President Donald Trump recently broke Wisconsin law by offering cash to voters if his preferred candidates win this fall’s congressional elections. This continues his patterned disregard for state election laws and long-standing policies enacted to keep our democracy free from corruption. The president is unlikely to face legal repercussions, though others have been punished and likely would be prosecuted for similar conduct. The reality is that we, as citizens and voters, bear the responsibility of deciding what we will tolerate from our leaders.
Recently in Texas, the president said, “If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000. It will be called the Trump dividend.” Some shrugged his comments off as unserious or impracticable. Others opined that they fall within the bounds of First Amendment protected speech. But Wisconsin law expressly rejects paying for votes in any fashion; in particular, Wis. Stat. § 12.11(1m)(a)3. prescribes felony charges for “Any person who … offers (or) gives … anything of value … in order to induce any elector to … vote or refrain from voting for or against a particular person.”
A different provision in the same statute — this one prohibiting offers to induce people to vote or refrain from the act of voting — is the basis of Law Forward’s ongoing lawsuit against Elon Musk for promising opportunities to receive $1 million payments in exchange for voting before Election Day in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Wisconsin’s election bribery statute contains exceptions to protect ordinary endorsements of candidates and robust campaign activities, but neither the president’s recent promise nor Musk’s scheme last year seems to fit into those exceptions.
This is a big deal. Wisconsin law forbids any offers to voters worth more than a single dollar. This has been raised over the years in response to numerous food-related giveaways, from sandwiches to barbecue to ice cream. Wisconsin authorities even considered filing election bribery charges against Democratic campaign workers who provided kringle to residents of a group home in an effort to encourage them to cast absentee ballots.This is no kringle: The president is using the prospect of $5,000 payments to sway the midterm elections in favor of Republican candidates.
Wisconsin law forbids election bribery to prevent any hint of corruption and to ensure that voters are making their choices on the merits. For the same reasons, Wisconsin forbids voting in an election where you have wagered on the outcome. This law has recently been criticized by prediction market websites.
The law’s laudable goals will remain out of reach if prosecutors are unwilling or unable to enforce them. No prosecutor has challenged President Trump over his latest comments. That is unsurprising: The U.S. Supreme Court decided a few years ago that the president stands above the law, enjoying near-absolute immunity from prosecution for his conduct. In so doing, the court weakened a fundamental axiom of our democracy: that ours is a nation of laws, not men. This misguided decision shields the president from even the threat of criminal liability for, among other things, violations of Wisconsin’s election bribery law.
But even those without presidential immunity are evading criminal accountability. Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Elections Commission found probable cause that Musk engaged in illegal election bribery. La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke nevertheless declined to prosecute, even as he acknowledged that a statement by Musk “could be seen as … (offering) to pay someone (for) voting.” To be sure, picking a fight with Musk is a daunting prospect, given his public profile, his wealth, his ownership of X, and his scorched-earth litigation tactics. But the rule of law requires standing up to even those — indeed, especially those — who wield tremendous power. Yet, sadly, America’s most powerful figures increasingly operate under their own set of rules in our shared democracy.
This is evident right now in the president’s all-out assault on voting rights. Even as he routinely votes absentee by mail, the president seeks to limit everyone else’s ability to do so. He has the federal departments of Justice and Homeland Security running roughshod over state election laws in a fruitless quest to identify noncitizen voters. He has sued dozens of states in an effort to seize private voter information, but courts in Wisconsin and every other state that has considered the matter have ruled against him. And after the president asserted in a primetime national address that DHS had identified more than 24,000 noncitizen voters in just four states, the administration admitted that number is false. DOJ has indicted 19 noncitizens — in the entire country — for allegedly voting unlawfully over the past decade.
So, what should we expect in the face of unprecedented attacks on the right to vote and ever-increasing threats to our democracy? That is up to us, as citizens and as voters. Each of us individually, and all of us societally, must decide how much we value our freedoms, our traditions and the rule of law. In the face of emboldened corruptors, wary prosecutors and an overburdened judiciary, how will we exercise active citizenship and stand up for our values? Will we demand that political parties and candidates for office, if they want our vote, must speak to these issues and defend democracy?
