Calling all hot dog lovers!
Oscar Mayer is hiring folks to become a member of its coveted "Hotdogger" class — and get behind the wheel of its Wienermobiles. Measuring 27 feet long and 11 feet high — or 60 hot dogs long and 24 hot dogs high, per Oscar Mayer — the Wienermobiles have been on the road since 1936.
The gig pays $35,600 as a base salary, but also includes a weekly allowance of $150 for meals and personal travel, 18 days of paid time off, full health benefits, and all hotel expenses covered.


The new cohorts will continue the 88-year-old tradition of driving the yellow and orange vehicles, as well as handing out Wiener Whistles to meat lovers across the country. They will also be expected to create social content, the company says.
Recent classes of Hotdoggers have also visited Puerto Rico, married 12 couples in Las Vegas and helped introduce the first-ever hot dog-flavored popsicle, per the brand.


Hot dog fans are invited to apply to represent the 37th class for one year in a full-time, paid gig behind the wheel of the iconic Wienermobile. Applications for the position, officially titled Wienermobile Spokesperson, are now open here through Jan. 31, a representative confirmed to PEOPLE.
Hotdoggers traverse an average of 20,000 miles each year, visit at least 40 cities and represent Oscar Mayer at more than 1,200 events, the company says.

“The title of a Hotdogger is a rare and coveted position unique to those seeking adventure and a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ed Roland, senior manager of brand communications at Oscar Mayer, said in a press release.
“Statistically speaking, more people have visited space than driven the Wienermobile!” he said. (It is also harder to be accepted as a Hotdogger than earn admission to an Ivy League university, per Oscar Mayer.)
Added Roland: “We take pride in welcoming the next class who will continue to uphold the tradition of sparking smiles and bringing buns of fun to fans across the U.S."
Besides a deep love of hot dogs — and hot dog puns — qualifications for the position include strong communication skills and a bachelor’s degree, preferably in public relations, journalism, communications or marketing.

The end has finally come for three of the most iconic muscle cars of the 2000s. After a lengthy special-edition-packed farewell tour, the last 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger were built at the Stellantis' Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, on December 22. The news was first reported by Automotive News Canada and confirmed by a Dodge spokesperson. The last Chrysler 300 rolled off the line just two days prior.
A Dodge representative confirmed to Car and Driver that the last Charger was a Scat Pack widebody model painted in Destroyer Gray, while the final Challenger was an SRT Demon 170 in Pitch Black. Photos posted to Facebook (later made private), showed factory workers posing with the coupe, which sported flashy gold wheels.

The L platform that underpinned all three burly American machines was first introduced for the 2005 model year with the Chrysler 300. The 300 would go on to become a legend in the hip-hop scene, appearing in numerous music videos and quoted in dozens of songs. It was loved for a look that mixed Bentley-aping decadence with confident, American-gangster swagger.
The Charger followed for 2006, and the Challenger arrived for 2008. Both rear-wheel-drive cars brought V-8 muscle to the masses, becoming the centerpieces of rowdy burnout- and donut-making videos thanks to their 5.7-liter HEMI engines. The Dodge duo became even more hallowed with the introduction of the SRT Hellcat models, which coincided with a refresh for 2015. The Hellcats' supercharged 6.2-liter V-8s produced a sinister whine and more than 700 horsepower at a still relatively affordable price.


While the 300 never received the Hellcat treatment, it went out with a bang with the 485-hp 6.4-liter HEMI-powered 2023 300C. The Charger and Challenger were treated to more fanfare for their send-offs, with a series of "Last Call" special editions that culminated in the Challenger SRT Demon 170, capable of up to 1025 horsepower on E85 gasoline.
The Brampton factory will now retool over the next two years, installing a new paint shop and stamping lines. In late 2025, the facility will start producing the next iteration of the Jeep Compass along with upcoming vehicles that will ride on the STLA Medium platform. These will include both internal-combustion and electric powertrains.
The Charger and Challenger's successor—expected to be consolidated into one model that's previewed by the Charger Daytona SRT concept—will be built nearby at Canada's Windsor Assembly Plant. Two- and four-door versions are likely, and electric powertrains will be joined by Stellantis' latest Hurricane inline-six, which produces up to 510 horsepower in current Jeep and Ram vehicles. The Chrysler 300, meanwhile, won't have a direct replacement, as the moribund brand prepares an electric resuscitation with a series of new EVs in the next few years.

