The average price of a gallon of gas as I write this now is $4.26 per gallon in my Florida county, and $5.90 in California.

That means a local 18-gallon fill-up on a 2026 Subaru Outback could cost about $76 for about 486 miles of travel based on an average 27 mpg.

By comparison, its new EV sibling – the Subaru Trailseeker – can travel about 260 miles on a charge. If you can charge at home, the fuel savings will add up pretty fast (depending on where you live).

Here in Jacksonville it costs $10.40 to charge the Trailseeker from 0-100%. That’s based on the current residential rate of 14 cents per kWh, once taxes and fees are included. Looking at the residential national average of about 17.4 kWh, it would cost $12.90 to fully charge the Trailseeker.

Join the discussion. Post your Trailseeker thoughts in the YouTube comments.

When DC charging, I got 115 miles of range, going from 36% to 81% in 25 minutes – for $17 at a commercial charger. In ideal conditions Subaru says the Trailseeker can charge from 10 to 80% in 28 minutes.

So as Subaru expands its range of EVs in 2026 (we just tested the compact Solterra crossover) there is an EV alternative that could fit the same bill as an Outback – the midsize Trailseeker.

Subaru calls the Trailseeker “our most adventurous EV,” with 375-hp and 8.5 inches of ground clearance. This Indiana-built Subaru shows an aggressive face, starting with a flat nose with body-colored “U” accent, topped with a slim gloss black nose cap along with a big Subaru star logo, dead center. Three slim LED DRL units bisected by lit accent lines flare off each side of the grille. The lower center intake for battery and motor cooling is framed in silver, some of which flows under the nose as a skid plate.

Like most macho crossovers with off-road desires, more black plastic frames front and rear tires. It has 20-inch silver alloy wheels with black aero covers clad in somewhat street-biased Bridgestone Turanza rubber.

Like most Subarus with off-road aspirations, the lower sills are geometric silver and black cladding under angular body lines that flare into slightly broad-shouldered rear fenders. The clamshell hood gets black trim ahead of the raked windshield for looks and to cut glare. The chunky black roof racks can handle 700 pounds of stuff. The black accents continue with the side window pillars and mirrors.

Slim taillights wrap around the tailgate, connected by a lit LED bar over “SUBARU” under clear plastic. The power tailgate opens high enough to clear my head. Its tinted glass is framed by a shade/spoiler. The chunky bumper is in black and silver, covering a trailer hitch, which has a towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds.

The Trailseeker has Subaru’s familiar Outback-style SUV-like shape, with a grille-less EV face. It’s a blunter, more SUV-like visage than Subaru’s Solterra EV, which is sleeker.

Yet Trailseeker gets some sleekness in its rear fender and sloping roofline design, combined with the Outback’s new grille and headlight shape. The Trailseeker is handsome, but blends in when parked in a supermarket lot full of other Subies and crossovers.

2026 Trailseeker Limited EV Includes High-Tech Interior

That 8.5 inches of ground clearance makes it so easy to slide into the black and gray Star-Tex pleather seats, the driver getting power adjustments and dual memory presets and facing a leather-wrapped squircle steering wheel, which is a squared-off circle. That’s when you notice how high-tech the rest of the interior is with its two digital screens. There are a small number of physical controls and a funky transmission controller on a floating center console with storage space underneath.

First, the instrument display isn’t visible through the steering wheel, but above and beyond it. It’s placed roughly where a head-up display would go on the padded, textured dashtop. Its configurable to show digital speed alone; that plus a navigation map; or audio, EV status, smart cruise and safety systems. It’s right where it needs to be to be seen quickly while driving.

Then there’s the 14-inch Subaru Multimedia System with touchscreen, available cloud-based navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The big central screen keeps a handy volume knob, plus dual-zone temperature-adjust dials with integrated degree displays.

There is one significant feature missing from the Trailseeker’s native navigation system. It doesn’t include native route planning with suggested charging stops and automatic battery preconditioning. Many EVs include this feature. To achieve similar functionality Subaru owners will need to install a third party app, with A Better Route Planner being one option, and use the car’s manual precondition function to achieve the same results.

Battery preconditioning heats or cools a battery in advance of arriving at a charging station to ensure the car is at an optimal charging temperature when the driver plugs it in.

I appreciated the climate control touch-buttons in between for fan speed, heated seats and vent adjustment, as well as the left-side main menu tabs for phone, audio and the like. 

The dual inductive chargers at the head of the floating center console are handy and rubberized to hold on to cellphones, yet mine slid out on a turn. The push-to-select transmission knob behind it works fine. It just takes a few taps and twists to get familiar. It’s flanked by Drive Mode and X-Mode selector buttons, plus other driving and safety systems. There are USB-C and 12-volt outlets with the storage space underneath, plus good center armrest capacity.

Back seat access is good through wide-opening doors, with great leg and head room as well as a slightly higher seating position. Those in back get rear vents and an armrest as well as heated outboard seats and more USB-C ports. Rear seatbacks split 60/40 and fold to expand a boxy rear cargo area with remote seatback drop controls. The security cover fits neatly in the under-floor storage area.

Other features in our Limited trim include a Harman Kardon audio system, heated steering wheel, hands-free foot-activated power tailgate and 120-volt cargo area power outlet. While the front hood opens, there’s motor electronics underneath – no frunk.

