Electric Cars

Toyota is recalling certain RAV4 EV electric cars over a software issue.

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...

No diesel hybrids are now sold in North America, but diesel enthusiasts have lately been salivating over the Audi Q7 e-tron quattro diesel plug-in hybrid formally launched at the Geneva Motor Show. Sadly for those TDI fans, Audi will limit that model to European sale. Both North America and China...

The distinguishing feature of the Chevrolet Volt has always been that as long as it has charge left in its battery, it runs solely on electricity. The gasoline engine doesn't switch on even under maximum acceleration (except in certain cold-weather situations, to provide heat for the cabin and...

Tesla is prioritizing Model S P85D deliveries.

The BMW i8 is sleek and stunning, but it's no V-8-powered supercar. Is it the car that will give plug-in hybrids sex appeal? First, you need to know what makes the i8 go. This is no straightforward supercar: The i8 gets power in a complex way--it can be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or...

The topic of Tesla Motors and its direct-sales model continues to roil state legislatures, with bills for and against the practice under debate in several states. In May 2009, the U.S. Justice Department issued a paper that looked at the economic effects of state bans on such direct sales. Now it...

Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi this week on a trip around the world.

San Francisco is the top U.S. city for electric cars, according to ChargePoint.

One of the main advantages of the Tesla Model S is its relative freedom from “range anxiety,” at least in the 85-kilowatt-hour battery pack of the higher-end versions. Rated by the EPA at 265 miles, that range compares to ratings of 62 to about 90 miles in less expensive plug-in...

The Aoxin Ibis is a new electric car for the Chinese domestic market.

After seven days of traveling cross-country in my Tesla Model S electric car--including routes without Supercharger DC fast-charging sites--I had made it as far as Texas. The trip demanded both forward planning and considerable thought toward contingencies, should conditions not permit the Tesla to...

Former heads of the company contracted of operating Chicago's electric-car charging network are charged with fraud.

After strong December and January sales, Tesla may "three-peat" atop Canadian rankings for plug-in electric car sales last month. Lower-than-usual Volt and Leaf sales mirrored lower-than-usual temperatures across most of Canada in February, meaning the Tesla Model S stood a good chance of taking...

Nissan turns an e-NV200 electric van into a barbecue on wheels.

Winter is always a slower sales time for plug-in electric cars than the warmer months, and last month looks like it won't be any exception. Sales of most of the highest-selling battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models stayed roughly at levels similar to those of January. While a blockbuster...

When pricing for the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car was announced last August, only one trim level was available, a lavishly equipped top-of-the-range package. Now VW has supplemented that SEL Premium version of the e-Golf with a new, less expensive model called the Limited Edition, at a price...

Honda's latest statement indicates its fuel-cell car may not arrive in the U.S. until 2017.

A cross-country road trip in a Tesla Model S electric car requires a fair amount of forward planning and contingency research. Still, I made it from New York's cold, snowy Hudson Valley into the warm, humid climes of Alabama in my first three days--as I wrote about yesterday. Then, waking up on Day...

With our daughter off to college, my wife and I recently became empty-nesters. Suddenly, there was no more reason to endure the wretched winters in New York’s Hudson Valley. California, here we come: We rented a cottage for February and March in the small beach town of Carpinteria, an hour...