Corruption erodes and weakens the foundations underlying democracy. The future of American democracy is in our hands. We are the inheritors of a profound legacy, and it is up to us to ensure that, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Jeff Mandell is the president and general counsel of Law Forward.
Guest commentaries reflect the views of their authors and are independent of the nonpartisan, in-depth reporting produced by Wisconsin Watch’s newsroom staff. Want to join the Wisconversion? See our guidelines for submissions.
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Federal funding cuts forced Literacy Green Bay leaders to reduce the number of classes they offer from 15 to eight and to stop offering child care.
But the need for services has only increased: The organization has a 300-person waitlist.
To offer students more casual ways to practice English, Literacy Green Bay hosts a monthly informal gathering at a downtown Green Bay coffee shop.
Community members and students speak for an hour in English about their families, their work and more.
Halfway through her English language class on an early September morning, teacher Sierra Susa asked each of her adult students to write down a positive affirmation on a sticky note.
One by one, the students, hailing from roughly 10 countries, stuck the light green papers to a hallway wall:
“I help and encourage others.”
“I like learning new things and my family is my whole world.”
“A veces pensar mucho no es buena idea (Sometimes thinking too much is not a good idea).”
“I am studying hard! I will be a nursing assistant!”
“English is really difficult. … When you are having a bad day, you can walk by and say, ‘OK. I’ve got motivation. I feel better,’” Susa said.
That day, roughly two dozen students gathered in a basement classroom at Literacy Green Bay, the city’s largest resource for helping immigrants, refugees and other adults learn English as a second language.
Demand is only growing for the organization’s services, which help residents learn to use a computer, study for a citizenship test or speak English well enough to attend school or find work.
But the nonprofit took a major blow recently, when the Trump administration slashed billions in federal funding and gutted refugee resettlement programs. That’s trickled down to funding losses for Literacy Green Bay, leading it to cut its services nearly in half: It has reduced from 15 ESL classes to eight, stopped offering child care and has a 300-person waitlist.
English language students listen as Sierra Susa, instructional support and resource specialist, gives directions at Literacy Green Bay. (Miranda Dunlap / Wisconsin Watch)
In the aftermath, the staff has turned to the surrounding community for help — with funding and with helping students sharpen their skills. As immigration enforcement and anti-immigrant rhetoric draw more attention nationwide, they’re making an even stronger effort to be visible in the community and squash the stigma around being an adult English learner.
“It’s very hard for most of our students to break out of their bubble. A lot of them will just work and go home. … Some of them don’t have anybody else,” Development and Communications Coordinator Grace Hageman said. “And so this is where they come to get community, this is where they make friends and this is people coming from all across the world that get to hang out together.”
Hub for immigrants, refugees
In 1981, Literacy Green Bay launched as an initiative of volunteers helping integrate Hmong refugees who recently settled in the area by providing English language education.
Four decades and thousands of students from nearly 100 countries later, Hageman said Literacy Green Bay is well-known among local immigrant and refugee communities.
“We can be one of the first stops for people as they’re getting settled and they’re looking for opportunities to grow, but that’s definitely not all of our students,” she said. “For some, it could be years of living in Green Bay speaking limited to no English until they sign up for classes.”
Flags from countries around the world decorate the hallway at Literacy Green Bay on Sept. 2, 2026. The organization has worked with immigrants and refugees from nearly 100 countries since it started in 1981. (Miranda Dunlap / Wisconsin Watch)
The largest share of students at the school are Hispanic, followed by Somali, Afghan, Syrian and Ukrainian refugees. All are adults.
All of Literacy Green Bay’s services are low-cost to students — they pay a $65 fee to begin and are also asked to purchase books for $35. But if a student can’t afford that, the school will find a way to cover the cost.
The school’s classes begin at a level considered “pre-literate,” for people who don’t know how to read, write or use a computer in their native language — often women from Pakistan and Somalia who never went to school.
“We start at that level of people just learning how to hold a pencil,” Hageman said.
From there, Literacy Green Bay’s classes span through level 3. To a native English speaker, this skill level looks like someone who can generally be able to participate in a basic conversation, while still being apparent that they are learning English. ESL programs at local technical colleges generally begin where Literacy Green Bay leaves off, meaning students must enroll to continue learning English.
