Most modern automakers use EVs as the test bed to showcase their latest technological breakthroughs and find new ways to make the best out of an EV architecture. As more people flock towards EVs, looking to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on fuel costs, EVs are becoming increasingly popular. And the new technological breakthroughs that were once reserved for the coolest concepts and flagship vehicles have started to filter down to more affordable EVs. But some of these features might be too new or hidden in plain sight for most everyday EV users to notice. So let's take a closer look at 10 of the coolest EV features that aren't well-explored by the public. From smart charging to regenerative braking, these features showcase the cutting-edge technology that's driving the EV revolution. So, buckle up and get ready to discover some of the most innovative and exciting features of modern electric cars!
1 Overlanding And Camping Convenience Out Of Your EV
The fact that there's no conventional drivetrain with big bulky transmissions and differentials taking up precious space. With overlanding becoming a popular 'adventure', companies are taking this to the next level. Rivian, for instance, utilized the room to give the R1T a great big basement of sorts. The Rivian R1T Pickup gets a huge pass-through hatch which the company likes to call the 'Gear Tunnel' which can hold up to 250 pounds of cargo. Alternatively, the gear tunnel can be outfitted with Rivian's Camp Kitchen x Snow Peak Package, which gets you a slide-out unit outfitted with everything you'd get on a medium-sized motor home kitchen including a pair of induction and a sink with running water. The package also includes three drawers filled with all the essential cutlery you'd need for a picnic with friends and family and the whole system is powered silently by the R1T's massive battery pack, so no noisy generators to ruin your serine outings in the middle of nowhere.
2 A Frunk To Chill Your Drinks And Food
What do EVs and mid-engined supercars have in common except for four wheels? Most EVs also come with front-mounted trunks or frunks, just like a Lamborghini Aventador or a LaFerrari. However, in place of the massive V-12 engines, EVs have more storage space in the back, which makes them immensely practical. However, some EVs take this to the next level, case in point is the F-150 Lightning which gets a massive 14.1 cubic foot of front trunk room and a 400-pound weight limit. Other additions include a USB port and a drain plug, and given the entire enclosure is watertight, you can turn the F-150 Lightning's frunk into a giant ice box with enough room to cool more drinks at a time than your local 7-Eleven. The Mach-E offers a similar experience.
3 Bidirectional Charging Or Vehicle to Load (V2L)
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Modern electric cars are essentially massive power banks on wheels with batteries big to run a medium-sized house. And, that question gave rise to Bidirectional charging or V2L (Vehicle to Load) which sends power from your EV's charging port instead of receiving it. This, in theory, will allow you to connect your run-of-the-mill appliances using a simple adapter and can even be used to power bigger items such as a trailer or a small home for a brief period. A lot of vehicles on sale today come with V2L capabilities such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and all cars based on Hyundai's new E-GMP platform which includes the Ioniq range, the Kia EV6, and the Genesis GV60 can all be had with V2L capabilities either as an option or as part of the standard kit. Cars like the Ioniq 5 can send up to 3.6kW of power and the V2L system is disabled automatically when the charge drops below 15-percent to protect battery health.
4 Audi's Hyper-realistic Augmented Reality Display
EVs are often used as platforms by brands to showcase their latest, cutting-edge technology. As a result, some EVs like Audi's new E-Tron range come with an augmented reality display which is just as cool as it sounds. This system uses a multi-layered projection system that projects the information onto the vehicle's windshield. The full-color projection is capable of displaying information such as lane position, blind spot, navigation with Augmented reality turn-by-turn directions, and more, which is a lot more than what a conventional heads-up display can manage. The new Audi Q4 E-Tron uses an array of external sensors and cameras to accurately superimpose the turn markings onto your windshield. This will make missing turns, a thing of the past.
