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...