Though it may not be everyday that you take the doors off the Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid vehicle, our steadfast Tech Talk host, Rick DeMeis, figures that this is one SUV that stands to blow the doors off many wannabe off-road 4x4s when it comes to capability and convenience. Find out why in this week’s episode. That’s not all. There’s plenty more automotive and technology news coverage this week, as always.
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(Originally featured on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program.)
Enjoy listening to your favorite episodes while you drive.
2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe
“Since its introduction, the Jeep Wrangler has set new levels of 4×4 capability with each new generation, dating all the way back to 1941... Wrangler offers customers more choice with best-in-class gas engines to the only electrified off-road SUV, the Wrangler 4xe, which continues to be the best-selling plug-in hybrid in the United States.” ~ Jim Morrison, senior vice president and head of Jeep brand North America
A road trip with the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid proved more than economical for Tech Talk host Rick DeMeis. Hear the details on this week’s episode of Rick’s Tech Talk on RPM News Weekly.
Also, listen in for a trunk full of automotive news and space exploration highlights.
(Originally featured on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program.)
Enjoy listening to your favorite episodes while you drive.
2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
“Hyundai recognized the changing shift in the attraction of SUVs, for their practicality, performance and adventurous offerings. Our ability to be nimble, design focused, and offer multiple powertrain alternatives while also listening to our customers, has placed Hyundai at the top of the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Best of SUVs list for 2023.” ~ Olabisi Boyle, vice president, product planning and mobility strategy, Hyundai Motor North America
RPM News Weekly fills in for KOWS-FM DJ RT Newt with a PHEV-Times-Two episode of Rick’s Tech Talk this week. Taking center stage are the Alfa Romeo Tonale and the Mazda CX-90; one a sporty premium compact SUV and the other a spacious three-row full-size SUV. Listen in for all the details. There’s lots more, too, with a report about an iseecars.com study of used car prices, and a new agreement among automakers to expand the EV Charging Network, plus interesting technology features, as always.
Want to stay up to date with the latest episodes? We can deliver Tech Talk to your inbox every week. Just hit the subscribe button in the sidebar at RPM News Weekly.
(Originally featured on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program.)
Enjoy listening to your favorite episodes while you drive.
2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale
“We are happy to announce the official EPA electric range of 33 miles and 77 MPGe for the Alfa Romeo Tonale, which will allow many of our customers to drive their daily commutes without tapping the fuel tank. The Alfa Romeo Tonale represents the beginning of our transformation to greater electrification while staying true to the performance characteristics our customers expect from the brand, including a best-in-class 285 horsepower.” ~ Larry Dominique, SVP, head of Alfa Romeo North America
2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV
2024 Mazda CX-90
“While this is Mazda’s first plug-in hybrid in the U.S., the CX-90 PHEV will maintain the responsiveness, performance, and driving dynamics that define Mazda vehicles. This all-new e-Skyactiv G powertrain, tuned specifically for the North American market, will provide customers with the best of both worlds in terms of performance and efficiency..” ~ Mazda Media
The Claremont Police Department in Claremont, NH, took a significant step towards an all-electric future with a generous donation from their local Ford dealership.
by Peter Ciani
The Claremont Police Department in Claremont, NH, took a significant step towards an all-electric future with a generous donation from their local Ford dealership.
Ford of Claremont’s Christian Gomes presented the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning Pro SSV pickup truck, the first of its kind to be delivered in the Northeast.
Gomes, a former NYPD officer turned car dealer, has already donated three vehicles to the department since opening his Ford franchise in the city, including a Ford Interceptor Utility Vehicle, Ford Interceptor Hybrid Utility Vehicle, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
2021 Ford Police Interceptor & Harley Davidson Motorcycle donated by Ford of Claremont.
Ford has built a rich and enduring legacy in the police car industry dating back to the early 1900s. The new F-150 Lightning Pro SSV seamlessly melds Ford’s latest EV technology with its decades of fleet vehicle experience.
Police departments all across the country have consistently favored Ford vehicles for their power, price, and reliability. Consequently, the automaker has played a significant role in mobilizing the nation’s police departments, whether it was with Model T paddy wagon conversions or the evolutionary 1950 Ford sedan and ubiquitous Crown Victoria. As law enforcement needs evolved, Ford continued to adapt and innovate, contributing to the development of purpose-built police cruisers as we know them today.
After the retirement of the long-running Crown Victoria, many police departments gradually transitioned to the Ford Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility which offered a more comfortable ride, improved fuel efficiency, and better all-weather performance.
In 2020, the redesigned Interceptor Utility received a significant update, adopting a rear-wheel-drive-biased chassis that improved handling and increased interior space.
The Redesigned 2020 Police Interceptor Utility features a standard Hybrid powertrain. Photo: Ford Media
However, the most notable change for the 2020 Interceptor was the introduction of a standard Hybrid powertrain. Hybrid technology represented a big step toward more environmentally-friendly police patrol vehicles. At the time Ford estimated that the pursuit-rated hybrid police utility would save departments between $3,500 and $5,700 per year in fuel costs. Hybrid power in a police car makes a ton of sense, especially considering how much time these vehicles spend idling either on the side of the road or while on a call.
RPM News was on hand to test drive the Interceptor Utility when It made its debut. (See video.)
