zero emissions

  • Rendering of solar installations at Toyota North America headquarters, Plano, Texas

    With the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits, Toyota hopes to reduce the demand for electricity generated from fossil fuels.

  • Mark Webber driving a 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid in London
    Britain's electric utility backs earlier ban on new cars with engines, in 2030

    Norway and The Netherlands started the trend a few years ago, though they're relatively tiny car markets. Then France and the U.K. joined in. China, the world's largest new-car market by far, is doing it—though the country hasn't decided when. All of those countries plan to ban, or work the...

  • Smog in Delhi, India (by Flickr user Mfield)
    India plan for converting to electric cars by 2030 may get trimmed, a lot

    Two years ago, the government of India proposed a remarkable and ambitious goal: make every new vehicle coming onto its roads electric by 2030. The plan was largely a response to some of the world's highest levels of hazardous air pollution in its cities, higher in many cases than the legendary...

  • National Plug-In Day 2012: San Francisco, with 60 Nissan Leafs in front of the Golden Gate Bridge
    CA needs 5 million zero-emission cars by 2030; will it reach 1.5 million by 2025?

    Last Thursday, Governor Jerry Brown said in his annual State of the State address that California would need 5 million zero-emission vehicles on its roads by 2030 to meet its goals for reducing carbon emissions. An executive order on Friday laid out new state actions toward that goal, including a...

  • Mahindra e2o electric car
    Partnerships, incentives to get India to 2030 fossil-fuel vehicle ban

    After announcing it would ban the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles by 2030, the world's second-most populous country plans to support that goal through private and corporate partnerships and government incentives. India's decision to end fossil-fuel sales in the country comes with unique challenges...

  • California state capitol, Sacramento
    California bill to ban new fossil-fueled car sales by 2040 introduced

    A California lawmaker has submitted a bill that will ban the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles in the state starting in 2040. Assemblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat representing much of the Bay Area, introduced the bill on Wednesday, when lawmakers returned for the new legislative session...

  • Illustration from December 1966 Popular Science article on electric cars

    Looking at yesterday's visions of tomorrow is always entertaining, from flying cars to cities of the future. In the case of the electric car, there have been two futures: one from 1890 to about 1910, and then another starting 100 years later in 2011. The intervening century saw many, many predictions about mass-market electric cars, but none of them came true. DON'T MISS: Will electric cars take over as quickly as cars displaced horses from 1900 to 1925? We were reminded of this by a Popular Science article from 50 years ago, predicting the imminent arrival of all-electric cars. The five...

  • Volvo electric bus
    These 12 cities will buy only electric buses from 2025 on; more expected to join

    The mayors of 12 major cities from around the world have taken a landmark step to increase the use of zero-emission public transportation late last month. Mayors of London, Paris, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle, Auckland, and Cape Town all signed...

  • Stella Vie Dutch solar car winner in World Solar Challenge
    Stella Vie 'family sedan' wins long-distance solar car race

    Earlier this month, the 30th World Solar Challenge kicked off in Darwin, Australia, with 42 competitors vying for victory. At the end of the 3,022-kilometer (1,880-mile) race from Darwin to Adelaide, one team emerged victorious in the highly contested Cruiser class. Solar Team Eindhoven, from the...

  • W116 Mercedes-Benz S Class (1972 to 1980)
    European bans on vehicles with engines should exempt collector cars: study

    Numerous European countries have rolled out target years in which they plan to ban the sale of new cars powered by internal-combustion engines. At the same time, many European cities have introduced car-free zones in highly congested or polluted areas—which has led to worries that...

  • Amsterdam, the Netherlands [Image: Flickr user _dChris]
    Sales of cars with engines proposed to end in The Netherlands by 2030

    European countries continue to assess more aggressive policies that favor or mandate zero-emission vehicles to move away from fossil fuels for transportation. Last year, a recommendation passed by the Dutch senate proposed The Netherlands join Norway in banning the sale of new cars powered solely...

  • Toyota 'Project Portal' proof-of-concept hydrogen fuel-cell powered semi tractor, for Port of LA
    Toyota to study Mirai-derived fuel-cell tech for heavy-duty trucks

    Toyota announced on Thursday that it will begin testing in two California ports a hydrogen fuel-cell heavy-duty truck adapted from the Toyota Mirai's powertrain for drayage use. Initially, Toyota is looking at how it can use hydrogen fuel-cell-powered vehicles to significantly reduce vehicle...

