synd-vehicle-history

In response to an EPA proposal to freeze emissions and fuel economy standards, California said it will not honor federal vehicle certifications if the proposal goes through. "The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed amending the California Low-Emission Vehicle III Greenhouse Gas...

In President Trump's plan to freeze fuel economy standards last week, the EPA and NHTSA made a strange statement. They said that two of the main technologies used to improve fuel economy standards—turbocharging and multi-speed transmissions—were not as effective as had been expected...

Solar cars are like sunny days—always waiting for tomorrow. Now the dawn may be breaking on that tomorrow with the small, crowd-funded Sono Sion solar car in Germany. The company has raised enough online funding to begin testing, according to a Reuters report carried by Autoblog. The car is...

Land Rover and its sister company Jaguar each are planning new lineups by 2024 and 2025 respectively. We've heard a lot about Jaguar's plans to launch a gas, hybrid, and electric version of everything it sells by 2025. Land Rover's plans have been more opaque. Now British car magazine Autocar...

Today's environmentally conscious students are thinking more about the environment in the choices they make. They still need to get around, but they may be less likely to accept the price of doing so in a car with a tailpipe spewing pollution and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Many may need...

Sales data for plug-in cars in Canada in June and July show the effect of large purchase incentives. In its first full month of availability in Canada in June, the Tesla Model 3 racked up 2,329 sales, shattering the country’s monthly record for electric-car sales and making it the 16th...

When it comes to electric-car batteries, Nissan is no longer going its own way. The company that launched the first modern, mass-market all-electric car has sold its electric-car battery subsidiary, Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) to Envision Group, a Chinese renewable energy company...

Chevrolet's Volt wasn't the original, or even the first Volt from GM. Electric Auto Corporation receives that distinction for their car built in 1980, at the height of America's second gas crisis. It built the Silver Volt, a plug-in hybrid based on a contemporary Buick station wagon—16 years...

Investors Wednesday heard enough good news from Tesla to ignore worries about the company's appetite for cash and hurried production pace to rally the stock to its biggest one-day gain in roughly 5 years. By Friday morning the stock had surged above $350 from $300 on Wednesday afternoon. That led...

Apparently the problem with the Tesla Model S and Model X was that they're too normal. They have a separate instrument cluster—a digital one—behind the steering wheel and a few solid controls. Tesla must think that's too much. The company is designing a new interior for them that looks...

I’ve owned two Chevrolet Volts, an early 2011 model and, currently, a second-generation 2017 version. I have loved them both. They’re sleek, sprightly, and have enough electric range to cover most driving. For longer trips, the gas engine kicks in when the charge runs out. The Volt, to...

President Donald Trump and federal officials on Thursday formally proposed scaling back Obama-era regulations for fuel economy and cited safety concerns that lighter, more fuel-efficient cars would be more dangerous on American roadways. The 978-page proposal outlines federal guidelines to freeze...

Electric-car critics have said that more EVs on the road could stress already overburdened electric power grids past the breaking point. Now, a study released this week by a California nonprofit suggests that may not be true. San Francisco-based think tank Next 10 published reports this week that...

Buyers driving home Tesla Model 3s are moving up. In its second-quarter earnings call Wednesday, Tesla executives revealed the top five cars they have taken in on trade for new Model 3s and the results were unexpected. Rather than other entry-level luxury sedans that form the Model 3s competition...

Diesel-engine giant Cummins agreed this week to the largest diesel recall in the history of the EPA, according to a Reuters report. The recall affects about 500,000 medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines in vehicles produced between 2010 and 2015. The engines were installed in everything from big...

In the latest draft of new fuel economy and emissions standards obtained by the Associated Press, the Trump administration argues that reducing mileage standards will improve safety. It's an argument that dates back to the beginning of fuel economy standards in the 1970s, and one that ignores...

Shale oil's prevalence in the American oil market may present a large obstacle for rising fuel economy standards. Shale oil creates gasoline with a lower octane rating than gasoline created by conventional crude oil. This is due to higher concentrations of elemental components such as Naphtha...

Sometimes a hybrid is more than a hybrid. The Terrafugia uses a hybrid powertain as it drives down the road. It's also a hybrid car and airplane. Even in the sky, it can make use of hybrid power. Terrafugia started in 2005 and designed what observers have called a "flying car," and it plans to put...

The biggest challenge to driving a fuel-cell car is finding fuel. Automakers who sell fuel-cell models—Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai for now—have made progress in getting 33 hydrogen fueling stations built around Los Angeles and San Francisco. It's not helping drivers this week though...

In a reversal of its reversal, the EPA said Thursday that it would enforce limits on dirty "glider" trucks after all. Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler put the brakes on his predecessor's decision to not enforce an Obama-era rule on dirty diesel big-rigs. CHECK OUT: States join to halt EPA's...