CARB
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You never know what you may find if you read through public comments on government proposals. That's how we found a broad hint that the next version of the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid will have a continuous all-electric range of at least 10 miles. Remember that the current car, which the EPA rates at 11 miles of electric range, only offers 6 miles of continuous electric range. That's because the output of its electric drive motor is low enough that it has to switch on its engine at one point during the test cycle, even though the battery pack has not yet been depleted, to maintain the...
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2014 BMW i3 Electric Car: Why California Set Range Requirements, Engine Limits
The 2014 BMW i3 electric car, which we drove last week, is generating intense interest among both plug-in proponents and BMW fans. Among other things, it's the first car in the world offered with an optional range-extending engine, at an increased cost of $3,850. MORE: 2014 BMW i3: First Drive Of...
John Voelcker -
Do Nissan, Tesla Sales Mean Other Makers Don't Need Electric Cars?
You can break down car companies into three groups, depending on their electric-car activities. The leaders are Nissan, General Motors, BMW, and upstart Tesla, all of whom have developed purpose-built plug-in cars. The followers are most of the large players in the global industry, who largely...
John Voelcker -
Why Tesla Launched Battery Swapping; Is It Now In Danger?
Tesla Motors has surprised a lot of skeptics in its decade of existence. But last month's announcement of battery swapping for Model S cars traveling long distances deserves some additional context. It adds a new and quicker way for some Model S drivers to cover distances beyond the battery range...
John Voelcker -
Low Carbon Fuel Standard Proving More Successful Than Expected
A report analyzing the uptake of low-carbon fuels says that fossil-fuel alternatives are actually growing faster than expected. The report, produced by a coalition of investors, utilities, and makers of alternative fuels and vehicles, suggests alternative fuels are proving more popular than...
Antony Ingram -
CA Air Board Head To Carmakers On ZEV Rules: Back Off, Boys
California is the largest single market for new vehicles in the United States: more than 1.5 million vehicles are sold each year. So when state officials speak, the auto industry has to listen. On Tuesday, Mary Nichols spoke. She heads the powerful California Air Resources Board, which has legal...
John Voelcker -
Unless you follow green cars fairly closely--or perhaps live in California--you may not know that the Golden State now requires the sale of certain number of battery electric cars. Between 2012 and 2014, the six highest-selling carmakers in the state must sell a combined 7,500 zero-emission vehicles. And the state will stick firmly to those goals, and far higher volumes starting in 2015, says Mary Nichols, chair of the powerful California Air Resources Board, under rules adopted last year. Reporter David Shepardson described Nichols' comments this morning in The Detroit News. The article...
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Ford Focus Electric A Compliance Car? Ford Swears It's Not
There are two kinds of electric cars on sale in the U.S. these days. The first kind--the ones you should pay attention to--are the volume electric cars. Their makers want to sell as many as they can. The second kind are the "compliance cars," built solely to meet California regulations that require...
John Voelcker -
2013 Ford C-Max Energi, Fusion Energi Join California HOV Lane
Californians wanting to gain single-occupancy access to the state’s high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes now have twice as many eligible cars to choose from when buying their next vehicle. Yesterday, Ford announced that its 2013 C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid has met the standards set out by the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
CARB Renews Electric Vehicle Fund With $27 Million
California has long been known for its efforts to reduce pollution from vehicles, and efforts to popularize hybrids and electric cars. The California Air Resources Board has now taken that one step further by approving a $27 million fund for its Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). Much of this...
Antony Ingram -
How To Make Money On Electric Cars: Sell Green Credits (To Other Carmakers)
Most brand-new auto technologies are, at best, a breakeven proposition in their early years. Toyota is thought to have lost money on every Prius hybrid it sold for several years, until its sales rose enough to gain economies of scale. Makers of plug-in electric cars may be losing money on each one...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler Admits: Electric Fiat 500 Is Compliance Car We Don't Want To Make
Three weeks ago, we listed five upcoming electric cars that we felt were strictly "compliance cars"--or vehicles carmakers offer not because they want to, but because they must do so to comply with California zero-emission vehicle rules. Now Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has admitted that his...
