Electric Cars
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Toyota made its future battery-electric car project public this past April after an "agonizing" decision to depart from its sole focus on a future powered by hydrogen fuel cells as its sole zero-emission vehicle technology. Mostly, that shift is due to China and India—two major auto markets that call for phasing out the internal-combustion engine at a speedy pace. To meet those requirements in Asian countries, Toyota will reportedly tap partners as well as continue development of its own electric cars from 2020 onward. DON'T MISS: Why Toyota's 'agonizing' U-turn toward electric cars?...
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Is China making U.S. irrelevant to the future of automobiles?The first automobile was invented in Germany in 1885 by Karl Benz, but it was the U.S. that led the building of the global 20th-century automobile industry. Through the turn of the current century, the U.S. new-vehicle market was the world's largest, and General Motors was for decades the world's...
John Voelcker -
How about electric semis that draw power from overhead wires?While battery-powered semi trucks remains years away for many prominent makers, the German tech company Siemens is experimenting with a well-known source of electric power delivery to make a different kind of electric semi. Much like electric trams or streetcars used by public transit agencies for...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla Semi, new Roadster distract from Model 3 production problemsNever let it be said that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his event producers are not masters of showmanship. Last night's launch of the Tesla Semi heavy-duty commercial truck tractor came with a surprise: a new Tesla Roadster emerged from the back of the trailer. The wow factor was ... high. DON'T MISS...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars 'right around the corner' in 1966: what took so long?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...
John Voelcker -
Chinese electric-car startup Nio gets $1 billion in funding: reportNio, the electric-car maker formerly known as NextEV, has raised a substantial amount of money in its latest round of fundraising. The Chinese startup reportedly received a stunning $1 billion in funding, with Chinese investment powerhouse Tencent leading the charge. Notably, Tencent also holds a...
Sean Szymkowski -
Most reports on startup electric-car maker Faraday Future tend to describe it as "struggling," and that may be an understatement. It halted work at its Nevada-based production facility in 2016; the startup company's main backer, China's LeEco, acknowledged this past May it was experiencing financial problems; and Faraday Future has been clamoring for investment since this past summer to keep itself afloat. Following an emergency $14 million loan from California-based Innovatus Capital Partners, Faraday Future may now have found a savior in India's Tata, the parent company of luxury maker...
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Tesla Semi: 500-mile range, lower running costs than diesel... and it's fastThe long-awaited Tesla Semi electric truck was unveiled Thursday night and it promises to shake up the shipping industry by significantly reducing the cost of transporting goods from point-to-point. Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Semi at a private event in California, where he touted a 500-mile...
Andrew Ganz -
Tesla Roadster is back: 0-60 in 1.9 seconds, 620-mile rangeWhat's old is new again. The Tesla Roadster is back, company CEO Elon Musk revealed Thursday night at a special event in California. Forget about the old, Lotus-derived Roadster. This latest 2020 Tesla Roadster is shapely, sprints from 0-60 mph in just 1.9 seconds, 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds, and...
Andrew Ganz -
Driving a Chanje electric electric cargo van: very big, far better than dieselA Class 5 cargo van is a remarkably large vehicle, especially when navigating it through the mixed industrial and 19th-century residential streets of the Prospect Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The Chanje V8070 electric cargo van, in fact, is the largest vehicle—electric or...
John Voelcker -
Fisker still aims at solid-state electric-car batteries, as patents attestAt first, Fisker had promised its upcoming EMotion electric sedan would launch with revolutionary solid-state batteries. The company then backtracked in June, saying the technology would not be ready. Instead, the EMotion will launch with conventional lithium-ion batteries. Fisker announced on...
Sean Szymkowski -
GM CEO Mary Barra hints at Bolt EV-based crossover SUV, details future electric vehiclesGeneral Motors CEO Mary Barra gave investors a detailed playbook for the automaker's future electric vehicles plans Wednesday, including a possible glimpse at a crossover based on the Bolt EV. Barra gave the presentation for investors at the Barclays 2017 Global Automotive Conference in New York. A...