Sometimes a film location deserves to receive equal billing to its stars. With “Ferrari,” the latest movie by US director Michael Mann, Modena, Italy, makes a strong case for itself.

Starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, Mann’s biopic takes on the turbulent life of Enzo Ferrari, founder of the car manufacturer. Set in 1957 in the run up to the Mille Miglia race across Italy, events on track jostle for position with family drama at home, as Enzo and wife Laura grieve the loss of their son, and Enzo contends with his double life as father to a child with another woman. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival in August, Mann’s film arrives in cinemas over the Christmas holidays, with one eye on the Oscars.

Driver, American, and Cruz, Spanish, throw themselves into la vita Italiana, but when it came to location, Mann decided there would be no substitute.

Modena, in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, is integral to the Ferrari story. Enzo was born in the small city and built a workshop there when the former race car driver started manufacturing automobiles of his own. By the 1950s Ferrari had expanded into the nearby town of Maranello, becoming a force to be reckoned with, and Modena was the heart of Italian motorsport itself, with Maserati also calling it home. But while his cars would hurtle around Italy, and later, the world, Enzo was reluctant to stray far from Modena. So it was only right that when Mann was setting up “Ferrari,” he would bring the production to it.
Mann, 80, has his own deep connections with Ferrari. The Chicago-born director behind “Heat” and “The Last of the Mohicans” had been mulling a film on the founder for many years, and has called Piero Ferrari, the current vice chair of the company, a friend for decades (the young Piero plays an important role in the movie).
Most importantly, Modena is still filled with people who work for and love Ferrari. “Ferrari is the home team,” Mann said. “Many of the people who work at the factory (have been there for) two generations. There’s a very strong motor racing dialect.”
“When you’re there, it becomes painfully obvious what Ferrari means to not only the country but that place in particular,” Driver told CNN. “There’s a homegrown-ness element and attitude to Modena that I don’t think you would have gotten shooting (elsewhere).”
“Our set was populated with the town,” he added. “Most people were gone during August when we were shooting it, but we would have someone starting catering one minute and two weeks later they were in the picture.”

The production hired former Ferrari Formula One chief mechanics for Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda for small parts in the film, said Mann, and sourced engine blocks from the Ferrari Classiche restoration department. The barbershop Enzo would visit daily features in the movie, with its second-generation owner playing his father, shaving Driver.
“It was very, very local in this wonderful way,” Mann said. “You came to understand the wit, this kind of tough-minded attitude, that’s not too different from inner-city Chicago, where I grew up.”


Given all this, did shooting on location help Driver slip into character? And did the Modenese – not backward in coming forward – offer their own two cents on Enzo? “Yes and yes,” the actor swiftly replies.
For Cruz, Modena offered a more disquieting picture. The actress plays Laura, Ferrari’s wife and equal partner in the company at the time the film is set. Deep in grief after the loss of their son Dino to muscular dystrophy, she learns about her husband’s infidelity and seeks to leverage her assets while the business is threatened with insolvency.
“There was not a lot of information about her,” said Cruz. “I spent some time in Modena with Michael, with Adam, and Michael took me to a lot of places where she spent time. I just didn’t like the reaction from people. They just wanted to dismiss her and say she was difficult, she was a witch.
“Nobody talked about the pain that this woman went through, losing a child out of an illness when he was 20,” she added.

