More bikes make cities safer for all, study shows

Faradion prototype electric bicycle powered by sodium-ion battery packPowering cars with clean electricity is one way to make transportation more sustainable. Going back to basics with human powered transportation may be a bigger step. But getting more bicycles on the road has been an uphill battle for many communities. As waving fists and occasional hanging boots attest, car drivers and bicyclists often don't get...

Best deals on plug-in, electric, and hybrid cars for June 2019

2019 Chevrolet Bolt EVThis month, rising interest rates and sparse inventories are cutting into the great deals that automakers have recently offered on plug-in and electric cars. Still, our partners at CarsDirect found some deals as low as $179 a month on electric cars this month. That deal, however, is on the Fiat 500e, which is only sold in California and Oregon...

Chinese NEVS buys leading in-wheel electric motor manufacturer

Protean in-wheel electric motorNational Electric Vehicles Sweden announced last week that it has bought Protean, a British manufacturer of in-wheel motors for electric cars. In announcing the tie-up with NEVS, Protean said the acquisition will speed the rollout of its technologies in next generation electric and self-driving cars, and "paves the way for NEVS to deploy Protean...

Tesla open to third party apps for its big center screens

Consumer Reports Tesla Model 3 Navigate on Autopilot prepares to pass on left [CREDIT: CR]Just like any other big screen, the one that floats in the middle of every Tesla's dashboard (horizontal or vertical), runs software that anyone could, theoretically write. As it stands now, Tesla controls everything that goes into the screen, including apps such as Slacker and TuneIn that are available to listen to in Teslas. Tesla owners have...

Rivian CEO confirms auxiliary batteries, truck-to-truck charging

Rivian R1T electric pickup conceptThe U.S.-based startup electric automaker Rivian is already showing plenty of signs that it's doing things differently than Tesla. While Tesla CEO Elon Musk discusses potential features of the company's new cars on Twitter, Rivian has held back on boasting about some of its most innovative ideas. The latest, according to a wide-ranging new...

Illinois drops proposed $1,000 EV registration fee to $100

Illinois state capitol [CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons - Daniel Schwen]The Illinois legislature has backed away from a proposed $1,000 registration fee targeted at electric cars that was met with scorn and opposition from automakers and electric-car advocates. Instead, the legislature imposed a new registration fee of $248 on electric cars as part of a sweeping measure to build income for the state's highway funds...

Illinois drops proposed $1,000 EV registration fee to $248

Illinois state capitol [CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons - Daniel Schwen]The Illinois legislature has backed away from a proposed $1,000 registration fee targeted at electric cars that was met with scorn and opposition from automakers and electric-car advocates. Instead, the legislature imposed a new registration fee of $248 on electric cars as part of a sweeping measure to build income for the state's highway funds...

Tesla opens first 250-kw charging stations at Fremont factory

2017 Tesla Model 3 in Tesla assembly plant parking lot, Fremont, CA, November 2017With Tesla's Supercharger fast charging network, Tesla vehicles can now be charged faster than any other currently available electric car. That status comes courtesy of eight new Version 3 Superchargers that the company opened at its Fremont, California, factory, which can charge a Model 3 at up to 250 kilowatts. That can give the car, which is...

Pull-out kitchen confirmed as an option on Rivian R1T electric pickup

Rivian R1T Overlanding conceptUpstart electric truckmaker Rivian has confirmed that it will make an accessory camping kitchen available as an option on its R1T pickup. The confirmation is a bit surprising. When trying to drum up interest for a new car at auto shows and other events, automakers dress them up with all kinds of accessories—many of which never make it to...

GM executive: Electric pickup will be built on EV-specific platform

Future Cadillac long-range electric large luxury utility vehicle (rendering), 2019 Detroit auto shoGeneral Motors president Mark Reuss confirmed Thursday that the company has an all-electric pickup in development and says it will be based on the company's BEV3 platform, expected to debut in a new Cadillac SUV sometime after 2023. That chassis will be similar to the "skateboard" chassis that GM developed for its Autonomy concept car back in...

Climate change presents $1 trillion in risk, but more in reward: study

Ocean waves [CREDIT: Global Climate Budget 2018]The latest climate study, released Tuesday, doesn't look at sea level rise, carbon counts, or government policy—at least not directly. Instead, it takes a strictly capitalist approach. The study, by CDP, sent questionnaires to more than 200 of the largest global companies about their forecasts for how much money they're budgeting to lose to...

Subaru and Toyota plan joint electric SUVs on flexible platform

2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid  -  First Drive, Santa Barbara CA, Nov. 2019What comes next after a partnership for sports cars? Potentially one for an electric SUV. That's the latest plan from Toyota and Subaru, according to a joint statement from the automakers on Thursday. The new joint project will develop a new electric mid-size SUV using electric-car technology from Toyota and all-wheel drive technology from Subaru...

Fiat Chrysler withdraws merger offer to Renault after Nissan balks

2017 Fiat 500eA potential merger between Fiat Chrysler and Renault, which would have involved Japanese partners Nissan and Mitsubishi, is off the table. Fiat Chrysler withdrew the offer after Nissan, Renault's larger but junior partner withheld its support. A report in trade journal Automotive News (subscription required), noted that Nissan representatives...