Plug-In Hybrids

  • 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (European model), to debut at 2018 Geneva auto show

    The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has been a huge success in Europe, selling more than 100,000 copies there over several years. As the first and least expensive plug-in hybrid SUV, it received many incentives in different European countries and provided the first taste of plug-in electric driving for numerous families. Now, the plug-in hybrid Outlander is getting some updates for the 2019 model year, arriving in those markets toward the end of this year. DON'T MISS: 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: first drive of plug-in hybrid SUV The updated Outlander PHEV will debut at the Geneva auto show...

  • BYD Yuan. Photo by Indian Autos Blog.
    China's BYD tops global electric-car production for third year in a row

    Try asking any electric-car owner or advocate, or for that matter any member of the public, which automaker sold the most electric cars last year. In North America, the answer will likely be Tesla, or possibly Nissan or Chevrolet. But we'd bet you hear Tesla most often. The correct answer for...

  • 2019 BMW i8 Roadster, 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show
    2019 BMW i8: larger battery, more range, plus new Roadster priced from $164,295

    BMW is breathing some fresh air into its three-year-old alternative flagship to improve performance, increase range, and add some style. Revealed at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, the i8's update (known in the industry as a "mid-cycle refresh") increases its battery capacity from 7.1 to 11.7...

  • 2018 Subaru Crosstrek first drive
    Subaru plug-in hybrid to use Prius Prime parts, coming in 2019

    When Toyota and Mazda said last September they would form a joint venture to produce electric-car parts, that answered the question of where Mazda's future plug-in vehicles would get their electric running gear. But it sparked another question: Where did that leave Subaru, another small automaker...

  • Doug Kerr, daughter Andie Kerr, fiancee Barbara Gleason; Fiat 500e, Ford Focus Electric, Fiat 500e
    How to buy or lease an electric car: advice from owner who's done it four times

    Most shoppers seem to view visiting a franchised auto dealer to negotiate the purchase or lease of a new car with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. In fact, as electric-car driver Douglas Kerr notes, the process is often compared to having a cavity filled. Kerr has now leased or bought four separate...

  • 2018 Hyundai Elantra
    Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for February 2018

    With gasoline cheap and buyers continuing to shun passenger cars for crossovers and trucks, there are bargains to be had in fuel-efficient and electrified vehicles. This month's deals, courtesy of CarsDirect, includes cheap leases, low financing rates, and money off sticker prices. They cover a...

  • Traffic in China

    Just a handful of companies today make the bulk of battery cells used in plug-in electric cars worldwide. Now the largest single maker of electric-vehicle cells in China has expanded its focus, from the home market to global markets and specifically the U.S. The name, CATL, may not be familiar to North American electric-car advocates, but the company is a powerhouse at home—and wants to become a global player. DON'T MISS: Toyota, Panasonic agree to study prismatic battery cells for electric cars The Chinese government's plan to ban sales of new vehicles with internal-combustion engines...

  • 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
    2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid released at Chicago auto show

    What the auto industry calls a "mid-cycle refresh" can range from indistinguishable to very evident. The 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid falls into the latter category, with new front and rear styling, changes to the interior and dashboard, and numerous added safety and connectivity features. The hybrid...

  • 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Catalina Island, CA, Sep 2017
    Plug-in electric car sales in Canada for Jan: Outlander has landed (plus 2017 analysis)

    The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV helped the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market to its first 1,000-unit January last month. The company sold 174 of its plug-in hybrid SUV in its first full month on sale, representing about 30 percent of overall Outlander sales. If that ratio holds, the Outlander...

  • Teaser for Rimac supercar debuting at 2018 Geneva auto show
    Geneva auto show green car preview: concepts, electric cars, new models

    Media days at the huge and influential Geneva show are March 6 and March 7, and this year it looks like the show will offer a lot of news for plug-in electric car fans. Several significant new production cars powered entirely by batteries are expected to make their debuts. They'll be supplemented...

  • Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland   [photo: Forth]
    What will get more people to consider electric cars? Take our Twitter poll

    A recent study from the University of California, Davis suggested that awareness of available plug-in electric cars among potential buyers was no higher in 2017 than it had been in 2014. Worse, only California car owners were surveyed—and that's the state in which roughly half of all the...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car, test-driven by Shiva of Fremont, California, Oct 2017
    Plug-in electric car sales fall in Jan after year-end surge (further update)

    While 2017 saw higher U.S. sales of plug-in electric cars than any previous year, expectations for 2018 sales are running even higher. The Chevrolet Bolt EV will be available in all 50 states for a full year, the new 2018 Nissan Leaf with a 151-mile range is now on sale, and of course the Tesla...