Comparing The Trailseeker With Subaru’s Solterra EV

The Solterra is 184.6 inches long on a 112.2-inch wheelbase, with 8.3 inches of ground clearance. It’s 4,499 lbs., with an estimated 278 miles of range and 338-hp from dual motors. Our Trailseeker is 190.8-inches long, also on a 112.2-inch wheelbase with 8.5 inches of ground clearance. It’s 4,475 lbs., with an estimated 274 miles of range and 375-hp from two motors.

As you can see from the numbers, the Trailseeker is a tad bigger, a bit lighter, and a bit less powerful. It has an integrated transaxle at front and rear axles for all wheel drive that you can monitor via a center screen, with 74.7-kWh high-capacity lithium-ion battery. And with Eco, Normal and Power drive modes, we had our choice of quick-yet-frugal, quicker-and almost frugal and quickest-and not so-frugal.

2026 Subaru Trailseeker Limited’s Power Mode Suprises Off The Line

We spent a lot of time in Eco mode, which launches slowly, then builds its power flow to keep up with traffic. It quickly hit 60 mph in a near-silent (no gearbox, just direct drive) 5.5 seconds, with all four tires putting equal power to the pavement. One annoyance – the Trailseeker doesn’t stay in Eco, but resets to Normal with each ignition off. In Normal mode, the launch is quicker. It’s my favorite mode for daily driving, with good off-the-line speed and passing power.

The real surprise was Power mode. Our 1,100-mile-old crossover leaped off the line a bit abruptly, with a hint of front wheelspin, hitting 60 mph in a quick 4.3 seconds. Those are times no Brat or Legacy ever dreamed of that. And again, near silence except for a muted electric motor whir, some tire and wind whisper, and no drama. The all-wheel-drive just grabbed and went.

We started our drive with 212 miles of range from a 90% charged battery. We drove 138 miles over two days. The last part was in windy, 50-degree temperatures, leaving us with 94 miles of range in a battery with 36% charge left. Since Subaru has adopted the North American Charging Standard (NACS) we can use V3 and higher Tesla Superchargers charger, with no adapter needed, although now drivers will need to use the included CCS or J1772 adapters at many non-Tesla stations.

We used full regenerative braking all the time. It doesn’t bring the Trailseeker to a stop, but allows the motors to turn into generators, slowing us down quickly, and nudging power back into the batteries. It worked so well that the daily work commute would put a few miles back in the battery. We stayed near 200 miles estimated range during a round trip commute. I just wish this battery could recharge to that 300-mile mark.

Four-wheel independent suspension with stabilizer bars, plus good ground clearance gave the Trailseeker a taut yet comfortable ride. It neatly handled speed bumps and potholes with no issues. But that 8.5 inches of ground clearance does reveal some body roll in cornering, although the all-wheel-drive keeps it neutral in exit ramps under power, and near neutral in basic cornering. Push it in a skid pad and there’s understeer washing out the fronts under power, but no drama.

That squircle steering wheel and electric-assist steering gave us a direct feel in Eco mode, and a bit more (slightly artificial) feel in Power mode. The four-wheel disc brakes had a precise pedal feel and good stopping power, although there was a hint of nose dive and some ABS chatter under heavier use from 60 mph. There was no fade after repeated use.

2026 Trailseeker Includes Subaru’s Famous X-MODE

OK, here’s a Subaru that echoes its Outback brother with good ground clearance, all-wheel-drive and some macho cladding, plus X-MODE that sets up drivetrain and all-wheel-drive for snow/dirt, or deep snow/mud. Fire up either mode – only possible under 15 mph – and you get a panoramic view monitor of what’s ahead from a widescreen nose camera, and side views too.

See the video at the top of this post for more Trailseeker vs. Outback comparisons

We tackled a deeply-rutted gravel road and dirt trail, and the independent suspension just ate it up with comfortable rebound. Tapping on the all-wheel-drive split screen, we saw all four tires got power as needed, and we made it through the gravel and dirt, with nothing scaping underneath.

The Trailseeker has a suite of EyeSight safety systems that includes alerts when traffic crosses in front, plus hill-start assist, dynamic radar cruise control, and a simulated overhead image of the Trailseeker when reversing that showed what’s underneath.

Our Trailseeker Limited starts at $43,995, its Daybreak Blue Pearl paint an extra $395, making a final with destination of $45,849. It was not available for sale yet as we wrote this. And FYI – the Trailseeker shares powerplant and infrastructure with Toyota’s bZ Woodland EV crossover, with nose and tail design differences, but basically the same interior.

Bottom line: A Subaru in design, function and family-friendliness, with decent EV range and good power – even does a bit of off-road.

EV Rider’s Bill Bortzfield contributed to this report.

2026 Subaru Trailseeker Limited Specifications

Vehicle type – 4-door, 5-seat all-wheel-drive EV sports utility wagon

Base price – $43,995 ($45,849 as tested)

Powertrain – Front and rear synchronous AC motors

Horsepower (combined) – 375

Battery pack – Lithium-ion

Transmission – Direct drive front and rear w/integral transaxles

Wheelbase – 112.2 inches

Height – 65.9 inches

Overall length – 190.8 inches

Overall width – 73.2 inches

Ground clearance – 8.5 inches

Front headroom – 38.8 inches

Front legroom – 42.1 inches

Rear headroom – 38 inches

Rear legroom – 35.3 inches

Cargo capacity – 31.3 cu. ft./74 w/seats folded

Towing capacity: up to 3,500 lbs.

Curb weight – 4,499 lbs.

Range: Claimed 274 miles

The post Could Subaru’s 2026 Trailseeker EV Replace Your Outback? appeared first on EV Rider.

