use of the electric and gas engines for the most efficient travel. FUTURE EFFORTS: Land Rover cannot comment on future product plans. STARTING PRICE; $83,000 for Sport P400e HSE Silver Edition; $97,000 for P400e HSE; landroverusa.com
Volvo S60 Recharge 22 miles OTHER SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES: Features three drive modes that offer zero tailpipe emission commuting, maximum fuel efficiency, and high performance. FUTURE EFFORTS: Volvo will invest $84 million into in-house electric-motor production. The company will triple the manufacturing capacity for electric vehicles at its Belgium plant, and its goal for 2025 is to have a global fleet of vehicles in which 50% are fully electric cars and the rest are hybrids. STARTING PRICE: $47,650; volvocars.com MOST EFFICIENT HYBRID:
RANGE ON BATTERY CHARGE:
Audi MOST EFFICIENT HYBRID: 2021 Audi A7
55 TFSI e RANGE ON BATTERY CHARGE: 24
miles
BMW: WILFRIED WULFF;
OTHER SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES: The A7
is equipped with Predictive Efficiency Assist, which analyzes the topography in the navigation system to maximize efficiency. The vehicle also defaults to using EV mode unless the driver specifies otherwise. FUTURE EFFORTS: Audi will soon expand its all-electric portfolio with the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT, as well as with Q4 e-tron SUV models. STARTING PRICE: $74,900; audiusa.com
CHARGING AHEAD Vintage Electric’s latest throttle electric bike carries on the brand’s tradition of marrying classic lines with contemporary power.
W
hen Andrew Davidge pushed in all of his chips and committed to starting an electric bike company during the second half of 2012, the venture that would become Vintage Electric was not without its risks. The company’s designs, which reflected the classic lines and styling of American motorcycles from the turn of the 20th century, guaranteed at least some interest from vintage car and motorcycle enthusiasts, but there was no guarantee that an electric bike—let alone one with a vintage aesthetic—was going to move the needle for the average consumer. “It seems like a no-brainer today, but back then it wasn’t a sure thing,” Davidge recalls. Today, especially as people are adjusting their lifestyles and their priorities thanks to the global pandemic, electric bikes have never been more popular. “People are looking to explore their own backyards in a safe way, and the bikes we build are perfect for that,” he says. “It’s the ultimate socially distanced way to get around.” The Bay Area company’s latest model, the Tracker Classic (starting at $5,240), harkens to Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles from the 1920s. While it offers the same capabilities as Vintage Electric’s flagship models, delivering a maximum speed of 20 mph
with an optional race mode that can elevate the bike’s performance to 36 mph, albeit limiting that added speed to use only on private property—the Tracker Classic is distinctive for its retro-styled cruiser handlebars that promote an upright riding position and deliver controls at the rider’s fingertips. “Performance is really important to us—we like fast cars, fast motorcycles, and fast bikes—but we took a step back with the Tracker Classic,” Davidge says. “We asked, ‘How is someone really using the vehicle that we’re building?’ Yes, it does have the performance that we’re known for, but comfort was put first. It’s about being a fun, comfortable bike that’s easy to use.” Fully charged, the Tracker Classic’s 720-watt hour battery offers a range of 25 to 50 miles (depending on how aggressively the bike is ridden). With a bandwidth that broad, you could spend hours cruising the bike paths around the Rose Bowl Stadium, Brookside Golf Course, and Upper Arroyo Park and still have plenty of juice left to venture through Old Pasadena and around Caltech’s campus. If you prefer to cruise under the radar, however, Caltech’s campus may not be the place for you. After all, in a setting like that, an e-bike of this caliber is sure to garner plenty of attention. vintageelectricbikes.com — S .T.
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