Electric Cars

  • John and Mimi Porter of San Diego, California, with their new 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, in Feb 2017

    As the first mass-priced electric car with more than 200 miles of range to hit the market, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has attracted a great deal of attention. It's won numerous awards, including the Green Car Reports 2017 Best Car To Buy title, and received rave reviews from a wide variety of media outlets. But what do actual owners think? DON'T MISS: Chevrolet Bolt EV: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2017 While Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, Science Guy Bill Nye, and probably other celebrities have now taken delivery of their Bolt EVs, we wanted to hear from regular owners. Enter John and...

  • 2016 Nissan Leaf
    Ontario, BC update electric-car incentives for Canadian buyers

    Two Canadian provinces are now offering more generous incentives to electric-car buyers. Ontario is eliminating certain price caps in its electric-car incentive program, while a British Columbia not-for-profit is boosting its "cash-for-clunkers"-style program. Ontario announced its updated...

  • Shell fuel station in Europe
    Which oil companies invest in renewables, electric-car services?

    If electric cars are adopted by mass-market buyers in years to come, that will lead over time to notably lower oil consumption. So what are oil companies doing to prepare for that possible outcome? Some continue to doubt whether electric cars will constitute a serious threat to their business in...

  • Opel Ampera-e
    Strong demand for Opel Ampera-e in Norway moves up launch date

    Just as the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car is launching in North America, its European cousin is beginning deliveries across the Atlantic. In Europe, General Motors markets the U.S.-built Bolt EV as virtually identical Opel Ampera-e under its German Opel brand. An example of what is known in...

  • Shell logo
    Shell fuel stations in U.K., Netherlands to add electric-car charging

    Electric cars are often touted as a way to avoid gas stations. But electric-car drivers in certain European countries will soon be going to them to charge. That's because a pair of European oil companies plan to add electric-car charging at certain fuel stations. CHECK OUT: Electric-Car Charging...

  • Bill Nye in new 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, Jan 2017 [photo: Oskar Liners, Community Chevrolet, Burbank]
    Science Guy Bill Nye buys Chevy Bolt EV, his seventh electric car

    Bill Nye, better known as "The Science Guy" on the popular PBS children's series that bears his name, loves electric cars. He drove one of only a few hundred original GM EV1 two-seat electric cars almost 20 years ago. Three weeks ago, he took delivery of a brand-new "Kinetic Blue" 2017 Chevrolet...

  • mercedes benz bicycle 007

    Electric cars are simply nicer and calmer to drive than conventional cars, and as their prices fall, that may be what will lure mass-market buyers over time. But they have undeniable benefit of lowering wells-to-wheels carbon emissions per mile driven, and they can also be powered entirely on renewable energy. Which makes them good for drivers and the environment at the same time. DON'T MISS: Once Again: Electric Cars Have Lower Lifetime Carbon Emissions Calculating the wells-to-wheels carbon emissions of transport has emerged into policy circles as analysts consider various combinations of...

  • 2017 Nissan Leaf
    Real-world data more important than faith in boosting electric cars

    "Big data" is often discussed as a useful tool for everyone from policymakers to corporate marketing departments. But could it also be used to help increase electric-car adoption? Last November, the Obama administration held the first-ever "Electric Vehicle Datathon" with that very goal in mind...

  • Audi of America president Scot Keogh with Audi e-tron quattro concept, 2015 Los Angeles auto show
    Audi tells its dealers to get with the (electric-car) program

    As many electric-car buyers will tell you, franchised auto dealers can pose a large and tedious impediment to actually buying the plug-in car you want. From salespeople with no knowledge of the cars to test vehicles that haven't been recharged and have little battery range left, the hurdles are...

  • Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)
    Exxon says coal will endure; other analyses beg to differ

    Renewable energy sources may eventually render fossil fuels irrelevant in energy generation, but when will the switch between the two energy sources occur? It's a question that fosters much debate among policymakers, environmental advocates, and financial analysts. For its part, ExxonMobil believes...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S beta vehicle, Fremont, CA, October 2011
    What the Tesla logo means: CEO Elon Musk explains

    An automaker's logo can and perhaps should be as recognizable as its cars, if not more. That makes logo design a very important task. Tesla's logo is certainly not anonymous, but it turns out there's more to it than may be immediately apparent. DON'T MISS: Why Faraday Future's luxury electric car...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    BMW i3, Tesla Model S electric cars miss top IIHS safety ratings

    Two of the most prominent electric cars have missed out on the highest award given for vehicle safety by the influential IIHS: Top Safety Pick+. Funded by the insurance industry, the IIHS—which operates independently of the federal government—says that neither the BMW i3 nor the Tesla...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016

    While the auto industry at large waited to see if January sales continued as strong as last year's record-breaking total, electric-car fans waited for a different number. That was the number of Chevrolet Bolt EVs sold last month, the car's first full month on sale, albeit in a small number of states. Those states, most prominently California, have the most advanced plug-in electric car markets, however. DON'T MISS: 2016 plug-in electric car sales: best year yet, Bolt EV launches, Model S record When GM released its sales results this morning, the number turned out to be 1,162 deliveries. That...