Aaron Cole -
Hyundai announced in Detroit on Wednesday that it would bring to market eight new or redesigned crossovers by the end of the decade. The new utility vehicles will sport a wide range of powertrains including battery-electric, diesel, hydrogen fuel-cell, and gasoline. The first crossover to arrive on our shores will be the 2018 Hyundai Kona, which will go on sale in March. “The Kona is only the beginning of our product revolution for Hyundai,” said Mike O’Brien, Hyundai Motor America vice president. “These vehicles are aimed squarely at the sales leaders in each segment...
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2017 Volkswagen e-Golf: weekend drive report and range testThe thought came like a flash while on the highway heading into New York's Catskill Mountains: This is what all cars will be like soon. The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf is absolutely the most normal, invisible, unremarkable electric car you can buy today. No one knew it was electric, or paid it any...
John Voelcker -
Life with Renault Twizy: electric bopping around BermudaI well remember the first time I saw a Renault Twizy. Wandering along the Champs Elysees in Paris in the spring of 2012, I happened upon a Renault showroom hosting an electric car extravaganza. Amid flashing lights, blasting techno music, and vamping supermodels sat a couple of Renault Zoes, the...
David Noland -
Cargo space in popular electric cars: this video explains it allEnsuring electric cars fit the needs of their owners is a requirement for boosting electric-vehicle sales. Adequate cargo space for an owner is necessary no matter what kind of car is being considered. Now, in one handy video, YouTuber Bjorn Nyquist has shown just how much cargo space is provided...
Sean Szymkowski -
Who will sell the first affordable AWD electric SUV? Poll resultsOf our eight Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy award winners since 2011, five have been compact five-door hatchbacks. It's a good, sensible format, by far the most popular segment in Europe and stronger even in Canada than in the U.S. Sadly, U.S. car buyers are not only ignoring small hatchbacks...
John Voelcker -
These 12 cities will buy only electric buses from 2025 on; more expected to joinThe 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...
Sean Szymkowski -
While it's clear that the transition to plug-in electric cars is accelerating across the globe, in the short term electric cars still face numerous hurdles. Charging infrastructure remains inconsistent, vehicle range is still an issue, and ultimately, the inherent and appropriate conservatism of car buyers themselves acts as a brake on adoption of electric cars. More importantly, price is still a major obstacle for car buyers. DON'T MISS: UBS study predicts electric-car cost parity in Europe could arrive by 2018 Consumers overlook plug-in and battery-electric cars for a mix of reasons, but...
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Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2018: Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid plug-in minivanIn 2011, Green Car Reports launched an award for the new car, or family of cars, that represented the best green vehicle introduced for the model year. The Nissan Leaf won that year because it was the sole affordable battery-electric vehicle on the market. Over the next seven years, more than two...
John Voelcker -
Senate tax plan leaves electric-car purchase credit in placeThe battle over early termination of the U.S. income-tax credit for purchase of an electric car took a new turn on Thursday. HR1, the draft Tax Cut and Jobs Act introduced in the House of Representatives, would end the credit as of December 31. The U.S. Senate version of the tax-reform bill...
John Voelcker -
Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for November 2017This month's best deals for hybrid, electric, and fuel-efficient cars are in and buyers will find a handful of eco-friendly bargains. Most cars have held their spots from October 2017, but a few newcomers may surprise shoppers, including the brand-new 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Read on to see where...
Sean Szymkowski -
How to recharge an electric car in the middle of nowhere: Amazon drone?Amazon, once a humble bookseller, now dips its toes into numerous technology realms. Its next potential act? Perhaps it will be drones that can charge electric cars on the fly. The online retailer and technology company filed an application to patent a drone specifically built for electric-car...
Sean Szymkowski -
A Tesla Model S that runs on hydrogen fuel cells? Dutch firm claims it built oneTesla has never built anything but battery-electric cars. Now a Dutch gasoline company believes it's improved upon the Silicon Valley automaker's design with a hydrogen fuel cell—so much so that it wants to sell its solution to the general public. The Holthausen Group, a Dutch gasoline...
Sean Szymkowski