In the film, Laura is a force of nature. Cruz gives full voice to her grief, including scenes shot in the Ferrari family mausoleum (where Enzo is also buried today). “Ferrari” also wades into Laura and Enzo’s complex and ultimately enduring relationship. The director said he and Cruz met Laura’s doctor, who showed them never-before-seen love letters Enzo was writing to his then estranged wife up to two years before her death in 1978.
After her death, Enzo would give his name to son Piero, who he’d fathered with Lina Lardi, played by Shailene Woodley. Woodley met Piero, now in his late 70s, to discuss his mother. “The thing that was most affecting for me actually wasn’t the stories he shared or his testimony of her, it was the way that he teared up,” she said.
“That his mom was so protective of him and so able to keep him grounded, despite the chaos of what his childhood could have been, was a wonderful thing,” she added.


Mann says his research dug so deep he learned from Lardi’s niece how her aunt would prepare food, and had Woodley replicate it on camera.
“We were so enmeshed in everything,” he said. “There’s so much verisimilitude that there’s a kind of wonderful organic osmosis that seep up into you …. You start truly believing, ‘I’m there, it’s 1957 and I’m in this world.’
“That creates that spontaneity and performance that I think audiences really sense. They believe this is true and it’s happening, and they can transport themselves into it – which is, for me, the ultimate objective.”
In the film, Enzo, teaching his son, says, “When a thing works better, naturally it looks more beautiful to the eye.” He’s talking about his cars, but it could also be Mann discussing one of his films. Engineered to the finest degree, they hide a lot of work beneath their ease and grace.
Modena was Enzo’s inspiration, as so it has proved for the director. “There’s poetry in the drinking water,” said Mann. “I can’t really explain it.”

Another day, another reimagining of the Porsche 911 but when it’s Tuthill that are having a crack at it, you know it’s going to be special. And indeed, the company that teamed up with Singer to create the insane ACS off-road monster, is now bringing us this, the 911K. Summed up? The classic look, but at 11,000rpm. Yes really.
Indeed, while Singer and many others have taken the approach of massaging the classic 911 look with bigger muscles, hot rod touches and in some cases, modern tech, the Tuthill Porsche 911K stays very true to the originals in terms of looks. It also doesn’t use a newer 964 as a base but a genuine earlier car.
This isn’t to say it’s low-tech either. According to Tuthill, the priorities for the 911K were simplicity and lightweighting. Those original-looking body panels for instance, are actually remakes in carbon fibre. These include the bumpers, bonnet, roof, doors, wings and engine lid. Likewise many parts of the chassis, which were originally steel, have been remade in titanium. In all the 911K weighs just 850kg. For some context to really ram it home, that’s in the region of half the weight of the current 992-generation Porsche 911 Turbo S.
​

The real kicker though is that shifting its slender mass up the road will be a screaming flat-six engine good for an 11,000rpm redline. Rather than going big on swept capacity, this motor is a short-stroke 3.1-litre four-valve mill. Exact power numbers aren’t available just yet but we’d expect it to comfortably clear 350PS (257kW) at a very rough estimate. That power goes to the 15-inch carbon fuchs rear wheels via a six-speed, magnesium-cased version of the manual gearbox native to 911s from 1972-1986.
You’ll be able to properly hear that engine from the inside too. The scant weight figure shouldn’t be too much of a giveaway to the fact this cabin is if not spartan, quite minimalist. Certainly compared to the bling of Singer and co’.  What is there is nicely trimmed and uses quality materials but it’s very pared back. There’s a titanium half cage where a rear bench might be and a carbon dash, while the enormous hydraulic handbrake is a tell-tale as to Tuthill’s regular rallying remit. Buyers will in the process of ordering their cars be able to specify trims and all but dictate not only the aesthetics but certain aspects of mechanical spec too.