John Voelcker -
Since last year, you've likely heard a lot about electric cars. You'll hear much more in the years to come. But whether you're a fan or a foe, understand this: A few of the battery-electric cars you've heard about are "real"--meaning their makers want to sell as many as they can. But quite a few of them aren't. They're not meant to lure in consumers, or sell in any kind of volume. They're only built to meet California regulations for zero-emission vehicles--which is why they're called "compliance cars." It's important for buyers, electric-car fans, and the greater public to know which is...
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California-Only Diesel Fuel To Cost More, Damage Economy?
How do you solve a problem like diesel? On the one hand, diesel cars are highly fuel-efficient on longer runs, and produce good power and torque figures in their modern-day guise. It's also vital for the transportation and logistics industry. On the other, diesel cars are more capital and...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In To Join Chevy Volt In CA HOV Lanes
California's high-occupancy vehicle lanes, which emptied out last July as 85,000 hybrids lost their access, are about to start admitting more cars. This week, Chevy dealers in California are receiving their first 2012 Chevrolet Volts fitted with the right emissions gear to give drivers access to...
John Voelcker -
HOV-Lane Eligible Chevy Volts On Sale In California Next Week
Earlier today,General Motors confirmed that it has restarted production of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt at its Detroit Hamtramck facility. In addition, the automaker has confirmed that it is now producing Californian-market Volts, complete with a low emissions package that enables them to qualify for...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
California, CARB, Votes On 15% Clean Car Mandate By 2025
California has long been at the forefront of developing rules to reduce automotive pollution levels, but a vote held yesterday could prove to be a landmark for green cars. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has been voting on regulations requiring 15 percent of new cars sold in the state by...
Antony Ingram -
Arizona Dumps Stricter CA Emissions Standards Over Electric-Car Rules
California has always led the nation in mandating reduction of tailpipe emissions and development of low- and zero-emission vehicles. For several years now, states have had the option of adopting stricter California vehicle-emissions regulations or sticking with the national standards. Roughly a...
John Voelcker -
Daniel Yergin is one of those authors who writes major works. His Pulitzer Prize-winning The Prize is nothing less than the definitive history of the rise of the petroleum industry, and his latest, The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World, starts where that book left off and looks forward into a future of multiple energy sources. His writing is fascinating, but ... ahem ... of epic length. So reading him in excerpt may be the best introduction for novices. Which brings us to a piece he wrote last week in the Los Angeles Times, looking at the history of smog and its...
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CA To Require Zero-Emission Vehicles On Top Of Gas-Mileage Rules
The NHTSA and EPA are closing in on their final rules for 2017-2025 corporate average fuel economy regulations, but there's a wild card in the pack. California, which has the authority to set its own emissions laws, is going along with the proposed gas-mileage levels, which will take 2025...
John Voelcker -
Which State Has The Greenest Cars? California, Of Course
It’s no secret that the state of California is home to some of the most congested roads in the country -- but it is also home to some of the greenest drivers according to a recent study by academics of the Transport Research Institute at the University of Michigan. Reported by The Los Angeles...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Auto Dealers Lobby Against Obama's Higher Gas-Mileage Rules
Yesterday, auto dealers met with their members of Congress to try to delay new rules that would stiffen the gas-mileage requirements for cars sold in model years 2017 to 2025. The National Auto Dealers Association made the rounds to pitch a proposal that would amend spending legislation for the...
John Voelcker -
Breathe Easy, Californians: Electric-Car Rebates Survive, Cut To $2,500
It came down to the wire, but in the end, California's program of purchase rebates for buyers of qualifying plug-in electric cars has survived the state's grim budget crisis. Last Thursday, we wrote about the decisions facing the California Air Resources Board: How much could it really afford to...
John Voelcker -
White House, Feds To Push For 56.2-MPG Fuel Economy In 2025
The two Federal agencies that set gas mileage and emissions standards for future cars may propose rules that require corporate average fuel economy to reach 56 miles per gallon by 2025. News reports out of Washington, D.C., indicate that the Obama Administration is urging the EPA and NHTSA to push...
John Voelcker