Electric vehicles out in force at New York International Auto Show
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- With the New York International Auto Show about to get underway at the Javits Center, early previews reveal new electric vehicles never seen before.
At the Rivian display -- a new car company -- you will quickly notice the new R1T, the first all-electric five-passenger pickup truck designed like no other, and the R1S, an electric SUV with three row seating.
"Not only is it something you can use every day, but it's also something you can take off-road and really experience the adventure lifestyle," Vice President of Vehicle Design Jeff Hammoud said.
The truck's unique styling is what you notice right away.
"Stadium shaped headlights, which are common on the two vehicles, but then we have this entire light bar that goes across the top," Hammoud said.
And it is filled with storage spaces from a front trunk to a gear tunnel that you access from a door on the side of the truck.
"This just drops down, and you can see here it provides a storage tunnel all the way through," Hammoud said.
The bed in the back also features two bicycle locking mechanisms, and buyers also have the choice of three battery pack sizes.
"The mid pack size, which is 135 kilowatt hours, is good for about a 315 mile range," Hammoud said. "Our largest pack is 180 kilowatt hours, that's good for over 400 miles of range."
There is a motor on each wheel, too, and the interior is plush with wood accent and a large instrument screen.
Starting at $69,900 for the pickup, the R1S comes in a couple of thousand dollars more. Government incentives are also available.
"Making the vehicle really, really usable is something that is important to us," Hammoud said.
Audi is rolling in with the brand new all electric e-tron with SUV styling.
"The SUV space is obviously huge for the market place so we made a good call it looks like," Vice President of Product Management Filip Brabec said.
The e-tron range comes in at 204 miles.
"We built in a lot of things inside the vehicle to make sure that you really hang onto as much of that range as possible as you drive everyday," Brabec said.
Another key factor for drivers is fast charging capabilities.
"With a 95 kilowatt hour battery, you can charge over 80% in just 30 minutes," Brabec said.
The interior, offering two trim levels, is plush with plenty of room and a large instrument panel.
It starts at $74,800 plus government incentives and is expected in showrooms in May.
"It was important for us to build as normal an SUV as possible so that the intenders, the people who look at that as their option, they have the easiest way possible to switch from internal combustion to E-V," Brabec said.
Also making its debut is Volkswagen's fun concept ID Buggy with no fixed doors or roof. The two-seater expands the possibilities for electric mobility.
"There is the possibility to do very different, very emotional vehicles based on the platform," manager of Product and Technology Mark Gillies said. "Maybe with partners and maybe with other automakers, potentially."
Electric fun may be in the future.
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