It’s a truck I’ve waited to test since I saw the first spy shots online.

Even more than the HUMMER EV, I wanted to check out the sleek (for a pickup) Chevrolet Silverado EV, with its aerodynamic nose, seemingly lower greenhouse, flowing roofline, and Max Range battery.

It’s also the Trail Boss.

EV Chevy Trail Boss Surpasses Gas Sibling In Some Respects

This Chevrolet Silverado EV went on sale in the 2024 model year. But it’s not just a redesigned ICE Silverado. Nope – it is built on General Motors’ dedicated Ultium platform – a modular, flexible electric-only architecture used for smaller crossovers to bigger trucks, like the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer/Equinox, and GMC Hummer EV. It’s also a lighter, tighter basis for a full-size pickup. Our 233-inch-long Silverado EV rides on a 145.7-inch wheelbase, while the 241.3-inch-long gas Silverado on a 157-inch wheelbase.

As an EV, it needs no big grille, so there’s a rounded nose with sleek wraparound light bar on top with LED DRLs. Projector headlights are on the curved corners below, while the Chevy emblem lights up – cool

The frunk opens to the front bumper line, its lower lip just above a slim intake to cool batteries and motors. There are two red tow hooks over a skid plate with a pewter center bumper accent. Flat black accents the lower corners with squared-off fender flares and side sills that include steps.

Flanks get gentle sculpting, while side windows seem shallower under a low roof with sweptback C-pillar.

Since this is not a body-on-frame design, the 5-foot-11-inch long cargo bed is flush with the body – very smooth. There are straight rear fender shoulder lines that flow into leading edges of sculpted taillights and black rear bumper.Like many big GM pickups, the MultiPro tailgate gets a dropdown upper section that becomes a work table, or unfolds a step when lowered to get in. You’ll probably use that step quite a bit since the Trail Boss’s 2-inch factory lift offers 24% higher ground clearance than the base Silverado EV.

2026 Chevy Silverado Trail Boss EV Interior

Those running boards, which do not retract, are handy to help get inside. I just wish the driver’s windshield pillar had a grab handle, like the others do. But once in the black and gray leather seats, the driver sees a big change from gas Silverados – a 17.7-inch-diagonal infotainment screen that starts with a configurable digital gauge package that flows past a big audio knob to a widescreen display that can be changed to show EV charging, navigation, audio and more.

Below the volume knob is a touch icon to access the headlight control – I wish there was a button. The majority of needed climate control buttons are icons along the bottom of the center screen. Seat heat/cooling, fan speed, dual-zone temperature and others are controlled by touch. There are also real buttons below it for fan speed, defrost and more.

The glove box gets a rubberized shelf above it under a stitched faux leather dashboard panel. Dashtop and doortops get a soft-touch textured black rubber, with padded gray inserts. The padded, stitched leather steering wheel power tilts and telescopes, the usual controls in front and one small paddle shifter behind for full regenerative braking like the old Volt used to – it brings the Silverado to a complete stop.

Front bucket seats are a bit flat, but comfortable, the driver’s getting dual memory presets. The wide center console starts with a rubberized inductive phone charger with USB ports and cup holders, then lots of room under the center armrest. The 7-speaker Bose sound system is solid, with a 5G Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, and Google built-in, but no HD Radio.

Despite a shorter wheelbase than the gas Silverado, the back seat is roomy, with good adult head and leg room and even enough space for a third in between.

Outboard positions get heat; there’s rear a/c vents and USB ports, and a panoramic fixed glass moonroof that is so well tinted that the Florida sun didn’t cause warming issues. There’s a lightweight sunshade if needed.

2026 Chevy Silverado Trail Boss EV Bed Is Very Versatile

Split 60/40 rear seat bottoms flip up, or forward for more storage, allowing seatbacks to flip forward to also hold stuff. And shades of the 2010-2013 Chevy Avalanche – the Multi-Flex Midgate under the rear window splits and folds to expand the 5-foot-11-inch (57.3-cu-ft) cargo bed (with retractable cover) to over 9 feet.

The rear window can be removed for a nice open air feel. There are cut-out steps in the rear bumper corners to get into the bed. Once you drop the tailgate, stuff over 10 feet in length can be tied down and carried with midgates down.

You can watch a demonstration of how it works in the video at the top of this post.

There’s a usable 10.7-cubic-foot frunk with power bonnet. This EV can haul up to a 12,500-lb. trailer, although experts said that cuts its spectacular driving range almost in half, to about 220 miles depending on load, aerodynamics, and speed. That is better than published reports on a Ford Lightning EV hauling the average trailer.

One Silverado EV oddity – the passenger-side mirror isn’t convex to get a wider view of traffic. But this Silverado has left and right blind-spot cameras activated by the turn signal, displayed on the center screen. The rearview mirror can also flip to become a video screen with a wide rear camera view.

This truck is so slick, literally, that my sandwich shop guy gushed about how cool it looked when I quietly rolled up. And it got some glances at a recent car show I parked at. Gas-loving as many of those folks were, they admired this EV’s all-wheel-drive from front and rear motors, 205-kWh lithium-ion battery, and 725-hp and 775 lb-ft of torque. They also loved that there’s no start/stop button – get in with the keyfob and it turns on, then lift off the brake and open the door to shut it off.

Here’s the breakdown:

The Silverado EV is aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of approximately .331. The current 2025 Chevy Silverado 1500 (gas)  has a drag coefficient of around .38.