It's been nearly 12 years since a tsunami caused a nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. While the majority of the evacuated areas have since been cleared of all inhabitance, few have returned, and some areas remain part of the exclusion zone. Here, radiation levels remain too high to stay for more than a few hours.
Despite the risk, it has become a somewhat morbid tourist attraction for out-of-towners as well as urban explorers. That's where the YouTubers behind Exploring the Unbeaten Path come in. Recently, the channel's host, Bob, ventured into the exclusion zone to check out some of the vehicles left behind. What he uncovered will undoubtedly make any JDM car enthusiast writhe with jealousy: tons of rare, abandoned Japanese-market cars that will inevitably rot in place or be crushed.
​Bob's adventure around the exclusion zone showed hundreds of abandoned cars and trucks which were left to their own devices immediately following the 2011 incident. Both common and rare, enthusiast-focused vehicles can be seen stowed away in buildings and in tall grass, simply awaiting their date with fate.

In case you were wondering why someone hasn't invested a ton of time into picking up these cars and bringing them somewhere that radiation isn't a concern—property laws aside--there are quite a few safety reasons why these cars have remained in place.
First, the cars themselves may be radioactive due to the exposure. Japan customs also require that a vehicle emit less than a certain amount of radiation in order for it to be exported. Specifically, that measurement is 0.3 microsieverts, which is measured and exceeded by at least one car in the video. There were also reports of radioactive cars being dumped in various countries around the world in 2011 after the Fukushima disaster, including one van sold domestically that was found to be emitting around 110 microsieverts per hour.
There's also the fact that these cars may eventually have a fate worse than rust. Exposing certain metals to radioactive material results in a phenomenon called radiation hardening. This creates a substantially harder material that consequentially becomes more brittle, meaning cracks, surface changes, and malformations can occur over time.
This isn't the first time we've seen some urban explorers checking out the abandoned rides in Fukushima. Back in 2020, we shared some photos taken of classic American cars in Japan which, while still cool, doesn't scratch our never-ending itch for JDM cars. That being said, these forgotten classics probably trigger similar feelings in locals given the nature of American cars in Japan.

Swedish hypercar maker Koenigsegg has long been a home for novel engineering, and that's evident in its new electric motor. Developed for the Gemera four-seater, this electric motor, dubbed the Quark, is a tiny powerhouse. In a package that weighs just 63 pounds, the Quark develops 335 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. For scale, that's a 330-mL energy drink in the pictures seen throughout.
KOENIGSEGGThe Quark, announced Monday, combines both radial- and axial-flux constructions to offer a good balance between power and torque. Rather than explain the difference between the two, I'll turn you towards this article from EV trade publication Charged. All you really need to know is that this is a best-of-both-worlds solution—Koenigsegg claims the Quark has an industry-leading torque-power-weight ratio. Those peak power and torque figures are only available for 20 seconds, which is common among EV motors. After 20 seconds, the figures drop to 134 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. That's fine for the Gemera, which has three electric motors and a 600-hp three-cylinder.
"The Quark is designed to bolster the low-speed range of the Gemera, where you need it, for brutal acceleration," said Koengisegg electric-motor design lead Dragos-Mihai Postariu in a statement. "The ICE then focuses on the high-speed range. What this means in terms of performance for the Gemera is a big power surge followed by a continuous record-speed push to 400 km/h [248.5 mph] without any torque or power losses."

Naturally, Koenigsegg uses all sorts of interesting materials for the construction of the Quark, including aerospace/motorsport-grade steel, and hollow carbon fiber—Koenigsegg's Aircore technology—for the rotor. The company hopes the Quark will find a home in more than just the Gemera, as it was also designed for aerospace and marine applications.
"The Quark is unique in its high efficiency in combination with its class-leading torque-to-power-to-rpm-to-weight matrix," said CEO Christian von Koenigsegg in a statement. "This means, when using the Quark in applications such as marine, aircraft or VTOL, there is no need for a step-down transmission, instead direct drive can be achieved, as the RPM of the motor is right from the get-go. Small high-revving motors can have higher peak power-to-weight ratio, but they need transmissions in most applications in order to get to the desired output rpm and torque, causing energy loss and adding weight and complexity to do the same job. So any benefit in size is lost."

