When It Crossed The Finish Line

Of all the race cars that Porsche has made, the 962 was among the most successful. It鈥檚 the very one in which Bell (this time with John Andretti and Bob Wollek) won the 24 Hours of Daytona, marking his last major endurance-racing victory. And if you鈥檙e as victorious in bidding as Bell was in racing, it could be yours. Chassis number 108 is widely recognized as the fastest of the 962s in period, which is no idle praise considering the model鈥檚 vast trophy cabinet. In addition to two Le Mans wins and five at Daytona, the 962 claimed the World Sportscar Championship twice, the IMSA GT Championship four years running, the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship five years in a row. By 1989, Porsche鈥檚 962 was over four and a half years old - a long time for racing cars that are often replaced (or at least extensively upgraded) after just a season or two. But with Bell, Andretti, and Wollek behind the wheel, the old prototype racer still had a trick or two up its sleeve鈥?but not much more than that. When it crossed the finish line, it was less than a minute and a half ahead of the second-place Jaguar XJR9 - barely a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of a round-the-clock race. But a minute or a second, the Porsche won - and it was the 962鈥檚 50th race win. 962-108C-2 (as it was rechristened after modifications) went on to win the Palm Beach Grand Prix and the Porsche Cup USA before being retired at the end of the season.

Part of what has driven these deployment plans for fast-charging systems of 150 kW and higher, according to Peeters, is that lithium-ion battery packs are becoming more affordable鈥攁nd thus larger鈥攎ore rapidly than was anticipated some years ago. 鈥淟ong story short, if you don鈥檛 have an EV with a 40-kWh battery, next year you鈥檙e out of business. It鈥檚 that simple,鈥?he said. Yet, not everyone agrees that a bigger battery corresponds to the need for more fast-charging capability. To accommodate both mainstream models at 50 kW and future premium models at 400 kW, commercial charging-hardware manufacturers and commercial charging networks need a lot of flexibility built in. That鈥檚 why several of the leading charging-equipment suppliers are looking at modular upgradable systems. ChargePoint took over all of GE鈥檚 commercial charging stations earlier this year and now claims to be the world鈥檚 largest charging network. The company has announced a new Express Plus architecture that鈥檚 1000-volt compatible and employs combinations of liquid-cooled power modules and power cubes. The company notes that a car of comparable efficiency would recover 45 miles in 15 minutes from a 50-kW DC fast charger or 370 miles of range in the same time with 400-kW hardware.

ABB, too, has designed its chargers鈥攚hich ChargePoint rival EVgo will implement鈥攚ith grid stabilization in mind, so that one of its 1.2-MV (AC) substations can power six of these dual-standard ultrafast chargers. With hardware that鈥檚 built to be upgraded over time, providers also need to be careful where they locate stations. As Michael Jones, ChargePoint鈥檚 vice president of sales, pointed out in a recent presentation, 400 kW equals the power demands of an entire grocery store. As these ultrafast chargers come online, public-charging providers (and automakers) will be faced with new issues. Beyond higher initial costs, these chargers can cost a lot to operate because of surcharges known as demand charges, which are levied by public utilities for energy draws beyond typically expected levels. According to EVgo, these demand fees make up about 80 percent of the operating costs for their chargers. Installing more stalls per site is one way to smooth out usage, bringing the demand-driven expenses down. Another issue is that鈥攁s programs such as Nissan鈥檚 No Charge to Charge have illustrated鈥攗sers tend to opt for the fastest charger their vehicle can use, whether they need that faster rate or not.

The Bolt EV鈥檚 predecessor, the Chevrolet Spark EV, saw about 80 percent of units sold with optional fast charging. Despite the Bolt鈥檚 mammoth improvement in range (238 miles versus the Spark鈥檚 82, per the EPA), GM expects at least that same 80 percent will opt for fast charging on the Bolt EV. Automakers are quick to point out that ultrafast charging won鈥檛 come cheaply; it involves additional weight in the cars (for batteries and cooling systems) and research and durability testing to make sure battery packs can take it. Nevertheless, the newest fast-charging hardware paves the way for a handful of vehicles that will be able to make use of it. With accelerated funding this past year from automakers including Nissan and BMW鈥攁nd a surge of funds from Volkswagen鈥檚 dirty-diesel-atonement organization, Electrify America鈥攊t now appears that the hardware to charge at gas-station speeds is well on its way to wide availability. How much more will owners pay to recharge at 鈥?800 mph鈥? Nobody will venture to say just yet, but as charging providers struggle toward profitability, ultrafast charging could prove to be the secret sauce that transforms the car market.

There does seem to be a sudden renaissance-in-miniature of the full-size luxury 5-door. I鈥檓 not talking SUVs here, let-alone crossovers. These are honest-to-goodness wagons. Why am I preaching about hitching up to a wagon? Logic points out that they are as equally utilitarian as the SUV crowd, unless of course you plan on going off-road on a regular basis. Then add on the better gas mileage, superior vehicle handling and dynamics, and you have a great argument for taking a serious look at these buggies. Just exactly what buggies, er鈥?wagons, do I like? The Rock - 鈥淪olid as a鈥︹€?one might say. Something that Mercedes-Benz cars have been known for over the years. There is also a long tradition of wagons, and the 2017 E400 Wagon carries forward in grand fashion. Would you believe nearly half the E-Class cars sold in Germany are wagons! The stateside version gets a 3.0L V6 engine with 329 horsepower, the excellent E-Class interior, and is bestowed with all of the high-tech insanity that has become Mercedes鈥?calling card.