plug-in cars
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Some of us are perpetually on the hunt for a bargain, yet sometimes our preconceived notions get in the way of saving money on big purchases. Take car buying for instance. Many buyers will opt for a used car because we believe a new car is too expensive, but the truth is many new cars can be had for less than 1 or 2 year-old used cars when you include financing and incentives. DON'T MISS: Used electric cars sell quickly even as new sales remain flat That's not the only aspect of car buying consumers are getting wrong. According to a survey conducted by Autolist, car buyers greatly...
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How electric-car owners in condos can get their HOAs to OK charging stations
It's no surprise the majority of electric-car owners today own their own homes. When you own your property, it's much easier to install a changing station in your garage, car port, or even on the wall of your home by the driveway. You only need to get permission from yourself, and possibly your...
Mark Stevenson -
What was the most important green-car story of 2017? Take our Twitter poll
Lists, news roundups, and general reflections are the usual order of business as a calendar year comes to a close. We've published more than 1,600 green-car news stories so far during 2017, and it's proven to be quite a year. In the car market at large, the most notable trend was a continued move...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model 3: impressions of a BMW i3 driver (and reservation holder)
With DC fast charging fully electric vehicles can be charged to around 80% of their full battery capacity in under 30 minutes
Tom Moloughney -
Nio ES8 electric SUV to go on sale in China this month; half the price of Tesla Model X
Another day, another electric vehicle from another startup carmaker in China enters the fray. The Chinese company Nio has now officially launched its first vehicle for the masses—an all-electric 480-kilowatt (644-horsepower) SUV to take on Tesla's Model X at just over half the price. The new...
Mark Stevenson -
BMW sold 100,000 plug-in cars this year: more than GM, probably Nissan too (Tesla TBD)
You have to hand it to BMW. When the German automaker set out to eclipse last year's sales of plug-in cars by delivering 100,000 electrified vehicles globally this year, it was an ambitious goal. But as of the end of November, the automaker has achieved its goal—and in so doing has sold...
Mark Stevenson -
The tax reform bill likely to be voted on by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives retained a number of provisions originally slated to be cut from the tax code. Among them was the federal income-tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle. Three carmakers—General Motors, Nissan, and Tesla—have now used more than half the 200,000 full credits allowed to each electric-car maker before the credit starts to sunset. DON'T MISS: Electric-car tax credit retained in Congressional tax reform bill: confirmed The federal incentive is a credit taken against U.S. income...
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Under Paris agreement, electric cars will hurt oil demand well before power supply: report
Electric vehicles have the potential to upend energy markets as their adoption becomes more widespread. But how much of an effect will they have? And on which specific markets? According to a recent report by Wood Mackenzie, the global power grids are likely safe for quite a while, but another...
Mark Stevenson -
Wal-Mart, Anheuser-Busch, DHL to test Tesla Semi; now UPS, Pepsi too (more updates)
An Instagram post by an "outdoor living design and construction firm serving the Chicago Southland" seems to confirm at least several hundred reservations for Tesla's new all-electric truck. Elemental Landscapes of Illinois posted a screenshot of its reservation for three Tesla Semi trucks, showing...
Mark Stevenson -
First all-electric NEVS 9-3 sedans (nee Saab) built in China two weeks ago
The company that bought the remains of Swedish carmaker Saab, known as National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), finally celebrated the start of car production in China two weeks ago. NEVS first production vehicle is the 9-3 electric, of which it plans to produce 50,000 copies annually during phase...
Mark Stevenson -
Weltmeister EX5: first electric car from $1 billion Chinese company you've never heard of
After numerous positions with BorgWarner, Fiat Group, Volvo, and China's largest automaker Geely, an executive named Freeman Shen has finally rolled out his own creation. That is the Weltmeiser EX5, the product of $1 billion in first-round funding from some of the largest players in Chinese tech...
Mark Stevenson -
Singapore launches electric-car sharing program using Bollore BlueCars
Some of us take for granted the difficulty and cost of owning a car, but more alternatives exist today than did 10 years ago. While many view car ownership as a monthly lease or financing payment, owning a car for others requires finding a place to keep it and perhaps the need to keep moving it...
