Avsnitt
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For a moment in time it looked like a hard shift to the electric future was taking place. When America's best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150, is available with an electric powertrain, there were signs. But various automakers took different paths towards the electric future, and by many accounts history might show the first round of electric trucks were a failure with large price tags, sales volume that quickly cooled off, and what resulted in massive losses for automakers.Now the next-generation of EVs are taking shape, and of course, because this is America, trucks are at the forefront. But this time things are going to be different. From how these electric trucks are being designed and built to how much they will cost, what they can do, and even what they offer in terms of features. But do electric trucks even make sense? The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder, Executive Editor Andrew P. Collins, and Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs break down the electric truck segment, what happened, where we are today, and what's coming next.Stories mentioned in today's episode:Ford F-150 Lightning EV Is Dead, Next Gen Will Have Gas Engine BackupGM Delays Full-Size Electric Truck and SUV Redesigns: ReportRam Gives Up On Its Electric Truck2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough2024 Tesla Cybertruck Review: Impressive Engineering Hamstrung by HubrisSpied: Ford’s $30,000 Electric Truck Caught Next to an ExpeditionSlate’s $24,950 Electric Truck Gets More Range, More Tow Capacity—and 450 More PoundsI Rode in Slate’s $24,950 Electric Truck. It Didn’t Feel Like a $24,950 Electric TruckPour One Out for Canoo, the EV Startup That Dared to Be Different00:00 Intro08:59 - Quick history lesson13:58 - Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck paved the way into the future16:58 - Ford's $30,000 electric truck17:39 - Slate19:41 - Lightning replacement22:31 - Telo27:11 - Today's trucks are big29:41 - Canoo31:06 - EREVs are coming36:51 - Do electric trucks make sense?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Who's allowed to fix the car you own? Who's allowed to choose the mechanic that wrenches on the vehicle you own? As cars have become more complex and computerized, and corporations have become more fixated on gathering data, the topic of right to repair has become more intense. It's been thrust back into the limelight with recent comments from automaker CEOs and the White House.
The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Executive Editor Andrew P. Collins break down what right to repair is, what's happening, how we got here, and what it means for you.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Feds Might Flip the Script on Right to Repair Vehicle Emissions Systems
Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment Should Make Every Car Owner Uncomfortable
Want To Stop Your New Car From Transmitting Your Personal Data? It’s Possible
Replacing Brake Pads on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Requires a Professional Mechanic’s Login
00:00 Intro
06:05 - What is right to repair?
07:53 - How did we get here?
10:49 - Why are we talking about this? Where are we now?
12:44 - Ford CEO Jim Farley claims it's about Safety
21:14 - Modern cars are complicated and computerized
22:49 - The future
32:32 - What can consumers do?
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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The devices you carry will enable law enforcement and the government to track your every move. Scary thought. Time to break out the tin-foil hats.
A new kind of license-plate reading camera is said to be far more than its name. It will be able to scrape the smart devices you take with you and wrap all that data in a nice little bow for law enforcement and government agencies.
The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Senior Editor Adam Ismail are joined by security expert Matt Hurewitz, who is currently the CISO at Ent.AI, to sort fact from fiction and dissect what's really going on here.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
License Plate Cameras Will Soon Track Phones, Wearables, Infotainment, and Even Your Pets
Want To Stop Your New Car From Transmitting Your Personal Data? It’s Possible
Cops Are Already Using License Plate Readers to Stalk People
00:00 Intro
04:14 License plate cameras are about to track you
07:42 Should you be concerned?
13:56 The danger that lurks
16:42 Slippery slope
18:40 Cars are incredibly complicated and connected now
20:37 What can people do?
23:04 Final thoughts
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Almost two decades ago General Motors almost changed pickup truck history, and would've changed the entire market. A new, smaller, Baby Duramax turbodiesel V8 was set to launch and reset the bar for torque, fuel economy, and technology in the half-ton market.
The engine was done, but the entire thing was scrapped with the crash of 2008 when GM filed bankruptcy. The automaker claimed all the prototypes were crushed, but at lest one escaped into the wild.
