• Electrify America has opened a new EV charging station in Santa Barbara, California.
• With 20 ultra-fast dispensers and a huge battery energy system, it sets the stage for what’s next at EA.
• The company’s large-format stations can cater to at least 20 EVs simultaneously, all while delivering up to 350 kW to each car.

Electrify America, one of the largest DC fast charging networks for electric vehicles in the United States, has opened its latest-generation site in Santa Barbara, California. 

The company’s newest large-format station sets the blueprint for what’s to come, with a minimum of 20 stalls and a big battery energy storage system.

Electrify America large-format DC fast charging station in Santa Barbara, California

Photo by: Electrify America

Located on the site of the former Greyhound Bus depot at 36 West Carillo Street in Santa Barbara, EA’s newest large-format EV charging station has 20 individual stalls that can deliver up to 350 kilowatts of power to each EV in need of a top-up. This is the company’s fourth large-format station in California, but it’s the first with a 1.9-megawatt battery—the largest deployed by Electrify America to date.

The battery storage system can take energy from the grid when usage is low and discharge it when demand is high, expanding charging capacity and reducing stress on the grid.

“This large-format station showcases the next evolution of charging infrastructure, combining high-power charging with integrated battery energy storage to deliver reliable capacity at scale,” said Rob Barrosa, Electrify America President and CEO. “By incorporating advanced storage technology, we’re able to bring Hyper-Fast charging to locations that have traditionally been difficult to serve, while making it easy for customers to integrate charging into their daily routines in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara.”

Electrify America’s battery-aided station in Santa Barbara currently has CCS1 connectors exclusively, which means NACS-equipped EVs like those from Tesla, Rivian, and Cadillac will need an adapter. That said, EA will start retrofitting NACS connectors at the site starting this summer, as part of its ongoing NACS pilot program.

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The other large-format Electrify America stations are located in Santa Monica, San Diego, and San Francisco, with many more scheduled for construction. With at least 20 bays, this type of charging stop can slash wait times, helping EV drivers get back on the road faster without having to sit in a queue. The fact that each charger can deliver 350 kW of power also helps.

The company currently operates 1,149 DC fast charging stations in 47 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC). In total, Electrify America has over 5,700 individual fast-charging ports.

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The 2026 New York Auto Show gives automakers a chance to show off the best they have on offer, especially American carmakers. Obviously, it was the perfect opportunity for Chevrolet to show off some futuristic hypercar concepts, the latest Corvette Grand Sport, as well as its fastest car on sale, the Corvette ZR1X. But instead of flaunting a mass-produced version of the ZR1X, Chevy exhibited a limited-edition version thereof, celebrating America’s quarter-millennium birthday.

Chevrolet’s 250-Year Tribute In Person

This Stars & Steel collection treats Chevrolet’s current lineup with a patriotic design pack to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The treatment spans multiple models, including the Silverado, Colorado, and Corvette, each featuring American flag-inspired decals and “250” markings. GM says it will donate $250 from every Stars & Steel vehicle sold to NPOs that support veterans and their families.

While several examples, like this white Silverado, were present at the 2026 NY Auto Show, the blacked-out Corvette stole all of our attention. Limited to just 250 units across the Corvette range, this particular ZR1X, fitted with the Carbon Fiber Aero Package, shares a similar aesthetic to the $2.6 million example that sold at a Barrett-Jackson in January this year.

The Corvette That Stole Our Attention

The ZR1X displayed at the NY Auto Show had a stealthy look, finished in gloss black with carbon fiber wheels. Contrasting Satin silver striping runs from the trunk to the hood, with some stars, too. Some splashes of red appear on the brake calipers and on the edges of the gargantuan rear wing to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. Inside, the theme follows the red palette, but is much less subtle.

Also on display was the Chevy Corvette ZR1X’s powertrain: a 1,064 hp twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8, dubbed the LT7. With help from an electric motor, the ZR1X has a combined 1,250 hp at its fingertips. In the real world, that allows the all-wheel-drive ZR1X to achieve a 0 to 60 mph time of just 1.68 seconds, making it the quickest production car in the world.

