as-tested price of $57,290.
Manufactured in Tennessee on Volkswagen’s MEB modular world electric car platform, the 2021 VW ID.4 presents a new and compelling all-electric SUV that enters a segment presently dominated by Tesla, Chevrolet, and a select few others. What ID.4 brings to the battery electric SUV segment that Tesla doesn’t is price, coming in at a base cost of $39,995, some $10,000 less than Tesla’s Model Y.
For this, electric vehicle buyers get SUV hatchback utility, three-foot legroom in all seating positions, and ample luggage capacity for 5 adults. VW estimates ID.4 driving range at 250 mile on a full charge, and additionally points out that an additional 60 miles of range is attainable in just 10 minutes from a public DC quick-charge station.
Sporting a stature similar to that of Honda’s CR-V, the Volkswagen ID.4 rides on a steel-framed architecture featuring strut-like front suspension and multi-link suspension with coil-over shocks at the rear. This, combined with a long wheelbase and short overhangs, promises a smooth ride dynamic. Braking is handled by front disk and rear drum brakes.
A single permanent magnet, synchronous electric motor directs power to the rear wheels. The ID.4 produces 201 horsepower and 228 lb-ft torque that’s expected to deliver a 60 mph sprint in about 8 seconds. Electricity to power the motor is provided by an air-cooled, frame-integrated 82 KWh lithium-ion modular cell battery. An onboard 11KW charger enables three charge modes via standard 110-volt household power, 220-volt Level 2 charging, or DC fast charging. Typical charging with a home wall charger or public Level 2 charger will bring a full charge in 6 to 7 hours.
A minimalistic yet futuresque cabin with segment leading cabin volume rounds out ID.4’s architecture. Features include a driver-centric, touch sensitive steering wheel and a view-forward 5.3-inch ID information center that replaces conventional gauges. Vehicle operation is through steering wheel-mounted switches, with infotainment, climate control, device connectivity, navigation, and travel information accessed through a 10.3 inch touchscreen monitor. A 12 inch monitor is available with the model’s Statement Package.
Topping the list of features is expanded voice command and a communicative dash-integrated ID light bar. ‘Intuitive Start’ driver key fob recognition enables pre-start cabin conditioning capability. Base model upholstery is ballistic cloth with leatherette seat surfaces optional.
Volkswagen’s IQ Drive driver assist and active safety suite features travel assist, lane assist, adaptive cruise control, front and rear sensors, emergency assist, blinds spot monitoring, rear traffic watch and more. All this comes standard along with Pro Navigation, a heated steering wheel and front seats, wireless phone charging, and app connectivity for compatible devices.
The ID.4 EV is available in six colors and two trim levels, Gradient and Statement, for personalization. The optional Gradient package features a black roof, silver roof trim, silver accents, and silver roof rails along with 20-inch wheels to complete the upscale look. Looking forward, while rear-wheel drive is the choice today, Volkswagen is already talking up an all-wheel drive variant for early 2021 along with a lower-priced base model.
As the world’s largest automotive group, Volkswagen has the capacity to change the ever-expanding electric-car landscape. Looking at the style and utility of VW’s all-new ID.4, you can sense the renewed “people’s car” direction of the brand that accompanies the automaker’s commitment to electrification. VW says it’s aiming at selling 20 million electric cars based on the MEB electric car platform by model year 2029. Certainly, the potential for selling in truly significant numbers is reinforced by ID.4 pre-orders selling-out in just weeks, it’s safe to say.