plug-in cars
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Toyota quietly unloaded the rest of its Tesla shares near the end of last year. In the process, the Japanese automaker confirmed its partnership to develop electric vehicles and related technologies had been canceled. Toyota has by far shown the most restraint in developing battery electric vehicles—an intriguing move from the company that introduced the Prius hybrid to the world. DON'T MISS: Toyota hints it may be more friendly toward electric cars: report The automaker has long blamed its hesitance on lithium-ion battery technology, something the automaker as recently as last year...
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Hyundai Kona Electric: will new small electric SUV come to North America?Hyundai has already taken its first step into the realm of electric cars with the Ioniq Electric. In fact, a plug-in hybrid and dedicated hybrid round out three alternative propulsion choices from Hyundai, but a Hyundai Kona electric car is slated to join the Korean brand's portfolio. The Kona will...
Sean Szymkowski -
Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, May 2017: what dominance looks likeAs certain as LeBron James reaching the NBA Finals, the Chevy Volt led the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market in May. Barring a sales collapse in June, it will have led the category for a remarkable two-thirds of the months (48 of 72) in which electric vehicles from major carmakers have been...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Electric cars cleaner than any gas-only car for 97 percent of U.S. driversElectric cars have no tailpipe emissions when running. But unless they're charged entirely on renewable energy—still statistically unlikely today—there are emissions associated with generating the electricity used to charge their batteries. For several years now, rigorous...
John Voelcker -
AAA raises Tesla insurance rates 30 percent; company disputes analysisIt's never a good day to learn one's insurance rates are rising, but AAA has decided the Tesla Model S and Model X warrant 30 percent increases. AAA combed through its own data and found Model S and Model X owners had abnormally high claim rates. The claim rates were also much costlier than...
Sean Szymkowski -
2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In: first drive of hybrid luxury sedanThe 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In will be a rare beast in the U.S.; fewer than 1,000 are likely to be sold each year. In many ways, that's a shame. This version of the CT6 large sedan is a worthy competitor among plug-in hybrid luxury cars, the rest of which will come from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and...
John Voelcker -
German automakers are beginning to play catch-up with electric vehicles, as Tesla continues to corner the market. Audi has once again reconfirmed its plans to bring three battery-powered electric vehicles to production by the year 2020. The German luxury brand reiterated the plan at the annual general meeting in Neckarsulm, Germany, and said it will continue electrifying its portfolio gradually thereafter. DON'T MISS: Two more electric cars to follow Audi e-tron SUV by 2020, maker says By the year 2025, Audi expects one-third of its portfolio to be fully or partially electrified. Audi plans...
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Plug-in electric car sales for May: best Bolt EV, Prime months yet; Leaf, Volt rise too (final update)Sales of four high-volume plug-in electric cars rose last month, with new monthly record for the Chevy Bolt EV and the Toyota Prius Prime. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV 238-mile battery-electric hatchback logged its highest monthly total since sales began in December. Chevrolet delivered 1,566 Bolt...
John Voelcker -
Lots of ways to get $10K off 2017 Nissan Leaf electric car by end of JuneThe 2017 Nissan Leaf might well be the hottest electric car deal on the market right now, with a slew of potential discounts. Nissan is working with numerous partners to provide $10,000 off a 2017 Leaf lease, which adds to the $7,500 federal income-tax credit, giving a total of $17,500 in...
Sean Szymkowski -
Latest Popemobile is Opel Ampera-e electric car made in MichiganAll sorts of vehicles have been pressed into service to carry Popes, from simple Fiats to giant Mercedes-Benz luxury landaulets. Francis, the current Pope, has a preference for small, simple, environmentally friendly cars—and largely does without the bulletproof glass enclosures found in some...
John Voelcker -
Why Havelaar founder wanted an electric pickup truck: Japan's disasterA Canadian company by the name of Havelaar has tossed its hat into the electric pickup-truck ring with the reveal of its purpose-built Bison pickup. The launch underscores the potential many companies are trying to tap as the market for electric vehicles of various types continues to grow, slowly...
Sean Szymkowski -
Hyundai Ioniq Electric: what happens when battery is run down to the end?One owner has now run his 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric's battery down all the way to "empty" so other owners know what to expect. The Ioniq Electric is EPA-rated at 124 miles of range from the 28-kwh battery pack that powers an 88-kilowatt (118-horsepower) electric motor. The driver in the video...