Nearing The End Of The C8 Corvette

A few days ago, GM confirmed the Grand Sport will be the last C8 Corvette model. While limited-run variants that focus on bespoke aesthetic upgrades like this Stars & Steel example will continue to exist, no core models will be added to the Corvette lineup. Knowing this makes witnessing one of the rarest C8 specifications in the flesh just all the more special.

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From the March/April 2026 issue of Car and Driver.

With no mysophobia in our medical history, we’re not usually thinking about how every railing, doorknob, or shared test car carries germs that could potentially make a person sick. But about three weeks before our annual Lightning Lap event, staffers tend to hold their breath after someone sneezes and take a lot more meetings from their desks. No one wants to call in sick during Lightning Lap week.

For three days every year, we lap the newest performance models around Virginia International Raceway (VIR) to tell you what it’s like to put cars through the limits of acceleration, braking, and handling. The rules are simple: We lap fully homologated production cars running recommended fuel and original-equipment tires. The feels we get behind the wheel are, at times, as big as the 4.1-mile Grand Course configuration we’ve used since the test began in 2006. Over 19 Lightning Lap events, we’ve recorded laps in 357 street vehicles. Click here to find out how your turbocharged Chevy Cobalt SS stacks up against the other 356 test cars.

The lap time is only part of the story. Where, why, and what a car does to get that number helps us understand its strengths and weaknesses. And the 24 turns of the Grand Course will expose those weaknesses. The only type of corner it doesn’t have is an easy one.

We group the cars into categories by price—LL1, LL2, and so forth—because a Volkswagen Golf R shouldn’t be compared to a BMW M5 Touring, even if both have a liftgate, all-wheel drive, and a turbocharged engine thirsty for premium.

Read More About How We Attack VIR

Each year, we request everything that’s new or significantly changed. But not every manufacturer likes the possibility of being the second or third tenor on the billing, especially when, in this year’s case, Pavarotti and Domingo were already booked, in the form of the 1064-hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and Ford’s homologated racer, the Mustang GTD. Unfortunately, at the eleventh hour, we learned that the GTD earmarked for us was damaged and couldn’t make it. Maybe next year.

Lamborghini had no such worry, and when its 10,000-rpm Temerario showed up with a cracked windshield, the only other one in the country appeared in the paddock in a matter of hours. Porsche, seemingly always game for spirited competition, brought the mildly updated 911 GT3, this time with a manual transmission, and its first roadgoing hybrid 911, the Carrera GTS. Audi sent us the 621-hp station wagon called the RS6, plus two other cars, the five-cylinder RS3 and the much-quieter 912-hp RS e-tron GT electric.

Two other electrics made the bill, the 1020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid and the half-as-powerful Tesla Model 3 Performance. When we lapped a Model S in 2016, it didn’t have the stamina to perform for an entire lap, but this Model S is designed to survive a track like VIR. A refreshed GTI and Golf R got an invite, as did the sublime Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. BMW sent an M5 wagon, an M2 CS, and a pro racer, Laura Hayes, to do some coaching. Toyota brought the automatic version of the riotous GR Corolla, and Mercedes-AMG had its 603-hp GT63 Pro on hand. And a few more surprises.

We can all breathe freely now. Let’s get to it.

The Contenders

This year, we ran 16 of the newest street-legal performance cars, the boss’s (not Springsteen’s) 1995 Porsche 911, and a Lamborghini spec racer. We group the new cars by base price, which here includes performance-enhancing options needed to re-create our lap time. And the best lap time we list for each vehicle on the following pages is just that: the quickest one we were able to record from start to finish. No cut-and-paste here.
^{*Base prices include performance-enhancing options.}

LL2

Volkswagen Golf GTI

Base Price: $42,105
As Tested Price: $42,750
Power and Weight: 241 hp • 3285 lb • 13.6 lb/hp
read more

LL2

Toyota GR Corolla

Base Price: $43,075
As Tested Price: $50,504
Power and Weight: 300 hp • 3339 lb • 11.1 lb/hp
read more