Literacy Green Bay also offers a volunteer-based, one-on-one adult tutoring service, which about 100 people utilize. These sessions are tailored to each person’s goals and might include preparing for a citizenship test, learning computer skills, studying for a driver’s license, doing homework or conducting a job search.
Across the board, the school focuses on helping students navigate a community that isn’t designed for non-English speakers.
English language students work on computers at Literacy Green Bay. (Miranda Dunlap / Wisconsin Watch)
“That’s a big misconception of what happens in the classrooms here. It’s not like we’re just having them read and write,” Hageman said. “They’re learning how to go to the bank. They’re learning how to talk to a doctor.”
The classes also provide social connection for students, who spend two days a week together and often forge friendships.
Potlucks are common and a favorite way for students to connect and share their cultures with one another. On that Wednesday morning in September, student Ikuko Mader brought a meal of taco rice to share with everyone. Originally from Okinawa, Japan, Mader moved to Green Bay for love: Her husband is a former Marine from Wisconsin. She said the food is what she misses most about her home country — not just Japanese food, but the amount of choice she had in restaurants.
Today, Mader takes classes at Literacy Green Bay to better communicate with her family, who speaks English.
“I married and have kids that use English, but my English is basic level. … Talking in detail about stuff (is hard),” Mader said. “Of course, in Japanese, I can, but when it’s English, it’s hard.”
A sign on the wall encouraging students at Literacy Green Bay is seen on Sept. 2, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (Miranda Dunlap / Wisconsin Watch)
Demand soars, funding dips
President Donald Trump made budget cuts his priority when he took office and targeted refugee resettlement programs, including those that funded refugee literacy programs in Wisconsin.
For Literacy Green Bay, those measures cut deep.
The school’s roughly $800,000 budget has largely been funded by federal grants. According to the organization’s 2023 financial report — the most recent available online — 38% of its revenue came from the federal government.
In 2024, Literacy Green Bay received more than $150,000 in grant dollars from the Office of Refugee Resettlement. In 2025, that number dropped to $60,000. Funding ended altogether in July.
Statewide, funding to Wisconsin Literacy — which distributes grants to organizations like Literacy Green Bay — declined from $2,857,703 in 2025 to $737,890 in 2026 because of federal cuts to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Literacy Green Bay whittled its services from 15 English classes to eight. It opened a waitlist, which has stretched to 300 people waiting for basic English literacy education.
Staff rearranged class schedules so everyone who was already enrolled in a program could stay and finish. Small barriers add up, Hageman said, and it’s easy for students to fall behind or stop showing up when things change.
Affirmations from Literacy Green Bay English language students are seen on a wall at the nonprofit on Sept. 2, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (Miranda Dunlap / Wisconsin Watch)
“We want to keep things as consistent as possible for them,” Hageman said. ”These are folks who have at least been mildly inconvenienced for their entire life.”
The organization also had to eliminate free child care. Paid staff members used to watch children during morning and evening classes.
Bringing that resource back when they can afford it is a priority, staff said, because it’s a barrier that keeps students from attending class. Affordable child care is increasingly difficult to find — a search made more difficult when someone is still learning English.
Meanwhile, demand for English education at Literacy Green Bay has climbed higher than school leaders can keep up with.
“We will have three to four people a day come in, walk in off the street, and come sign up to be on the waitlist, or reach out online,” Hageman said.
From 2022 to 2024, people moving from outside of the country were the primary driver of Brown County’s population growth. That was no longer true last year, as immigration to the state plummeted under the Trump administration.
‘They have all these skills’
While every student’s journey at Literacy Green Bay is deeply personal, many share a common goal: finding good work.
“It’s like we have a community that exists here that nobody knows,” Hageman said. “People that most of the time are not out front and public-facing right now, especially at their jobs. They’re working their kitchens. They’re working back-of-house.”
For many, learning English is a step toward pursuing higher education — and, ultimately, the careers they want.
That’s true for Wedcia Jean, a student from Haiti, who told Wisconsin Watch she wants to study at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before eventually opening her own public speaking business.
Others are simply trying to regain the socioeconomic standing they achieved in their home countries.
Student Carmen Hernandez holds a master’s degree in nursing from Mexico. Today, she’s learning English while working toward another nursing degree at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College so she can restart her career in the United States.
