Tesla Chargers Officially Open To All Fords, Free Adapters Available For Owners
In the not-too-distant future, almost every new electric vehicle sold in the United States will come standard with the North American Charging Standard port, Tesla’s previously proprietary DC fast charging connector. That also means non-Tesla cars and trucks will be able to use the Supercharger network, which is currently the largest charging network in the country.
Ford Motor Company was the first manufacturer to announce its cooperation with Tesla and plans to migrate to NACS. Unsurprisingly, Ford owners are now the first to be allowed to charge on Tesla stations, and the first to have free adapters available to them. That’s right, this week, Superchargers were flooded with Ford EVs taking up two stalls per car.
Ultimately, the inconsistent location of charge ports on vehicles has always been an issue when using public chargers, as there’s never been one default way to park or plug in. This issue is now glorified by Ford owners having access to Superchargers, as Tesla purposefully designed their vehicles to all have ports in the driver’s side taillight, and the chargers to be reversed up to. (Aside from the occasional pull-through spot for towing, of course.)
Currently, both of Ford’s mainstream electric offerings, the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, have their charge ports located on the front left fender — you can see how that doesn’t quite work. Interestingly, the Lightning features a faux cover on the opposite side for symmetry, but speculation suggests the NACS port may be integrated on the passenger side to fix the directionality issue.
Potential parking wars aside, the availability of Tesla chargers to another group of EV owners is hugely exciting. All current and future Mach-E and Lightning owners now have access to an additional 15,000-plus charging stations thanks to an over-the-air software update and a free plug adapter. The commercially-available E-Transit will require an in-person update, which will be rolling out soon. Ford owners can request their free adapters from now until June 30, 2024.
2025 model year production of all Ford EVs will reportedly begin the NACS’ standard availability, though it’s unknown whether the CCS port will stick around alongside until other major charging networks make the switch.
Subaru Trademarks Twelve New Outdoorsy-Themed Names
The off-road oriented Wilderness variants of the Outback, Forester, and Crosstrek have proven to be incredibly popular with Subaru’s core audience and new buyers alike. Now, the brand has filed for trademarks of twelve related names, potentially to be used on future models.
The 12 names are as follows: Accomplice, Everguide, Everpass, Getaway, Highroad, Hightrail, Outsider, Tailwind, Trailhead, Trailseeker, Uncharted, and Viewfinder. Obviously, some of these would be better as model names than others, but Subaru clearly wants to make sure all of their bases are covered.
Each of the patents is filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as an International Class 12 trademark covering “Automobiles and structural parts and fittings therefor.” In other words, they’re all trademarks for vehicles—not software or other products that a car company may sell.
All three of Subaru’s current Wilderness models follow a similar formula: increased ride height and therefore ground clearance, chunkier all-terrain tires, and plenty of black plastic body cladding. It’s currently unknown exactly what Subaru plans to do with any of these new names — whether they’ll be used on future generations succeeding the Wilderness trims, or sit alongside them as even more purpose-built offerings.
Either way, make sure your Merrell hiking boots are at the ready.
2024 Maserati GranCabrio Is A Gorgeous AWD Italian Droptop
The latest iteration of Maserati’s ever-pretty GranTurismo is finally losing its top — meet the 2024 GranCabrio. If you’re looking for the ultimate combination of Italian flair, excellent exhaust notes, and have around $200,000 to spend — this is it.
The GranCabrio features a cloth softtop that lowers in 14 seconds and raises in 16 seconds, at up to 31 miles per hour. The electronic roof mechanism can either be operated with a button on the center screen or with gesture controls, though Maserati hasn’t said exactly how the latter works. The top is also available in five different colors: black, blue, grey, red, and a hue called “greige”, none of which you can see in the decidedly open-air press photos included above.
The extra weight from the GT’s convertible conversion adds up to a 359-pound disadvantage over the coupe, which may be why the GranCabrio is initially only available in top-end Trofeo trim. Just like the hardtop, it features a detuned version of the MC20’s “Nettuno” 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, which in this application puts out 542 horsepower. All-wheel-drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission are standard. It’s rumored that Maserati may be planning to introduce an electric Folgore variant of the convertible as well.