So today, we dig into the history books and dissect the story of the unreleased Baby Duramax and a prototype surfacing in the real world.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
The Recession Killed GM’s 4.5L Duramax V8, But One Escaped the Factory
I Found the Canceled 4.5L Duramax V8 Prototypes, Then They Disappeared
We Found GM’s Lost Duramax V8 Prototype That Could’ve Reinvented Modern Trucks
00:00 Intro
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Rivian, by many accounts, has become the darling of the automotive industry. It’s a hot topic despite its current volume and scale. To date, it’s not a mainstream brand with a mass-market offering. But that changed yesterday with the launch of the R2, which costs between $45,000 and $60,000 while hitting at the absolute heart of the compact crossover SUV market at 186 inches long, which is the size of the Toyota RAV4 and Tesla Model Y. The former is one of the best selling vehicles period while the latter is one of the best-selling EVs by the widest of margins it’s not even funny.
Now it’s Rivian’s turn to step into the arena and aim for the masses. This is the moment RJ Scaringe and his team has been building towards for years. Everything is riding on this.
This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe to dissect how we got here, missteps, where the company is today, and what's about to happen in both the immediate and longer-term future.
So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Rivian going into the mass market arena, what that looks like, how it plays out, and addressing how the automaker aims to tackle it all.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
2027 Rivian R2 First Drive Review: The Perfect Car for So Many PeopleSomehow, Rivian’s Cheaper R2 Is Its Most Refined Vehicle
The Rivian R2 Needed a Rear Wiper That Didn’t Exist. So Rivian Invented One
2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough
Rivian Is Going RAD. But Can It Stick the Landing?
Rivian Won’t Talk About the Missing R2 Tri-Motor. The Reason Why Is Big
Rivian Sidesteps Apple CarPlay With Built-In Texting
00:00 Intro
04:05 R2 profitability
07:43 R2 launch
10:49 Service
16:54 Rivian Adventure Network
20:03 RAD
25:47 R3X
26:25 R2T?
29:13 R4
29:31 Patents and a winch for R1
30:57 Repairability
35:32 Buttons, knobs, and the Halo wheels
37:43 Voice controls
39:07 RJ's final thoughts
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Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, who for decades has been known for building more reliable cars than anyone else. But lately, some big cracks are starting to form in that foundation.
Last month, Toyota added another 44,000 vehicles to its ongoing recall of Tundra pickups and Lexus SUVs with the company’s troubled 3.4-liter twin turbo V6, bringing the total to nearly 270,000 trucks over the last two years. And this isn’t some precautionary move—metal debris left in the engine during assembly is causing sudden and catastrophic failure, a previous attempt to stop it didn’t work, and so far Toyota has had to replace tens of thousands of engines for free.
So today, it’s Toyota’s reliability crisis—how it ended up here, what’s really happening beyond the headlines, and what might be next.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Toyota Turbo V6 Recall Campaign Grows to Include More Than 250,000 Trucks
We Finally Know Why the Toyota Tundra V6 Keeps Self-Destructing
‘Total BS’: Engine Teardown Specialist Says Toyota’s Explanation for V6 Failures Doesn’t Make Sense
Toyota Will Replace Over 100,000 V6 Engines in Recalled Tundras, Lexus SUVs
Toyota Recalls Another 127,000 Tundras and Lexus SUVs Over Self-Destructing Turbo V6s
Is Toyota’s New Twin-Turbo V6 Really Less Reliable Than Its Old V8s?
Toyota Dealers Brace to Replace 100,000 Tundra V6s
00:00 Intro
06:07 How did we get here?
09:40 What's happening?
18:26 Where do we go from here?
25:51 What do you tell potential buyers?
30:06 The competition
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Stellantis has been rocked. The automaker built its current foundation upon loud noises and fast times at the drag strip all while making loud boom boom noises thanks to the Hemi and a legendary Hellcat V8 powertrain. Then the party ended. It was late to the electric game, many of its EVs didn’t even launch and were just DOA from the get go, SRT was mothballed, and things just looked bleak, again.
Stellantis says there’s hope, and even a plan.
This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by The Father of the Hellcats, but his official titles include Ram CEO, Head of American Brands for Stellantis, and Head of SRT, Tim Kuniskis.
From Cooperhead and Scrambler to the the return of the Rumble Bee with a Hellcat powertrain and the Ramcharger nameplate, Kuniskis dissects it all with Feder.
