cars

Bentley Torcal EV: Cost, Features, and Market Launch

Bentley Torcal EV: Cost, Features, and Market Launch

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Bentley has revealed its inaugural fully electric vehicle, called Torcal. The renowned British marque introduced this alongside a teaser photo of the EV’s back and is set to unveil it in full on September 23, 2026. More noteworthy than the name is that this signifies Bentley’s entry into the fully electric vehicle segment. While specifics are limited until the official unveiling, Bentley has indicated that this 5-meter-long SUV will offer a range exceeding 300 miles.

The name Torcal gained attention earlier this year when trademark applications indicated that Bentley had secured both “Torcal” and “Barnato” in Europe and the UK for use in motor vehicles, including electric cars, charging cables, and infrastructure. Although Barnato was anticipated as the chosen name, named after the 1920s race car driver Woolf Barnato, Bentley decided on Torcal instead.

The Torcal name adheres to Bentley’s tradition of naming cars after natural landmarks, referencing El Torcal de Antequera in Spain, celebrated for its limestone formations. Notably, Torcal is linked to the Latin term “torquere,” meaning to twist, which is the origin of the word torque.

WIRED had an exclusive preview of the Torcal near Bentley’s headquarters in the UK. Though most information is still confidential, it’s evident that this new electric SUV carries a design heritage similar to the Bentayga, though a bit smaller, featuring a long hood and distinctive front. Despite some variations, like less defined rear haunches, it remains a captivating SUV with attributes such as a glass sunroof and unique light clusters. The rear lights differentiate from the Bentayga’s classic oval shape, adopting a streamlined design. The rear roofline slopes downward, in line with other electric vehicle aesthetics to minimize drag and enhance range.

The front of the Torcal boasts a striking new grille, replacing radiator openings with a lit crystal wall inspired by the Continental T, creating a bold visual impact in contrast to subtle luxury.

Inside, power doors reveal a combination of essential buttons and OLED displays, with a central screen curving in a manner reminiscent of the new Cayenne. Unlike some luxury competitors, Bentley does not provide a separate screen for passengers, nor does it plan to.

Bentley chairman and CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser characterizes Torcal as “the most carefully considered vehicle” in the company’s legacy, launching at a challenging moment for premium electric vehicle introductions. The market witnessed Lamborghini cancel its Lanzador electric GT due to insufficient demand, while Ferrari’s Luce EV launch impacted its market valuation, resulting in a postponement of its second electric model until 2028.

Hyundai Ioniq 3 2026: Cost, Features, Release Information

Hyundai Ioniq 3 2026: Cost, Features, Release Information

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Hyundai has introduced the Ioniq 3, a completely electric compact hatchback designed for city driving with an emphasis on aerodynamic performance while offering an unexpectedly spacious interior—a characteristic the manufacturer refers to as Aero Hatch. Positioned to connect Hyundai’s Inster supermini and Ioniq 5 crossover, the Ioniq 3 features a streamlined silhouette with a flowing roofline that enhances rear passenger headspace and achieves a class-best drag coefficient of 0.263. This design aims to enable a range surpassing 300 miles on a single charge.

The vehicle shares its underpinnings with Kia’s EV2 and comes with two battery choices, providing an estimated WLTP range of 344 km (roughly 214 miles) for the Standard Range variant, while the Long Range variant reaches up to 308 miles. Constructed on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), it employs a 400-volt system for cost-effectiveness, contrasting with the 800-volt architectures found in the Ioniq 5 N, 6, or 9 SUVs. In theory, with rapid DC charging, it can recharge from 10 to 80 percent in around 29 minutes and supports AC charging of up to 22 kW.

José Muñoz, the president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, recognizes the challenge posed by BYD’s Blade 2.0 battery technology, which enables quick charging in fewer than ten minutes. While he acknowledges the competitive pressure, Muñoz views it as a chance for enhancement, highlighting Hyundai’s continuous advancements in fast charging and the careful integration of various cutting-edge technologies.

A School District's Effort to Educate Waymos to Halt for School Buses Did Not Succeed

A School District’s Effort to Educate Waymos to Halt for School Buses Did Not Succeed

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The claimed advantage of autonomous vehicle technology lies in the ability of each car to learn from the errors of others. As detailed on Waymo’s website: “The Waymo Driver benefits from the shared experiences collected across our fleet, including earlier hardware versions.”

Nevertheless, in Austin, Waymo’s vehicles struggled for several months to appropriately stop for school buses while picking up and dropping off students. An official from the Austin Independent School District (AISD) asserted that in at least 19 instances, the vehicles “illegally and dangerously” bypassed the district’s school buses while red lights were flashing and stop arms were extended, failing to make complete stops as mandated by law.

In early December, Waymo even launched a federal recall concerning these incidents, acknowledging at least 12 of these to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which oversees road safety. Federal paperwork indicates that the self-driving vehicle company’s engineers had “created software modifications to rectify the behavior” weeks earlier.

However, even after the recall, reports of school bus violations continued, as noted by school officials and a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal safety organization that is also looking into the issue.

Communications via email and text between school officials and Waymo, acquired by WIRED through a public records request, highlight the measures taken by the Austin public school district and Waymo to address the problem. AISD held a half-day “data collection” event in a school parking lot in mid-December, as the records indicate, where several staff members set up school buses and stop-arm signals for the self-driving company to collect data on the vehicles and their flashing lights.

By mid-January, one month later, the school district reported at least four additional instances of school buses being passed in Austin.