Car News
Truck owners ‘ICEing’ charging stations US truck owners have come up with a new way to signal their displeasure at progress. The Daily Mail recently ran a story citing Tesla owners on Reddit who had seen trucks ‘ICEing’ charging stations — deliberately blocking a
charging bay with an internal combustion engine, usually a very thirsty one. It seems to be a growing trend around the United States, with commercial and consumer vehicles alike participating in the anti-EV movement. The initial report from Daily Mail referenced Tesla owners in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas who had experienced ICEing. In North Carolina, a trio of Tesla superchargers were blocked by a Ford truck and two Chevys, all of which were being piloted by drivers who were chanting “F— Tesla.” After the petrol station attendant was informed of what was going on, the truck drivers left, leaving the Tesla owner shaken. Laws have been passed in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington that prohibit nonelectric vehicles from parking in charging spots. A handful of large cities have also passed by-laws
to keep those charging spots open; they include Washington D.C., Seattle, Baltimore, Raleigh in North Carolina, and Knoxville. Hopefully, the trend won’t catch on here.
Next-Gen Ranger Raptor ramps up off-road performance THE NEXT GENERATION FORD RANGER RAPTOR HAS ARRIVED. THE SECONDGENERATION RANGER RAPTOR RAISES THE OFF-ROAD PERFORMANCE BAR AS A UTE BUILT FOR TRUE ENTHUSIASTS The new Ranger Raptor was developed by the Australian design and engineering team to be the ultimate performance derivative of the Next-Gen Ranger. “We’ve really focused on delivering a genuine performance truck with the Next-Gen Ranger Raptor,” said Dave Burn, Ford Performance chief programme engineer. “It’s significantly faster, looks incredible, is packed with new features, and is the strongest Built Ford Tough Ranger we’ve ever made.”
MORE POWER The big news is the introduction of a new 3.0-litre V6 Twin Turbo EcoBoost engine, producing up to 292kW (392hp) at 5650rpm, and 583Nm of torque at 3500rp — a significant boost in power and torque over the current 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo diesel engine.
The 3.0-litre V6 Twin Turbo EcoBoost engine boasts a compacted graphite-iron cylinder block, which is around 75 percent stronger and up to 75 percent stiffer than the iron used in traditional castings. Raptor’s anti-lag system — available in Baja2 mode — keeps the turbochargers spinning for up to three seconds after the driver backs off the throttle, allowing for faster resumption of acceleration out of corners or between gears when the driver gets back on the accelerator. The 3.0-litre is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission — each gear is programmed with its own boost profile and drivers can choose their preferred engine sound by pressing a button on the steering wheel, or by selecting the relevant drive mode from the seven on offer.
UNIQUE CHASSIS The Next-Gen Ranger Raptor has a unique chassis when compared to other Next-Gen Rangers. A series of unique mounts and reinforcements has been designed for elements including the C-pillar, load box, and spare wheel. Unique frames for the jounce bumper, shock tower, and rear shock bracket all combine to ensure the Next-Gen Ranger Raptor can handle punishing off-road conditions. A high-performance off-roader needs the running gear to match, and Next-Generation Ranger Raptor’s suspension is completely
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redesigned. It has new lightweight aluminium upper and lower control arms, long-travel front and rear suspension, and refined Watt’s link equipped coil-spring rear suspension. The suspension hardware is from Fox, tuned and developed by Ford Performance. Ranger Raptor’s rough terrain capability is enhanced with underbody protection made from 2.3mm-thick, high-strength steel. The front bash plate is almost double the size of the standard Ranger bash plate. For the first time, Ranger Raptor gets an advanced permanent four-wheel drive system with an all-new electronically controlled ondemand two-speed transfer case, combined with front and rear locking differentials, a feature that hardcore off-roaders will appreciate. “We really wanted the Baja mode to be the ultimate expression of off-road, high-speed capability,” said Burn. “It’s a feature at the core of what the Ranger Raptor customer expects.” The interior features orange accents on the instrument panel and trim, and seats are enhanced by Raptor’s ambient lighting, which illuminates the interior in an amber glow. Next-Generation Ranger Raptor boasts a fully digital cabin, with a high resolution 12.4-inch digital cluster, and 12-inch centre touchscreen and entertainment system, which offers both Apple and Android6 wireless smartphone connectivity.