Koenigsegg is also marketing an EV drive unit made up of two Quark motors, plus its small-but-powerful inverter, and small low-ratio planetary gearsets at each output shaft. The unit is called the Terrier, and serves up 670 hp and 811 lb-ft in a package that weighs just 187 pounds, and which offers torque vectoring across an axle. A Terrier can be bolted directly to a car's monocoque as well.

More information on the Terrier unit is forthcoming, and presumably, it will be featured on future Koenigsegg products. As ever, the numbers are deeply impressive and entirely unsurprising from the innovative Swedish firm.

When someone buys a new car, they generally expect to be getting a vehicle that's fully up-to-date, not one built with leftover parts. Tesla customers who don't read the fine print, though, could accidentally end up paying the price for a "new" Model 3 with a years-old battery, one which Tesla acknowledges may have already lost almost an eighth of its total capacity.
Use of older batteries in new Model 3s was first observed on Twitter, where user William Hummel shared images of a disclaimer on Tesla's website that notes up to 12 percent reduced range stemming from the cars' use of batteries built as far back as 2017. These screen captures were not of Tesla's online configurator as Hummel's use of "new car" might lead one to believe, but from Tesla's inventory page, where "new" Model 3s are indeed listed for sale with the range disclaimer shown, along with a partial explanation accessed via the "Learn More" button.
"This vehicle was built with a battery pack manufactured as early as 2017," reads the popup. "While this pack was brand new when the vehicle was built, the cells have reduced capacity due to their age and you can expect up to 12% reduction in range from current production specifications."

This passage doesn't explain why new Model 3s have been "built" with 2017 batteries and implies installation at the factory rather than refurbishment at a service center. It adds another layer of confusion as to why these cars are being sold as "New," though it may be one partially explained by another label: "Demo Vehicle."
What makes a demo car isn't formally defined by Tesla, though calling a Tesla showroom and speaking to a salesperson confirmed these are often retired test drive vehicles, and are sold as-is, possible cosmetic defects and all. Various sources online such as Tesla forums also indicate they may also be ex-engineering testbeds, or declined customer cars.
Not all ex-testers in Tesla's new inventory have range disclaimers, though evidencing some inconsistency in how old-spec batteries are installed, which the Tesla salesperson we spoke to couldn't explain—though they could confirmed these old batteries are usually installed at the factory, and that Tesla considers them to be "new." As for why old batteries end up in some Teslas, but not others, they might only be installed in cars destined for demo duty, while those without range disclaimers could be customer cars that weren't delivered for one reason or another.

That 2021 Model 3 Long Range AWD has been equipped with Tesla's $10,000 "Full Self-Driving Capability," which itself is a shaky value proposition, to put it kindly. In short, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised for years that his cars would drive themselves any time now, only for Tesla to admit that its "Full Self-Driving Beta" will never surpass SAE Level 2 Autonomy. Tesla's Full Self-Driving development has hit a figurative wall, all while legacy carmakers pull ahead with functionally superior systems.
Why exactly old batteries are ending up in late model Teslas, unfortunately, remains unclear. Tesla could be putting new-old parts stock to use, as Jalopnik speculates, or it could be refurbishing its demo cars, though that seems like something Tesla might disclose. In either case, Tesla dissolved its U.S. public relations department long ago, so the best explanation available short of tweeting at Musk himself is the incomplete one we already got from a salesperson. And Tesla's secretiveness isn't going unnoticed, even by its own dedicated customers.
"I think the idea of Tesla putting 'new' old batteries into brand new vehicles is appalling," commented Tesla customer William Hummel, who has a car on order. "If you bought any other product (car, iPhone, whatever) with a lithium-ion battery that was years old (and thus, already chemically degrading) wouldn't you be mad? You're getting less than what you paid for and what was promised on the sticker. At minimum, Tesla should discount these vehicles below MSRP. Selling them for full retail is insulting."
What is certain is that if you're looking at a Tesla, be extremely careful how you spend your money. These discounted "new" EVs aren't the deals they may outwardly appear to be; not with their reduced range, sometimes blemished bodies, and overpriced driving assist software that can't tell the moon from a traffic light. And that goes without mentioning what may lurk where owners are never meant to look.

