plug-in cars
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Hyundai is known in the auto industry as an aggressive and very capable competitor, and the world's largest makers watch it closely and take it very seriously. The company didn't introduce its first hybrid car in the U.S. until 2011 and, frankly, that year's hybrid Sonata sedan wasn't very good. Just six model years later, the company's hybrids are much improved and it has launched a world first: a car that can be ordered with hybrid, all-electric, or plug-in hybrid powertrains. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: gas mileage review That car is the Hyundai Ioniq lineup, which for 2018 will...
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Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, Oct 2017: Chevy’s dominant duo
The dominant duo of the Chevy Volt and Bolt EV continued their winning ways in the Canadian market for new plug-in electric cars during October. Chevrolet sold 424 Volts to start the fourth quarter, down slightly from 483 in September. The vehicle’s 3,431 sales through October all but tied...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Finalist for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2018: Nissan Leaf
If any electric car aside from the Tesla Model 3 can be called "long-awaited," it would be the redesigned 2018 Nissan Leaf. First thought to arrive as a 2016 model, it was widely assumed to be a 2017 to go head-to-head with the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV launched last December. In the event, the...
John Voelcker -
Electric Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro production to rise again: report
Both Hyundai and Kia planned to approach the electric and plug-in car market aggressively, but now the Korean siblings plan to boost production even over totals announced earlier this year. This past summer, both brands said they would increase their electrified car production to 50,000 units next...
Sean Szymkowski -
Porsche will thrive, remain profitable when sports car are electric: CFO
Luxury and sports car maker Porsche isn't concerned with the sweeping changes vehicle electrification will bring. In fact, the brand believes it will maintain its steady profit and 15-percent operating margin into the future, despite the major investments in electric and plug-in cars it plans to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Plug-in electric car sales for Oct: new Bolt EV record, Prime and Volt tied
Chevy did it again. More specifically, GM delivered 2,781 Chevrolet Bolt EVs to buyers during October, a new high for its 238-mile electric car, and the highest reported sales of any plug-in electric vehicle last month. That brings the total number of Bolt EVs sold in 11 months to 17,083 (plus an...
John Voelcker -
Workhorse, best known for its forthcoming W-15 range-extended electric pickup truck, today revealed its newest vehicle. The N-Gen electric van will tackle the important "last-mile" delivery segment, performed by vehicles that deliver parcels over relatively short distances. Not only makers like Workhorse but also their fleet customers have come to realize those routes are well-suited for electric vehicles that offer nearly zero emissions and substantially reduce noise pollution. DON'T MISS: Workhorse CEO: $300 million in preorders for plug-in hybrid pickup trucks The Workhorse N-Gen will...
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GM, Nissan push to retain EV credit; tax bill also targets renewables, helps nuclear energy
The United States tax code hasn't seen a major overhaul in decades, and the current Congress—along with the Trump administration—may be learning, or re-learning, why. Numerous opponents have moved swiftly to condemn various aspects of the draft Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR1) proposed in...
Sean Szymkowski -
Which maker will sell the first affordable AWD electric SUV? Take our Twitter poll
Utility vehicles are hot. There's no denying it. The best-selling passenger cars in the U.S. have been mid-size sedans like the Toyota Camry for a couple of decades, but now they're likely to be eclipsed by compact crossover utility models like the Toyota RAV4. Of course, the Ford F-Series line of...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars emit less carbon than average U.S. new car, everywhere in the world
When electric cars first arrived in 2011, it was a reasonable question: Aren't you just shifting emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack? The answer is yes, but the carbon emissions per mile of an electric car—properly measured on a wells-to-wheels basis—are virtually always lower...
John Voelcker -
EVgo adds mobile app for electric-car charging network access
One way for electric-car charging networks to make the public charging experience more user-friendly is through the use of smartphone apps to replace the RFID cards that identify members and let them initiate charge sessions. Not only do they provide electric-car drivers a host of capabilities, but...
Sean Szymkowski -
Workhorse CEO: $300 million in preorders for plug-in hybrid pickup trucks
Over seven years of plug-in electric cars and 20 years of hybrids, the pickup truck sector remains largely untouched. GM sold hybrid Chevrolet and GMC pickups for a few years, and Ford plans an F-150 hybrid in 2020. A startup company now called Workhorse (nee AMP) noticed that white space and made...
