Sean Szymkowski, Contributor
Articles
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Public concerns over diesel cars, and their ebbing sales, have become a well-documented phenomenon in Europe after decades of popularity.
When the VW diesel scandal exposed deliberate cheating, and...
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Electric cars about to be profitable, says India's Mahindra
The market for electric cars continues to grow, but vehicles powered by fossil fuels remain dominant across the globe. Many analysts believe electric cars will reach price parity with vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines sometime within the next decade. Indian maker Mahindra, however...
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Car subscription services to take 1 of 5 sales by 2023, Volvo CEO says
The 2019 Volvo XC40 not only represents the Swedish brand's first compact crossover to be sold in the U.S. but its first shot at a new model for drivers to obtain cars: a subscription service. During the XC40 launch, Volvo revealed it would introduce Care by Volvo, a subscription service giving...
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National Drive Electric Week was bigger, broader, better than ever this year
This year's National Drive Electric Week was expected to be the biggest to date after organizers announced 175 events had been planned as of July. The seventh annual event to promote electric cars grew even larger than anticipated, with 278 separate local meets, presentations, and drive events...
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China to build many gigafactories' worth of electric-car battery plants
While the United States federal government threatens to backslide on renewable energy, California and China continue to move at an aggressive pace to lead the world in zero-emission vehicles. However, there's another piece to the electric-car puzzle that China seems poised to lead as well: battery...
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CT dealer incentive for electric-car sales works, could be improved: report
Connecticut ushered in a unique electric-car incentive in 2014, and the first points of data on its effectiveness have now been published. The Connecitcut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program not only provides a direct incentive for consumers to buy electric cars, it...
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Over the past decade, advances in battery technology have progressed steadily, but not quite as quickly as impatient electric-car advocates might like.
With electric cars and plug-in hybrids fast...
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Scots couple complete grueling Mongol Rally in electric car
The Mongol Rally is no small undertaking for any driver, in any type of vehicle. The 10,000-mile rally takes drivers from Europe to Siberia, via Mongolia, with no support vehicles or backup cars. On July 16, 2017, a Scottish couple arrived at the starting line at the Goodwood race course in England...
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Energy Dept grid report downplayed renewables, stressed coal, fossil fuels
The Trump administration hasn't been coy about trying to champion traditional fossil fuels while downplaying the importance and falling costs of renewable energy. Earlier this year, Department of Energy secretary Rick Perry, previously governor of fossil-fuel producer Texas, called for a 60-day...
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Tesla expands Supercharger fast-charging sites into cities for Model 3 owners
With the mass-production Model 3 in mind, Tesla has begun to expand its Supercharger fast-charging stations into urban areas. Earlier this month, Tesla opened its first two Supercharger stations in Chicago, Illinois, and Boston, Massachusetts. The Chicago site features 10 charging stalls, while the...
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Rare-earth metals in magnets for electric-car motors: what you need to know
It's not surprising that the powertrains of electric cars differ quite a bit from traditional internal-combustion engines. Although they have fewer moving parts, the rare-earth magnets that help power electric cars can be quite complex to fabricate. So, what is there to know about rare-earth...
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Chevy Bolt EV, Sonic, Bolt, Sonic: GM mingles gas, electric cars on same assembly line
General Motors didn't have to construct an all-new assembly plant to build its affordable, mass-market Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. In fact, it produces the electric car at the existing Orion assembly plant in Michigan, which opened in 1983. That's not the most interesting aspect of Bolt EV...
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The country of Norway has been among the most ardent in urging drivers to buy zero-emission vehicles, offering a friendly market in which automakers can launch new electric cars.
In fact, Norway was...
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California plans for its post-fossil-fuel future in electricity, cars
For 50 years, the state of California has led the United States when it comes to renewable energy and electric cars. The state features many programs to incentivize electric-car ownership, and 29 percent of the state's 2016 energy production came from solar, wind, and other renewable power sources...
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Volkswagen ID electric car to launch in 2020 along with new VW Golf
Volkswagen has a critical year coming in 2020, when the German brand will launch two incredibly important vehicles nearly back-to-back. The next-generation Volkswagen Golf will arrive that year, and then, one month later, the brand will launch its first mass-market electric car, the ID hatchback...
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Audi's self-driving e-tron electric concepts: Aicon (Level 5) and Elaine (Level 4) at Frankfurt
The 2017 Frankfurt Motor Showed offered a very specific ethos this year: electric and self-driving cars. Many automakers used the bright lights and gleaming stands to reveal their interpretation of a future with all-electric and driverless vehicles. Audi was not absent from the theme. DON'T MISS...
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Electric cars near 2 percent of German market (plug-in hybrids included), surging past US
While Volkswagen's diesel scandal has fallen out of the public eye in the United States, its effects continue to be felt in Europe, where diesel-powered cars have long reigned supreme. Falling sales of diesel vehicles in many European countries are somewhat balanced by a boost for electric and...
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Why one guy bought a 2017 Nissan Leaf electric car: it was a great deal
The deals, incentives, and rebates currently available on the 2017 Nissan Leaf are generous and well documented. A handful of utility companies across the United States have offered generous discounts, likely backed by Nissan itself, to move the current-generation Leaf from dealerships to...
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The data has been crunched and the latest round of sales figures has arrived for a look at European electric and plug-in hybrid sales through the month of July.
With another month on the books,...
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Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for September 2017
Another month has gone by, which means it's time for another round of superb deals for hybrid, electric, and fuel-efficient cars. For September, many of last month's cars hold their place on the list, though incentives have gotten better for some of them. As always, offers listed here reflect the...
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Complex engine tech gets better ratings, does little in real world: report
Lately, automakers haven't been touting the rising fuel economy of new vehicles, but it has to continue rising to meet reductions in the legal levels of carbon emitted. While major strides in fuel economy have been made over the past five years, the complex engine technologies and other...
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Latest Tesla referral programs draw new CA dealer lobby complaint
Tesla has once again ruffled the feathers of the California New Car Dealers Association with a new round of referral programs. The Silicon Valley automaker has used referral programs for years; they usually provide perks for current owners who get friends, coworkers, and colleagues to buy a new...
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Ford Transit van with range-extended electric powertrain revealed
As European countries continue to crack down on emissions from road vehicles, automakers are stepping up with solutions to reduce levels of smog-causing nitrogen oxides, especially in city centers. Ford identified the commercial vehicle segment as one it believes is ripe for electrification, and...
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Who's going all-electrified? Volvo, then Jaguar Land Rover, now Lincoln: report
As the auto industry intensifies its embrace of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, announcements of "all-electrified" product lines continue to roll in. First, Volvo made a splash with its announcement saying that all models launched from 2019 onwards would be electrified in some manner. The...
Sean Szymkowski