  • Chevrolet Spark EV at CCS fast charging station in San Diego.
    How important is fast-charging to sell electric cars? Poll results

    Those unfamiliar with electric cars often don't know that several different types of battery charging exist. Overnight recharging at home can be done either with 120-volt household current or, for longer-range cars, with a 240-volt charging station installed by the car owner. Then there's DC fast...

  • First 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV in Canada (photo by owner Joe Winkfein)
    First Chevy Bolt EV electric car delivered to Canadian buyer

    Following its launch last month in California's Silicon Valley, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is now rolling out in other regions of North America. Just last week, the first Chevrolet Bolt EV to be sold in Canada was delivered to its buyer. It proved to be a somewhat drawn-out process overseen by a...

  • Tesla Model 3
    Tesla Model 3 preview

    The Tesla Model 3 electric car is undoubtedly one of the most highly-anticipated new-car launches in recent memory. Unveiled in prototype form last April after a drawn-out teaser campaign, the Model 3 quickly generated an unprecedented response from the public. As of last August, around 400,000...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016
    McKinsey suggests ways automakers could kick-start electric-car demand

    Despite steady increases over the past few years, electric cars still represent only a tiny fraction of new-car sales. There are no shortage of theories as to why that is the case. Some electric-car advocates blame manufacturers for not adequately promoting the vehicles, while many within the...

  • Tesla Model 3 design prototype  -  reveal event  -  March 2016
    How many Tesla Model 3 electric cars can company build this year?

    It's one of the most fascinating sets of questions in the auto industry. How quickly can Tesla Motors put its Model 3 electric car into production? And when? How many cars can it build this year? How many can it deliver to paying customers? At a promised starting price of $35,000, the Model 3 is...

  • Hawaii

    Islands can be excellent places to promote clean energy. Because they are typically disconnected from both mainland grid infrastructure and sources of fossil fuels, it is easier for alternative sources of energy to gain a foothold. In fact, the cost of importing coal or oil to fuel power plants or vehicles can make fossil fuels vastly more expensive for populations who are cut off from the mainland. DON'T MISS: Tesla, SolarCity, and Ta'u: sun, storage batteries, clean energy (video) (Nov 2016) Islands also tend to have limited, smaller road networks, which make even electric cars with shorter...

  • Slide from 2017 Hyundai Ioniq presentation on electric cars at Washington Auto Show, Jan 2017
    Electric-car MPGe as important as range, Hyundai Ioniq maker suggests

    Along with price, the top-line statistic cited for any battery-electric car is its rated range. Until last month, the only electric cars that exceeded 200 miles in that metric were made by Tesla Motors. Now, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has a 238-mile EPA rating for range—and that's usually the...

  • Saab 9-3 EV electric prototype shown by NEVS, 2014
    NEVS gets production nod for electric-car plant in China

    Since it bought the assets of bankrupt automaker Saab in 2012, Chinese-backed consortium National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) has been working toward mass production of electric cars. But despite ambitious plans for a multi-model lineup of electric cars, the company has made relatively little...

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger with Kreisel Mercedes-Benz G-Class electric conversion
    Schwarzenegger's hydrogen Hummer gives way to electric G-Wagen

    Arnold Schwarzenegger has always had rather unusual taste in vehicles. The movie star and former California governor previously drove a hydrogen-fueled Hummer H2, symbolizing both his love for militaristic vehicles and a general concern for the environment. Now, the "Governator" has another SUV...

  • Nissan Leaf hearse
    Electric Nissan Leaf hearse: greenest way to travel the last mile

    They may be painted the customary black, but why shouldn't hearses be green? Most people take their final journeys in hearses based on large luxury sedans, usually Cadillac or Lincoln models in the U.S. But a U.K. funeral home has teamed with an aftermarket company to create a more efficient and...

  • Inventev and New Eagle Ford Transit electric conversion
    Electric Ford Transit van conversion shown by Inventev at Detroit Auto Show

    When an automaker doesn't offer a vehicle for a specific market segment, sometimes the aftermarket will fill in the gap. In the U.S., all-electric commercial vans are one of those gaps. Such vehicles are available in other markets, but so far, not on sale from major makers in North America. DON'T...

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