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Tesla Model X continued from page 81
Security Lab at Tencent were able to remotely gain control of the Tesla Model X, allowing them to remotely open the car’s doors, blink the lights and control their brakes. They found zero day vulnerabilites that allowed them to install new firmware. The lead researcher for the team said they informed Tesla of the findings and most of the cars were patched by an update one month after Tesla was made aware.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced its crash test- ing results for the 2017-manufactured Tesla Model X, revealing five-star rat- ings in all assessed categories, the only SUV to have done so. Tesla attributed the ratings to safety-focused design, in addition to a low centre-of-gravity from its battery pack, adding “More than just resulting in a 5-star rating, the data from NHTSA’s testing shows that Model X has the lowest probability of injury of any SUV it has tested”.
Tesla Model 3 continued from page 81 longitudinal modules each containing the individual battery cells. The Standard version carries 2,976 cells arranged in groups of 31. The Long- range version carries 4,416 cells
arranged in groups of 46.
Tesla continues to improve the design
of the 2170 battery cell and introduces incremental improvements into the manufacturing line periodically. Tesla began manufacture of the “lighter, better, cheaper” 2170 cell during 2018, with a company goal of reducing the cost of assembled battery packs to US$100 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by December 2018, and moving the new cell into volume production at Gigafactory 1 during the first quarter of 2019. Electrek reports that the improved battery cell design is needed to further reduce battery costs as Tesla attempts to deliver the standard Model 3 for the promised base price of US$35,000.
The inverter for the Model 3 drive unit uses 24 pairs of Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET chips rated for 650 volts each.
In mid 2018, media reported that a Model 3 prototype was seen in Califor- nia and Nevada while towing a trailer in an apparent evaluation of a tow bar.
The Model 3 uses regenerative brak- ing, which was tweaked and improved Tesla Model 3 continued on page 83
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Mercedes C300 MSRP $50,650
2.0L, 8.7kWh, 275HPc, MPGe 28/32, 10e, Wt 4,564
The new 2020 Mercedes C-Class Hybrid comes with only onehybridengineunit. Now,it’sgoingtobe2.0-literinline-4 gas powered unit that’s going to pair with the electric motor powered by three LithiumIon batteries. Together, they can provide the power of 275 horses. An interesting thing is that when you use only the electric motor, you can go 10 miles beforeitrunsoutofpower. Thisenginewillbepairedwith thenew7-speedautomaticgearbox. Usingit,thefuelcon- sumption is estimated to be 28/32 mpg city/highway. C-Class is, without doubt, one of the nicest looking cars on
the market.
havedonealltheycantoproducethisamazinglookingcar. Itwon’tbesharpinanyplacesoweknowthattheaerodynamic abilitiesarealsoimproved.That’sonewayhowyoucanmakeyourhybridvehiclepopular. Whenitcomestotheoverall weight, Mercedes improved that aspect as well. Now, they’ve made new C-Class to be even lighter. All that, thanks to better materials used. There will be more carbon fibers used in the chassis with the addition of the aluminum.
Mercedes S560e MSRP $102,335
3.0L, 13.5kWh, 469HPc, MPGe 28/32, 30e, Wt 4,564
The 2020 S560e’s hybrid drive system consists of a 362-horsepower V6 spark-ignition engine and a new elec- tricmotorwithanoutputof90kW. Theelectricmotorwas specially designed for the 9G-TRONIC Plug-In Hybrid trans- mission, resulting in smooth, effortless acceleration in hybrid mode. With an on-board, fast-charging 7.2-kW charger, the S560e’s enhanced 13.5 kWh LithiumIon battery has an ap- proximate All-Electric range of 25 miles.
Together with its 121-hp electric motor, the S560e produces
animpressivetotalsystemoutputof469horsepower. That’s sufficientforasprintfromzeroto60mphofjustunderfiveseconds,accordingtoMercedes. ThenewPlug-InHybridsedan also features ECO Assist, an intelligent operating strategy that provides comprehensive support to reinforce economical driving. Avariablepointofresistanceinthepedalindicatestothedriverthatmaximumelectricoutputisbeingdelivered. If the driver continues to press the pedal beyond this point, the combustion engine kicks in. Navigation data, traffic sign
recognition, and information from the intelligent safety sensors are networked and processed via Eco Assist.
MitsubishiOutlander MSRP$35,795
2.4L, 12.0kWh, 190HPc, MPGe 28/32, 26e, Wt 4,200
A 2.4-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine replaces the old 2.0-litre, giving incremental economy and power gains, the e-motor mounted on the rear-axle is new and more powerful than the one it replaces, generator and battery capacities are up, and the steering, brakes, suspension, all-wheel drive and hybrid control systems have all been retuned/upgraded/made generally better. There is substantially more newness here than meets the eye.
The Outlander engine that works in conjunction with a
12-kilowatt-hour LithiumIon battery and two electric motors , oneatthefrontaxleandoneattherear. Forthemostpart,thebatteryandelectricmotorsarewhatactuallydrivetheSUV’s wheels,whiletheengineitselfchargesthebattery. Atfreewayspeeds,however,theenginecandirectlypowerthewheels tohelpwithhigh-speedefficiency. Totalsystemoutputis190horsepower,thedeliveryofwhichisreallysmooth. Level1 chargingfromastandardhouseholdpoweroutletcantakeaslittleas8hourstoreplenishadepletedbattery. Dispensing
the same amount of juice with Level 2 charging reduces the wait time to 3.5 hours.
The new 2020 Mercedes C-Class Hybrid deserves all the credit for its extreme popularity because the designers
The SUV already had a hybrid setup, but it wasn’t available in the US market for a couple of years. The 2020 Nissan Murano will bring this configuration that will boost the fuel economy numbers. This time, it is not going to combine a 2.5-liter engine with electric motors, but the existing 3.5-liter V6 unit. With such setup, the 2020 Murano Hybrid will be able to compete with other vehicles in the same class.
A 3.5-liter engine will boost the power output to 300 hp and the fuel economy jumps to 29 mpg combined. The 2020 Nissan Murano Hybrid will return 30/29 mpg for city/highway
drive. Thesametransmissionisgoingtodistributepowerforthisversion,withbothFWDandAWDavailableatbuyer’s choice. The 2020 Nissan Rogue Hybrid gains styling updates across the whole body. The front end adds a more aggressive fasciaandlargeV-Motiongrille. Thegrilleincorporatesawideuseofpolishedchromewhiletheheadlightsareboththinner andlongerthanbefore. Abowtieeffectispresentthankstotheuppergrilleinsertsthatareplungeddeeperintothefront bumper. The 19-inch wheels are standard along with the nine exterior paints.
Nissan Murano
MSRP $31,270
3.5L, 12.0kWh, 260HPc, MPGe 21/28, 26e, Wt 4,200
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