Cadillac's latest electric SUV is turning a few heads thanks to its choice of charging port, according to Electrek.
The 2026 Optiq-V is the first car from General Motors that uses NACS, the charging standard used by Tesla. This gives the Optiq-V easy access to a large and established Supercharger network across America without needing an adapter.
"Integrating the native NACS port into our vehicle architecture is an important step forward, reflecting our leadership in engineering and our commitment to providing our customers with more charging options," said chief engineer John Cockburn, per GM.
GM announced its intention to switch standards in 2022, and even still, there will be a transition period while their previous cars using CCS charging will be on the road at the same time as newer NACS models.
Otherwise, the Optiq-V cranks out 519 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, and it can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, according to Cadillac testing. The 85-kilowatt-hour battery pack is estimated to give 278 miles of range.
Electric vehicles are a massive upgrade over gas-powered vehicles. Not only are they cheaper to run, but they also skip the health risks from gas fumes. EV drivers enjoy reduced maintenance costs, fuel savings, a quieter ride, and cleaner air.
Best of all, using an EV reduces light-duty vehicle pollution, which is a big factor in exacerbating destructive weather patterns such as floods, heat waves, and droughts. In turn, these disasters incur new housing, agricultural, and ecological costs.
While EV manufacturing and battery production do create pollution, EVs are still much more eco-friendly compared to gas-powered vehicles. We need to extract about 30 million tons of minerals every year to power the clean energy transition. However, we currently dig up roughly 16.5 billion tons of fossil fuels each year, and that's what we need to drastically reduce.
If you're keen to go all in on the economic and environmental benefits of using an EV, consider adding solar power to your home. It's already cheaper to charge your EV at home instead of on public chargers, and switching to home solar power can greatly add to those savings.
EnergySage has a free online tool that can connect homeowners to vetted local installers who can design a system perfect for charging an EV. With its expertise, you can save up to $10,000 on installation costs by tapping into rebates and credits.
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Pricing for the Cadillac Optiq-V starts at $67,300. Community members were largely impressed by what the Optiq-V had to offer.
"I would say my base Optiq isn't nearly as fast as the Model 3 or Y... but that V Series would put them in contention," said one commenter on Electrek.
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