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.”

And, you guys – the new Mahindra BE 6 is. So. Serious.

Someone at Mahindra is very taken with American culture it seems. After launching the Willys MB Jeep-inspired Mahindra Roxor a few years ago, the company followed it up by building a credible line of EVs co-developed with VW. Now, they’re building a limited edition of one of those EVs inspired by another American cultural icon.

“Batman is more than a pop-culture icon — he represents innovation, resilience, and an unyielding drive to push boundaries,” says Vikram Sharma, Senior Vice President, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, APAC. “This collaboration brings that spirit to the road in a bold, electric way. With this limited-edition range, fans in India can now experience the thrill of Batman every time they drive. It’s a collector’s statement on wheels.”

Advertisement – scroll for more content

To separate the Batman Edition from the other Mahindra SUVs, its makers have festooned their EV with Dark Knight logos and branding, inside and out.

Batman Edition features

Exterior

• Custom Satin Black Colour premieres on the Batman Edition
• Custom Batman Decal on front doors
• R20 alloy wheels for an aggressive, athletic stance
• Alchemy Gold-painted suspension and brake callipers a bold, premium contrast to the Satin black body
• “BE 6 × The Dark Knight”, limited edition, rear badging
• The Bat emblem, as seen in The Dark Knight Trilogy, uniquely placed on:
• Hub caps
• Front quarter panels
• Rear bumper
• Windows & Rear Windshield
• Infinity Roof featuring The Dark Knight Trilogy Bat emblem
• Night Trail – Carpet lamps with The Dark Knight Trilogy Bat emblem logo projection
• ‘Batman Edition’ signature sticker on rear door cladding

Interior

• Brushed Alchemy Gold Batman Edition plaque on the dashboard with numbering
• Charcoal leather instrument panel (IP) with brushed gold halo around driver cockpit
• Suede and leather upholstery with gold sepia accent stitching and integrated The Dark Knight Trilogy Bat emblem for a rich, tactile experience
• Gold-accented steering wheel, In-Touch Controller, Electronic Parking Brake, custom key fob with Alchemy gold detailing
• The Dark Knight Trilogy Bat emblem embossed on:
• The “Boost” button
• Seats
• Interior labels
• Pinstripe graphic and The Dark Knight Trilogy Bat Emblem across the passenger dashboard panel
• Race car inspired open straps with Batman Edition Branding Batman Edition welcome animation on the infotainment display
• Custom Batman inspired exterior engine sounds

Despite all the Batman branding, the end result is almost tasteful. I could do without the custom Batman decal on the front quarter panels, but the rest of the mods are far less offensive. I even like the little “Bat Signal” puddle lights on the wing mirrors.

Mahindra Batman BE 6

As a car, the special edition Batman Mahindra is based on the top-shelf version of the BE 6, fitted with a 79 kWh battery good for 550 km (about 340 miles) of range according to its WLTP rating. That battery sends power to a rear-mounted 282 hp (210 kW / 286 PS) electric motor generating and 380 Nm (about 280 lb-ft) of torque that sends power to the rear wheels.

The BE6 also features a modern Level 2 ADAS tech and screens everywhere, including in the steering wheel hub – which seems like it might get particularly nasty in an airbag deployment (but no one asked me).

Pricing starts at ₹27.79 lakh (a little under $27,500, as I type this), and production will be limited to just 300 units. Order books are set to open 23AUG.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Mahindra.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

Electric bike and scooter safety is now part of the curriculum in some schools – and surprisingly, it’s happening in Florida.

Yes, Florida. The state that’s better known for keeping education out of schools, banning everything from books to the word “gay.” But now, a Central Florida nonprofit is stepping in to make sure students are at least learning how to ride responsibly.

The group Best Foot Forward for Pedestrian Safety has partnered with local police departments and Orange County Public Schools to bring e-bike and e-scooter safety programs directly into middle schools and high schools. The initiative is focused on addressing the growing number of crashes and injuries involving students riding electric two-wheelers.