LL2

Volkswagen Golf R

Base Price: $52,120
As Tested Price: $52,416
Power and Weight: 328 hp • 3369 lb • 10.3 lb/hp
read more

LL2

Audi RS3

Base Price: $71,295
As Tested Price: $77,640
Power and Weight: 394 hp • 3625 lb • 9.2 lb/hp
read more

LL2

Tesla Model 3 Performance

Base Price: $56,630
As Tested Price: $64,630
Power and Weight: 510 hp • 4035 lb • 7.9 lb/hp
read more

LL4

Audi RS6 Avant Performance

Base Price: $144,295
As Tested Price: $158,865
Power and Weight: 621 hp • 4846 lb • 7.8 lb/hp
read more

LL3

BMW M5 Touring

Base Price: $137,175
As Tested Price: $145,775
Power and Weight: 717 hp • 5477 lb • 7.6 lb/hp
read more

LL4

Audi RS e-tron GT

Base Price: $181,795
As Tested Price: $189,595
Power and Weight: 912 hp • 5170 lb • 5.7 lb/hp
read more

LL3

BMW M2 CS

Base Price: $108,275
As Tested Price: $108,275
Power and Weight: 523 hp • 3729 lb • 7.1 lb/hp
read more

LL4

Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing

Base Price: $141,050
As Tested Price: $150,365
Power and Weight: 668 hp • 4143 lb • 6.2 lb/hp
read more

LL4

Mercedes-AMG GT63 Pro

Base Price: $199,650
As Tested Price: $211,660
Power and Weight: 603 hp • 4268 lb • 7.1 lb/hp
read more

LL4

Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

Base Price: $204,206
As Tested Price: $222,606
Power and Weight: 532 hp • 3588 lb • 6.7 lb/hp
read more

LL4

Porsche 911 GT3

Base Price: $261,307
As Tested Price: $274,857
Power and Weight: 502 hp • 3218 lb • 6.4 lb/hp
read more

LL3

Tesla Model S Plaid

Base Price: $135,630
As Tested Price: $144,630
Power and Weight: 1020 hp • 4804 lb • 4.7 lb/hp
read more

LL5

Lamborghini Temerario

Base Price: $440,367
As Tested Price: $585,954
Power and Weight: 907 hp • 4200 lb • 4.6 lb/hp
read more

LL4

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Base Price: $216,380
As Tested Price: $238,695
Power and Weight: 1064 hp • 3899 lb • 3.7 lb/hp
read more

LL90s

1995 Porsche 911 Carrera

Base Price: $66,263
As Tested Price: $66,775
Power and Weight: 270 hp • 3035 lb • 11.2 lb/hp
read more

LLPRO

Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2

Base Price: $360,000
As Tested Price: $360,000
Power and Weight: 612 hp • 2950 lb (C/D est) • 4.8 lb/hp
read more

Take a closer look at the team and machines that orchestrate our annual track test at Virginia International Raceway.

K.C. Colwell, the executive editor at Car and Driver, is a seasoned professional with a deep-rooted passion for new cars and technology. His journey into the world of automotive journalism began at an early age when his grandmother gifted him a subscription to Car and Driver for his 10th birthday. This gift sparked a lifelong love for the industry, and he read every issue between then and his first day of employment. He started his Car and Driver career as a technical assistant in the fall of 2004. In 2007, he was promoted to assistant technical editor. In addition to testing, evaluating, and writing about cars, technology, and tires, K.C. also set the production-car lap record at Virginia International Raceway for C/D‘s annual Lightning Lap track test and was just the sixth person to drive the Hendrick Motorsport Garage 56 Camaro. In 2017, he took over as testing director until 2022, when was promoted to executive editor and has led the brand to be one of the top automotive magazines in the country. When he’s not thinking about cars, he likes playing hockey in the winter and golf in the summer and doing his best to pass his good car sense and love of ’90s German sedans to his daughter. He might be the only Car and Driver editor to own a Bobcat: the skidsteer, not the feline. Though, if you have a bobcat guy, reach out. K.C. resides in Chelsea, Michigan, with his family.

Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver‘s vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.

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