2026 Chevy Silverado Trail Boss EV Range, Power, Fuel Cost

A 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss with the Max Range NCMA (Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Aluminum) battery pack, which we had, has a GM-estimated range of up to 478 miles on a full charge from a massive 205 kWh battery pack and a 350kW charging speed. Real-world estimates seem to be 430 to 470 miles, compared to the 240 to 300 miles we have gotten in recent Lightning tests. I hear that the Ultium battery can go from 5 to 80 percent charge in under 50 minutes on a DC fast charger, and gain a GM-estimated 100 miles in 10 minutes.

There’s a NACS adapter so you can plug into a Tesla Supercharger for a recharge, giving you about 25,000 additional charging locations across the U.S. Plugging in for a 10-80% charge (about 140-160 kWh) at a commercial Level 3 station can cost up to $120, experts say. GM also estimated 37 miles of range per hour if you use a Level 2 charger, which isn’t bad.

To compare: a turbodiesel Silverado gets a claimed 600 to 700 miles on a full tank. As this was written, diesel cost $5.20 or more a gallon in Florida, or over $120 for a full tank. A Silverado with the 6.2-liter gas V-8 seems to offer 350 to 450 miles on a full 24-gallon tank of premium gas – about $112 for a full tank now.

But the real savings happens when charging at home. Here in Jacksonville, FL, a kWh costs 14 cents, meaning a full charge at home costs $28.70. Residential electric prices across the country tend to be much cheaper than gas or what Level 3 DC stations typically charge.

This 8,778-lb. truck has multiple drive modes – Normal, Off-road, Towing, Terrain, and MyMode. That last mode allows you to set the powertrain on Sport, as well as stiffening up steering feel. There’s no change in suspension height or ride quality since the Trail Boss has off-road tuned coil springs and a fixed 2-inch lift.

Set on Normal, our 4,000-mile-old truck launched quickly, hitting 60 mph in a quick 5.5 seconds. Tapped in MyMode with sport selected, this EV reared up a bit as all four tires dug in, and we hit 60 mph rapidly in 4.9 seconds. We tried a few of these rapid launches one after another, with no diminution of launch torque, nor range diminishing too quickly. And acceleration from a stoplight, or to pass, was great – no drama, it just did it.

Then there’s the W.O.W. factor – Wide Open Watts – a back-to-back lightning bolt touch icon on the drive mode page. Tap it and the speakers exude a serious electronic growl as the powertrain goes for maximum propulsion. We got front wheelspin as this big EV launched very fast to 60 mph in 4 seconds flat, the turbine soundtrack rising in intensity as you go – W.O.W.! It responds to throttle VERY quickly – but it will reduce the range, and it will not function when the vehicle battery is low.

This is the first EV I’ve tested that never gave me range anxiety. Starting with 451 miles estimated range and 93% battery charge, I went about my business for three days and still had 365 miles of estimated range left, and a 76% battery charge. And we still had about 260 miles when the week ended with 4,150 miles on the clock and 59% charge. Regenerative braking gained a few miles of range on the fly, via that small paddle on the steering wheel, or one-pedal driving. You can adjust the regen amount off a center display menu. Both bring you to a stop.

This truck has a fully independent coil suspension with a hydraulic rebound control system. Add in tall sidewalls and the on-road ride is very comfortable, swallowing speed bumps with a one after-bounce.

With all-wheel-drive, this EV was neutral around exit ramps, with minimal lean and not a lot of feel that we were cornering in a 4-ton EV with 2-inch lift. The electric power steering loaded up nicely, if feeling a bit artificial. The big guy was more agile in commuting than a gas Silverado. Just like a gas truck, it had a bit of understeer in our skidpad, all-wheel-drive not aiding much. And with 14-inch discs all-round, the Silverado EV had a nice initial bite to the pedal, not too abrupt, with decent stops with plenty of ABS action and a bit of nose dive. There was no fade after repeated hard stops.

Having Trail Boss trim offers more ground clearance and off-road rubber, plus Terrain and Off-road drive modes. I tapped in Off-road and hit a grassy lakefront slope, and the EV absorbed bumps beautifully, with great wet grass traction, all-wheel-steering giving us a very tight (42.2-foot) turning radius to turn on a tight shoreline. I dove into a lumpy, mowed grass field with lots of ruts and bumps – and it also did fine. It clawed its way up and down hillocks and divots with no issues. Rear-wheel-steer helped get around stuff easily.

The EV Trail Boss has a solid 10 inches of ground clearance, vs. the gas version’s 11 inches. But the gas version has gnarlier Goodyear Wrangler off-road rubber and front underbody, oil pan, and transfer case skid plates, vs. the EV’s all-season, all-terrain light truck/SUV rubber, its only underside protection from one front skid plate.

When the Silverado EV was in that bumpy, grassy field, it wasn’t as sure-footed as I’d hoped, with some wheelspin as a front tire spun under power in Offroad mode. It got through it all, but not as well as the GMC Sierra 1500 4WD Crew Cab AT4X AEV I just tested, the sister to the gas Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss.

Four-wheel steering effectively shortens this Silverado’s wheelbase, making turning corners easier to tackle, and U-turns almost within its own length.

Then there’s Sidewinder (Think Hummer EV CrabWalk) mode – rear tires turn with the fronts, and you “slide” around a root or rock on a trail. But it does take a dedicated tap or two in a screen menu to activate, and one time it did not shut off quickly.

Super Cruise gave us autonomous driving on many federal and state highway. It stayed mostly in lane hands-free. This is also a very quiet truck. The only time I heard the motors (outside of the W.O.W. setting) was when the midgate was open and the rear motor’s turbine sound came through.

