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One year after trouncing the hillclimb record at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, McMurtry Automotive is set to showcase a limited-run, production version of its all-electric Spéirling fan car called the PURE. A validation prototype of this soon-to-be commercially available sealed-skirt fan car will be on display at this year’s hillclimb ahead of pre-production… Oh, and it costs over a million dollars.

When the McMurtry team rolled up to Goodwood last summer, it knew it had a winner on its hands. Most of the public, however, had no idea. 39.08 seconds – that’s all it took for McMurtry’s zippy Spéirling electric fan car, driven by former F1 driver Max Chilton, to race into the record books – not just for the 2022 event but as the fastest 1.86km (1.16 mile) hillclimb in its 30-year history.

As you’ll notice in the video of the record-setting climb below, the Spéirling delivers instant acceleration and almost unfathomable cornering but appears to emit exhaust or vapor around each corner.

That’s because the McMurtry Spéirling is a fan car. No, not a car entered into the competition by EV fans, but an electric vehicle that utilizes a bespoke fan downforce system designed by McMurtry to deliver constant and approachable downforce, regardless of speed, angle, or wind direction. In other words, this EV is as sticky as it is fast, and boy, is it fast.

We’re talking 1,000 hp (745 kW) peak output and a top speed of 190 mph – all from an EV that weighs less than 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs). Following the whiplash it probably caused Goodwood spectators as it sped by last year, McMurtry is returning to the UK event to showcase a validation prototype of the fan car, the Spéirling PURE, ahead of an exclusive production run.

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  • McMurtry EV

McMurtry to showoff Spéirling PURE fan car at Goodwood

This morning, McMurtry shared the first images (seen above) of the Spéirling PURE fan car – a production-intent version of the record-setting Spéirling that raced up Goodwood last summer. McMurtry says the Spéirling PURE has already achieved a 15% increase in fan efficiency, 14% less weight, and significantly enhanced tolerance to flow variation.

The production version will arrive as the first commercially available sealed-skirt fan car, allowing customers to experience the 3G cornering its bespoke technology provides at accessible speeds. Better still, its creators state the PURE version will prove to be even more capable than the original Spéirling track car in that it has been designed with a focus on multi-lap runs on full race circuits.

That sort of performance will, of course, require quick charging turnaround, which the niche automaker is also promising, stating the PURE will be able to fast charge in under 20 minutes. Due to its top-tier performance, McMurtry states the Spéirling PURE is eligible for the GT1 Sports Club – an exclusive driving program for super and hyper track cars holding race weekends all over the globe. Before then, however, McMurtry still has some development to do.

To begin, the company will publicly debut a validation prototype of the Spéirling PURE at Goodwood next month, followed by continued testing of the electric fan car in the UK and Europe through 2023. McMurtry says it still intends to chase new records during the validation process as it works toward pre-production prototypes in 2024. McMurtry founding director Thomas Yates spoke:

The Spéirling PURE will herald a new era on the track. The sound, grip, acceleration, aesthetics and technology of this car are distinct.  Witnessing the car as a spectator or from the cockpit offers a rare and exhilarating experience.  With pre-orders from around the globe, I can’t wait for fan cars at the racetrack to become a new normality.

McMurtry says production of the Spéirling PURE fan cars will be limited to 100 units, each starting at a price of £820,000 ($1.05 million) before taxes and shipping. Customers who pre-order the new electric fan car are expected to receive delivery sometime in 2025.

Headed to Goodwood? The Spéirling PURE will be on display July 13-16 in the McMurtry stand at the Supercar paddock near the start line. Send us pics!

In the meantime, here’s that record-setting lap from the original Spéirling last year.

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Russia’s economy ‘stinks,’ Trump says, and lower oil prices will stop its war machine

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Russia's economy 'stinks,' Trump says, and lower oil prices will stop its war machine

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 21, 2020 shows
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a Keep America Great rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 19, 2020.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony in Jerusalem on January 23, 2020 commemorating the people of Leningrad during the Second World War Nazi siege on the city.

Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images

The rift between Moscow and Washington looks set to deepen after U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Russia’s economy “stinks” and that lower oil prices will hammer President Vladimir Putin’s oil-funded war machine.

“Putin will stop killing people if you get energy down another $10 a barrel. He’s going to have no choice because his economy stinks,” the president told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Watch CNBC's full interview with President Donald Trump

The comments come after relations between Moscow and Washington, which remained cordial at the start of Trump’s second term in office despite the ongoing war, soured in recent weeks.

Trump has appeared to lose patience with Putin given Russia’s apparent reluctance to pursue a ceasefire or peace deal with Ukraine. Last Monday, the president said he was cutting from 50 days to less than two weeks his deadline for Putin to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face big “secondary tariffs” on Moscow’s trade partners.

That prompted former Russian President and high-ranking Russian official Dmitry Medvedev to respond on social media that each new ultimatum that Trump makes about Russia to force an end to its war on Ukraine “is a threat and a step towards war.”

“Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” Medvedev wrote on X. Trump said on Friday said that he had ordered two nuclear submarines “to be positioned in the appropriate regions” in response to Medvedev’s comments.

Russia, one of the world’s top oil exporters, has used revenues from oil exports to largely fund its war machine in Ukraine, which it invaded in 2022. Ukraine’s Western partners have used sanctions and restrictions to try to stifle those revenues, but countries like India and China have continued to buy discounted Russian crude.

This has infuriated Trump and he has, in the last few days, threatened India with steep tariffs if it does not stop buying Russian oil. The president threatened a 25% duty on Indian exports, as well as an unspecified “penalty” last week, accusing New Delhi of buying discounted Russian oil and “selling it on the Open Market for big profits.”

On Tuesday, Trump told CNBC that the tariff threshold could be hiked above 25% in the next 24 hours.

“India has not been a good trading partner … so we settled on 25%, but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil, they’re fueling the war machine, and if they’re going to do that, I’m not going to be happy,” Trump said.

Russia earlier on Tuesday weighed into the spat, with the Kremlin saying India was free to choose its own trading partners and that Trump’s tariff threats were “attempts to force countries to stop trade relations with Russia.”

“We do not consider such statements to be legitimate,” Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov continued, speaking to reporters Tuesday.

“We believe that sovereign countries should have, and have the right to choose their own trade partners, partners in trade and economic cooperation. And to choose those trade and economic cooperation regimes that are in the interests of a particular country.”

India hasn’t been a good trading partner, will raise tariffs over Russian oil: President Trump

Oil prices declined to around the mid-$65 a barrel mark on Tuesday as traders assessed the announcement by OPEC and its oil-producing allies on Sunday that they would hike output, amid potential weaker global demand.

After Trump’s comments on Tuesday, Brent crude futures were down 83 cents, or 1.2%, to $67.92 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 87 cents to $65.41.

Meanwhile, dark clouds certainly appear to be gathering on the horizon when it comes to Russia’s war-focused economy. It has labored under the weight of international sanctions as well as homegrown pressures, also largely resulting from war, such as rampant inflation and high food and production costs that even Putin described as “alarming.” Russia’s Economic Development Ministry also predicts that economic growth will slow from 4.3% in 2024 to 2.5% this year.

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World record alert: 2026 Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck drove 1,060 miles on a single charge

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World record alert: 2026 Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck drove 1,060 miles on a single charge

Move over, Lucid. There’s a new world record holder in EV range. Engineers at General Motors recently took a minimally modified version of the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck out on a real-world test and traveled a total distance of 1,059.2 miles from a single charge.

The Chevy Silverado EV may differentiate quite a bit mechanically from its ICE counterpart, which has been in production for nearly 30 years, but it has made a name for itself as a flagship model in General Motors’ all-electric lineup.

After debuting in 2022, the Silverado EV was released a year later as a full-size pickup in 2023. The two initial trims were fleet-focused work truck variants before a passenger-friendly RST version arrived in 2024. This summer, Chevy introduced the 2026 version of the Silverado EV, featuring an EPA range of 493 miles.