Sean Szymkowski -
A few years ago, before the Tesla Model X electric SUV went into production, company CEO Elon Musk said he thought it could outsell the older Model S hatchback luxury sedan. That hasn't happened. In the first three months of this year, Tesla said it delivered 11,550 Model Xes—but 13,450 Model Ses. DON'T MISS: 2016 Tesla Model X first drive review The last quarter of 2016 had similar numbers: 9,500 for the Model X versus 12,700 for the Model S. The big electric crossover utility vehicle, in fact, now appears to make up only about 40 percent of the company's total production and sales. In...
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Will VW Group's electric cars "leapfrog" Tesla by 2025? Poll resultsLooking back from the 2020s or 2030s, it's entirely likely that the unexpected arrival of Tesla Motors was a major force—along with legislation, perhaps the major force—in getting legacy automakers to produce electric cars. Competition has always spurred innovation, and German makers in...
John Voelcker -
If BMW i5 is canceled, what does that mean for its electric cars?When it launched in 2013, the BMW i3 electric car was arguably the most futuristic automobile in mass production anywhere in the world. Its all-electric powertrain could be ordered with an optional range-extending engine, and it rode on an aluminum chassis topped with a strong but lightweight body...
John Voelcker -
South's good ol' boy drag racers whupped by Tesla, not happy about itFor as long as there have been automobiles, drivers have had the itch to go faster than the guy in the next car. Throughout decades we've seen horsepower wars waged between giant, large displacement V-8 engines and even 4-cylinder engines with plenty of forced induction. The rise of the electric...
Sean Szymkowski -
German electric-car industry centers in 'Silicon Saxony'Silicon Valley seems to grab many of the tech headlines in the United States, especially when it comes to autonomous vehicles, cars that plug in, and the future of transportation. Electric-car maker Tesla has undeniably contributed to Silicon Valley's automotive chops, but other makers are working...
Sean Szymkowski -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car at 6 months: owner's likes, recommendationsThe 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the first mass-priced electric car with a range of more than 200 miles, and it's already had a big impact on the California market. While it continues to trickle into dealerships in other states, a few lucky Californians now have six months in the 238-mile electric...
John Voelcker -
Last week, I was in a bit of a Tesla funk. That’s not normal; my four-plus years of Tesla Model S ownership have been a mostly giddy ride, with the few bumps minor and temporary. But last week I was facing the prospect of two long-term permanent downgrades to my personal Tesla World, both related to Supercharging. DON'T MISS: Life with Tesla Model S: out with the old, in with the new First, the new 100D I had ordered last month (for delivery in late June or July) would not have the free Supercharging I’d become accustomed to with my current 2013 Model S-85. To me, free-for-life...
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California trend: hybrid sales sink, plug-in electric cars soarCalifornia has always been a bellwether for automotive trends, and it leads every other state by far in the volumes of plug-in electric cars sold. It also led in national sales of hybrid cars for many years. In fact, for several years running, the Toyota Prius was the single most popular passenger...
John Voelcker -
Consumer Reports restores some points to Tesla electric cars for automatic brakingTesla had long been a darling of Consumer Reports magazine since the time the Model S electric car was first revealed, and it consistently scored well in the magazine's tests. However, when Tesla pulled its automatic emergency braking feature when it switched to all-new vehicle sensors and...
Sean Szymkowski -
California utility SCE offers $450 rebate for new and used electric carsCalifornia already offers generous incentives to get consumers into electric vehicles, but now the electric utility Southern California Edison has joined in. SCE has announced what it calls the Clean Fuel Rewards Program to offer a $450 purchase rebate for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla Model 3 acceleration found in chart on Model S advantagesElectric-car maker Tesla doesn't announce models in the usual fashion. It trickles out bits and pieces of information, often in the form of tweets from CEO Elon Musk, punctuated by occasional large flashy debut events for owners and investors at which a vehicle is revealed. That's the pattern...
John Voelcker -
BMW i3 REx: owner's 3 years with range-extended electric carThis week, my 2014 i3 REx turned three years old; I picked it up on May 21, 2014. For the most part I’ve been very pleased with the car. It’s definitely not perfect, but then again no car is. It has fit my needs and driving demands perfectly and I only needed to drive on the range...
Tom Moloughney