How much? A gas-powered 5,421-lb. Silverado Trail Boss is about $61,000. It can tow up to 13,000 pounds, and hits 60 mph in just under 5.5 seconds. A base Silverado EV Work Truck, with 286 miles estimated range from a standard 205-kWh battery pack battery pack, 22-kW charging speed and 510 hp, starts at $54,895. Our 8,900-lb. Silverado EV Trail Boss can tow 12,500 pounds, and hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. Our Silverado EV Trail Boss added $5,285 in options, from $1,950 folding bed cover; $1,500 panoramic glass roof; $995 pearl white paint, and a few more items for a total $93,980.

Bottom line: Quick, agile on-road and acceptable off, with a slick look and a really well-developed EV platform with great range – but a tad expensive to buy and commercially charge, and biggish.

2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss Specifications

Vehicle type – full-size 5-passenger crew cab all-wheel-drive electric pickup

Base price – $86,600 ($93,980  as tested)

Powertrain type – dual-motor w/electronic 4WD and torque vectoring, and 205 kWh battery pack

Horsepower (net) – 725

Torque – 775

Transmission – 1-speed transmission

Wheelbase – 146.7 inches

Overall length – 233 inches

Overall width – 83.8 inches w/o mirrors

Height – 79.9 inches

Front headroom – 43.9 inches

Front leg room – 44.8 inches

Rear headroom – 38.7 inches

Rear legroom – 44.3 inches

Cargo bed – 5-foot, 11-inches/57.3 cu. ft. volume

Payload/towing – up to 2,100 pounds/12,500 pounds

Weight – 8,778 lbs.

Range – 478 miles (GM-estimated w/Max Range battery)

The post 2026 Chevy Silverado EV Is The Real Trail Boss appeared first on EV Rider.

Can a smartphone come anywhere close to DSLRs or mirrorless cameras when it comes to long-distance optical zoom lenses? We’re going find out in this week’s episode of EV Rider.

Related: Apexel TeleCular 20-60x optical zoom lens product page on Amazon

The majority of EV Rider is shot on a Samsung Fold 7. It does a fine job most of the time for the type of work I do. But one area where smartphones fall short is extreme zooms.

For example, I included a video clip in this week’s episode as a sample that was shot at 12x digital zoom, which is the maximum digital zoom my Fold 7 supports when shooting 4k video. As you can see in the video at the top of this post, it’s a blurry, pixelated mess.

That’s why I was excited to try out the Apexel TeleCular 20 to 60x optical zoom lens for smartphones. It screws into a clip that goes over your smartphone’s primary lens. The clip is adjustable to fit a wide range of smartphones. The lens also supports 58mm filters such as UV, CPL and starburst.

I headed to Jacksonville, Florida’s downtown riverfront to try it out.

The video clips in the episode at the top of this post have no post-production enhancements. They were shot using my Samsung’s 8k video setting. To fill the screen and avoid seeing the lens’ outline, I zoomed in the phone’s native lens to approximately 2x, meaning the cropped video you’re seeing in the video is roughly 4k, assuming you have a screen that supports 4k and you have YouTube’s video quality set to 4k or higher.

The lens kit includes a tripod but unless you’ll be shooting on a table or other perch, it’s too short to be useful. It also includes a soft carrying case, lens cap and soft lens cleaning cloth. When not being used as a lens, it can be used as a monocular telescope by screwing on an included eyecup attachment.

When you’re zooming in this much, having a sturdy tripod is critical or you’ll end up with a shaky mess.

The lens has two rings. One is near the smartphone to zoom between 20 and 60x. The other ring is at the front of the lens and manually focuses it.

Getting your shot set up takes patience, but that’s going to be true of most extreme zoom lenses with a manual focus. If you’re thinking this lens will work for capturing spur of the moment stuff like a random bird flying by, it won’t. By the time you get it properly focused, the moment will be over.

But if you’ll be using it for shots you can anticipate, like the boats and other things featured in the video, it works as expected, although it’s not perfect.

The edges of some shots came out blurred and there’s some overall muddiness that’s tough to avoid if you’re not shooting in absolutely perfect conditions.

But from what I’ve seen, the optics on similar zoom lenses in this price class for DSLRs also struggle with details. And of course, with larger sensors and generally better optics, you should expect higher quality from dedicated DSLR OEM lenses.

A zoom lens like this requires patience to get worthwhile shots, but as you can see, it does expand the capability of this Z Fold 7.

A professional photographer or videographer with a dedicated high-end camera with glass costing thousands is not going to be satisfied with the results this lens puts out. With that said, if you’re on a budget, like most of us are, or you want to travel as light as possible, this lens is certainly serviceable.

I also took some 20 to 60x zoom photos with the lens, although I spent the vast majority of my time shooting video.The photos, in my opinion, didn’t turn out as good as the video clips, but then again, still images weren’t my primary concern for this review.

By the way, I paid for this lens with my own money. It is not a review unit. If there’s anything about the lens I didn’t answser, drop me a commeent and I’ll do my best to answer your question.

The post Review: Apexel 20-60x Optical Zoom Smartphone Lens appeared first on EV Rider.

What a difference a year makes. Zero Motorcycles has a new scooter, a new CEO, a new corporate home, a new concept bike and apparently, a new direction. We’ll get to the 2026 lineup in a moment, but first the back story.

