TWC Podcast #136: No Longer the Pinocchio of EVs
By Phil Royle — Sept. 14, 2023
Chinese cars are hiding in plain sight through the likes of Lotus, which recently unveiled its Emeya “Hyper-GT.” With more than 900 hp on tap, this Lotus will be a thriller. Not to be outdone, Porsche is rumored to be working on a 1,000 hp Taycan GT, and the Zeekr 001 FR will sport even more power. But power isn’t the only secret to speed, as a one-off electric university project hits 62 mph in less than one second. Meanwhile, electric hot hatches fill the air with the ID. GTI and updated Minis — with a comparatively large battery on tap, has the electric Mini finally become a real EV? We discuss all this and more on this week’s podcast.
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SHOW NOTES
Lotus Emeya: https://www.thewattcar.com/home/with-the-emeya-lotus-could-take-the-bull-by-the-horns
Porsche testing Taycan GT, rumored to have 1,000+ hp: https://www.motor1.com/news/686424/porsche-taycan-gt-spy-shots/
Zeekr 001 FR: https://www.thewattcar.com/home/zeekr-001-fr-chinas-brute-force-response-to-the-model-s-plaid
Sub-1-second EV 0-60 record: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2023/09/from-zero-to-one-hundred-in-0-956-seconds.html
VW unveils ID. GTI concept:
https://www.thewattcar.com/home/volkswagen-id-gti-concept-weve-been-waiting https://www.thewattcar.com/home/vws-electric-rabbit-is-a-critical-moment-heres-how-to-do-it-right
Autocar interviews VW design chief Andreas Mindt: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/volkswagen-id-gti-concept
Un-pimp My Ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWMpHc77qNI
New MINI Cooper, Countryman revealed: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a44867543/2025-mini-cooper-electric-revealed/
Tesla Model 3 Highland: https://www.thewattcar.com/home/tesla-model-3-highland-a-current-owners-perspective
Tesla Supercharger Station in Quartzsite, AZ, also includes pull-through chargers: https://www.teslarati.com/new-tesla-supercharger-includes-pull-through-charging-stalls/
This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. Sanchez
Episode cover courtesy Mini
Music courtesy Twisterium at Pixabay
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