Sierra Susa, instructional support and resource specialist, poses in her classroom after an English language class at Literacy Green Bay. (Miranda Dunlap / Wisconsin Watch)
“There’s a lot of students that have master’s degrees, they’re doctors, they’re teachers, they’re very educated in their country, but then here they’re just working at JBS, cutting meat,” Susa said. “And it’s just very frustrating that English is really the only barrier. They have all these skills. That’s what I try to focus on is, trying to get them back to where they are, and so that English isn’t a barrier for their goal and their dream.”
For student Olver Corado, learning English is the key to being able to grow the career he already has.
Corado, from Guatemala, works as a general contractor and owns a construction company based in Appleton. The level 3 English student builds houses and repairs homes across northeast Wisconsin, but gets nervous talking to customers in English.
“I need to grow my business. It’s really important to learn English. I need to have good communication with customers … I don’t speak perfect English, but I’m smart,” Corado said.
Letting students ‘live out loud’
These days, Literacy Green Bay staff are trying to “rebuild.”
After having to cut the number of classes, staff started thinking about how students could practice English in more casual ways.
One tutor began meeting with his students at Kavarna, a staple coffee shop in downtown Green Bay. His students felt comfortable there, so he suggested inviting more students.
Now, once a month, Literacy Green Bay hosts “Coffee, Culture and Conversation” – an informal gathering where students are paired with community members who come to talk with them in English. The school provides questions to get the conversation started, but from there, it flows naturally.
English language students at Literacy Green Bay play a matching game on Sept. 2, 2026. (Miranda Dunlap / Wisconsin Watch)
At their mid-September event, there were about three eager attendees for every student. Students from Laos, Guatemala, Haiti and more practiced English by speaking with strangers for an hour about their families, their work and their paths to living in Green Bay, among other topics.
“When I saw the advertisement, I’ve always been interested in having conversations like this: ‘Where are you from? Where have you been? Why are you here?’ Underneath, we’re all the same,” said Gayle Frame, a retiree, former Literacy Green Bay tutor and self-described “people person.”
After, students have another place in Green Bay they feel comfortable visiting and ordering at, because they’ve been welcomed there before.
“Especially with what our community can look like towards someone who’s trying, that’s beautiful to have the opportunity (where) they can feel comfortable,” Hageman said.
The coffee events also offer a lower-barrier way for people to get involved. Previously, tutoring was one of the main ways community members could volunteer with the school, which requires a regular time commitment and preparation. Hageman said roughly 70% of the volunteers at the August event had never worked with Literacy Green Bay before.
That’s encouraging for Literacy Green Bay staff, especially as tensions around immigration flare nationwide. They’re wrestling with how visible the organization — and its students — should be. Should they advertise more? Should they post students on social media? How do they celebrate the people they serve without putting unwanted attention on them?
They don’t have the answers, Hageman said, but getting students out in the community with events like this is one way to help students “live out loud.”
“They’re proud to be here,” Hageman said. “If they’re living their life, we have to keep living too, which is daunting. … But we just adapt, we just keep moving forward every day, as all people do.”
A 19-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges after she allegedly blocked a school bus carrying 37 children, forced open its loading door, and waved a loaded handgun during an apparent road rage confrontation, reported FOX 59.
According to the news report, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded Sept. 16 to reported vehicle collision. They found Jamiya Sutton’s Kia K4 parked sideways in front of the school bus, blocking the roadway, according to court documents.
Police determined the vehicles had not collided. Sutton allegedly told officers that she struck a construction sign after the school bus pulled out in front of her. Believing the bus driver was responsible, Sutton followed the bus, drove around it and deliberately parked at an angle to prevent it from leaving, court documents state.
According to the article, the bus driver told officers she did not notice Sutton’s Kia until it pulled in front of the bus. Sutton then allegedly exited her vehicle holding a black handgun, walked around the bus and yelled for the driver to come outside.
When the driver refused, Sutton allegedly forced open the bus door, boarded with the gun and waved it while yelling at the driver. She then returned to her vehicle. No injuries were reported.
Sutton reportedly acknowledged being armed but told officers she “did not do anything with” the gun. An officer later found a Glock 17 Gen 4 beneath the driver’s seat of Sutton’s vehicle. Police said its magazine contained 21 live rounds.
