The all electric Vanderhall Edison. Photo: Vanderhall Motor Works

Magazine Selects 2018’s Groovy Wheels

An article by Lawrence Ulrich for Spectrum ieee.org lists the Top Ten Tech Cars for 2018. While some of the  selections are a matter of taste or personal criteria, the various characteristics and product packages offer eclectic options.

In the past few decades, it was supposedly a goal of the government and the auto makers to design electric cars that would eventually become autonomous.  However, in this year’s Top 10 Tech Cars, as in the global auto industry at large, the Great Disconnect becomes more obvious.

On the one hand, virtually every carmaker offers models that deploy technology in unabashed pursuit of energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. In our group of honorees this year, the Tesla Model 3 and the charming Kia Niro hybrid fit in this category. Yet for all the talk of a Tesla-driven tipping point in electric transportation, EVs still make up a 0.5 percent drop in the global ocean of new cars.

In the real world, at least in the United States⎯where Washington is actually looking to weaken fuel economy standards and where a record two-thirds of buyers are choosing an SUV, pickup, or other light truck⎯today’s automotive innovation is arguably more about utility, horsepower and performance.

The winning cars included the McLaren 720S, the Vanderhall Edison, Lucid Air, Nissan Leaf, Cadillac CT6, Rimac Concept One, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, Tesla 3 Model, Kia Niro and Honda Civic Type R.

Check out the full list at ieee.org