Mercedes introduces longer-range EQV electric van

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQVMercedes-Benz plans to introduce the second in its new EQ line of electric vehicles, the EQV van, at next month's Frankfurt auto show. The company says that a 100-kwh battery pack under the floor will deliver 250 miles of range on the European driving cycle. Mercedes has not confirmed whether the EQV will be sold in the U.S., and has not released...

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

First 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car    [photo: Patrick Reid]Auto-loan interest rates have started to fall slightly in August—but that hasn't yet made it any easier to find great deals on plug-in, hybrid, and electric cars. And yet, the deals are out there. Our partners at CarsDirect.com found deals as low as $179 a month in August. The good news is that Labor Day bargains are right around the corner...

Walmart lawsuit takes aim at Tesla solar panels

Solar panels on a Walmart storeWalmart sued Tesla on Tuesday, alleging that solar panels that Tesla installed on seven Walmart stores caught fire. The lawsuit accuses Tesla of breach of contract, negligence, and failing to live up to industry standards, according to the court filing. Walmart alleges that the fires resulted in evacuations, and damage to property and inventory...

Walmart lawsuit takes aim at Tesla solar panels (Updated)

Solar panels on a Walmart storeWalmart sued Tesla on Tuesday, alleging that solar panels that Tesla installed on seven Walmart stores caught fire. The lawsuit accuses Tesla of breach of contract, negligence, and failing to live up to industry standards, according to the court filing. Walmart alleges that the fires resulted in evacuations, and damage to property and inventory...

Multiple Ford and Lincoln electric SUV models to arrive by 2023

2019 Lincoln Nautilus, 2017 Los Angeles Auto ShowIn addition to a Mustang-inspired electric performance SUV, potentially named Mach E, Ford is planning two more mid-size electric SUVs to sell alongside the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus. The new vehicles were revealed by three sources familiar with the plans in a report in trade journal Automotive News (subscription required) on Monday. The new...

Porsche Taycan electric car covers 2,100 miles in 24 hours

Porsche Taycan NardoOn the road to putting its first electric car into production, Porsche ran the Taycan for 24 hours straight at Italy's Nardo test circuit. Covering 2,128 miles around the circuit in a day carried the car about the distance from Los Angeles to Atlanta. The test primarily demonstrated the capability of the Taycan's new 800-volt charging system...

California deal interrupts White House emissions rollback effort

Southern California traffic - by flickr user David R. BlumeRancor in the White House over the move by four automakers to strike a side deal with California over emissions and fuel-economy rules looks likely to further delay President Trump's plans to roll back the Obama-era standards. That's the conclusion of a report Tuesday in The New York Times, which cited four people familiar with the talks. After...

Rivian roofs, Porsche Taycan dash, CHAdeMO vs. CCS: Today’s Car News

Porsche Taycan prototypePorsche teased the first look inside its Taycan electric car. Rivian announced that its upcoming R1S SUV will offer four different roof options. We take a tally of DC fast charging. And our latest Twitter poll asks readers if they think crash-test ratings are more or less important for EVs. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Rivian revealed...

Porsche shows Taycan interior in Apple Music announcement

2020 Porsche Taycan interior dashboard teaser with Apple Music (Source: Porsche)Porsche announced on Monday that its new Taycan electric car will be the first to incorporate Apple Music streaming in its central infotainment display. In the process it provided something perhaps more noteworthy: a first glimpse of the Taycan's dashboard, which has a digital instrument cluster reminiscent of the iconic Porsche 911's five dials...

Rivian R1S SUV to offer four roof options, but no sliding moonroof

Rivian R1SRivian plans to match the variety of configurations for its upcoming R1T electric pickup in its R1S SUV. The all-electric SUV will offer four different roof options when it goes on sale in 2021, the company announced in a tweet on Monday. The four roofs include: - a fixed steel roof - a fixed glass roof - a fixed electrochromic glass roof that can...

Tesla offers new solar rental program

Home equipped with solar panel and battery storage system from TeslaElectric cars and solar panels are like chocolate and peanut butter: two great things that are even better together. On Monday, Tesla began offering a new solar rental program. Homeowners can choose among three system sizes, for small, medium, or large homes or corresponding electrical use. The company does not require homeowners to pay any...

World’s largest EV never has to be recharged

Kuhn Schweitz Elektro Dumper electric mining truckA quarry in Biel, Switzerland, is operating the world's largest electric vehicle, a 110-ton dump truck, to haul lime and marl off the side of a mountain to a cement factory. Perhaps best of all, it consumes no energy doing it. How is that possible, you ask? The dump truck, at 45 tons, ascends the 13-percent grade and takes on 65 tons of ore. With...

Silicon wafer batteries promise lower cost, better stability

XNRGI  Powercell silicon wafer battery design (from company video)In an effort to make longer-lasting, safer, and more affordable batteries, Washington-based XNRGI aims to build lithium batteries on plentiful, off-the shelf silicon wafers. Last week, the company announced plans to bring new batteries based on its patented technology to market in 2020, in a new stationary storage battery. Most such batteries...

Could moss-covered, data-connected park benches help clear city air?

Green City Solutions City Trees use moss to filter airAs countries from India to Ethiopia plant millions of trees to combat global warming, one German company has a much smaller idea. Berlin-based Green City Solutions plans to clean the air of local emissions from gasoline and diesel engines, by planting millions of tiny mossy trees in cities. Moss works similarly to trees in filtering pollutants out...

Automotive supplier tests immersion-cooled batteries for EVs

Immersion Cooled Battery Pack Concept for EVsThe two biggest challenges for electric cars—battery life and charge times—come down to battery cooling. Now British auto parts supplier Ricardo is working with partners to come up with a new type of cooling technology that the company hopes will allow automakers to pack more energy into cars' batteries and to charge them faster. The...