Nissan Leaf as home energy device: Wallbox will soon enable it in the U.S.

Wallbox Quasar, for bi-directional DC chargingIn the wake of Japan’s 2011 earthquakes, Nissan was particularly proud of something its new Leaf electric car was designed to do from the start—like power an office building for a short time, or a home for a full day, or even traffic lights in a pinch. The Leaf’s capability to fill in as needed as a mobile backup power source, or...

FCA has the highest percentage of hybrids but the lowest fleet mpg: Why?

eTorque system in 2019 Ram 1500In 2019, Fiat Chrysler sold more a higher percentage of hybrid vehicles, of its total sales, than Toyota. And yet for the eighth straight year, FCA is anticipated to post the lowest U.S. fleet fuel economy among vehicle makers. That comes from the 2019 EPA Automotive Trends Report, released earlier this month by the U.S. EPA with preliminary...

This American hybrid concept faced spiking gas prices with six wheels

Briggs & Stratton HybridLong before the Toyota Prius and the GM EV1 were conceived, an U.S. company not otherwise known for making cars showed a most unusual vehicle possibly described as a progenitor of plug-in hybrids. The company was Briggs & Stratton. And the car, first shown on the heels of the 1979 oil crisis and simply called the Hybrid, had six wheels. The...

Why the CR-V Hybrid plays a critical role in Honda’s electrified plans

Honda CR-V Hybrid technical detailHonda is aiming for two-thirds of its global sales to be electrified by 2030, and the launch of the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid plays a critical role in laying out the path to that. To that 2030 goal, Honda aims for battery electric vehicles to be about 15 percent of its sales and hybrids 50 percent—the largest portion of its vehicle pie by the...