After several days testing the all-new Next Gen Cup Series car at Charlotte Motor Speedway last week, NASCAR has decided to use 670 hp cars with 4-inch, low-downforce spoilers at every track next year other than the super speedways.
The move eliminates the 550 horsepower package recently used at most intermediate-length tracks, which has often been criticized for not delivering exciting racing, but also takes away the 750 hp package featured on short tracks and road courses this year.

This means the same setup will be used for short tracks, road courses and intermediates, while the Daytona and Atlanta superspeedways will continue to feature lower power "plate" setups.
The redesign goes far beyond the power and aerodynamics, however. Among the changes are a lighter chassis, independent rear suspensions, sequential 5-speed gear boxes, and larger wheels and with wider tires.
"I’m a racer and will race anything/anytime. This #NextGen car for @NASCAR is an incredible opportunity for drivers to be drivers. Car is new school and old school at the same time," 23XI Racing driver Kurt Busch said.

"So the bottom line of all this, and you’ll hear this from the drivers is that this package with the Next Gen car puts it back in the drivers’ hands and we’re excited about what that will do in 2022, for sure," NASCAR's chief racing development officer Steve O'Donnell said.
Atlanta may be added to the superspeedway list after tests are conducted on the track, which is being redesigned with steeply banked turns.
The Next Gen car will make its debut at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum the weekend of Febuary 5-6 on a temporary track being built inside the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

Tributes have flooded in for German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, who has died at the age of 51.

Widely known as the "Queen of the Nürburgring," Schmitz was one of motor racing's highest-profile female drivers and a regular guest on UK TV motoring show "Top Gear."
She died on Tuesday after a "brave fight against cancer," according to a tweet from Frikadelli Racing, a motorsport team Schmitz founded with husband Klaus Abbelen, a fellow racing driver."Klaus Abbelen and all relatives and friends are deeply saddened by the immeasurable loss," the tweet reads.

Schmitz grew up close to the Nürburgring circuit in western Germany. In 1996, she became the first woman to win its famous 24 Hours race, driving a BMW. The following year, she repeated the feat.
Schmitz also worked as a driver on the circuit's "ring taxi," which offers visitors the chance to do a lap of the course as a passenger.
"The Nürburgring has lost its most famous female racing driver," the circuit wrote on Twitter.
"Sabine Schmitz passed away far too early after a long illness. We will miss her and her cheerful nature. Rest in peace Sabine!"

'I still can't put it into words': Stephanie Travers on the 'surreal' moment she became the first Black woman on an F1 podium
Schmitz also raced for the Porsche motorsport team, which posted its own tribute on Twitter.
"Very sad to hear that Sabine Schmitz (1969-2021) has passed away. The "Queen of Nordschleife" was a crowd favourite due to her open, humorous way," the tweet reads. "Our sympathy goes to her family and friends."
Schmitz went on to make regular appearances on "Top Gear," and the show's former host, Jeremy Clarkson, tweeted: "Terrible news about Sabine Schmitz. Such a sunny person and so full of beans."Current host Paddy McGuinness also posted a tribute.
"She gave me pointers on how to drive a Ferrari very fast and hunted me down in a banger race," he tweeted. "Brilliantly bonkers and an amazing human being! RIP the great Sabine Schmitz."

tags: breed of speed , breedofspeed , sir drifto , nathan finneman , nathan james , sabine schmitz , queen of nurburgring , bmw m5 woman , top gear sabine , sabine , 