So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Stellantis' turnaround plan and what comes next.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Stellantis Announces Huge Turnaround Plan, 60 new Vehicles and 50 Refreshes by 2030
2027 Ram SRT Rumble Bee Revealed as a Shorty Street Truck With 777-HP V8
Dodge Has a New Completely Unhinged Halo Car Coming and It’s Not Called the Viper
Jeep Is Building a Wrangler Scrambler SRT With Removable Roof, Backward-Facing Rear Seats and Probably a V8
Stellantis Promises Dodge Dealers New Small SUV, Refreshed Durango, and More SRT
Can Chrysler Be More Than a Minivan Brand? It’s Betting Three New SUVs Under $40,000 Can Prove It
Ram Is Bringing Back the Dakota and a New Compact Truck Both Under $40,000
Stellantis Is Launching 9 New Vehicles Under $40,000
Ramcharger SUV Name ‘A Pretty Obvious Guess’ Says Ram CEO
The New Dodge Charger SRT Has a Wing Straight Out of the Superbird Era and It Looks Ready to Fly
00:00 Intro
04:59 Copperhead
09:21 Viper
11:57 Scrambler
16:13 Jeep
22:33 Recon
23:49 Ramcharger
26:52 SRT
30:37 GLH/Hornet
33:01 Chrysler
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Years ago EZ Lynk was in the news for its products, how they were being used, and what they were enabling consumers to do with their vehicles. Now, five years later, the book has been opened, again, and the department of justice is looking at how EZ Lynk enabled customers in modifying their vehicles in a way that violated laws. This time? The DOJ is targeting consumers and their data, which is a whole new set of issues.
So today, it’s The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs discussing EZ Lynk, the DOJ, diesel defeat devices, and the Pandora's box that is being opened.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
DOJ Orders Apple, Google to Hand Over OBDII App User Data in Emissions Probe
US Government Sues Diesel Truck Tuner EZ Lynk Over Emissions Defeat Devices
Fast Times and Million-Dollar Fines: Inside the EPA’s Messy War on Dirty Diesel Trucks
Trump Administration Guts Framework Behind U.S. Auto Emissions Regulations
Emissions Defeat Devices No Longer a Top Priority for EPA
Feds Won’t Pursue Criminal Charges Against Tuners for OBDII Tampering Anymore
Previously Imprisoned Diesel Tuner Receives Federal Pardon
00:00 Intro
01:33 About last week
05:25 History and how we got here today
08:20 EZ Lynk
09:38 Consumer privacy
13:02 The scale of the situation
14:13 From President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump
17:43 What comes next?
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Believe it or not but one automaker is about to copy another’s idea—and neither are who you’d expect. Porsche is an unquestioned leader in the world of performance cars, and its careful treatment of the 911, Cayman, and Boxster is often imitated, never duplicated. But now? It’s about to steal a controversial move from an unlikely source— Hyundai—as it tries to figure out the magic formula for a fun-to-drive electric car.
What a world.
So today, it’s The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder discussing fun versus electric cars: how a company like Porsche ends up copying Hyundai, what the various tricks automakers are trying means for the next generation of EVs, and why this all matters more than you’d think.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Porsche Is Adding Fake Gear Shifts to Its EVs, 2027 Taycan Will Be First: Exclusive
Future Porsche EVs in frame for Hyundai-like simulated gearboxes
Porsche Says It ‘Learned a Lot’ From the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: TDS
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Review: A Racing Sim You Can Drive on the Road
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N Preview Drive: More Fun Than Most Sports Cars
Fake Gears, Real Fun: A Pro Driver Makes the Case for EV Gimmicks
2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V First Drive Review: Succeeding Where Mercedes Failed
2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough
Rivian’s RAD Tuner Is Like An Equalizer For Your EV’s Powertrain
00:00 Intro
06:49 Porsche is about to copy Hyundai's fake gear shifts in EVs
08:47 What is a virtual transmission for an EV?
17:06 The Dodge Charger Daytona
22:28 Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz
24:12 A limit to the efficacy of these systems
25:02 Hyundai Ioniq 6 n
27:23 Maserati
30:54 Rivian
32:32 Lucid
35:26 Legacy vs. startup automakers
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It's time to check in on the state of electric vehicles both in America and abroad—and how much money automakers have lit on fire in the last few years rushing to cash in on electrification, which… hasn’t really paid off. Now, it feels like a big correction is underway.
