Check out this street-legal scaled-up 60 mph Tamiya R/C car that fits two adults
Have you ever sent an R/C car ripping across the dirt or asphalt and wondered what it would be like to shrink down and ride inside of it? Well, don’t be silly, that’s impossible. But don’t give up hope, either! The Little Car Company has done the next best thing: They’ve scaled one up so that you can get that same thrilling experience without going all Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Meet the new Tamiya Wild One MAX Launch Edition.
If you’re not familiar with Tamiya, that’s the Japanese model company that just might be single-handedly responsible for the R/C craze that exploded in the 1980s. Many of today’s leading engineers and designers got their start tinkering with Tamiya models and R/C cars, and the term “Tamiya Standard” has become an industry byword for quality to which others aspire.
Now one of the company’s most popular models, the Tamiya Wild One R/C car originally launched in 1985, is headed to the big leagues thanks to a licensing deal with The Little Car Company. It’s not the first time the company has reproduced scaled versions of popular cars to create reincarnated electric versions, but they’re usually shrinking them down instead of scaling them up. This time though, they’re working backwards. And that means the Tamiya Wild One MAX is ready for a significant upgrade.
UK-based The Little Car Company first unveiled plans to supersize the Tamiya R/C car a few years ago, but compared to earlier renders, the company has just unveiled a new version with several key design changes. It will now become part of a 100-unit Launch Edition for the upcoming open-wheeled fun-mobile.
The Little Car Company spent the last few years refining the design by using feedback from early reservation holders and its larger community. Major changes to the 500 kg (1,100 lb.) vehicle include replacing the original trailing arm front suspension with more sophisticated and higher performance dual-wishbone suspension, as well as smoothing the turrets that hold those coilover shocks for better visibility.
Many early adopters who put down the first deposits requested a two-seater setup instead of the classic single-seat design, and their wishes have been answered thanks to the inclusion of two Cobra bucket seats complete with four-point harnesses.
The Tamiya Wild One MAX Launch Edition is said to hit a top speed of 60 mph (96.5 km/h), which puts it at around 50% faster than the original R/C version. It also has a much larger battery, to the tune of 14.4 kWh. But in keeping with the original R/C car, the battery will be removable for charging outside of the vehicle, if necessary. In order to achieve that feat, the battery is divided into eight sub packs that are approximately the capacity of a Gogoro removable battery or large e-bike battery.
It’s all part of making the car as fun and as usable as possible, explained The Little Car Company’s CEO Ben Hedley:
We are absolutely thrilled to be one step closer to revealing our Tamiya Wild One MAX Launch Edition. Whilst there have undoubtedly been a few hurdles along the way with industry-wide supply issues, our team have done a tremendous job of bringing an R/C car to life at full size , and I couldn’t be prouder of them.
I want to thank all our Tamiya deposit holder community, who have provided us with some invaluable contributions and suggestions for how we can make the Wild One MAX the best possible vehicle. We have listened to every single one of them since the first unveiling and have taken their ideas on board. Their feedback has helped us develop a new type of vehicle which illustrates that electric cars can be fun, without having to rely on brain-scrambling acceleration. By simplifying the design and reducing weight, this car is a perfect example of not requiring 500 horsepower to make an enjoyable drivers’ car. We are incredibly excited to show you the finished car and can’t wait for everyone to experience it for themselves.
Speaking of making the car more usable, when asked if they would prefer a street-legal version of the Tamiya Wild One MAX, 95% of early reservation holders responded yes. To allow on-road operation, The Little Car Company will release the Launch Edition of the vehicle with a “road legal pack” in the UK and EU that qualifies the vehicle under L7e quadricycle regulations.
For US customers, the company is initially eyeing an LSV version, though is also exploring other options that wouldn’t require it to be limited to the rather slow 25 mph (40 km/h) speed from current LSV regulations in the US. Kit cars that could be assembled by the owner (just like the original Tamiya R/C cars!) and other options are being floated.
Performance testing on the vehicle is currently underway ahead of production slated for 2024. According to the company, a public unveiling will be coming later this year along with confirmed performance figures, range, and pricing.
Electrek’s Take
This project is positively steeped in nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the ’80s and enjoyed cars. Growing up as a ’90s kid myself, I have fond memories of playing my dad’s Tamiya Hornet R/C car, which was released in 1984, just a year before the Tamiya Wild One that has now graduated into The Little Car Company’s amazing creation unveiled today.
My biggest remaining questions are around pricing, power, and range – and those are also the three key figures that haven’t yet been released.
I’m guessing the vehicle won’t come cheap. For comparison, The Little Car Company’s slick-looking scaled-down Aston Martin DB5 (seen below) is priced at between £39,000–£90,000, which is around US $48,000–$112,000 or €45,000–€103,000, depending on the performance level.
Keep in mind though that the top end DB5 model has James Bond-style miniguns that pop out of the headlights along with other spy kit like an oil slick, rotating license plate holder, etc. So perhaps we’ll be looking at the lower end of that price range for the Tamiya.