If you don’t follow Zero Motorcycles closely you might be surprised just how much the company is changing as it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026 and rolls out its 2026 lineup.

Whether you’re a Zero insider or not, it’s apparent the veteran EV motorcycle company has changed its strategy.

Instead of pouring all of its resources into developing expensive, top-tier, long-distance bikes, it’s now diving headfirst into what it no doubt hopes is a higher-volume market; that shifts the near-term emphasis from its U.S. roots to overseas.

The changes actually started several years ago when Zero outsourced most of its assembly line work to IMI in the Philippines.

Then this fall Zero announced two major bombshells. It is moving its global headquarters from California to the Netherlands, and then in November announced a sudden CEO change.

Pierre-Martin Bos replaced long-time CEO Sam Paschel, who is stepping into a senior board advisory role.

At the same time, there’s concern in the Zero community that the SR/S sport touring model might be on the way out, although that hasn’t been confirmed by EV Rider.

The concern arose because the SR/S doesn’t appear in Zero’s first video showing the 2026 model lineup. However, at the time of this video and story’s posting, the SR/S was still listed on Zero’s U.S. and European websites.

Now the biggest news: Zero is launching a new urban Scooter called the LS1.

It sounds like a fantastic urban runabout with 71 miles of range and a roomy storage area under the seat that’s big enough to fit a helmet. Or, riders can opt to add a third battery to increase the range to 106 miles. By the way, we’re talking urban miles here, not U.S. interstate miles. The LS1 scooter’s top speed is expected to be 62 miles per hour when it reaches showrooms.

U.S. EV fans won’t be getting a chance to check the LS1 out anytime soon. It’s not coming to the states, according to multiple reports from sources like Ride Apart, Motorcycle.com and Electrek. But you’ll find plenty of video of the LS1 in the EV Rider episode at the top of this post.

Deliveries in other parts of the world are expected to begin by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, Zero’s bigger bikes that are meant for interstate use are getting minor updates. Zero hasn’t made any public mention of DC-fast charging coming anytime soon.

The SR/F is getting a modest refresh with aero strakes and a redesigned belly pan. The changes are expected to enhance airflow, while it looks like base models of the bigger bikes will now come with 15.6 kWh batteries as standard.

Speaking of airflow, there was also no mention of what looked to be a very promising range gain. In 2024 White Motorcycle Concepts and Zero showed off an SR/S with a new pass-through aero system that resulted in a 10% reduction in drag, which yielded a range gain of between 7 and 9 percent during highway testing. You can see the prototype in the video report at the top of the post.

Zero Motorcycles 2026 Launch Video (story continues below)

But that was two years ago and the SR/S aero concept still hasn’t made production. Given the focus on other models in Zero’s 2026 model year launch video, there’s a real question of how much longer the SR/S will remain available.

Zero, if you’re watching this video or reading this post, please consider dropping a note in the commentts or emailing me about the future of the SR/S for 2026 and beyond so I can update this story with more definitive information.

Now back to the good news: Zero is offering more affordable bikes in the lower end of the market for new riders; especially in Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific.

Zero Motorcycles Lompico Concept EV Motorcycle

Zero is also showing off a new concept bike called the Lompico that will include what Zero says is an all-new operating system called Cypher 4.

That bike also looks like it will be aimed an urban-commute audience since it’s expected to have an 8.8 kWh battery, compared to the 17.3 kWh battery offered in Zero’s current top tier models.

The entry level XB and XE bikes are also returning for their second model year, although they aren’t still aren’t street legal here in the U.S. The XB has a U.S. list price of $4,395, which is the most affordable Zero ever made.

Meanwhile, the price of the new LS1 scooter is expected to slide-in under $10,000, since it’s part of Zero’s All Access initiative, which has a goal of six new models priced under $10,000. The LS1 includes standard traction control and ABS.

For new urban riders in many parts of the world, 2026 looks to be an exciting year to consider a Zero now that it has a more affordable lineup.

But for existing customers looking for a reason to upgrade their bigger, more expensive Zeros, they’ll need once again content themselves with the phrase, “maybe next year.”

More Zero Motorcycles Coverage

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Roundup Of 2025’s EV Motorcycles

EV Motorcyclists Slay Tail Of The Dragon In NC, TN

Top 10 EV Rider Videos Of 2024

Zero Motorcycles Unveils 2 New Models & Concept Bike For 2025

22k Mile Review: Zero SR/F Gets Better With Age

The post Zero Motorcycles’ Big Pivot For 2026 appeared first on EV Rider.

Ford is making waves as it unveils its blueprint for the future of automotive production and that future is most definitely focused on EVs.

Ford is making a $5 billion bet on a new EV platform and manufacturing process that it says will greatly simplify the automotive manufacturing process, making its next-generation of EVs among the most affordable built anywhere in the world.

Called the Ford Universal EV Platform, it’s all going to start with a new mid-size pickup built in Louisville, Kentucky that will reach customers in 2027. Ford CEO Jim Farley says his skunkworks team has thrown out the old rule book.

“We saw this coming for years. We know that the Chinese would be the major player for us globally. Companies like BYD, new startups from around the world. Big technology has their ambition in the auto space,” Farley said Monday, August 11 at Ford’s Louisville plant.

Farley stresses this is a bet that comes with risk. “We’re doing so many new things that I can’t tell you with 100% certainty that this will all go just right. It is a bet. There is risk. The automotive industry has a graveyard littered with affordable vehicles that were launched in our country with all good intentions and they fizzled out with idle plants, laid off workers and red ink and at Ford we set out three years ago to break that cycle.”