  • Virginia State Capitol, Skip Plitt/C'ville Photography [CC BY-SA 3.0]

    Virginia is for lovers—and electric-car advocated had hoped that it would soon be for lovers of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, too. A bill proposed in mid-January by Virginia House Delegate David A. Reid [D-32nd] would have granted a state-tax rebate of up to $3,500 to buyers of plug-in electric cars. On Friday, however, the subcommittee considering the bill voted to recommend "passing by indefinitely" for the bill. According to Lanny Hartmann, who maintains a "Legislation Tracker" page on Plug-In Sites, that "means that the committee reserves the right to reconsider the bill at a...

  • Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland   [photo: Forth]
    When do electric-car tax credits expire? (updated for 2018)

    In less than three months, personal income-tax returns or 2017 will be due for most U.S. adults. Some of those taxpayers will have bought a plug-in electric car last year, knowing that the Federal government offers an income-tax credit to help reduce the effective cost. But as more and more...

  • 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid
    2018 Kia Niro preview

    Most highly fuel-efficient dedicated hybrids are compact five-door hatchbacks, the most popular vehicle segment globally. When Korean maker Kia was drawing up plans for its first dedicated hybrid vehicle, it took a different path. The wagon it came up with—it calls the Kia Niro a crossover...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car, test-driven by Shiva of Fremont, California, Oct 2017
    Why everyone leases electric cars rather than buying (and maybe you should too)

    Leases are a minority of overall car sales in the U.S., though the numbers soar for pricier luxury vehicles versus the less expensive, plain-Jane vehicles that serve as daily transport for most drivers. That rule flips for electric cars: Most pricey Teslas appear to be purchased outright, while...

  • 2018 BMW i3, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show
    BMW says it can build electric cars and regular ones on same platforms: interview

    As the auto industry plans more electric cars in higher volumes for the 2020s, one of the great debates is whether they will need to be designed from the ground up solely for battery power. Doing so allows designers to offer larger cabins due to the more compact drive motors and electronics. One of...

  • Production of first NEVS 9-3 at plant in Tianjin, China is celebrated
    How many billions are going into electric cars, globally? Guess the number...

    Countries around the world—especially China, France, the U.K., and Norway—are aiming to phase out the sale of new fossil-fuel vehicles entirely between 2025 and 2040. So it's in automakers' best interests to begin planning and investing now in vehicle lineups that will comply with that...

  • 2018 BMW X2, 2018 Detroit auto show

    The last 12 to 18 months have seen a slew of global automakers promising rafts of new plug-in electric vehicles on sale by deadlines set several years into the future. Working to move past its worldwide diesel-emission scandal, for instance, VW Group has promised 30 battery-electric models on sale by 2025—the majority of them likely in China. Last month, BMW joined the list with its own pledge. DON'T MISS: BMW partners with Solid Power to develop solid-state cells for electric cars The maker of "ultimate driving machines" said it will have a combined total of 25 different...

  • 2017 Bentley Bentayga
    Bentley Bentayga plug-in hybrid SUV to debut in March at Geneva auto show

    Unlike rival Rolls-Royce, which may go directly to an all-electric model in future, Bentley has set its sights on plug-in hybrids first—and the Bentayga luxury SUV will be the first one from the brand. The plug-in versions of the Bentley Bentayga is expected to debut in March at the Geneva...

  • Mike Jackson standing in front of Ford F-150 Raptor at NAIAS 2015, Credit: AutoNation
    Electric cars are 'historic opportunity' for US carmakers: Autonation CEO

    Unlike many auto dealers and dealership groups that see selling electric vehicles as a necessary burden, AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson believes electric vehicles offer a "historic opportunity" for the industry Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress, Jackson recognized the challenges...

  • U.S. Capitol Building
    Could improving electric-car tax credit be possible even with today's politics?

    Rather to the surprise of electric-car advocates, the massive tax bill passed by the U.S. Congress in December did not eliminate the federal tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle. That credit lets buyers take a credit of $2,500 to $7,500 on their income-tax filing in the year of...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV pre-production vehicles at Orion Township Assembly Plant, March 2016
    GM promises it can make money on all-electric cars by 2021

    Radically new powertrains are widely assumed to lose money for the companies that launch them. Toyota's hybrid-electric system, launched in Japan in 1997, likely didn't break even until sometime after the 2004 launch of the second-generation Prius. Long-range battery-electric vehicles are the same...

  • Tesla Supercharger for city centers
    Electric cars will fail, but we'll build them anyway, say global auto execs: KPMG

    Juxtaposed against a growing electric-vehicle market in China and increasingly stringent global carbon-emission limits, a survey by KPMG has revealed a majority of global auto executives believe electric vehicles are a fool's errand. Those executives believe electric cars will eventually be...

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