That range estimate also applies to the Max Pack Work Truck trim of the 2026 Silverado EV Work Truck, which GM engineers recently used to achieve a new world record for EV range, besting the previous leader by over 300 miles.

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Silverado Work Trucks nabs EV world record for range

GM shared details of its recent world record-breaking EV range test this morning. Per the American automaker, this engineer-led challenge began as a passion project before evolving into a real-world test of a 2025 Chevy Silverado EV optimized for efficiency.

When we say “optimized,” we don’t mean this pickup was heavily modified to achieve such impressive range. Per GM, both the hardware and software of the Silverado EV Work Truck were left untouched. Here are the modifications that were made before testing:

  • Windshield wiper blade position lowered to reduce drag 
  • Tires inflated to their highest acceptable pressure for lower rolling resistance 
  • Spare tire removed reduce weight
  • Wheel alignment optimized 
  • Tonneau cover added for smoother airflow 
  • Climate control turned off for the duration of the test 
  • Testing was performed in summer for optimum ambient temperature for battery efficiency

With these optimization techniques in place, a team of 40 engineers at GM drove a production model Silverado EV WT on public roads near its Michigan proving ground over the course of seven days. To further optimize the EV’s range in hopes of a world record, GM said the engineers used “smart driving techniques” and limited the pickup’s speed to 20-25 mph the entire time.

The result was an industry milestone and, per GM, a new world record in EV range. The Silverado EV WT traveled 1,059.2 miles on a single charge, beating the previous record of 749 miles held by the Lucid Air Grand Touring. The pickup’s range tally also blew away the WT’s EPA-estimated range of 493 miles.

Contrary to GM, Guinness documented and confirmed Lucid’s EV range world record. Additionally, Lucid still wins in efficiency, as the Air Pure achieved 5 miles/kWh compared to 4.9 miles/kWh by the Silverado EV. However, that is not to take away from the team at GM, as this latest real-world test has achieved a welcome industry milestone that should be recognized and celebrated.

Congrats to GM and the engineers at Chevrolet!

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Meet Hyundai’s smallest EVs yet: The E3W and E4W

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Meet Hyundai's smallest EVs yet: The E3W and E4W

Hyundai’s thinking small, but aiming big. The E3W and E4W concepts, an electric tuk-tuk and mini four-wheeler, are Hyundai’s smallest EVs yet, but they could be a surprise hit.

Check out Hyundai’s E3W and E4W mini EV concepts

Earlier this year, we got our first look at the E3W and E4W at the 2025 Bharat Mobility Global Expo. Hyundai partnered with TVS Motor Company to bring the electric three-wheeler to life, while the four-wheeler is expected to make its way into global markets.

The E3W, an electric tuk-tuk, is custom-tailored to navigate India’s tight city roads. However, Hyundai stated that “the development of the Four-Wheeler is under review, with a focus on its global potential.”

Hyundai, in collaboration with TVS Motor, developed the three-wheeler with an adjustable body. This way, it can be lifted if the streets are flooded during the monsoon season.

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The concept features larger tires for a smoother ride and even includes tow hooks, just in case you get stuck in a pothole.

Hyundai and Genesis global design boss SangYup Lee said, “We aim to locally produce the three-wheeler while exploring global opportunities for the four-wheeler.”

According to Hyundai, the new mini EVs offer more than just getting around the city. The automaker previewed several concepts for last-mile delivery, police, and even an “N” branded sporty-looking version.

Will Hyundai launch the E3W and E4W in other global markets, such as the US or Europe? Sorry to disappoint, but given America’s love for bigger trucks and SUVs, the mini EVs are unlikely to make the trip. Not to mention, the new auto tariffs would make it even more challenging.

Europe, however, could be a potential “global” market Hyundai is referring to. Hyundai is expected to reveal the new IONIQ 2 at the Munich Motor Show next month, the smallest from its dedicated EV series. It will sit between the Inster EV and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.

In the US, Hyundai is ramping up production at its new EV plant in Georgia, where it builds the IONIQ 5 and three-row IONIQ 9. The new and improved IONIQ 5 is coming off its best sales month to date in July.

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