We know that Tesla had plans to release an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), called Cyberquad . But before adults can ride one, the company decided to roll out a pint-sized version for kids.

The $1,900 Cyberquad for kids was listed on the company’s website last night as a surprise. .If you had any doubts about the design, you can take a look at the pictures and conclude it’s inspired by the Cybertruck.

That front looks like a deadly robot rushing to attack you. Apart from its intimidating fascia and angular body design, the vehicle features a full-steel frame, a cushioned seat, and adjustable suspensions with rear disc brakes.

Let’s talk specs: the all-electric ATV can run up to 15 miles (24.1 km) on a full charge with a top speed of 10 miles per hour (16 km per hour). The company says that it’s suitable for kids aged eight and above.

Earlier this week, the company released a Cbertruck inspired Cyberwishtle for $50 , and it’s already been sold out.

It’s smart of Tesla to introduce this during the holiday season, but it says that shipping will begin in 2-4 weeks, so there’s no guarantee that your order will arrive in time to stash under the family Christmas tree . Womp womp!

Rivian’s amazing new warranty should be the standard for all EV brands

Amazon-backed electric SUV maker Rivian is quietly making a name for itself as one of the most exciting newcomers to the electric vehicle market. Not only are its cars looking great, it’s also offering after-sales service that sets a new standard for the industry.

Over the past week, sleuths over on Rivian forums spotted updates to the EV startup’s vehicle warranties, and it has well and truly thrown down the gauntlet to all other manufacturers with its five-year, 60,000-mile comprehensive warranty.

I’m not surprised if warranties don’t get you as hot under the collar as they do me, so bear with it.

What makes Rivian’s warranty so good?

Typically, car warranties cover two things, time or miles driven, whichever comes first.

It’s quite common for carmakers to offer a comprehensive three year, or 36,000 mile, warranty. If you drive more than 36,000 miles in three years, then your warranty expires. That’s what “whichever comes first” means.

Rivian’s warranty, however, squeezes a little more out of that. According to the company’s website , the comprehensive warranty covers, “The cost of all parts and labor necessary for any defective materials are covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.”

The EV maker also offers a very impressive corrosion warranty too. Rivian is covering all body panels for eight years, with unlimited miles. This is two years longer than Land Rover’s corrosion warranty.

Given that its vehicles are intended to be used off-road, in dirty and wet conditions, this is great to see.

Beyond the usual

However, because Rivian is an electric carmaker it also offers warranty on its battery, motors, and drivetrain components.

It’s safe to say its battery and drivetrain warranties are beyond great, they are the best for any electric carmaker.

Rivian says it will cover all components inside its high-voltage battery pack, for eight years or 175,000 miles. While covering the pack for eight years is quite common, usually other manufacturers remove cover after 100,000 miles.

The Amazon-backed startup will also cover the battery for 70% or more coverage, over that period too. So battery degradation shouldn’t be a concern. Although, many other manufacturers cover up to 80% of charge. But this seems to be the only area where Rivian doesn’t best the competition.

Drivetrain

As for the drivetrain, that’s also covered for eight years and 175,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The best bit of all though, is Rivian’s warranty is super clear, understandable, and doesn’t appear to leave much wiggle room for the company to charge customers for repairs by claiming it’s not covered by the warranty.

What’s more, Rivian’s warranty applies to all of its vehicles, and all the components unless otherwise stated.

Sure it only makes two models right now, but the wording suggests it’ll have one warranty that will apply to all of its cars. Not like Tesla, where every vehicle has a slightly different warranty, and not all components are included.

Self-driving cars are exciting and all, but this is the kind of simple disruption is what the motor industry actually needs.

Looking good

Of course, we’ll have to wait for owners to start submitting warranty claims to see how Rivian responds, but so far it’s looking good.

The robust and clear warranty should give potential buyers a generous helping of confidence too.

It’s always a bit of an unknown, buying into a new car brand which has no track record for reliability. Knowing you’re covered by a solid warranty is great for peace of mind. If something does go wrong, it’s just an inconvenience — not a financially ruinous incident.

Hopefully other EV makers will follow in Rivian’s footsteps by simplifying and strengthening their warranties.

If you want more detail on how Rivian’s warranty stacks up against the competition, John Goreham over on Torque News did a great comparison. Check it out here .

I hope you’re as excited about warranties as I am now.

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Utrecht will host world’s first vehicle-to-grid charging — it just needs the cars

Utrecht, a small city in the Netherlands, wants to be the first region in the world with a bidirectional ecosystem. How? By using vehicle-to-grid charging stations.

V2G technology is an efficient and cheap way to store and use renewable energy . The idea is simple: the transfer of electricity from cars to the grid. That way, the high-capacity storage of EV batteries doesn’t go to waste, while they’re not in use, and they can feed back into the grid as an alternative form of sustainable energy.

Even though this technology is still at an early stage, Utrecht is leading the way and in the last two years has installed almost 500 bidirectional public charging stations.

The Dutch clean mobility company We Driver Solar is a vital partner in the city’s attempts, and now Hyundai has also signed an agreement with Utrecht, where it will launch the IONIQ 5, its first car with bidirectional charging tech.

By summer, Hyundai and We Drive Solar plan to test V2G charging at designated stations throughout the city, a nd to implement We Drive Solar’s car sharing system . By early 2022, up to 150 bidirectional shared Hyundai EVs will hit Utrecht’s streets.

HT – Utrecht Region , Singularity Hub

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