Sutton was arrested without further incident and charged with Level 3 felony criminal confinement with a deadly weapon, Level 5 felony criminal confinement with a vehicle, Level 6 felony pointing a firearm at another person, and misdemeanor unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle.
She was being held without bond pending an initial hearing scheduled for Thursday before Judge Ross Anderson.
Court records reportedly indicate Sutton had been arrested Sept. 11 in a separate alleged road rage incident. In that case, she is accused of displaying the same handgun during a confrontation with a driver she believed had cut her off in traffic.
Your district’s bus cameras capture footage from every route every day, quietly building a record of what happens inside and around your buses. If you’ve focused your vendor selection on picture quality, camera placement, and ease-of-use features, there’s a good chance you have overlooked a critical question: how well is that footage protected?
The Onboard Storage Security Gap
When something happens on a bus, whether it’s a bullying complaint, a driver dispute, or an accident, the video footage is often the only objective account of what occurred. That’s why the system capturing it needs real safeguards built in from the start, not only to ensure the footage exists, but to protect it once it does.
If your current system still relies on someone physically accessing a bus to manually remove a card or drive it, you’re exposed to significant risk. That storage device could end up lost or damaged. The footage may never have been recorded properly in the first place, and you might not discover that until you need it.
Many modern system setups now store footage on a mobile Digital Video Recorder (DVR) on the bus first, then move it to a secure cloud platform where your team can pull up an incident without needing physical access to the vehicle.
Ask whether your system is capable of:
Remote System Health Monitoring
Catch a failed camera or a recording issue before an incident happens
Locked Physical Storage
A DVR unit that’s physically locked down, so footage can’t be pulled by just anyone with access to the bus
Role-Based Software Permissions
Only approved staff can view, share, or download footage
Audit Logs
Documenting who accessed which recording, when, and any sharing or downloading activity
Audit logs are the most overlooked of the four during procurement and can sometimes be the most important after an incident. If a parent or school administrator asks how footage was handled, you want a clear, documented answer, not one you’re piecing together after the fact.
Flush-mounting camera designs are becoming increasingly popular for interior bus coverage.
Hardware Must Be Part of Your Security Plan
Buses subject onboard equipment to constant vibration, temperature swings, and daily wear from transporting students five days a week. But durability isn’t the only reason that mounting and camera choices are important. A camera that protrudes out into the cabin is also easier to grab, twist out of position, or cover.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 222, the regulation governing school bus passenger seating and crash protection, establishes a “head impact zone” inside the bus. Many states build on that by requiring that interior equipment be located outside that zone, have no sharp edges or projections, and be placed in a manner unlikely to cause student injury. Cameras that sit flush with the ceiling, rather than protruding into the cabin, are more likely to meet those requirements and more resistant to tampering.
This is a detail that rarely factors into early vendor conversations, yet it can influence how dependable your system stays for years into its service life.
Security Doesn’t Stop at the Interior
If your approach to bus video security only covers what happens inside the bus, you’re missing part of the picture. Stop-arm cameras that capture plates of vehicles passing illegally, along with forward- and side-facing exterior cameras, need the same protection as interior footage: controlled access, tamper resistance, and a record of who has accessed each file. A system that’s locked down inside but loosely managed outside still leaves you exposed.
It All Comes Back to Trust
Two factors determine whether your video system delivers when it matters: whether you can trust the footage will be there when you need it, and whether it holds up to scrutiny from parents, administrators, or law enforcement.
A system that protects footage from loss or tampering, and documents who accessed it and when, addresses both. You’re not just more likely to have the footage. You’re in a far stronger position if it’s ever questioned, whether that’s a bullying complaint, a question about a driver, or documentation following an accident.
That’s the standard worth holding your video solution to. Capturing what happened isn’t enough on its own. The footage needs to be there when needed, with safeguards in place to protect it for as long as it’s needed.
The all-electric VW ID. Buzz was charged more than 300 times during the trip.
The electric van was driven across South America, North America, Europe, and Asia.
It received a Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in one continuous trip for an EV.
After 445 days, 92 countries, and six continents, a VW ID. Buzz has received a Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in a continuous journey by a BEV. What’s perhaps even more impressive than the journey itself is that the car apparently didn’t experience a single breakdown.
