If you’ve ever experienced an electric vehicle – be it a Tesla Model S P100D, a Chevrolet Bolt, or anything in between – you’ve no doubt realized these vehicles are quick. In fact, the faster EVs now dwarf the acceleration figures of the world’s most potent internal combustion cars. That’s not a trend that will reverse in the future.
For evidence of this fact, we present to you the Rimac Concept Two. Built as a follow-up to the absurdly fast Concept One, the Concept Two is clearly gunning for more than a few speed records.
Powered by four electric motors, the Concept Two delivers a total of 1,914 horsepower and 1,696 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. If that isn’t enough to fry your circuits, the 0-60 mph claim is 1.85 seconds. Provided enough runway, the Concept Two will hit 258 mph; so much for electric vehicles struggling to keep up at higher speeds. At present, only a handful of hypercars have higher confirmed top speeds (including the Koenigsegg Agera RS, Hennessey Venom GT, Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, and Bugatti Chiron) and none of them are quicker to 60 mph.
Apart from its tear-jerking acceleration, the Concept Two boasts about 404 miles of driving range (on the New European Driving Cycle). Recharging the vehicle’s 120-kWh battery pack up to 80 percent via 250-kWh fast charging takes just 30 minutes.
Like the Concept One, the new model features active aerodynamics in the front and rear diffusers, hood flaps, a rear wing, and underbody panels to improve downforce or top speed based on conditions. The Concept Two also utilizes a torque-vectoring system for cornering stability. Styling is inspired by the Concept One, but is definitely more aggressive. A pair of gullwing doors and a luxurious interior suggest grand touring will be part of the driving equation. Customers will also be able to customize the rear trunk or do away with it to put the electric powertrain front and center.
As with many modern EVs, the Concept Two will experiment with semiautonomous functionality. On board is a set of eight cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and two lidar, and six radar systems. As a kit, these systems generate eight terabytes of data each hour. Rimac says Level 4 autonomous driving will be available eventually, but for now, the Concept Two will offer automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control.
Rimac only plans to produce 150 examples of the Concept Two, and each is expected to fetch over $1 million.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.