Former Ford CEO suggests electric-car “reckoning” as US adoption lags

Ford CEO Mark Fields at CES 2015Many major automakers, including Ford Motor Company, have changed their tune on electric cars, and stepped up targets for EVs and electrified vehicles over the past several years. But not everyone is so rosy about rapid growth of the electric vehicle market—including, apparently, former Ford CEO Mark Fields. Appearing at the EcoMotion...

Beyond Tesla, electric cars lose value faster than other vehicles

2019 Fiat 500eLower maintenance and repair needs plus lower energy costs can make a very convincing case for electric car ownership. The same isn’t always true for those who own vehicles the old-fashioned way, going with what’s new and fresh every three years or so, before trading it in for the next. Then, electric vehicles have an issue that can...

Tesla pickup, in-wheel motors, extension-cord charging: Today’s Car News

2011 Chevrolet Volt home chargingTesla CEO Elon Musk teases a little more about its electric truck. Bicyclists could make the streets safer for car drivers, too. And you're pushing your luck with extension cords. All this and more on Green Car Reports. At Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, CEO Elon Musk fielded a wide range of questions, touching on the company’s...

Tesla meeting: The “cyberpunk truck,” vegan cars, and mining?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk introducing Model YAt Tesla’s annual meeting with shareholders Tuesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk once again had to field a diverse range of questions about its business, as well as provide a reality check on some overly optimistic timelines he'd previously provided. In April, Musk announced that the company planned to enter the insurance business and save Tesla...

Toyota Mirai gets deepest discount yet—amid hydrogen shortage

2019 Toyota MiraiHydrogen fuel-cell vehicles aren’t exactly cheap to own or run—if you take them at face value. The two modest fuel-cell models you can currently purchase (versus lease) both carry luxury-vehicle prices: a base $59,430 for the 2019 Toyota Mirai and a base $59,345 for the eco-focused Hyundai Nexo Blue. Trade-in or resale value remains an...

Audi E-tron recalled for battery seal, potential “thermal event”

2019 Audi E-tronAudi confirmed Monday that it is recalling 1,644 E-tron electric SUVs, including 544 vehicles that have been delivered to customers, due to an issue with the battery pack’s seal that it says could lead to “a short circuit or thermal event.” Audi is not aware of any such shorts or thermal events, it says, insisting that the move...

Automakers lay out mpg concerns for Trump: Talk to California, please

President Donald Trump (Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)Ten months after the U.S. EPA and DOT proposed easing federal fleet fuel economy standards for 2021-2026, there has been no formal submission of the plan. And more than a year after the EPA suggested that it might challenge California’s waiver to set stricter standards, it hasn’t confirmed one way or another whether it will do that. As...

Automakers lay out mpg concerns for Trump: Talk to California, please

President Donald Trump (Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)Ten months after the U.S. EPA and DOT proposed easing federal fleet fuel economy standards for 2021-2026, there has been no formal submission of the plan. And more than a year after the EPA suggested that it might challenge California’s waiver to set stricter standards, it hasn’t confirmed one way or another whether it will do that. As...

Hydrogen supply pinch affects San Francisco fuel-cell drivers

2018 Toyota MiraiHydrogen fuel-cell drivers in California’s San Francisco Bay Area may soon have to find a backup plan—like a gasoline or electric vehicle. As of Wednesday night, 9 out of the 11 passenger-vehicle hydrogen stations in the Bay Area were down due to a hydrogen shortage—a status that remained the same going back to Monday. An...

No puncture, no pressure: GM could offer airless Michelin tire in 2024 EV

Michelin Uptis prototype tire, on Chevrolet Bolt EVMichelin yesterday revealed a comprehensive look at what some cars could be rolling on in just five years: the company’s first airless passenger-vehicle tire. The Uptis Prototype (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System) is a wheel/tire combination made primarily of rubber, aluminum, and a new resin-embedded fiberglass-reinforced material...

EPA lifts smog-related ban, allows more ethanol in summer gasoline

Gas pumpToday, the EPA acted on a proposed change to expand the amount of ethanol that can be mixed into pump gasoline from June 1 to September 1. In an official announcement, the agency made no comment about how the move might affect summer air quality or pollution issues. The EPA said that it “delivers on President Trump’s promise,”...

Politics be damned: Electric cars aren’t really so polarizing

The White House, Washington, D.C.  [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]In these days when the political dividing lines can seem insurmountable, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents have something in common: Regardless of their political affiliation, a majority say that they view electric vehicles positively. A new survey from Climate Nexus has found that 77 percent—a strong majority—views EVs...

Electric car ads: Latest from Nissan and Audi take very different approaches

2019 Nissan Leaf PlusDoes driving an electric car feel like flying? Nissan has released a new ad campaign for its Leaf electric car suggesting that—and featuring professional wingsuit flyer Roberta Mancino. At one point, with the road turning electric blue below and behind the car, the car turns into a wingsuit, allowing Mancino, the driver, to glide down from a...