5 Tank Turn Capability
Moving from Tesla's promise of the Cybertruck to Mercedes making it a reality with the upcoming Mercedes EQG, the all-electric version of the G-Class, and its revolutionary 'Tank Turn' technology. With the EQG, Mercedes plans to take the G-Wagon to the next level with the electric powertrain. The upcoming SUV will get a quad-motor electric drive and a camouflaged prototype has been doing rounds on the internet performing the aforementioned tank turn. While the Americans have the new GMC Hummer with its Crabwalk, the EQG tank turn also aims to aid the SUV's off-road abilities but it's yet to be seen whether this feature makes it to the production version when it arrives in 2024. Rivian, however, was the first one to come up with this tech.
6 Porsche Taycan's Intelligent Charging system
One of the biggest hurdles to EV ownership continues to be finding the right charger for your car. It's only after you buy an EV you realize the importance of finding a compatible charger which may require a lot of trial and error. Porsche decided to fix this issue by equipping its Taycan four-door EV with a clever automatic charging system that uses GPS to determine when the car is near a charging station, then automatically opens the charging port and begins charging. This system eliminates any doubts the driver might have concerning the charger's compatibility, and combined with Porsche's three-kilogram Mobile Charger Plus unit, it can be charged at home or on the road with a maximum of 11 kW.
7 Electric Preconditioning For Efficient Climate Control
Modern ICE vehicles have started incorporating clever convince features like remote start and the ability to pre-heat the cabin. But, these things are much easier on an IC car that generates its own heat. EVs, on the other hand, don't make enough heat that can be redirected to warm the cabin, instead, they rely on heaters or heat pumps that take precious battery charge to run and can quickly deplete your EV's range. This is where preconditioning comes into play as a system that allows owners to pre-heat or even pre-cool their cars beforehand, while the vehicle is plugged in and charging. This way the heating or cooling process does not take up precious energy and it will take less energy to maintain that temperature. This system can usually be configured in the vehicle setting or activated using the vehicle's companion app and help save that precious range.
8 One-Pedal Driving To Maximize Convenience And Efficiency
Most modern EVs come equipped with regenerative braking, a clever system that inverts the electric motor that not only decelerates the car, inverting the motors also turns the braking energy into electricity and stores the energy in the battery for future use. This technology is not only a great way to conserve energy that would otherwise be lost as heat and friction during braking, but it can also be used for one-pedal driving. The term 'one-pedal driving' is pretty self-explanatory, it allows the drivers to use just one pedal which is the accelerator to modulate the car braking. So, when you take your foot off the accelerator, the regenerative braking kicks in, gradually slowing the car down just like hitting the brakes would. Some cars take it a step by giving you control over the level of regen and dial it up or down to suit your driving style.
9 Porsche's Home Energy Management system
The Porsche Taycan range continues to be one of the fastest charging vehicles in the business with a battery that get-go from five- to 80-percent SoC (state of charge) in just 22.5 minutes when connected to an 800-volt charger and a maximum charging capacity of 270 kW. If you have a home box you can top the Taycan up in no time, but according to Porsche, 80-percent of Taycan owners will plug in their cars for overnight charging. This is why Porsche came up with a clever Home Energy Management (HEM) system which is an intelligent control center integrated into a residential PowerGrid. In addition to ensuring smoothing and trouble-free charging, the system looks for optimal time windows and optimizes the charging process based on the time and cost of electricity. So the system will only charge your Taycan when the electricity is cheap and adjust the time and rate of charge to ensure you have a full battery in the morning.
10 EVs With Three Pedals And A Stick Shift
With the rise of EVs comes a tide of resto-mods utilizing modern electric powertrains wrapped in timeless classic shells. But despite the aesthetic, they lack the engagement that you'd get from rowing your gears. A few people thought of solving this issue by throwing a manual gearbox into the mix. One such company is Electrogenic, based out of Oxford England. A firm that specializes in EV conversions for classic cars has now taken to more specialized conversions aimed at bringing back some much-needed driver involvement. The firm's latest project is a Porsche 356 that, in addition to a 120-horsepower electric motor, also comes with a manual gearbox. Instead of powering the rear wheels directly, the motor is mated to a flywheel which then takes power and throttle inputs from the Porsche's factory clutch pack. The craft lies in the bespoke adapter that allows the whole system to function in complete harmony.