The engineering and manufacturing of Ford’s next generation EVs is going to be radically different than how it currently builds EVs with a 20% parts reduction and 40% fewer workstations in the plant, coupled with a 15% increase in production line speed.

“I wanted to figure out how we could combine the innovation of the startups like Tesla and Rivian with the industrial might and storied 122-year history of Ford,“ said Ford’s Chief EV, Digital and Design Officer Doug Field, adding, “One of our mantras was simple. The best part is no part.”

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Field says if you compare the upcoming 2027 pickup to a traditional pickup, the new one will have just one quarter of the parts. “In the electrical system, compared to typical gen-1 electric SUVs, the team removed 4,000 feet of wiring. Over three-quarters of a mile of wiring is gone.”

Field says Ford is confident this is the first time any automaker has done this to such a large extent.

“Now you might be wondering why we decided that our universal vehicle should be an EV. It enabled a lot of the revolution that you’re going to see in the assembly, but we also believe EVs are the best product by far,” said Fields.

Ford didn’t unveil any upcoming models but confirmed the first one will be a mid-size 4-door EV pickup with a starting price of $30,000.

For more on this story, be sure to watch the video at the top of this post, which includes soundbites from Farley and Field along with Akshaya Srinivasan, with Ford’s Electric Vehicle Range and Performance.

You can also see these two videos from Ford for additional information:

The post Ford Reveals $5B Plan For Affordable EVs appeared first on EV Rider.

German autonomous EV shuttle manufacturer Holon expects to begin construction soon on a $100 million manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, FL. 

Holon CEO Henning von Watzdorf says his company will start off making 5,000 autonomous EVs a year in Jacksonville, scaling up to a maximum of 12,000 EVs a year in two shifts. Production is scheduled to begin in 2026.

“It offers maximum safety and comfort to up to 15 passengers, close to 40 miles for our top speed to intergate smoothly into traffic,” von Watzdorf said.

Jacksonville has been positioning itself to become a national leader in autonomous vehicles with what it calls the Ultimate Urban Circulator, which is also known as the U2C.  

The city and its transit agency secured federal funding and raised its gas tax to start building an autonomous EV shuttle system in the urban core, which made Jacksonville an attractive location for the Holon plant due to the potential synergies. 

Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat Ford has been championing autonomous public transit EVs. “Together, as I mentioned earlier, it’s a blueprint for the rest of the country. So all of the hotels and the airlines need to get ready because folks will be traveling to this facility, they’ll be traveling to the Holon’s plant, they’ll be traveling to Bay Street,” Ford said.

Ford was referring to what’s known locally as the Bay Street Innovation Corridor as well as the BayJax Innovation Corridor. Phase one will see the shuttles running up and down the city’s Bay Street area, from the downtown core up to its sports complex, which is home to the NFL Jaguars and other teams.  

Two EV autonomous shuttles made by different manufacturers are already up and running in pilot programs with safety drivers in the city’s Riverside area and downtown campus of Florida State Community College at Jacksonville. 

The first primary phase will launch in June of 2025 with modified Ford E-Transit EV vans that will be equipped with aftermarket Level 4 autonomous gear.  

The hope is to then expand the fleet with Holon EV shuttles once the manufacturing plant comes online and eventually replace the city’s monorail system, known locally as the Skyway, with autonomous shuttles, by repurposing the existing elevated tracks as well as running the shuttles on city streets. 

The Holon people mover is powered by a 150-kW motor. Each EV can seat 10 with 5 additional standing passengers, with shuttles arriving every 5 to 7 minutes in phase one.  

It has a maximum speed of 37 miles per hour, which should be enough in many parts of the U.S. since speed limits in most U.S. urban cores, campuses and neighborhoods are limited to 35 miles per hour or less. 

The Holon has a 90-kWh battery with an estimated range of 100 miles, which allows it to run continuously for about 7 hours before needing to charge. 

The EV shuttles include a wheelchair bay and are ADA compliant. It will be a Level 4 autonomous vehicle, meaning it will be capable of operating without human intervention. 

The Holon has some visual flare thanks to being penned by world famous Italian automotive designer Pininfarina. 

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan praised Holon’s decision to build its plant in the city’s northeast quadrant. “The first autonomous electric shuttles ever made in Florida, all of it happending right here in the river city by the sea. Gotta love it,” Deegan said. 

The city is kicking in a $7.5 million grant for the plant that will be built on 41 acres on Zoo Parkway, about three miles east of the Jacksonville Zoo. 

Holon is owned by Benteler International, which is a German family-owned automotive, steel and engineering supplier that was originally founded in 1876. 

The post Holon To Begin Florida Autonomous EV Shuttle Production In 2026 appeared first on EV Rider.

Can your EV’s windshield transform into an unlimited work or play space when parked?  

If you have a VR headset or XR glasses you can turn your EV into work station, or play station that feels like it’s something out of a science-fiction movie. 

By using a VR headset from manufacturers like Apple and Meta you’ll have practically an unlimited number of big screens available that you can move around and size in just about any combination you can imagine. 

If you want a giant screen for your PC or Mac, whether or not it’s with you, or back home, no sweat, thanks to virtual remote desktop applications. Or how about a 120-inch virtual screen to watch Netflix, EV Rider or whatever your favorite streaming video is?

You can also enter 360-degree virtual worlds from the comfort of your car, tricking your brain into believing you’ve been transported to a ski chalet or tropical paradise. 

