Electric Cars

  • California state capitol, Sacramento

    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 in Sacramento. The bill, known by its docket number of AB 1745, is entitled simply "The Clean Cars Act 2040." DON'T MISS: Bill could ban gasoline-car sales in California by 2040 “Until you set a deadline, nothing gets done,” Ting said in December. “It’s responsible for us to...

  • 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric (European spec), 2016 Geneva Motor Show
    South Korea to standardize on CCS fast-charging standard used by US, German makers

    Buyers of electric vehicles in South Korea won't need to consider the pros and cons of charging standards in the near future. The South Korean Agency for Technology and Standards announced in mid-December it would revise the current charging standard in the country to recommend the use of "Combo...

  • Bus in Shenzhen, China, By GEei Ginhee wins (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
    Shenzhen now uses only electric buses: 16,500 of them

    Over the last few years, the Chinese government has begun to push electric vehicles with all its might. In addition to incentivizing the purchase of electric vehicles, the central government has recently banned the sale of some 553 fossil-fuel passenger cars in the country. But when it comes to...

  • 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas
    What topic should we have covered less in 2017? Twitter poll results

    Over the nine years this site has published daily news about green cars, the focus of our coverage has shifted significantly. In February 2009, when we started daily coverage, our most popular topics were hybrid cars and the Toyota Prius. With Prius sales in 2017 less than half what they were just...

  • Teaser for Kia Niro EV concept debuting at 2018 Consumer Electronics Show
    Concept for Kia Niro EV all-electric wagon to appear at CES

    We've long known that the Kia Niro wagon would get an all-electric version to accompany the 2017 Niro Hybrid and the just-launched 2018 Niro Plug-In Hybrid. The battery-electric Niro will fill out the suite of six cars sharing the same underpinnings, with the others being the same three versions of...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 and Model S in Tesla assembly plant parking lot, Fremont, CA, November 2017
    Tesla delivers 1,550 Model 3s in Q4; Models S, X over 100,000 in 2017

    Tesla reported its fourth-quarter global deliveries on Wednesday, saying it delivered 1,550 Model 3 electric cars between October 1 and December 31 last year, but built 2,425 over the same period. That compares to a total of 260 Model 3s delivered in the third quarter, after a splashy "handover...

  • Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland   [photo: Forth]

    Remember all those brownouts we experienced last week because everyone plugged in their electric cars? No? Oh right, that didn't happen. It still isn't happening. And it's unlikely to ever happen. That's the conclusion of a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), using infrastructure investment data from California's biggest electricity providers. DON'T MISS: Utility V2G test with BMW shows electric cars can aid the grid Using California—America's largest EV market— the NRDC blog post spells out two key takeaways as part of its study into demand on the grid from...

  • Smart crash test
    Insurance claims on electric cars vary hugely, though perhaps predictably

    When buying a car, one point to consider during the process should be insurance costs. Aside from any finance or lease payment, and fuel costs if you cover lots of miles in a not-very-efficient vehicle, insurance is likely your biggest car-related expense. Thankfully, the Insurance Institute for...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car, test-driven by Shiva of Fremont, California, Oct 2017
    2018 Nissan Leaf: an early Leaf driver's impressions (he has a Tesla too)

    First sales of the 2018 Nissan Leaf, the second generation of the pioneering electric car, should come this month. But Nissan has quietly been showing the 2018 Leaf to electric-car shoppers for several months now, hosting drives at dealerships and other venues. Several of our readers and...

  • Allego 175 kw Ultra-E Charging Station in Germany
    Europe takes the lead in very fast electric-car charging

    Europeans will soon have the opportunity to enjoy quiet, emission-free, long-distance motoring with far shorter charge times when driving electric cars along Germany's autobahns. The charging network Allego has rolled out its first 175-kilowatt ultra-fast charging stations—dubbed "Ultra...

  • 2018 BMW i3s
    2018 BMW i3s: range, efficiency lower for sportier model of electric car

    As a given generation of any vehicle ages, German companies in particular often spice up the allure of the aging car with new and sportier versions. Porsche is a master at rolling out new versions of its models across the entire life of a generation, but BMW has learned the trick too. Thus in the...

  • Fisker EMotion
    Before Fisker EMotion luxury electric sedan debut, founder touts future solid-state battery

    As they say, it's what's inside that counts. That's doubly so for Fisker, Inc., the second auto company founded by famed automotive designer Henrik Fisker. The first declared bankruptcy; its new Chinese owners renamed it Karma. In an interview with Car and Driver, Fisker (the man) claims...