Rainer Zietlow drove the ID. Buzz throughout the journey, covering 62,036 miles (99,767 km), leaving Hannover, Germany, on July 1, 2025, and returning on September 14. At the end of the journey, VW’s all-electric van had retained 95.75 percent of its original battery capacity.
The ID. Buzz used for the epic road trip was the Pro model, equipped with an 86-kWh battery pack that gives it up to 309 miles (497 km) of WLTP range. While this is far from class-leading in the ultra-competitive EV space, it was enough for Zietlow to cross through countries, proving just how easy it can be to live with an EV.
This isn’t to say it was always easy to charge the ID. Buzz. In Tanzania and Zambia, there’s no public charging network, so the VW had to be charged at national substations to keep the journey going. The EV was moved across countries and continents using container ships.
Zietlow was probably especially grateful he’d embarked on the ambitious adventure with an EV rather than a combustion-powered car, as gasoline prices have soared this year. In total, they made more than 300 charging stops to keep the ID. Buzz running, with Zietlow noting that China is “in a league of its own” when it comes to charging networks and broad EV adoption.
Throughout the journey, the VW was driven across the base of Australia from Sydney to Perth, shipped over to South Africa, and driven across Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, and Kenya. The trip also included Asia, crossing through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and through most of Central and Western Europe, South America, and North America.
Renault has unveiled a fully electric reboot of the 8 Gordini.
The concept features café racer styling and a 270 hp motor.
It is not destined for production and will remain a one-off.
Renault is clearly not done reviving past icons with the R4 and R5 production models. The automaker has just launched a new concept car, inspired by the Renault 8 Gordini from the ’60s. The modern reincarnation of the classic rally sedan is a two-seater coupe with a fully electric powertrain and a retro-flavored design. Unfortunately, it is not destined for production, although elements from its design might influence future models.
The original Renault 8 Gordini was launched in 1964 as the high-performance version of the rear-engined rear-wheel-drive family sedan designed for winding mountain passes. The “la Gorde” featured an upgraded engine with nearly double the horsepower of the donor vehicle, a lowered suspension, beefier brakes, four or six headlights, and a blue paint with white racing stripes.
The new Renault 8 Gordini Concept evokes the Café racer spirit of the original, looking like a reverse restomod with a low and wide stance. The coupe measures 4.12 m (162 in) long, 1.88 m (74 in) wide, and 1.27 m (50 in) tall, riding on 19-inch and 20-inch alloy wheels.
Six round LED headlights are mounted on a grille-less V-shaped nose, with flush taillights disappearing into the bodywork when not in use. The coupe also features sporty bumper intakes with a body-colored splitter, boxy and wide fenders, flying buttresses on the C-pillars, a roof spoiler, a rear ventilation grille, and a large diffuser. Of course, it wears the iconic blue livery with white stripes running along the carbon fiber body.
The interior is a celebration of minimalism and a nod to the analog era. Instead of oversized screens, Renault added six round dials with thick bezels, mounted on a brushed aluminum strip on the dashboard. We also find tasteful Alcantara inserts, an aluminum center console with physical switches, and a pair of bucket seats with black and blue corduroy upholstery.
The French automaker revealed that its designers were so enthusiastic about the brief, they submitted over 300 sketches. Alexandre Malval, Renault’s Vice President of Design, said that the goal was “to spark emotion by drawing on both our heritage and modern times, bringing together the icons of yesterday and the future.”
Renault didn’t share information about the underpinnings of the concept, other than revealing it is powered by a single electric motor which is good for 266 hp (198 kW / 270 PS) sending power to the rear wheels.
While we would like to believe otherwise, Renault made it clear that the R8 Gordini concept is a one-off and it’s not going to evolve into a production model. Instead, it serves as a follow up to homage projects like the R17 electric restomod x Ora Ïto concept car, and the Renault 5 Diamant art car.
The new concept will make its first public outing at the Renault Carwalk on September 24, before being exhibited at the Paris Motor Show next month. Eventually, it will end up at the new Renault Collections museum in Flins which is scheduled to open its doors for the public in around 15 months.
Bentley’s first EV offers up to 876 hp and 996 lb-ft.
The Torcal S hits 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds.
A 113-kWh battery delivers up to 375 miles of WLTP range.
