All posts tagged: offbeat

who should be allowed to drive ICE vehicles?

who should be allowed to drive ICE vehicles?

Published by skeptic

This week, we’ve been running a sidebar survey asking who Electrek readers think should be allowed to drive gas- and diesel-powered vehicles. After getting more than 2,000 submissions, here’s what you told us. Despite the billions of dollars’ worth of damage being done to our air, our lungs, and our climate by internal combustion, it seems like the switch to zero-emissions vehicles is one that almost half of you believe should be totally voluntary, which just under half of the opinion-having respondents choosing the, “Whoever wants one. (Let freedom ring!)” option … but, perhaps, not for the free market-loving reasons you might first think. Give the right incentives, add increased health care costs to the price of gas, and let the market play out. Force people and they will rebel and we’ll get another Trump. EricK EricK wasn’t alone, either, and several of his fellow Electrekkers took to the comments to voice similar concerns about EV mandates being counterproductive. Whoever wants one. As we’ve found with prohibition and the war on drugs, banning something is the worst …

Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd’s offbeat literary show returns: best podcasts of the week | Television & radio

Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd’s offbeat literary show returns: best podcasts of the week | Television & radio

Published by Sam Flores

Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club If IRL book clubs can feel a little twee (why is there always someone who hasn’t finished the book?!) Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd’s podcast might be a better way to get your lit fix. Season five kicks off with a recommendation for Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey, which gave new life to its women, and Pascoe “butchering” the plot of Ulysses, while guests this time round include author Maggie O’Farrell and musician/writer Kae Tempest. Hannah J DaviesWidely available, episodes weekly In Pursuit With Colleen Shogan Shogan was the head of the National Archives in the US until she was fired by Donald Trump. Now, she puts her huge knowledge of the country’s past to good use in this smart series about lessons from “the American experiment”. It kicks off with an episode on George Washington, from his childhood to the pivotal choice to relinquish power after the revolutionary war. HJDWidely available, episodes weekly The After Dive Retired Olympic diver Matty Lee turns to podcasting with a warm …

Watch this Harbinger electric van chase down package thief [video]

Watch this Harbinger electric van chase down package thief [video]

Published by skeptic

With some 440 hp and nearly 1,200 lb-ft of instant electric torque on-hand, the Harbinger electric delivery van is more than capable of keeping up with modern day traffic. To show off just how capable it is, Harbinger’s marketing team has put together this fun, fictional, high octane voltage chase scene. Electric vehicles have been redefining the high-performance driving scene since the first Tesla Model S drag raced a Corvette on YouTube. Now, as that model drives off to the big garage in the sky, a whole new wave of next-generation of EVs is coming to stake their claim to the outgoing Model S’ high-powered heritage – and that wave seems to include Harbinger’s all-electric commercial delivery vans. That seems to be the message in this recent, Harbinger-produced video, anyway, which highlights the trucks’ rapid acceleration, powerful electric motors, and tight turning radius in a fun, frantic commercial (yes, it’s a commercial). Harbinger | Built to deliver more Promotional video by Harbinger. While it’s fun to pretend that any big box delivery driver cares enough about …

‘Walking is the best way to discover offbeat Corfu’: a spring hike across the Greek island | Corfu holidays

‘Walking is the best way to discover offbeat Corfu’: a spring hike across the Greek island | Corfu holidays

Published by Sam Flores

The riverside was heaving. Families spilled from cafes. A marching band trooped on to the bridge, their tasselled metal helmets dazzling in the sun. Priests with bushy beards delivered ageless chants from beneath their cylindrical kalimavkion hats. Men let off shotguns, terrifying the air. Easter Monday in Lefkimmi. We hadn’t planned this. Simply right place, right time. The capital of southern Corfu, Lefkimmi is a working town, untroubled by tourism. There are Venetian-style houses – variously neat, tatty and decrepit – but no “attractions” to speak of. Just Corfiots doing Corfiot things: chewing the fat in their finest for this religious celebration – Greek Orthodox Easter, which falls on 12 April in 2026 – plus zipping about on scooters, drinking coffee, buying baklava and ice-creams. double quotation mark With our luggage being transported ahead each night to tavernas and beach hotels, we were keen to roam as much as we could “Right place, right time” was my hope for this trip to over-loved Corfu, an island of about 100,000 that, in 2025, was visited by …

Which early EV will become the first classic car of the electric era?

Which early EV will become the first classic car of the electric era?

Published by skeptic

Every automotive era has its classics, designs that transcend spec sheets and sales figure and, somehow, become more culturally relevant with age. Now, nearly thirty years into the modern era, it feels like it’s time to ask the question: Which early EV will become the first classic car of the electric era? While many will likely point to the GM EV1 or the original Tesla Roadster as the starting points of the modern EV era, neither were pioneers. Low-volume oddities like the all-electric Consulier GTP models built by Mosler Automotive and US Electricar got there first, proving battery power could deliver the sort of thrilling performance that defined many of the classic cars of the 60s and 70s. That said, you probably haven’t heard of either of those cars. Or the Robert Q. Riley-designed electric Trimuter and Tri-Magnum foamies. Or the AC Propulsion tzero roadster. All were early pioneers of both hypermiling and electrification featured in niche magazines like Kit Car, Mechanix Illustrated, and Popular Mechanics in the pre-internet age. Old-school cover cars FEB1980 FEB1983 …

