CARB

  • California Citrus State Historic Park

    For half a century, California has been at the forefront of reducing emissions and cleaning up air pollution. And the state has made breathtaking progress since the days of early-Seventies technicolor photochemical smog alerts. But then bad things happen--and a leak at a single natural-gas well shows how much damage can be done to air quality by hydrocarbon extraction. DON'T MISS: Best Use For Abundant U.S. Natural Gas: Powering Electric Cars According to Reuters, in an article published two weeks ago, an uncontrolled leak at the Aliso Canyon storage field is emitting 50,000 kilograms...

  • 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI
    Environmental Justice Groups: Not So Fast, Musk--VW Diesels Must Be Fixed!

    A group of environmental leaders disputes a proposal to forgive Volkswagen's diesel transgressions.

  • Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk at Tesla Store opening in Westfield Mall, London, Oct 2013
    Ignore VW Diesels, Make Company Sell Electric Cars: Tesla CEO Musk, 44 Others

    It will cost a huge sum, likely billions of dollars, to make Volkswagen fix all of the 482,000 TDI diesel vehicles it has admitted use "defeat device" software to ignore emission laws. Indeed, it may not be practically possible for VW to modify 325,000 of those cars--and it would cost the company...

  • Volkswagen logo
    Volkswagen Proposes 2.0-Liter Diesel Fixes As Crisis Continues

    Being a Volkswagen executive these days may be one of the more thankless jobs in the auto industry. Among groups including car buyers, business travelers, and environmental advocates, the first association with the brand now is often now "diesel emission scandal.” But differing customer...

  • 2016 Volkswagen Passat
    2016 VW Diesel Lineup Withdrawn: Jetta, Passat, Golf, Beetle TDI Models May Be Modified

    Michael Horn, CEO of Volkswagen's U.S. arm, will testify today before Congress on the VW diesel-emission cheating scandal, including what he knew and when he knew it. His testimony, released yesterday, included a nugget of future product information: VW has withdrawn its application for...

  • 2015 BMW i3 REx  -  Driven, Portland OR, April 2015
    BMW i3 REx Electric Car: 'Coding' Unlocks Features Owners Want (And May Void Warranty)

    The BMW i3 REx model is an unusual beast, the sole example to date of a car built specifically to comply with California regulations that define it as a zero-emission electric car even though it has a range-extending engine. That's because its gasoline range (EPA-rated at 78 miles) is more or less...

  • 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car, Newport Beach, CA, Nov 2014

    California's plan to reduce carbon emissions from transportation anticipates a mix of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Recharging batteries from the electric grid is relatively simple, but producing hydrogen fuel requires a good deal of energy to split pure hydrogen out of other compounds. To ensure that the carbon footprint of fuel-cell vehicles is significantly lower than that of gasoline or diesel cars, the state mandates that one-third of the energy used to produce hydrogen fuel be from renewable sources. DON'T MISS: California Air Resources Board Head: All New Cars...

  • Tesla Model S 85D, 2015 Detroit Auto Show
    Tesla Success Shows 'Weakness' Of CA Zero-Emission Rules, Company Says

    Tesla opposes other carmakers' attempts to change California ZEV rules.

  • 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 'Twin Engine' plug-in hybrid, Spain, Feb 2015
    Plug-In Hybrids OK For Smaller Makers To Meet CA Zero-Emission Vehicle Rules

    California's Zero-Emission Vehicle sales rules have been a major reason the state's drivers can now choose among two dozen different plug-in electric vehicles on sale today. Those rules will expand to cover more carmakers in 2018. And the behind-the-scenes jockeying by smaller makers to lessen the...

  • National Plug-In Day 2012: San Francisco, with 60 Nissan Leafs in front of the Golden Gate Bridge
    Why Electric Cars Are Rare Outside CA: Arcane 'Travel Provision' Rule

    The sparsity of cars with plugs has been one of the biggest frustrations for Northeastern electric-car shoppers and advocates. While California buyers can choose among roughly two dozen different battery-electric and plug-in hybrid offerings, just a handful are available outside the state. And...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - production model
    CA Green Stickers All But Gone; Q1's Plug-In Hybrid Sales Suffered This Year: UPDATE

    All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the green stickers that give plug-in hybrid drivers access to California's freeway carpool lanes with just one person in the car. A total of 70,000 stickers were allotted, and the supply is now almost exhausted. A bill to allocate 15,000 more...

  • 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, 2016 Toyota Mirai at hydrogen fueling station, Fountain Valley, CA
    Scenarios For 2030 Zero-Emissions Cars In CA: Hydrogen Or Not?

    With epic smog in the Los Angeles Basin, the state of California has led the nation's charge to reduce emissions from road vehicles for more than half a century. And it is now state policy to reduce emissions of climate-change gases, primarily carbon dioxide, from its 30 million-plus road vehicles...