Car companies spent most of 2025 in a wait-and-see position, but now they’ve waited and seen enough, and started to make big moves. Ford killed its once-revolutionary F-150 Lightning pickup, Honda killed its next-gen EVs that were supposed to be built and sold in America and lost over $15 billion in the process, GM has paused development of its next-gen electric trucks, Nissan’s walked things back and shifted directions, Volvo’s killed an entire model line, and more. It’s a wild and wildly expensive time to be an automaker, and the decisions being made now will have long-lasting effects on the shape of the global auto industry for years.
This week it's The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder discussing the state of the EV union—how automakers are reacting to the uncertainty, whether they’re over-correcting, and what comes next.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Stellantis’ EV Retreat Cost the Automaker $26.5 Billion: TDS
Ford’s EV Gamble and Bust Will Cost the Automaker $19.5 Billion: TDS
GM CFO Says Automaker Can Absorb EV Losses: TDS
Honda Kills Three US-Built EVs Before They Ever Launch, Taking up to $15 Billion Loss
Ford’s Never-Seen, Canceled Moonshot EV Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight Online for a Year
00:00 Intro
08:13 Who burned how much?
08:34 Stellantis
13:38 Ford
18:42 Honda
24:04 GM
31:05 VW Group
34:38 Nissan
36:36 Toyota
38:04 Mercedes-Benz
39:02 BMW
39:12 Volvo
40: 18 Tesla
41:35 Rivian
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Nissan's in trouble, but the automaker's not going down without a fight. After laying out a massive turnaround plan it's clear Nissan's not just on the ropes, but about to swing for the fences and really try and cater to both the masses and enthusiasts, again, as it refocuses.
This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, in an exclusive one-on-one chat taking place in Japan discussing what's coming from both Nissan and Infiniti. From a family of U.S.-made body-on-frame vehicles to special edition Zs, the timeline for the next GT-R, backdate kits, restomod and classic parts, to a 600-plus-horsepower QX80, Pandikuthira spills the goods about how Nissan and Infiniti intends to win back the hearts, and wallets, of buyers ranging from millionaires to enthusiasts on a budget and everyone in-between.
So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Nissan’s turnaround plan and what comes next.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Nissan Announces Huge Turnaround Plan To Cut Models and Keep the Good Stuff
Nissan’s Next GT-R Will Be a Hybrid, Keep the VR38 Block, and Arrive by 2030
The Nissan Z Is Thriving Thanks to an Unlikely Hero: Your Parents
The Next-Gen Nissan Xterra Is Real, and Here’s Your First Look
Nissan Confirms New Xterra Will Offer Hybrid and Non-Hybrid V6 Options
Nissan Is Looking at Doing a Sports Car Lineup Again, Exec Says
00:00 Intro
03:27 Next-gen GT-R
07:46 What's next for the Z?
09:44 Summarization of the upcoming products
10:39 Infiniti's "high-horsepower" sedan (the Skyline)
11:26 The future of Infiniti
15:37 A performance version of the Infiniti QX80
16:43 A Skyline JDM kit for Q50?
19:17 Bringing back and providing heritage parts
22:44 Hotter QX80s and what could come next
25:20 Special projects?
26:44 Xterra is coming
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In a shocking turn of events: Both Hyundai and Kia are preparing body-on-frame pickup trucks. Sounds far-fetched, but it’s true, and it’s quite the development as these two juggernauts continue to blaze a trail forward challenging the rest of the industry on multiple fronts.
It doesn’t sound like we’ll have long to wait. Now Hyundai announced it will kick off a family of body-on-frame vehicles in the U.S. before 2030 and teased them with an SUV that looked like a Bronco competitor. A week later, Kia confirmed it too will be bringing a body-on-frame truck to the U.S. by 2030, and it even talked powertrains.
Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder dive behind-the-scenes on Hyundai and Kia preparing to sell you a pickup truck, and what comes next.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Hyundai Targets Bronco, Wrangler with Body-on-Frame Boulder SUV Concept
Hyundai Learned the Hard Way What Truck Buyers Do and Don’t Want
Midsize Trucks Have All the Same Problems. Hyundai Thinks It Can Fix Them
Kia’s Launching a Body-on-Frame Truck by 2030: TDS
00:00 Intro
06:55 Hyundai and Kia have body-on-frame trucks coming
13:26 What Hyundai has told The Drive its truck needs to be
16:55 Which powertrains will these trucks have?
21:21 Kia and Hyundai dealers are a risk
25:45 What do these trucks need to be to win?
