plug-in cars
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All of the notable green car debuts from the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show.
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China To Top U.S. Electric-Car Sales? Why Stats Don't CompareNot all electric vehicles are created the same--and that's an important point to keep in mind when you read stories about how China's electric-car market is set to overtake that of the U.S. Last year, roughly 118,000 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars were sold in the U.S. In China, monthly...
John Voelcker -
2015 Chevy Volt: Big Clearance Sale Before New 2016 Model Includes $249 LeaseChevrolet offers big discounts on the 2015 Volt ahead of the redesigned 2016 model.
Stephen Edelstein -
Cue Kandi Store Jokes: Small Electric Car Goes On Sale In ChinaKandi Technologies Group plans to expand beyond carsharing to actual electric-car sales.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Had A Deal To Sell Itself To Google Til Musk Walked AwayLike any startup company, Tesla Motors has had crises where the electric-car maker came very close to financial collapse. One was in 2008, when its Roadster model was late in delivery and its two-speed transmission proved unable to handle the car's power. But a second crisis developed in late 2012...
John Voelcker -
2016 Chevrolet Volt Order Guide: Options, Trim Levels...But No Prices YetGeneral Motors releases the 2016 Chevrolet Volt order guide, but no prices.
Stephen Edelstein -
See the people who have been driving electric cars longer than the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt have been on sale.
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Electric Police Cars? Seattle Uses Nissan Leafs For Traffic EnforcementSeattle will use 28 Nissan Leaf electric cars for traffic enforcement.
Stephen Edelstein -
New Drivers Start To Take Lessons In Electric Cars In GermanyDaimler will start a pilot electric-car program with a German driving school.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model S Body Kit: Definitely Different, Range-Robbing Too?Body kits--add-on components and replacements for a car's front and rear fascias and door sills--are often a good way for owners to make their vehicle stand out from the crowd. Often used on luxury brands and tuner cars, the updated looks are usually edgier and more aggressive than the factory...
John Voelcker -
Scenarios For 2030 Zero-Emissions Cars In CA: Hydrogen Or Not?With epic smog in the Los Angeles Basin, the state of California has led the nation's charge to reduce emissions from road vehicles for more than half a century. And it is now state policy to reduce emissions of climate-change gases, primarily carbon dioxide, from its 30 million-plus road vehicles...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Sales Now Legal As Little Maryland Goes Big On Electric CarsWell, add one more to the list of states where Tesla Motors can legally sell its electric cars--and do so without having to use franchised dealers. The Maryland General Assembly has reversed a ban on direct sales by Tesla, which displays its cars in Tesla Store and "gallery" facilities it operates...
John Voelcker -
Well, they did it. General Motors confirmed yesterday that its upcoming 200-mile battery-electric car will be named the Chevrolet Bolt EV. That's Bolt-with-a-B, not Volt-with-a-V. The Volt-with-a-V is Chevy's now-established plug-in hybrid compact hatchback. DON'T MISS: Why 'Bolt' Is A Really Terrible Name For Chevy's Electric Car An all-new second-generation Volt will go into production later this year as a 2016 model, while the Bolt-with-a-B will enter production roughly a year later and go on sale as a 2017 model. The name Bolt had been widely criticized as too similar to Volt, especially...
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2016 Cadillac ELR: More Performance, More Range, Lower PriceThe specifications of the updated 2016 Cadillac ELR range-extended electric car were released this morning, and one big question has been answered. The luxury coupe will not use the revised Voltec powertrain that propels the new second-generation 2016 Chevrolet Volt on sale later this year. But it...
John Voelcker -
Lexus Bypassing Plug-In Hybrids, Looking At Fuel Cells, Maybe EVsHybrid models are a very significant part of the lineup for both the luxury brand Lexus and its mainstream counterpart (and parent company) Toyota. Hybrids accounted for about 16 percent of the brands’ U.S. sales, while they encompass nearly 70 percent of the U.S. hybrid market and about 85...
Bengt Halvorson -
2015 Tesla Model S 70D: First Drive Of New Electric Car Base ModelLast week, the new base version of the Tesla Model S, known as the 70D, hit the electric-car world like a thunderclap. No early-warning publicity, no teasing tweet from Elon. Just the sudden appearance on the Tesla website configurator of the new model--with dual motors, all-wheel drive, a 70-kWh...
David Noland -
2015 Chevrolet Spark EV Price Cut To $25,995; $139 Lease, No Money DownThe suggested retail price of the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV electric car will be cut by $1,650, to $25,995, GM announced today. Chevrolet's chief global marketing officer, Tim Mahoney, announced the price cut today in a luncheon speech at the Washington Automotive Press Association. Mahoney also said...
John Voelcker -
Electric Cars Are City Cars? Not In U.S.: They're Suburb Cars HereAutomotive journalists who write about electric cars hear the phrase "city car" a lot. As in, "Battery-electric cars are perfect city cars, but [fill in different powertrain] is required for other uses." There's just one problem: No one in the U.S. has ever turned to their better half and said...
John Voelcker -
Five years into the era of modern electric cars, the biggest cost remains the battery pack. Now there's data to confirm that not only are the costs of the battery cells falling, but that they are falling at rates pretty much in line with historical declines. A study published last month not only suggested that battery costs have already fallen below those predicted for 2020, but actually estimated the rate of decline. DON'T MISS: Electric-Car Battery Costs Already Cheaper Than 2020 Predictions: Study According to the new study, published in the Climate Change section of Nature, costs fell 14...
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BMW i5 In 2018 To Have Very Electric Plug-In Hybrid: Why It's ImportantOf the four prestige German auto brands, BMW is clearly the most aggressive in its plans for plug-in electric cars in various segments. Last year it launched the BMW i3 battery-electric small hatchback and the sexy BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sport coupe. According to reports out of Germany, the next...
John Voelcker -
2016 Chevrolet Spark EV To Be Sold At Retail In CanadaIt may not have too many more years to live, but the Chevrolet Spark EV will be sold in some new markets starting with the 2016 model year: three Canadian provinces. While General Motors had offered the Spark EV for fleet purchase in parts of the country, it wasn't available to retail...
John Voelcker -
Third Recall For Fiat 500e: 5,600 Electric Cars To Be Checked For Software FaultRoughly 5,600 Fiat 500e electric cars will be recalled by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to fix a potential software problem with the cars' Limp Home mode. In a notice issued Saturday, the company said that, "incompatible software between Electric Vehicle Control Unit and Battery Pack Control Module may...
John Voelcker -
2014 Mercedes B-Class: Best Electric-Car Lease Deal Available?An unadvertised incentive could make Mercedes' electric car the deal of the moment.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Chevrolet Volt Production Ends To Retool For All-New 2016 Volt Launch2015 Chevrolet Volt production will end next month for retooling and to clear inventory.
Stephen Edelstein