With states heading toward strict emissions regulations and EV mandates it’s only logical that the next evolution of the police car will be a move toward gas-free, battery-electric vehicles. That’s where the Ford F-150 Lighting Pro SSV comes in.
Introduced last year as a special service variant of the popular all-electric Lightning pickup, the Lightning Pro SSV was designed to handle specialized departmental needs outside of pursuit situations according to Ford.
Having driven a few Lightning models, I can honestly say that I don’t believe pursuit would be a problem, especially considering that the Lightning Pro SSV is offered with 452 and 580 horsepower powertrain options, both delivering up to 775 pound-feet of torque.
Police-specific interior upgrades include heavy-duty cloth seats with reduced bolsters for easy entry and exit and built-in steel intrusion plates in the front seat backs to protect against someone stabbing through the seat. The interior also features easy-to-clean rear vinyl seats and vinyl flooring.
(Left) Lightning Pro SSV with added police equipment; (Right) Police-Spec cloth seats
Mechanically there isn’t much that needs to be upgraded for police duty. Gone are the days of upgraded heavy-duty suspensions and larger V8 power plants with factory dual exhausts.
Like the civilian F-150 Lightning, the F-150 Lightning Pro SSV is offered with standard and extended-range battery packs, delivering between 240 and 320 miles on a full charge. The Lightning’s mega handy, Mega Power Frunk also carries over to the Lightning Pro SSV.
Claremont Police Chief Brent Wilmont shakes hands with Christian Gomes from Ford of Claremont.
During the hand-off at the dealership, Claremont Police Chief Brent Wilmont candidly admitted his initial skepticism when Christian Gomes pitched the idea of donating an all-electric vehicle to the department. Chief Wilmont recalled, “I think it was about a year ago when Chris came to me and said he was interested in donating an electric car to our fleet. I think I laughed at him the first time. I said, “An electric car in a police fleet? I don’t know how I feel about that.””
Chief Wilmont’s reaction reflects common concerns about the feasibility and performance of electric vehicles in law enforcement, but thankfully he was open-minded enough to learn a bit about the Lightning before dismissing the idea altogether and was eventually won over by its all-electric performance.
“The first time that he and I took it for a ride I was blown away, quite literally blown away. I’ve never driven a vehicle that has so much power as this thing does, but on top of power it’s utterly silent and environmentally friendly, there’s so many benefits to it.” Wilmont said.
Ford of Claremont also contributed to the costs of outfitting and the addition of a level 2 charger at the station.
Sublime confidence takes no seductive shortcuts in the 2023 Dodge Charger Swinger Special Edition. It’s all right there in your hands and in everything you feel behind the wheel as this magnificent 485 horsepower quintessential work of modern industrial art envelops mind and body in the low, rumbling murmur of its 6.4-liter HEMI V8 heart.
Only 1000 of these will ever make transport out of the Brampton Ontario Canada factory where they are being assembled. After that, they are gone. The commemorative badge under the hood tells you that this is indeed the “Last Call” for Chargers. In this, the final year of production for both the Charger and its Challenger sibling, Dodge is unleashing a collectors treasure chest of seven limited edition series variants of which the Charger Swinger is number four.
How fitting for the automaker to take a page from its muscle car history book and revive the Swinger moniker for this special edition. As one might expect, Dodge didn’t stop there. While reaching back for the name, they also brought forth retro exterior and interior design elements including the classic F8 Green exterior color (as shown) and other retro colors, as well as green interior accent stitching and a Swinger dashboard badge.
It’s not just retro, though. There are more ways to gauge performance in this car than ever were offered in the original Swinger’s heyday, and with the Scat Pack Widebody Package components, (such as a flat bottom steering wheel, competition suspension, Brembo 6-piston fixed front caliper brakes, and body color fender flares, which beef up the vehicle’s width by 3.5 inches) capability and appearance coalesce.
Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer at Stellantis summed it up with this, “Dodge Swinger models have always held a unique spot in the Dodge muscle-car pantheon, and these modern-day models bring that fun back to life.”
RPM News Weekly had the opportunity to enjoy some of that fun during a week-long test drive of the Charger Scat Pack Swinger. Here are a few photos we took along the way.
RPM News Weekly Photos by Rich Taber
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With the launch of the all-new IONIQ 6 electric sedan, Hyundai has made it crystal clear that they are not tip-toeing into the manufacturing and sale of EVs. For Tech Talk host Rick DeMeis, spending a week with an ultimate red Limited AWD edition of the model confirmed that it is indeed a brave new world that we are entering upon.
As if this were not enough to keep him occupied between episodes, our host also managed to track down news of an Italian automaker’s plan to develop EVs with 500-mile range, and a Boston company’s exhibit at the Paris Air Show that hovers on the frontier of hyperdrive. The cherry on this sundry exploration into the future comes in the form of Paul McCartney’s announcement of a final Beatle song to be accomplished by way of artificial intelligence.
A weekly feature on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program hosted by RT Newt.
“We always want to connect with customers on an emotional level and with the design of the IONIQ 6 we have created truly one of a kind. The daring streamliner styling combines strong emotional appeal with aerodynamic efficiency to give exceptional range. Inside, we set-out to create a personal studio which offers the mindful space and calm functionality which, we believe, elevates EV design.” ~ SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center
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