After several years in the making, Bentley just unwrapped its very first EV for the world to see. Dubbed the Torcal, the new SUV packs up to 888 PS (876 hp / 653 kW), 996 lb-ft (1,350 Nm) of torque, and enough battery to travel as far as 375 miles (600 km) on the WLTP cycle. More importantly, this isn’t simply an electric Bentayga. The Torcal becomes Bentley’s fourth model line and introduces a new design language the company says will influence future models regardless of what’s under the hood. In other words, the Torcal signals a new chapter for Bentley.
The automaker will offer two versions at launch. The standard Torcal develops 821 PS (810 hp / 604 kW) and 881 lb-ft (1,194 Nm), enough to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.3 seconds before topping out at 155 mph (250 km/h). The Torcal S turns things up to 888 PS (875 hp) and 996 lb-ft when Launch Control is active.
That drops the 0-60 mph run to 2.8 seconds and raises top speed to 162 mph (260 km/h). Curiously, Bentley could have apparently pushed things even further but deliberately chose not to. Its engineers concluded that acceleration beyond this point becomes uncomfortable for most customers. Considering there’s a certain obsession with breathtaking EV acceleration figures, that’s an interesting line to draw. Having recently driven the Porsche Cayenne Electric, we can confirm that 0-60 in 2.4 seconds is potentially uncomfortable for some.
Both versions use a pair of permanent-magnet synchronous motors and an 800-volt electrical architecture. Between them sits a 113-kWh usable battery backed by a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Bentley claims as much as 375 miles (600 km) of WLTP range. Find a sufficiently powerful DC charger, and the Torcal can accept up to 400 kW, taking the battery from 10 to 80 percent in under 20 minutes.
More impressively, Bentley says approximately 100 miles (161 km) can be added in seven minutes. Again, though, these figures require a charger that can achieve such speeds. That’s probably not a giant issue, given that most Torcal owners will charge almost exclusively at their mansion, or palace, or whatever building houses the car most nights.
Somehow, the Torcal is actually Bentley’s shortest four-door model despite measuring five meters (196.9 inches) long. There’s 460 liters (16.2 cu-ft) of cargo capacity out back and another 90 liters (3.2 cu-ft) beneath the hood. Visually, there’s little chance of mistaking it for anything else.
An enormous illuminated diamond grille dominates the nose, but the split headlights and razor-thin daytime running lights introduce a dramatically different face. The rear is cleaner, with slim horizontal lamps and vertical elements framing the tailgate. Bentley says it deliberately reduced the number of lines across the body, instead allowing its proportions, surfaces, and muscular rear haunches to do the talking. Ultimately, though, it’s the changes under the body that are most significant about this particular Bentley.
GM Energy and Pacific Gas and Electric have joined forces to improve EV ownership.
New incentive offers a free charger as well as monthly savings on electricity.
Partnership aims to streamline buying and charging experience for first-time EV owners.
Buying your first electric vehicle can be intimidating and a little overwhelming. Besides the purchase itself, you need to think about recharging and possibly getting an electrician to come out to your home and install a charger.
Given that, it’s easy to see why a number of consumers forget to inquire about programs from their utility provider. GM is now streamlining things by announcing a new partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric [PG&E].
Dubbed the Smart Charge Bundle, the first-of-its-kind program “makes home charging part of the EV buying conversation from the start.” When at participating Cadillac, Chevrolet, or GMC dealerships, eligible customers can discuss their charging needs, explore charger options from GM Energy, and sign up for a program from PG&E.
While there’s a lot to take in, customers can get an Energy PowerShift or PowerUp 2 home charger at no cost. That’s a savings of up to $1,999, although installation, permitting, and any necessary electrical upgrades are the responsibility of the customer.
The PowerUp 2 charger typically costs $899 and is rated at 11.5 kW. However, the star of the show is the 19.2 kW PowerShift charger, which offers a bidirectional charging capability when paired with a V2H Enablement Kit. This allows your EV to act as a massive battery bank to power your home during outages.
While the free charger is certainly a bonus, the incentives don’t end there. Quite the opposite, as dealers can sign people up for PG&E’s EV Charge Manager program. According to the utility, it “schedules electric vehicle charging when electricity prices and demand are at their lowest.” You simply plug in your vehicle when you get home, and it will automatically begin charging at the proper time. It’s also worth noting you can override a “managed-charging session” whenever needed.
