plug-in cars

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf

    Carlos Ghosn has been an advocate of electric cars for years, but after initial disappointment, he's ready to take on the segment with even greater focus. The CEO of the Renault Nissan Alliance that now includes Mitsubishi predicted the rise of electric cars nearly a decade ago, and oversaw the first-generation Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe battery-electric vehicles. Those two cars have given the alliance a better and more detailed understanding of electric cars and their buyers, and Ghosn believes the company has an advantage over others. DON'T MISS: With Mitsubishi, Renault-Nissan is world's...

  • 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV, Newport Beach, California, July 2012
    Toyota to sell electric cars in China, use Suzuki EVs in India, from 2020: report

    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...

  • Buick Velite 5, for sale in China, at 2017 Shanghai auto show   [photo: Ronan Glon]
    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...

  • 2018 Ford Escape
    2019 Ford Escape to get plug-in hybrid, plus Expedition SUV hybrid, Lincoln versions too: report

    In recent years, Ford Motor Company's plans for putting more plug-in electric cars on the road have been, shall we say, murky. GM has the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, sales of its Chevy Bolt EV 238-mile electric car have risen every month, and it plans a pair of all-electric SUVs by...

  • Tesla Semi
    Tesla Semi, new Roadster distract from Model 3 production problems

    Never 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...

  • Illustration from December 1966 Popular Science article on electric cars
    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...

  • 2018 Nio ES8

    Nio, 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 stake in Silicon Valley automaker Tesla. DON'T MISS: Nio electric SUV, from Chinese NextEV, to have 'Toyota cost' and 'Tesla range' Nio has emerged as a frontrunner among an ocean of Chinese electric-car startups after it launched its first production car: the EP9 electric supercar. Following the...

  • 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid
    2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid starts at $34,290 with 47-mile range

    The 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid will start at a recommended price of $34,290 including delivery, making it the least expensive plug-in hybrid sedan on the market this year. Honda says it will go on sale December 1, and it will be offered at all Honda dealers in the U.S. That means that for...

  • Tesla Semi
    Tesla Semi: 500-mile range, lower running costs than diesel... and it's fast

    The 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...

  • 2020 Tesla Roadster
    Tesla Roadster is back: 0-60 in 1.9 seconds, 620-mile range

    What'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...

  • Chanje V8070 Class 5 electric delivery van, Brooklyn, NY, Nov 2017
    Driving a Chanje electric electric cargo van: very big, far better than diesel

    A 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...

  • Fisker EMotion
    Fisker still aims at solid-state electric-car batteries, as patents attest

    At 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...

  • 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2017

    The 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 attention; it was simply another VW Golf in the background. DON'T MISS: 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf, 125-mile electric car, starts at $31,315 No adjustments to driving style were required, though we chose to use the maximum "recuperation" to recapture a bit more battery energy. The interior looked the same...

  • Renault Twizy rented in Bermuda, October 2017     [photo: David Noland]
    Life with Renault Twizy: electric bopping around Bermuda

    I 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...

  • Electric car cargo space challenge with banana boxes
    Cargo space in popular electric cars: this video explains it all

    Ensuring 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...

  • Nissan IMx concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
    Who will sell the first affordable AWD electric SUV? Poll results

    Of 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...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier and 2017 BMW i3 electric car, Aug 2017        [photo: Tom Moloughney]
    Are car buyers the biggest problem for electric cars? (Yes, of course they are, but it's price)

    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...

  • 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
    Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2018: Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid plug-in minivan

    In 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...

  • U.S. Capitol Building

    The 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 introduced late Thursday, however, retains the credit. DON'T MISS: House tax bill eliminates credit for all electric-car buyers: report To become law, each house must finalize a version of its bill and then pass it. After that, the two bills must be reconciled by a joint committee to produce a single piece...

  • 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE, Willamette Valley, Oregon, June 2017
    Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for November 2017

    This 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...

  • 2018 Ford C-Max
    Ford C-Max Energi plug-in production over; Hybrid has only months left

    The Ford C-Max, launched as a 2013 model, never really served the purpose its maker intended. The tall five-door compact hatchback was intended to be Ford's counter to the successful Toyota Prius hybrid line, more stylish and comfortable inside with almost the same fuel-economy rating. Its owners'...

  • Amazon patent for mobile drone electric car charging
    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...

  • Dutch "Hesla," a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Tesla Model S
    A Tesla Model S that runs on hydrogen fuel cells? Dutch firm claims it built one

    Tesla 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...

  • 2018 BMW X3 prototype
    BMW to debut electric-car concept at LA show; electric Mini makes U.S. debut

    BMW will use media days at the Los Angeles auto show, which begin on November 29, to unveil a new electric car that's never before been seen. The electric model that will debut in California wasn't otherwise specified in the German maker's announcement, which called it simply "a world premiere...

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