The safety course covers basics like wearing helmets, obeying traffic laws, and making yourself visible to drivers — skills that are important for the many young riders who are increasingly taking to electric bikes as a form of independent transportation around their cities and neighborhoods. One of the main topics of the program is said to be speed management. The program addresses the importance of keeping speeds reasonable and the impacts of faster riding.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Like much of the US, Florida has seen a surge in e-bike and e-scooter popularity among kids and teens, especially in suburban and coastal areas. While many embrace them as a fun and fast way to get around, the sudden rise has also come with a worrying spike in injuries and deaths, prompting calls for improvements in both infrastructure and education.

With e-bike usage exploding across the US, more schools and communities are exploring steps to increase rider education. It’s a sign that America’s transportation habits are changing – and our education systems are beginning to catch up.

Electrek’s Take

I think programs like this are great because they teach kids things that they’d otherwise have to learn through trial and error. We don’t just hand cars to sixteen-year-olds and say, “figure it out.” So it follows that some form of organized rider education would be important as more youths take to e-bikes than ever before.

In cycling-intensive cities in Europe, all schools teach kids to ride bikes, often giving the kids some form of cute little cycling diploma to demonstrate that they’ve passed the course and can safely ride a bike.

But at the same time, this makes me wonder if we’re still missing the point. Responding to an increase in e-bike rider deaths with lessons about bicycle speed management is a bit like responding to mass shootings by lecturing innocent passersby about why they shouldn’t run into bullets.

Educating riders is always great and I’ll always support it. But in parallel, perhaps we should also be addressing the root cause of all of these tragics deaths. At the end of the day, most electric bike-related deaths aren’t a result of an e-bike rider doing too much fast riding; they’re a result of a car driver doing too much running over a cyclist.

via: Fox13

That viral Tik Tok video showing a “self driving” Ford Mustang Mach-E scraping its way down the highway with a helpless passenger behind the steering wheel praying for his life? California Highway Patrol says the car wasn’t driving itself during the viral highway crash and arrested the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence.

If you have’t seen the video, posted by TikToker Marty Byrde, it shows a self-driving Ford Mustang Mach-E driving down the road, grinding itself against the highway’s concrete Jersey barriers, with the driver behind the wheel, seemingly helpless and afraid and trapped inside an out-of-control vehicle, apparently praying for his life.

There, in a single video, was everyone’s worst fear in an age of electric steering, brake-by-wire, and self-driving cars: a car that loses its mind, killing you and everyone you love and probably a busload of orphans for good measure. (!)

But, thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be what actually happened. At least, not according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Redwood City.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

In case it vanishes, the CHP press release does a good job of explaining the situation as it stands, while emphasizing that any short-form video content is going to lack potentially needed context before the public begins to panic about a Maximum Overdrive sort of scenario.

The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of a green Ford Mustang Mach E, crashed into a red Mitsubishi Mirage then collided with the right shoulder wall near the Holly Street overcrossing. Through our investigation, we determined the vehicle was not operating in autonomous mode and CHP officers arrested the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence, resulting in injuries to another.

While we understand public interest in such incidents, video clips may not capture the complete context or investigative process. The CHP conducts each investigation thoroughly, professionally, and in accordance with the law. We thank the community for its concern and remind motorist to report dangerous driving by calling 9-1-1.

CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL – REDWOOD

The video was especially surprising given Ford’s BlueCruise excellent track record. The system is good enough, in fact, to have been named the top active driver assistance system (ADAS) by Consumer Reports, surpassing rivals such as GM’s Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot in a comparison test of similar OEM ADAS systems.

The original Tik Toker who recorded the now viral video (I hate that phrase, too, but millions of people have seen it by now) reported that no one seemed hurt in the ensuing accident. Coupled with CHP’s confirmation that the Mach-E wasn’t driving itself during the accident, I’d say that walking out of a hands-free, highway speed crash is as good an endorsement as any … but in case you need another one, this one went 250,000 miles and still had 92% of its battery life left.

Ford is currently offering 0% interest financing for up to 72 months for well-qualified buyers, as well as $1,000 in retail bonus cash in some markets.

SOURCE | IMAGES: CHP, featured image from marty.byrde3.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.