That’s oversimplifying things a bit, but customers could receive a $15 monthly bill credit. On top of that, owners could save up to $50 per month by charging when the electricity rate is low.
The incentive is available to eligible PG&E residential customers in Northern and Central California through February 2027, or until capacity in the program is reached. There are a few caveats – such as having to use GM Energy’s preferred installer network – but the Smart Charge Bundle sounds like a win-win.
GM Energy Vice President Wade Sheffer remarked, “GM Energy’s reason for being is to make EV ownership a leap forward in value and ease, from choosing the right vehicle to charging it at home. Our work with PG&E is the result of listening to owners, reducing steps, and doing the hard work in the background to make the customer experience really simple, with clear benefits.”
Porsche is using recycled lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese in batteries.
Vehicles using cells made with recycled materials are already being tested.
Porsche and partners will be able to produce these new battery cells from 2028.
Porsche has cut back some of its planned electric vehicle investments in recent months, but that doesn’t mean the German brand isn’t still interested in pushing the industry forward. For the first time, it has produced battery cells using recycled cathode active material, a major development in its efforts to establish a closed-loop circular economy for high-voltage batteries.
Working with German recycling firm cylib, Porsche has created battery cells using nothing but recycled battery raw materials from its own high-voltage cells. Through the pilot program, Porsche has been recovering the raw materials of end-of-life high-voltage batteries and processing them into new cells for test vehicles, and is now ensuring these cells can withstand the rigors of being in a car.
Porsche’s ongoing collaboration with cylib has seen it recycling its batteries using a water-based process since May. The raw material recovered during this process will be available to Porsche and partner companies to produce new battery cells in 2028.
Coming To A Porsche EV Soon?
The automaker isn’t yet putting a date on when recycled battery cells could be used in its production vehicles, but acknowledges that “in the future, battery raw materials recycled in Europe could be used in high-voltage batteries for Porsche vehicles.”
Key materials recovered in the recycling process and used to manufacture new battery cells include lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. This means newly produced cells are made entirely from recycled active materials.
“With battery cells made entirely from recycled raw materials such as lithium and cobalt, we have achieved an important technological milestone,” member of the executive board for procurement at Porsche, Joachim Scharnagl said. “This innovation is a key step in advancing both circular economy principles and raw material resilience, always with the ambition of optimizing progress, quality and resource efficiency.”
A new Opel STX Concept will debut at the Paris Motor Show.
It shows the brand’s vision for a future aero-efficient estate.
It might evolve into the next Opel Astra, arriving before 2030.
Stellantis has shared the first teaser of the Opel Sports Tourer eXperimental (STX) Concept ahead of its unveiling at the Paris Motor Show on October 12. The concept is believed to preview a future production wagon, that could replace the Opel Astra before the end of the decade.
According to the automaker, the Opel STX Concept represents “its vision for the future of estate cars”. Opel has been offering family-friendly wagons since the Olympia Rekord Caravan from 1953, while the Sports Tourer moniker is used for the estate variant of the current Astra.
Florian Huettl, Opel CEO, said: “As the name indicates, the Opel STX Concept will give our vision of the future of an aero-efficient estate – a body style that Opel played a pioneering role in establishing in Europe. It shows our next generation design language and feature elements that you will see in future production models.”
The announcement is accompanied by a single teaser that doesn’t reveal much about the design. What we can see is STX concept lettering on what appears to be a portion of the front bumper, featuring a carbon-style finish against a blue or silver bodywork. The company didn’t mention anything about the concept’s powertrain type, but chances are it will feature some sort of electrification.
Furthermore, the Opel CEO has revealed that an estate variant of the next Astra has been locked in, while hinting that the hatchback’s shape may evolve into a non-traditional bodystyle. Reading between the lines, the Astra could evolve into a sporty compact wagon and the upcoming concept might give us a good idea of what to expect.
The official debut of the Opel STX Concept is scheduled for October 12 at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, although the automaker might share more teasers and additional information as we move closer to that date. The wagon will be joined by the GSE 27FE single seater for the upcoming Formula E championship, the fully electric Corsa GSE hot hatch, and the new Astra GSE Line trim.
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