But let’s just say that anyone who buys one of these cars isn’t hard up on cash. They’re likely a collector of finer things, and these big-little cars look pretty darn fine. With high-end lifted golf carts going for tens of thousands of dollars, I could see an adult-sized R/C car making some stiff competition.
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Tesla has quietly removed the Cybertruck’s range extender from the options in its online configurator.
Does Tesla still plan to bring the product to market?
When Tesla unveiled the production version of the Cybertruck in late 2023, there were two main disappointments: the price and the range.
The tri-motor version, which was the most popular in reservation tallies, was supposed to have over 500 miles of range and start at $70,000.
Tesla now sells the tri-motor Cybertruck for $100,000 and only has a range of 320 miles.
As for the dual-motor Cybertruck, it was supposed to cost $50,000 and have over 300 miles of range. The reality is that it starts at $80,000, and it has 325 miles of range.
However, Tesla had devised a solution to bring the range closer to what it originally announced: a separate battery pack that sits in the truck’s bed. Tesla called it a “range extender.” It costs $16,000 and takes up a third of the Cybertruck’s bed.
Even though the Cybertruck has been in production for a year and a half at this point, the range extender has yet to launch.
Initially, Tesla said that it would come “early 2025”, but we reported that it was pushed to “mid-2025” late last year.
At the time, Tesla also reduced the range that the removable battery pack adds to the Cybertruck to “445+ miles” rather than “470+ miles” for the dual motor – a ~25-mile reduction in range.
Now, Tesla has removed the option from its online Cybertruck configurator. It used to take reservations for the range extender with a “$2,000 non-refundable deposit”, as seen on the image above, but now it’s not in the configurator at all at the time of writing.
It’s unclear if Tesla is not planning to launch the product anymore or if it is just pausing reservations.
In its specs page, Tesla still lists the achievable range of both versions of the Cybertruck with and without the range extender battery:
Electrek’s Take
I’m curious. Is it dead, or does Tesla just want to stop taking reservations for it?
At first, I was curious about the product even though I didn’t think it would make up for Tesla’s significant miss on Cybertruck specs.
However, after it was confirmed that it takes up 30% of your bed and that it needs to be installed and removed by Tesla at a service center, I think it’s pretty much dead on arrival at $16,000.
It’s going to be a product limited to only a few people at best. And now that’s if it makes it to market.
With the option being removed from the configurator, there’s no production timeline available. Again, the last one was “mid-2025”, which is soon.
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Environment
EcoFlow members can save up to 65% on power stations while supporting disaster relief during the 2025 Member’s Festival
Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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Tesla is losing another top talent: its long-time head of software, David Lau, has reportedly told co-workers that he is exiting the automaker.
Tesla changed how the entire auto industry looks at software.
Before Tesla, it was an afterthought; user interfaces were rudimentary, and you had to go to a dealership to get a software update on your systems.
When Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, it all changed. Your car would get better through software updates like your phone, the large center display was responsive with a UI that actually made sense and was closer to an iPad experience than a car.
Tesla also integrated its software into its retail experience, service, and manufacturing.
David Lau deserves a lot of the credit for that.
He joined Tesla in 2012 as a senior manager of firmware engineering and quickly rose through the ranks. By 2014, he was promoted to director of firmware engineering and system integration, and in 2017, he became Vice President of software.
Lau listed the responsibilities of his team on his LinkedIn:
- Vehicle Software:
- Firmware for the powertrain, traction/stability control, HV electronics, battery management, and body control systems
- UI software and underlying Embedded Linux platforms
- Navigation and routing
- iOS and Android Mobile apps
- Distributed Systems:
- Server-side software and infrastructure that provides telemetry, diagnostics, over-the-air updates, and configuration/lifecycle management
- Data engineering and analytics platforms that power technical and business insights for an increasingly diverse set of customers across the company
- Diagnostic tools and fleet management, Manufacturing and Automation:
- Automation controls (PLC, robot)
- Server-side manufacturing execution systems that power all of Tesla’s production operations
- Product Security and Red Team for software, services, and systems across Tesla
Bloomberg reported today that Lau told his team he is leaving Tesla. The report didn’t include reasons for his stepping down.
Electrek’s Take
Twelve years at any company is a great run. At Tesla, it’s heroic. Congrats, David, on a great run. You undoubtedly had a significant impact on Tesla and software advancements in the broader auto industry.
He is another significant loss for Tesla, which has been losing a lot of top talent following a big wave of layoffs around this time last year.
I wonder who will take over. Michael Rizkalla, senior director of software engineering and vehicle firmware, is one of the most senior software engineers after Lau. He has been at Tesla for 7 years, and Tesla likes to promote within rather than hire outsiders.
There are also a lot of senior software execs working on AI at Tesla. Musk has been favoring them lately and he could fold Lau’s responsibilities under them.
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