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The Toyota Prius is an icon, a statement, and possibly a moment in time as the nameplate approaches its 30th anniversary. Sales of what was once a cultural icon are spiraling. The Prius arguably hasn't been the "it car" that it was once upon a time with EVs taking the mantle for an eco-friendly statement, countless hybrid entries now flooding the market in every conceivable shape and size, and time itself marching on. Even Toyota's own showroom is filled with hybrids.
The latest Prius is a winner in terms of eye-catching design, but its a loser in terms of sales. It's not a new issue, but it's a continuing one with the numbers becoming grimmer as the months and years go by. The Prius has had a rough decade. It's likely not one single issue at hand, but multiple factors all colliding at once.
Senior Editor Adam Ismail and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder dive into what Toyota said in terms of Prius sales plunging, take a look at all the outside factors, and discuss whether the outlook is dire for the Prius or if the icon will live on.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
Prius Sales Are Tanking So Far in 2026. We Asked Toyota Why
2026 Toyota Prius Nightshade Review: The Practical Car Goes Peacocking
I Drove a Yellow Toyota Prius and My Whole Town Fell in Love
00:00 Intro
04:38 Prius sales are tanking
09:30 The Prius vs the Camry
11:53 Sedan sales can still be healthy
13:11 Various factors affecting Prius sales
14:04 The Prius was a household name
16:22 Does the Prius matter anymore?
23:33 Do we need a sporty Prius?
24:14 Will Toyota kill the Prius in the U.S.? Will the nameplate live on?
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With gas topping $4 a gallon this week amid the war with Iran, the EPA announced a plan to lower prices and stretch America's fuel supply by cutting more of it with ethanol. Will it work? Probably not. And as Joel, Kyle, and Andrew explain, it could actually ruin your car's engine.
Ethanol is an alcohol made from corn, and it's commonly added to gasoline as an oxygenator that helps it burn more cleanly and raises the octane rating. We used to use lead, but... that didn't work out. But there are downsides: it's less energy dense than uncut gasoline, so the more ethanol you add, the less efficient your car's engine runs. It's also a solvent, so it will eat away at rubber seals, hoses, and plastics in engines not designed for it. And it degrades quicker in higher temperatures, creating more smog during the summer.
Normally, a gallon of gas is about 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline by liquid volume. E15 gas, which is 15% ethanol, is sold in a number of states during the cooler months as "88 octane", and it's a bit cheaper—because you're literally buying less gas and more ethanol per gallon. Oil companies are typically banned from selling it from June to September because of the smog issue, but the EPA is now waiving the rule to encourage refineries to make more E15.
But if your car was made before 2001, even that 5% bump in ethanol content can really screw up your engine. E15 gas will also damage smaller two-stroke engines in motorcycles, lawn mowers, and boats. And even if you have a newer car, there's still a risk that comes with opting for cheaper 88 octane—especially if your car requires premium fuel.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
The Feds Plan To Start Diluting Gasoline This May: Explained
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The secret is out: Toyota is planning to build a crazy Baja-blasting version of the Tundra pickup. Does it stand a chance against the Ford F-150 Raptor? And why are we so obsessed with uber off-road trucks in America anyways?
We've been on top of this story since 2022, when a source tipped us off that the model was in development. Things went quiet for a while, but earlier this month we uncovered a trademark filing from Toyota for the name "TRD Hammer," and another source confirmed the name would be used for a high-speed, desert-runner pickup to compete with the Ford Raptor and the Ram TRX, plus a few more key specs.
This week, Kyle and Joel are spilling the details our reporting uncovered, explaining how we tracked the story over four years, and breaking down the complex reasons why factory off-road pickups and SUVs have become more outrageous—and more popular—than ever before. Plus, what it means for the multibillion-dollar aftermarket industry that's seeing automakers take a bite out of their business.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
A Raptor-Fighting Toyota Tundra Desert Truck Is In Development: Source
Looks Like the Toyota Tundra Raptor Rival Has a Name: TRD Hammer
Toyota’s Tundra TRD Hammer Targets V6 F-150 Raptor With Hybrid Power and 37-inch tires
Why a simple new truck has to cost over $70,000 in 2025 (YouTube)
2026 Ford Mustang Raptor Rumor Sounds Too Crazy To Be True … or Is It?
00:00 Intro
02:10 The battle heats up
05:19 How Ford made the market
08:23 Toyota's secret revealed
25:55 Why GM is MIA
30:25 Why the off-road business is booming
45:17 Outro
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Ah, Montana. Big Sky Country, the Last Best Place, and... Land of Tax Evasion?