While the relatively short range of the Dethleffs e.home solar motorhome concept might trigger a bit of range anxiety in some, it might actually make sense for slow travel.
Electric transportation is moving forward rather quickly as a viable option for both individuals and public transit (and soon commercial transport), thanks to rapid improvements in electric motor and battery technology, and we're seeing more major automakers committing to adding electrified vehicles to their product lines. However, when it comes to larger consumer vehicles, such as pickups and motorhomes, the choices are few and far between, but that may start to change soon, if the announcement from the German RV company Dethleffs is any indication.
Whether you call them caravans, RVs, or motorhomes (or tiny homes), the idea of a home on wheels is one and the same for all of those monikers, and owning one is a dream for many these days, either as a nomadic tiny home (#vanlife) or as a vacation or retirement vehicle. Having borrowed a friend's rather large RV this summer for a family trip, I can attest to the ease and convenience of traveling with your home on your back, but that feeling was also somewhat offset by the reality of having to frequently fuel up a heavy RV that gets 5 to 8 miles to the gallon, which can put a hurting on your wallet on a long trip. An electrified motorhome, on the other hand, could be much cheaper to drive, and have zero tailpipe emissions, with the tradeoff of either settling for shorter trips or having longer 'refueling' stops -- at least until battery technology takes another leap forward in capacity and a step down in costs.
German caravan company Dethleffs seems to have seen the writing on the wall about electrification, or at least an opportunity for first-mover advantage, as it has revealed an electrified version of a Class C motorhome that goes above and beyond just being fully electric, as it's completely wrapped in thin-film solar cells that can be used for topping off the RV's batteries. The cabin of the e.home is built onto an Iveco Daily Electric chassis, which has an 80 kW motor and a 228 Ah battery pack of sodium-nickel-chloride cells that boasts a range of up to 174 miles (280 km) per charge in its pre-conversion state. Once the vehicle is fully kitted out as a motorhome, however, that range per charge may be significantly shorter, suggests New Atlas, saying the range "might fall as far as 103 miles (167 km)."

The cabin is fully fitted with all of the amenities of a modern motorhome, with all-electric appliances, several sleeping areas, a kitchen, a bathroom, etc., but also includes some cutting-edge components that are aimed at increasing the efficiency of the heating system and augmenting the privacy and comfort of the residents of the e.home. By incorporating "latent heat accumulator plates" made with a phase change material that can absorb excess heat and store it to be released after the sun goes down, and by integrating infrared heating elements in the floor and furniture, the e.home is designed to feel cozy to the occupants without consuming excessive amounts of electricity. Two different applications of a foil-based technology, in both the lighting and the windows, one of which allows for "a bright planar light" inside the cabin, and the other enables the windows to be "electrically dimmed" for both sun and heat protection as well as for privacy.

Dethleffs has added some 31 square feet of thin-film solar cells to the exterior of the e.home, creating a 3 kW (peak) solar array and adding a little bit of energy autonomy to the e.home. However, there's at least one major issue with the solar array, which is that it's on all sides of the vehicle, so no more than half of it can be exposed to direct sunlight at any given moment. Perhaps that's intentional, as it would allow some solar electricity gains to be had during the day no matter which direction it's facing, but there's no indication of what the average solar output from the array is, nor how long it would take to charge the e.home battery pack from solar alone. According to Victron Energy, which supplied a number of the electrical components to the build, high-power capacitors ("Supercaps") are installed in the e.home, which "allow a faster recharge and delivery of the electrical energy in comparison to the usual batteries."

Although the e.home in its current configuration isn't well suited to extended long-haul or cross-country trips without having to stop every 150 miles or so to recharge (which may take some time to do), it actually seems well suited to a slow and wandering pace, with long breaks and overnight charging along the way, so perhaps it's the perfect slow travel vehicle.