Whether it’s getting work done or experiencing 360-degree virtual games, time at the charging station will fly by. 

By the way, this post was produced using my virtual work space. 

This is one of those stories that really needs to be seen to really take in what it’s like. So hit the play button on the video at the top of this post, sit back and enjoy. If you find the video useful please give it a like and subscribe to the EV Rider YouTube channel. 

The post VR, EVs: Natural Fit While Charging appeared first on EV Rider.

What’s real and what’s AI? This week on EV Rider we’re taking a slight break from EVs to explore Artificial Intelligence and what it means for you. 

By now most know more AI has made its way to YouTube, websites, social media and other digital assets. It’s amazing stuff. 

With just a few mouse clicks creators can generate in minutes what would have taken a legion of animators days or weeks to come up with just a few years ago. The same goes for stories and fact gathering.

For example, I created some animated motorcycle images with a few mouse clicks that are featured in the video at the top of this post, and speaking of mice, now that Mickey Mouse has entered the public domain, just about anyone can create new episodes in minutes thanks to AI. A very brief Mickey AI clip is also in the video.

I’m displaying the AI-generated Mickey image in this story and several seconds of AI-generated frames in the video as a fair use example of how easily and quickly the average person can now create material, whether it be original, or an expansion of the work of others. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Mickey Mouse, who first appeared in animated form in Steamboat Willie.

The use of AI is especially powerful for the creation of graphics, images and video, like this one showing Mickey riding an electric motorcycle.

Even more impressive – or scary – is how quickly actual life-like characters can be can be created, such as the one in the video, which it took me about 30 seconds to generate after typing in a brief script for her to read.

What are commonly referred to as “deepfakes” of politicans, celebrities and other real people are becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate from the real thing as well. You’ll also find a few brief examples of those in the video.

With all this in mind, I want to assure you that if EV Rider uses any AI, it will be made abundantly clear. 

For example, if AI is ever used here on evrider.tv to write a story it will be clearly noted in the byline.  

On the EV Rider YouTube channel if there is ever an occasion to use deep fake technology or realistic AI-generated synthetic media, it will be clearly noted with an Altered Content note. 

How EV Rider will handle AI attribution certainly isn’t a new idea. Trustworthy media outlets have always attributed sources, authors and creators.

EV’s Editorial Policy now includes section about the potential use of AI and how it will be identified and fact checked.  

It’s one thing to have fun with AI or use it to improve the reader’s or viewer’s experience, but it’s quite another to mislead. You can rest assured that’s something EV Rider will never do.

The post Evolving Guidelines For Use Of AI appeared first on EV Rider.

Cybertruck fans are no doubt aware by now that Tesla plans to offer an optional second battery pack that will allow them to stretch the range of the EV pickup to 470 miles. What they may not know is Zero Motorcycles has been doing the same thing for a decade now. 

Zero calls its secondary optional battery a Power Tank while Tesla’s offering will be called a Range Extender.  Keep reading for more on Zero’s Power Tank but we begin with what we know about Tesla’s range extender.  

It’s meant to be used for long trips, especially ones involving towing. Telsa CEO Elon Musk says it is a “toolbox-size battery.” He’s referring to a full-length pickup bed toolbox, not the smaller ones you might find at Home Depot. 

At the time of this recording, Tesla hadn’t released details but Electrek.com estimates the pack will likely be somewhere around 47 kWh and weigh roughly 700 pounds. Those are guesses based on Tesla’s claim that the additional pack will add approximately 130 additional miles of range.  

Whatever the final weight ends up being, it’s clear the extra battery isn’t going to be something you can just unclick, lift out and leave in the garage, raising questions about whether it will have be permanently installed. 

If not, one guess is Tesla might offer a battery lift-kit. For example, aftermarket companies offer lift kits for convertibles with removable hardtops. Most of those systems have pulleys mounted to garage beams that allow owners to lift their tops off for winter storage. 

Telsa’s Range Extender battery will likely require its own support system, given its weight. Since Tesla batteries also have management and coolant systems it also seems unlikely it will be plug-n-play. But who knows, maybe Tesla’s engineers have another surprise up their sleeves.  

Pricing hasn’t been announced although some Tesla html source code tweeted on X indicates the option might cost $16,000. When I did a check of Telsa’s Cybertruck webpage it appeared that line of code had been removed. 

Next, let’s look at Zero’s Power Tank. It weighs roughly 45 pounds and adds 3.6 kWh of capacity, which on something as small as a SR/S motorcycle is good for roughly an extra 20 miles of highway range and more in the city. In the case of Zero, the additional battery is a permanently installed dealer accessory. It cost $3,200 at the time of this video’s posting and is offered as an option on most models. But that price doesn’t include the installation labor. 

Zero’s Power Tank replaces the storage area in a standard bike, but still leaves enough room to store a wallet and charge a smartphone.  

Now that Tesla is following Zero Motorcycles lead in joining together multiple battery packs, what do you think, will the rest of the industry follow suit? Post your comments here.

The post Tesla Follows Zero Motorcycles In Offering Range Extending 2nd Battery   appeared first on EV Rider.

New EV Rider episodes resume August 16.

Here’s a video sneak peak at what’s ahead on EV Rider while we take a break for a few weeks to recharge our batteries.

In the meantime, don’t miss EV Rider’s daily roundup of EV news headlines and videos from some of our favorite websites and YouTube channels. And, be sure to check out more than a hundred episodes that are waiting for you on the EV Rider YouTube Channel.

The post Coming Soon To EV Rider appeared first on EV Rider.