This week, we're diving into the controversy around the Montana license plate loophole. A quirk of Montana law allows non-residents to buy and register cars there without ever setting foot in the state, and it's been heavily used by wealthy people around the country to avoid paying their own state's sales taxes and registration fees on expensive cars—saving tens of thousands of dollars in the process.
As a result, Montana has twice as many registered cars as actual people living in the state. And those other states are getting sick of losing millions of dollars in revenue to Montana. This month, California charged 14 people with tax evasion, money laundering, and conspiracy over using the loophole, pushing an open secret into the national spotlight, with the promise of more enforcement to come.
It's turning into a real mess. The Drive's editor-in-chief Kyle Cheromcha and executive editor Andrew Collins are breaking down how exactly the Montana trick works, what happened in California, and why this loophole is so hard to close for the rest of the country.
Thanks to the National Corvette Museum for sponsoring today's episode! Enter here (https://bit.ly/4uBefxU) for your chance to win a '65 Corvette. Entries close April 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM CT. This is your shot – don’t let it pass.
Link to the California case charging document: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Complaint_Redacted_1.pdf
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
California Is Done With Rich Guys Registering Their Exotic Cars in Montana
YouTuber WhistlinDiesel Arrested for Allegedly Evading Sales Tax on Ferrari F8 Tributo
Why the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon is a Secret Tax Write-Off
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General Motors just did something unprecedented. It brought a car back from the dead—with the promise of killing it again. Today, we're diving into the life, death, and temporary revival of the $29,000 Chevrolet Bolt—the cheapest EV you can buy in America—and how its saga represents a lot that's gone wrong in the new car market is today.
The Bolt was GM's first modern electric car when it was launched in 2017, beating the Tesla Model 3 to production. For a time was the only EV under $50,000 with over 200 miles of range, and owners adored their little oddball hatchbacks. But in 2023, GM announced it was killing the Bolt to focus on building full-size electric pickups and SUVs, part of a massive plan to make an all-EV lineup by 2035.
People were furious . The media (hi) was incredulous. Why would GM just kill a popular, affordable EV with sales at an all-time high? After a few months of heavy criticism, GM reversed course and promised it would find a way to put the Bolt back into production. It was an unprecedented move, but three years and a lot of work later, the car is back, basically the same price, better than ever.
Trouble is, it's a completely different world now. EV sales have plateaued, no one is buying those expensive electric pickups, the federal tax credit is gone, and the Bolt is now the cheapest electric car you can buy in this country. Other automakers are prepping their own affordable EVs to compete. And yet, GM is getting ready to kill the Bolt again in just 18 months.
What is going on here? Joel and Kyle get into it all after Kyle spent a day test-driving the new-old Chevy Bolt and pressing the car's engineering team for answers.
[Thanks to the National Corvette Museum for sponsoring today's episode! Enter here (https://bit.ly/4uBefxU) for your chance to win a '65 Corvette. Entries close April 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM CT. This is your shot – don’t let it pass.]
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
2027 Chevrolet Bolt First Drive Review: Back from the Dead and Better Than Ever
00:00 Intro
04:07 Bolt's rise and fall
12:11 Who killed the Bolt?
24:30 The resurrection
30:16 The new Bolt's promise
43:44 Uncertain future
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Rivian just green lit its own internal performance division, dubbed the Rivian Adventure Department or RAD for short, to move from skunkworks to something larger than one-off passion projects and software development. The usage of the word "yes" landed Rivian here, but now that we have RAD there's a laundry list of questions.
This week, Kyle and Joel break down the history of events that formed RAD as a skunkworks operation to where we are today, what it means, what's to come, and what's realistic. The startup automaker is burning through cash as it inches towards launching the smaller, less expensive, more mainstream R2 electric SUV in the coming months. Will it arrive on time and as promised? And what's Rivian doing to tackle its low its reliability score from Consumer Reports and long service wait times?