Sean Szymkowski -
First-hand details about the Tesla Model 3 remain almost as rare as the cars themselves; Tesla has built only a few hundred Model 3 electric cars since its launch in July Now a new video provides an incredibly in-depth look at Tesla's mass-production car, though we suspect it may have been approved by the company. It gives us a detailed look at the finer details owners can expect from the 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long Range variant. DON'T MISS: Just 260 Tesla Model 3s built in three months, volume production delayed: Q3 results and call Diving into the video, which is more than an hour long...
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Draft tax bill eliminates credit for all electric-car buyers: report (updated)
The process of drafting a so-called tax reform bill has been shrouded in mystery, with even Republican congressmembers admitting they didn't know what provisions it would contain. But according to a report on Thursday, the draft of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act proposed in the House of Representatives...
John Voelcker -
Just 260 Tesla Model 3s built in three months, volume production delayed: Q3 results and call
Only one topic really mattered in the Tesla third-quarter financial results call for analysts held Wednesday afternoon: Model 3. In light of far lower September deliveries than promised as late as July by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, all interest focused on the more-affordable, higher-volume electric car...
John Voelcker -
2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV: minimal changes, same range and price
With sales of the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car rising every month, shoppers are inevitably curious about any changes to the Bolt for the 2018 model year, its second. Now the information is out, and buyers will find the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV is virtually the same car as the 2017 model—with...
John Voelcker -
Toyota electric cars could use airless tires if research pans out: report
Although electric cars offer numerous benefits in engineering, design, and zero-emission operation, their overall weight remains a hurdle for automakers, especially as bigger batteries with longer ranges become more important. It now appears that Toyota may look to airless tires as a way to cut...
Sean Szymkowski -
'Totaled' is the long, sad story of Better Place and its failure: book review
It is just over five years since I bought my Better Place Renault 2012 Fluence ZE in Israel—and a little over five months since I returned it to Israel’s Renault importer for a cash settlement. By that time, the 22-kilowatt-hour battery capacity was down to 11.3 kwh, and a warning light...
Brian of London -
As automakers commit to more electric and electrified cars in the near future, many hurdles remain that can make owning an electric car more difficult than a conventional vehicle. Meanwhile, as electrified cars become more common, automakers and brands will also continue to introduce new models for vehicle ownership, many of them subscription services. But it may be possible these two evolutions could converge and reinforce each another, which would boost electric-car adoption. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Ioniq electric car offered on 'Ioniq Unlimited' subscription model Consumers who may be leery of...
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Mercedes parent Daimler launches E-Fuso electric truck sub-brand
Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart, also owns the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation—which it used last week to preview major shifts coming to its Daimler Trucks business. It all took place at the reveal of E-Fuso, a new sub-brand of Daimler's Fuso operation that will...
Sean Szymkowski -
Parts order for Tesla Model 3 cut by 40 percent starting in December: report
Relatively few auto-company CEOs would publicly mention sleeping on the roof of one of their factory buildings. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not like most other chief executives of auto companies. Most also don't break news via tweet, for instance. A tweet by Musk Thursday evening referred to the...
John Voelcker -
2018 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid to launch in U.S. at end of year
Last month, the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid went on sale in the United Kingdom, offering British buyers a mass-priced compact wagon with 25 to 30 miles of electric range. While it shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In model, the Niro has more of a wagon shape than Hyundai's five-door...
John Voelcker -
Honda's second electric-car concept is Sports EV coupe unveiled in Tokyo
Following Honda's hit electric-car concept at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Urban EV, the company brought a second all-electric concept to the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show with more sporting intentions. The Honda Sports EV coupe concept debuted one show after the Urban EV concept, and this one's a...
Sean Szymkowski -
Oklahoma Supreme Court rules state's electric-car tax unconstitutional
When the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that imposed new fees on owners of hybrid and electric cars only, it was swiftly sued by the Sierra Club. Now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in that suit, filed in August. In a 6-3 decision, the state's highest court...
Sean Szymkowski