Mark Stevenson -
Sales of plug-in electric cars are rising steadily in North America, Europe, and Asia, with roughly 2 million now on the world's roads. China is debating when it will ban sales of new vehicles with combustion engines. Meanwhile, Toyota—one of the four largest global automakers—is only reluctantly planning to launch its own battery-electric car for 2020, the first it will have designed for mass production. DON'T MISS: Toyota, Panasonic agree to study prismatic battery cells for electric cars On Monday, Toyota's Japanese headquarters released a plan for the "popularization of...
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Electrify America contracts with Greenlots for electric-car charging sites, installations
The $2 billion electric-vehicle infrastructure program funded by Volkswagen as part of its diesel-emission scandal settlement has picked an installer to roll out some of the first phase of its electric-car charging network. Electrify America said on Monday it would contract with the Greenlots...
John Voelcker -
Four of Wards' Top 10 Engines are actually electric or electrified powertrains
The industry trade journal WardsAuto has been giving out "Best Engine" awards for 24 years now, and this year's list includes some interesting choices. For starters, there are no engines from German manufacturers on the list: The sole luxury recipients this year are Infiniti and Jaguar. But more...
Mark Stevenson -
BMW partners with Solid Power to develop solid-state cells for electric cars
While lithium-ion cells have powered all but a handful of plug-in electric cars since 2008, carmakers have looked further down the road toward solid-state battery cells with an eye toward launching them sometime during the 2020s. On Monday, BMW Group and Solid Power announced that the two companies...
John Voelcker -
Tesla motor, Shelby Cobra body, Kia battery: watch electric Cobra stun a race crowd
In 1962, a 39-year-old Carroll Shelby stuffed a Ford V-8 into an AC Ace to create one of the most sought after performance cars ever made, the AC Cobra. Some 50 years later, a group of engineers from British Columbia, Canada has brought Shelby's idea—small two-seat sports car, very big...
Mark Stevenson -
Electric-car tax credit retained in Congressional tax reform bill: confirmed (update)
We'll likely never know whether it was the influence of auto lobbyists, pressure from the actual public, or a letter signed by two dozen mayors. But however the sausage was made, it appears that the U.S. income-tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle will not be killed after all...
John Voelcker -
As the United Kingdom joins other countries in committing to a future ban on fossil-fuel vehicles, commercial fleet operators that rely on diesel vehicles are left in a bit of a pickle. Nissan has an answer in its zero-emission eNV200 electric cargo van, but its small dimensions leave a lot to be desired for commercial operators that need something a little, errrm, bigger. Thankfully, a European company specializing in electric van fleet implementations is doing what Nissan hasn't: adding more van to the van. DON'T MISS: Nissan e-NV200 electric van gets longer-range battery; still no U.S...
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Could Tennessee top Michigan in U.S. electric-car production (if not California)?
Today, battery-electric cars are built in volume at only three locations across the entire United States. Tesla builds its three different electric models in Fremont, California; the new 2018 Nissan Leaf has just gone into production in Smyrna, Tennessee; and the Chevrolet Bolt EV is built at the...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai believes electric-car battery prices will stop falling by 2020
The automotive business is one that turns raw materials into highly complex finished goods. When the prices of key commodities—especially raw materials—rise, everything downstream in that process becomes more expensive. That's Hyundai's concern over battery prices from 2020 onward, as...
Mark Stevenson -
Toyota, Panasonic agree to study prismatic battery cells for electric cars
For the 20 years since the introduction of the Prius, Toyota has enjoyed the first-mover advantage in hybrid cars, and leveraged those green credentials to boost public perception of its brand as a whole. But Toyota has yet to mass-market a battery-electric vehicle in the U.S., as Nissan has done...
Mark Stevenson -
Why China will beat U.S. in electric-car battle: urgency, regulations
As the electric-vehicle market matures and more global automakers commit to building battery-powered cars, one driving force has emerged to lead the pack. With apologies to the title of a comedy from half a century ago ... The Chinese Are Coming. That's the assertion made by old China hand Michael...
Mark Stevenson -
Electric car buyers' struggle: practicality vs luxury, Chevy vs Tesla
Competition for the title of most popular electric car has sparked a long and highly charged race between Tesla and Chevrolet. Though these brands offer vastly different versions of electric vehicles, they seem to be the two dominating electric vehicle sales in 2017. Reports show that top monthly...
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