Mahindra reveals Batman BE 6 EV – and it’s kind of amazing

Mahindra reveals Batman BE 6 EV – and it’s kind of amazing

Published by skeptic

Indian ag and automaker Mahindra has launched a limited-run Batman Edition of its BE 6 Electric Origin SUV, calling it, “a production car that brings to life a rare fusion of cinematic heritage and modern luxury, inspired by Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed The Dark Knight Trilogy from Warner Bros. Pictures.” UPDATE 21MAR2026: if you bought one last year, Mahindra could buy it back. When Mahindra launched the BE 6 Batman Edition last August, the Dark Knight-inspired EV was offered as a limited edition, with just 300 units on offer. As uncle Jojo always says, however, “limited editions are usually limited by how many they can sell.” True to form, the cars sold out so fast that the company decided to offer a second round of limited edition Batman EVs that brought the total count to 999 vehicles – and the original 300 buyers were not happy. Advertisement – scroll for more content In a move to appease their customers and save face, Mahindra is offering first-batch buyers a 30-day window, from 18MAR to 17APR26, to sell their BE …

Texas Chevy dealer still has a 2023 Bolt – with K markup

Texas Chevy dealer still has a 2023 Bolt – with $13K markup

Published by skeptic

I reached out to a Texas Chevy dealer about a 2023 Bolt EUV LT Redline they list in their inventory, and despite talking to two different reps and probably an AI, I couldn’t get the answer to one simple question: why is their price more than $13,000 above sticker? SKIP THE STORY: find 2027 Chevy Bolt deals near you (trusted affiliate link) Look, guys – I was in the car business a long time. Long enough, in fact, to have developed a bit of a soft spot for salespeople and their problems, and that affection will often take the form of Hanlon’s Razor. If you’re not familiar with Hanlon’s Razor, it’s a generalistic sort of idea that boils down to, “never attribute to malice what can be attributed to incompetence.” To that end, I’ll often defend the salesperson as a fellow human, and I like to think that in my own dealings with people from the other side of the desk, I was an open book, and anytime someone got loud it was because they either …

9 Faces to Know From JW Anderson’s Offbeat New Campaign

9 Faces to Know From JW Anderson’s Offbeat New Campaign

Published by Jenni Sidey

With a career like Jonathan Anderson’s, one is bound to make some very cool friends. And when you have very cool friends, a collab is inevitable. This week, the Irish designer released a new fall 2026campaign for his eponymous line, JW Anderson, in which he placed his “close-knit circle of friends, long-time collaborators, and acquaintances” on full display. Featuring more than a few familiar-ish faces, the participants can be seen modeling the brand’s latest iteration of its “Anchor” canvas tote (this time, it’s emblazoned, in all caps, with the word “porn”), or climbing out of wicker trunks, or holding quirky, bucolic props like pitchforks and turf edgers. The picturesque cast of characters runs the gamut from global icons like Australian pop deity Kylie Minogue and legendary fashion critic Tim Blanks, to niche figures like BMX-champion-turned-songwriter Alice Temple and the founder of the New York-based menswear brand Still Kelly, Marc Kalman. “The idea is to weave together things—and people—I like and I would like to have around me,” said Anderson via a press release. One could …

leasing your EV is almost ALWAYS the right move

leasing your EV is almost ALWAYS the right move

Published by skeptic

Take it from someone with nearly fifteen years in the business who has written up literally thousands of new car deals. If you drive lots of miles, if you like to keep your car for years and years, and if you hate making payments: leasing is almost always your best option. For most people, the car they drive represents their second-biggest real asset after their home. In 2026, with fewer people than ever owning their home, their car might be their biggest real asset. As a typically depreciating asset, that’s a problem – especially in a used-car market that’s been hit by shock after shock: tariffs, disappearing rebates, rapid technological change, literal acts of Congress, and the occasional high-profile CEO throwing out a “Roman salute” on TV and tanking resale values. Whether it’s a small business, a stock portfolio, or an old shoe box stuffed with Honus Wagners, when something nutty happens and the bottom drops out of your biggest asset, you need to have a calculated exit strategy in place. When it comes to your …

Dodge dealers don’t need a Charger — they need a Caravan

Dodge dealers don’t need a Charger — they need a Caravan

Published by skeptic

If the market failures of the Dodge Charger Daytona and VW ID.Buzz have proved anything at all, it’s that the Baby Boomer era is over, and their kids — GenX and Millenials alike — aren’t willing to pay a premium for a vehicle that looks like something their dad once thought was cool. As GenX becomes the largest and richest new car-buying demographic, manufacturers need to find out what they are nostalgic about. To that end, I propose the following nostalgia play: the “Goonies Never Say Die” edition 2027 Dodge Caravan BEV. If you’re under a certain age, you’ll have to just believe me when I tell you that all sorts of great memories were hatched in the back of the K-based OG Dodge Caravan, both as young kids and as teens — and these economical, practical, and generally fun to be driven in (if not to drive) minivans were absolutely everywhere in the late 1980s and early ’90s. It’s easy to understand why. With small-ish engines and unibody construction, they offered a much more …