  • Zev Gitalis takes his 97-year-old grandfather for a ride in his Tesla Model S electric car [YouTube]

    "I hear you got an electric car," says a 97-year-old man, looking every bit like a 97-year-old man, suspenders and all. "Is it outside?" The man behind the camera is Zev Gitalis, and the man in front of the camera is his grandfather. DON'T MISS: South's good ol' boy drag racers whupped by Tesla, not happy about it Outside sits not a Nissan Leaf nor a Chevrolet Volt, but a Tesla Model S awaiting its chance to astonish his paternal ancestor—and Zev caught the whole experience on camera. One idyllic summer afternoon in Toronto, Ontario, Zev's grandfather first inquired about the car from...

  • 2016 Tesla Model X on the street in Vancouver, BC, Canada  [photo: Matthew Klippenstein]
    Canadian electric-car news: apartment charging, electric trucks, Electra Meccanica Solo

    Of all the Canadian electric-car news that rounds out 2017, the Vancouver suburb of Richmond’s new requirement that 100 percent of apartments and condominiums be ready for plug-in vehicles may be the most significant. Access to charging in multi-unit residential buildings, or MURBs, has long...

  • Faraday Future FF 91
    Faraday Future, primary investor crushed by mounting debt, lawsuits

    Struggling Faraday Future and its founding investor Jia Yueting are facing financial and legal woes that threaten the company's existence. Jia specifically has been placed on an official list of debt defaulters on a website run by the Chinese government after the LeEco founder failed to follow a...

  • Tesla Semi
    If electric semi tractors are real, their running-cost advantage could be huge

    Emotions play a big role in purchases of passenger vehicles, but fleet decisions are generally driven by numbers, spreadsheets, and the almighty dollar. And it's in the equation of overall cost where early adopters of electric and other alternative-fuel semis could make a financial killing. Haulers...

  • 2018 Ford Fusion Energi
    Ford: China will lead our electric-car effort, 300-mile electric SUV to be built in Mexico

    As we start to look toward the 2019 model year, it's worth noting that Ford hasn't introduced a single new hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicle since 2013. In fact, the company is now clearing the decks and killing off old models. The C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid tall hatchback went out of...

  • Volvo 40.2 concept
    Volvo to offer multiple electric cars, battery-size options, starting in 2020

    Volvo has confirmed its second electric car for the brand will be a version of the V40 compact hatchback it plans to unveil within the year. Much like the all-electric Volkswagen e-Golf version of the standard Golf, Volvo will roll out a conventional version of its V40 hatchback on the new compact...

  • Volkswagen MOIA electric ride-pooling van

    Every automaker has its niche. Mazda builds a brilliant (and efficient) sports car in the MX-5 Miata. Toyota pioneered the mass production of hybrid-electric vehicles 20 years ago with its Prius. The Tesla Model S made battery-electric vehicles exciting and desirable. And Volkswagen has diesel. DON'T MISS: Volkswagen ID electric car production date now set: November 2019 Well, at least, it had diesel. Now Volkswagen is looking for a new niche to set it apart from the pack. Its Moia electric van—a ride-sharing concept vehicle from the Volkswagen division of the same name—is one of...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    All-wheel drive now standard on all Tesla Model S, Model X cars

    Tesla now offers roughly the same percentage of its model lineup with standard all-wheel-drive configuration as famed AWD proponent Subaru. The Silicon Valley electric-car maker has completely ditched rear-wheel drive in its Model S hatchback sedans and Model X crossover utility vehicles. Only its...

  • 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid charging at Paso Robles Inn, Paso Robles, California, Dec 2017
    Electric car charging on the road has to be way, way better than it is today

    A couple of weeks ago, we charged a 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid 15 times within two days. It was part of a contest during a two-day press drive for the car—though we were beaten by the team that charged their Niro a stunning 31 times in little more than 30 hours. But our experience...

  • 2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet, First Drive
    2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet first drive review: the perfect city car

    I try very hard to go into each review with an open mind, but in the case of the 2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet, I was prepared to dislike it. I expected an anemic driving experience in a vehicle that was somehow both small and cumbersome. I thought the Smart would be an automotive...

  • Santa delivers chocolates in electric Renault Zoe "sleigh"
    Santa Claus takes to UK streets in all-electric Renault Zoe 'sleigh'

    A publicity stunt by Renault in the United Kingdom had Santa Claus delivering chocolate all over the country earlier this month in a highly energy-efficient way. The social media campaign featured Santa testing a Renault Zoe EV, as a possible replacement for his reindeer-drawn sleigh. In all, Santa...

  • Tesla Semi
    Awake at the wheel: Tesla is far from alone in electric trucks

    This time, Elon Musk is not alone. In mid-December, Daimler delivered its first 14 Fuso eCanter electric delivery trucks to customers in Germany, a reminder that while Tesla caught car companies flat-footed in 2012, incumbent truck makers are already preparing their countermeasures. In...

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