  • World Solar Challenge 2017

    Although a car powered solely by solar power is far from reality, the 30th anniversary of the World Solar Challenge showcased just how far the technology has come. World Solar Challenge kicked off its celebrations with this year's iteration of the solar-powered car race in Darwin, Australia, on Sunday. From the starting point, the teams will travel 1,880 miles south to Adelaide, with the sun as their only source of propulsion. DON'T MISS: 11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing In total, 42 solar-powered cars will take part in the race this year, which represents the...

  • National Plug-In Day 2012: San Francisco, with 60 Nissan Leafs in front of the Golden Gate Bridge
    California mulls ban on new cars with engines, joining China in climate action

    With China mulling an eventual ban on sales of cars with gasoline or diesel engines, the world's largest car market made it clear earlier this month that it intends to force a conversion to zero-emission vehicles. Now California, which has led the U.S. in environmental awareness and emission...

  • Tesla Supercharger site in Vacaville, California, before expansion    [photo: George Parrott]
    Electric cars now 5 percent of California new-car sales: report

    California continues to lead the country in adoption rates for cars that plug in, both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models. The state offers numerous local and statewide incentives, and many utility companies reward customers for choosing an electric car over a fossil-fuel powered vehicle...

  • Chrome exhaust pipe
    When will ads for cars with tailpipes be banned as health hazards? Poll results

    Just 30 years ago, people could smoke anywhere, including offices, malls, and restaurants. The 1987 opening of a New York City restaurant called "Nosmo King" (read it again) was considered a bizarre, if amusing, idea that restauranteurs said would bankrupt the place because no one would give up...

  • Diesel taxis in London (Image by Flickr user Lars Ploughmann, used under CC license)
    UK to ban diesel, gasoline car sales by 2040; follows France, Norway, Holland bans

    The United Kingdom will follow in the footsteps of some European countries as it announced plans to ban the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars by the year 2040. The initiative closely follows a similar announcement from France, which also declared 2040 as the year it will phase out...

  • National Drive Electric Week 2014: Eyeing a Tesla in Ottawa. Photo by Ottawa Centre EcoDistrict.
    National Drive Electric Week to be bigger than ever: 175 events so far

    The White House's energy week may have been low on renewable and zero emission technology, but National Drive Electric Week is poised to make up for it. Each year, Plug In America, the Electric Auto Association, and the Sierra Club join forces to implement one week of electric car events, parades...

  • 2017 Renault Kangoo ZE           [photo: Yannick Brossard for Renault]

    French automaker Renault has given its small light commercial electric vehicle a handful of upgrades, including a significantly longer battery range. The Renault Kangoo ZE is now officially on sale with a longer rated range, a more powerful charging system, and a heat pump to keep the little van efficient in the coldest temperatures. Renault revealed the Kangoo ZE back in 2010 as an electrified option for light commercial vehicle buyers, even before its 2012 Renault Zoe subcompact electric hatchback. DON'T MISS: Renault adds new Master ZE larger electric delivery van An electrified Master ZE...

  • Chrome exhaust pipe
    When will it be unacceptable to drive a car with a tailpipe? Poll results

    No vehicle on earth is entirely free of emissions; even electric cars charged on renewable energy have emissions associated with their manufacturing. Those emissions, however, are a tiny fraction of the carbon dioxide and other substances emitted by gasoline or diesel cars when scientifically...

  • Toyota Mirai emissions-scrubbing billboard
    Toyota Mirai billboards scrub nitrogen oxides while touting hydrogen fuel-cell sedan

    If green cars can reduce emissions, why shouldn't their advertising do the same? That's the theory behind a series of billboards in relevant California markets that advertise the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan. But these billboards will do more than try to attract the eyes of potential...

  • Nissan Sway Concept
    California conundrum: 2018 Leaf, Bolt EV, or Mirai fuel-cell car?

    California is very different from the rest of the United States. All by itself, it's the sixth largest economy in the world. One eighth of all Americans live there. It's home to Silicon Valley, as well as much of the global entertainment industry, and it produces a large proportion of the nation's...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Volt
    Which states follow California's emission and zero-emission vehicle rules?

    California leads the nation in policies that promote reductions of carbon emissions from road vehicles. It is unique in having a federal waiver that allows it to set its own, stricter emissions standards, along with a zero-emission vehicle mandate that requires automakers reaching certain sales...

  • U.S. hybrid vehicle market: total sales and market share, 2000-2016   [source: PIRA Energy Group]
    Hybrid market share peaked in 2013, down since then

    What's a "green car"? Is it a hybrid? A zero-emission vehicle? One that plugs in? Or just one that uses less fuel than other cars in its segment? It's a perpetual conundrum, for Green Car Reports among others, but it illustrates one of the longstanding challenges in the field. Will the market for...

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