  • Tesla Motors battery-swapping station at Harris Ranch, California, Dec 2014  [photo: Teslarati.com]

    Tesla Motors has been opening its Supercharger DC fast-charging stations at a dizzying pace lately, with 175 U.S. sites operating, and almost two dozen more either in construction or permitted. Globally that total is almost 400 sites, which likely represents more than 2,000 separate outlets. But Tesla battery swapping? Ah, that's a different story. DON'T MISS: About That (One) Tesla Battery Swapping Station: An Update Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk presided over a flashy event in June 2013 that purported to show the battery of a Model S electric sport sedan being swapped out and replaced in about...

  • Tesla Motors battery-swapping station at Harris Ranch, California, Dec 2014  [photo: Teslarati.com]
    About That (One) Tesla Battery Swapping Station: An Update

    Eighteen months ago, in the kind of flashy, highly-publicized event it's so good at, Tesla Motors said it would launch battery swapping for its Model S electric car. CEO Elon Musk presided over a demonstration in which the underfloor battery pack of a Model S was apparently removed and replaced in...

  • 1970s Los Angeles smog depicted in the Honda short film "Never Ending Race."
    CA Smog Plan Approved By State & EPA Isn't Tough Enough: Lawsuit

    Four groups are suing over a Los Angeles-area smog-reduction plan they say isn't strict enough.

  • 2015 Nissan Leaf
    Changes To CA Rules May Cut Zero-Emission Vehicle Requirement

    California's rules requiring six automakers to sell specified numbers of zero-emission vehicles starting in 2012 have had a substantial impact. But a meeting to be held one week from today may determine whether required volumes of emission-free cars--likely battery-electric vehicles--are cut for a...

  • 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell at hydrogen fueling station, Fountain Valley, CA
    Toyota, Honda, Hyundai Fuel-Cell Cars: How Many Will Be Sold?

    With almost 250,000 plug-in electric cars on U.S. roads--and double that number globally--electric vehicles are starting to establish a small foothold in the market. More than 10,000 a month were sold this past May, June, and July. But with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles now offered by Hyundai, and...

  • First 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell delivered to lessee at Tustin Hyundai, June 2014
    Why California Pushes Hydrogen Compliance Cars Over Electric Ones

    We're starting to hear a lot about hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles from Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda--and we're going to hear a great deal more about them in the years to come. The first 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell was leased last month, and Toyota will bring its own hydrogen-powered vehicle into...

  • 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell at Hyundai headquarters, Fountain Valley, CA

    Last week, the very first 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell hydrogen-powered vehicle was delivered to lessee Timothy Bush in Southern California. The event was widely covered, as the fuel-cell Tucson crossover may well be the highest-volume hydrogen vehicle on U.S. roads until Toyota and Honda start delivering their own fuel-cell vehicles over the next two years. DON'T MISS: 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell: Hydrogen Crossover First Drive Still, just like the first several years of hybrid sales in the U.S.--and, most likely, a number of today's battery-electric vehicles--the first hydrogen powered...

  • Photo of Tesla Model S battery swapping versus 'fastest gas pump in LA' tweeted by Elon Musk
    Tesla Model S Battery Swapping: Will It Ever Actually Arrive?

    Exactly a year ago, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk presided over a flashy demonstration in which the battery pack of a Tesla Model S electric car was apparently swapped from underneath within 90 seconds and replaced with a fresh pack. The event generated a huge amount of press, and subsequent coverage...

  • Photo of Tesla Model S battery swapping versus 'fastest gas pump in LA' tweeted by Elon Musk
    California Hands Loss To Tesla In Proposed ZEV Credit Changes

    It was one of the thorniest issues facing the powerful California Air Resource Board: Did the ability to swap electric-car battery packs qualify for "fast fueling" incentives meant to prod carmakers to build zero-emission vehicles that could add 300 miles of range in no more time than filling the...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - production model
    CA Electric-Car Incentive Update: Funds Run Out, Green Stickers Gone

    Access to carpool lanes on California's legendarily crowded freeways is a big perk. So is getting a check in the mail that cuts the purchase cost. These incentives were successful in spurring sales of hybrids years ago, and they've helped sales of modern battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars...

  • 2014 Fiat 500e
    Compliance Car Update: Which Electric Cars Are Loss Leaders?

    The Fiat 500e is perhaps the most critically lauded new all-electric vehicle that arrived in 2013. It's received rave reviews from unlikely sources, like buff-book magazines—even from Consumer Reports. There's reportedly been a long waiting list for these cars, with a $199/month lease deal...

  • 2014 BMW i3 hits the race track
    2014 BMW i3 Gets CA Carpool-Lane Access: Battery Only, So Far

    As expected, the 2014 BMW i3 electric car has been awarded its "white sticker," the coveted permission to drive in High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes with only one occupant on California's crowded freeways. The range-extended version of the i3, however, has not yet appeared on the list--and there remains...

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