Joel spent time with various executives ranging from founder and CEO RJ Scaringe to VP of Engineering and Quality, Brian Gase, along with R1 Chief Engineer Luke Lynch to get answers to burning questions and decipher the past, present, and future.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
BMW Has M, Mercedes Has AMG, and Now Rivian Has RAD
Rivian’s RAD Tuner Is Like An Equalizer For Your EV’s Powertrain
2026 Rivian R2 Arrives With 300-Plus Mile Range, Eyes-Off Driving, 0-60 Under 3 Seconds
2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough
Rivian’s Slick RAD Tuner Could Come To Other Performance Models
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2025 Rivian R1S First Drive Review: Cutting-Edge Again
00:00 Intro
7:10 How RAD went from skunkworks to official division
11:13 RAD Tuner
25:43 Liveries, paint colors, and limited edition drops
30:11 The R2
36:56 Will Rivian give us buttons and knobs?
41:05 Rivian's service times, quality, and customer satisfaction
50:10 One more thing!
51:22 Outro
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Jeep is in trouble. The rugged American icon finds itself struggling to dig out from mountain of problems: plummeting quality, skyrocketing prices, and confusing strategic shifts that alienated its most loyal fans. Now, with a new CEO in town, Jeep is trying to smash the reset button.
This week, Kyle and Joel are joined by The Drive’s senior editor and resident truck expert Caleb Jacobs to explain how a company known for trail-rated trucks got lost in the wilderness, whether it can recapture its old-school magic in today’s challenging environment, and if its move to bring back the Jeep Cherokee SUV as Toyota-fighting hybrid crossover is a step in the right direction, or too little too late.
Building and selling new cars at a price that makes sense for consumers is hard enough right now, but Jeep faces an even bigger obstacle: its parent company Stellantis, the multinational conglomerate with 14 brands across multiple continents under its umbrella. Many of Jeep’s biggest stumbles—spending billions to launch a half-finished electric SUV, an ambitious plug-in hybrid push that ended in a rash of battery fires and recalls, raising MSRPs to reposition itself as a luxury brand, and relentless cost cutting to pay for all of that—came from Stellantis’ European focus and top-down decision-making structure.
To get back on track, Jeep needs to get back to basics, and new CEO Bob Broderdorf is promising a new golden era for the brand that starts with listening to what American buyers actually want from it. Jeep knows mistakes were made. The big question is whether it’s actually capable of doing what’s necessary to correct them.
Stories mentioned in today's episode:
2026 Jeep Cherokee First Drive Review: Is This the Anti-XJ?
2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee First Drive Review: The Four-Cylinder Is Punchy But Imperfect
All Jeep and Chrysler Plug-In Hybrid Models Are Officially Dead: Exclusive
Jeep Teases V8 Grand Cherokee Return: ‘Stay Tuned’
Jeep VP Says ‘You Can Imagine What Is Coming’ About SRT Trackhawk Return
What Happened to All the Off-Road Grand Cherokees? Jeep’s Sales VP Explains
2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Review: Unfortunately Unfinished
00:00 Intro
3:08 How Jeep lost the trail
17:48 New look Cherokee?
26:18 Grand plans
39:50 Lineup cleanup
57:49 Outro
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No, really. A Tesla Model S just drove itself 3,081 miles from Los Angeles to New York City with zero accidents and zero human intervention for the first time. Was it just another stunt, or a watershed moment for self-driving tech?
Today we're taking you inside the Tesla FSD Cannonball Run, as its organizer and wheelman Alex Roy named it after the famous cross-country speed record challenge. Joel is joined by Alex and The Drive editor Byron Hurd, who broke the news of the run in an exclusive story late last month, to dive into the planning, the challenges, the surprises, and the significance of a car actually driving itself across the US. In the middle of a brutal winter, no less.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology has been a flash point since it launched in limited public beta tests in 2020. Its capabilities on surface streets and highways have since reached incredible heights through successive software updates—but it's also been plagued by unpredictable errors, dangerous glitches, its involvement in multiple fatal crashes, and an ongoing federal probe. Adding to the controversy is Tesla's reliance on cheaper cameras to help the car "see" instead of the lidar-based systems used by other major automakers. Also, despite the name it still requires the driver to look at the road ahead and be ready to take over.
But as Alex and his co-pilots Warren Ahner and Paul Pham showed, for all its faults Tesla FSD is still the most advanced semi-autonomous driving technology on the market today. And while it's taking longer than predicted, the leap from here to an actual self-driving car might be smaller than we think.
A Tesla Actually Drove Itself from Los Angeles to New York: Exclusive
00:00 Intro
04:20 Alex Roy has a plan
10:50 How it came together
24:19 Winter is coming
37:15 What it really means for drivers
52:31 Outro
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