The previous GranCabrio, which was last on sale in 2019, started around $150,000. Five years later, however, the new 2024 model has a base MSRP of $204,995 — exactly $15,000 more than the Trofeo version of the GranTurismo on which it’s based.
2025 McLaren Artura Spider Boasts More Power, Even Better Looks
Although the McLaren Artura has technically been around since 2021, sales in the United States only began last year due to delays and quality control issues, in typical McLaren fashion. Despite this, the Artura is already gaining a significant performance upgrade for 2025, along with the introduction of a convertible variant.
The Artura Spider is McLaren’s first hybrid convertible and features an upgraded version of the 120-degree 3.0-liter V6 engine and electric motor-backed drivetrain as in the coupe. Versus the 2024 model, the system now puts out 690 horsepower to the rear wheels, a healthy number for an otherwise “entry-level” supercar. Peak torque remains at 531 pound-feet, but McLaren says the engine mapping has been revised for better delivery.
The hybrid powertrain is still linked to an eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle, which incorporates the electric motor. However, new for 2025 is a “pre-fill” feature that is said to shorten shift speeds by 25 percent. This is achieved by consistently pressurizing the hydraulic fluid in the gearbox to the ideal threshold so that it’s immediately ready to shift when asked.
As for other hardware changes, all 2025 Arturas feature new mounts that are supposed to better control the powertrain within the chassis, as well as new carbon-ceramic brake rotors paired with aluminum calipers and revised cooling ducts. McLaren also says the engine note has been enriched thanks to a new valved exhaust system with a tuned resonator.
For the Spider specifically, the electrically operated hardtop retracts in just 11 seconds as it is powered by no less than eight electric motors. The standard roof is a carbon-fiber composite panel, but an electrochromatic glass panel is available. The roof can also be opened and closed from outside the vehicle from the key fob. Despite the extra hardware needed for the roof, the Artura Spider weighs just 136 pounds more than the coupe.
Order books for both 2025 models are now open, with the Spider’s MSRP starting at about $281,000. Interestingly, owners of 2023 and 2024-model year Arturas can visit their McLaren dealer to receive the upgraded engine performance for free, presumably via a flash tune.
Toyota Recalls 381,000 Tacomas For Disintegrating Rear Axles
Toyota has issued a recall for Tacoma pickups from the 2022 and 2023 model years to fix a potential issue with the rear axles.
In a statement, Toyota said that leftover welding debris on the rear axle “could cause certain retaining nuts to loosen over time and eventually fall off,” which could hamper the truck’s stability and braking performance, increasing the likelyhood of a crash.
Beginning in April, dealers will inspect trucks involved in the recall, retightening or replacing any loosened nuts for free. According to the automaker, any damaged axle components will also be repaired or replaced as needed. Mechanically-inclined owners may also want to perform a quick inspection of their own in the meantime.
Approximately 381,000 Tacomas are affected by this recall. A full database of impacted vehicles will be available on the NHTSA recalls website.
Jeep Recalls 338,000 Grand Cherokees For Steering Issue
For the third time this month, Jeep has recalled the current generation 2021-2023 Grand Cherokee. While the other two are far more minor, this one includes 338,238 SUVs that may experience a steering defect.
According to the recall documents, a steering knuckle may separate from the upper ball joint and cause the wheel to fall outward. Obviously, that can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Both the regular Grand Cherokee and long-wheelbase L models may be affected. Jeep says the fix will require dealers to replace pinch bolts in the upper control arms, which will of course be done free of charge.
As for the other two recalls, nearly 200,000 Jeep models (including some 2021-24 Wranglers) could have an issue with their windshield defroster systems, and 9,433 Grand Cherokees also possibly have high-beam headlights that won’t activate. Both of these issues can be fixed via a software update at a dealer.
As always, owners can see if their vehicle is included in any of the three recalls by visiting the NHTSA website.
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