UCS report shows electric cars get even cleaner in 2018

UCS 2016 EV emissions mpg mapElectric cars keep getting cleaner, despite efforts by the EPA and NHTSA to roll back pollution standards on cars and powerplants. That's the conclusion of the latest report from the Union of Concerned Scientists which annually measures the environmental impact of driving an electric car. The study rates the environmental impact relative to gas...

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 makes public debut at Paris auto show

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQCAfter hosting a private introduction for the car last month in Stockholm, Mercedes-Benz formally introduced its EQC electric crossover to the public at the Paris auto show on Tuesday. The EQC, which is about the same size as the gasoline-powered Mercedes-Benz GLC crossover, albeit with separate styling and a unique interface, will go on sale in...

California overrules EPA emissions freeze for cars sold in the state

Smog over Los Angeles, courtesy Flickr user steven-bussAt its meeting on Friday, the California Air Resources Board officially confirmed that it will stick with planned increases in emissions and fuel economy standards for cars sold in the state. The move was expected after CARB said in August that it would not follow the Trump Administration's move to freeze federal emissions and fuel economy...

Mazda announces electric lineup, rotary range extender

Mazda 2 RE Range Extender conceptThe electric-car revolution may give new life to an old gas engine. On Tuesday, timed to coincide with the Paris auto show, Mazda announced it will add plug-in capability and electric power to all of its models by 2030. Some will be plug-in hybrids or range-extended electric cars—with a twist. The company formally confirmed what it had...

2019 Honda Insight recalled for rearview camera failure

2019 Honda InsightThe 2019 Honda Insight hybrid hasn't been on sale for long; and yet Honda is already recalling more than 6,000 of them for a rearview camera failure. The problem affects another 226,000 vehicles—2018 Accord models, possibly including some Accord Hybrids. The screen may show up blank, with only lane guidance lines appearing under certain...

How fast is fast enough for charging? Take our Twitter poll

EVgo charging station in Union City, California with resused BMW i3 battery backupAutomakers are launching a race to build electric cars that can charge as fast filling a gas tank. When the first electric cars launched in 2011, buyers and fans were clamoring for CHAdeMO fast charging that operates at about 50 kilowatts and could recharge a short-range electric car (to 80 percent capacity) in about a half hour. When Tesla's...

Audi to expand plug-in hybrid range alongside e-tron electric

2018 Audi Q5The Audi e-tron electric crossover won't be the only new model with a plug coming soon. The company plans up to 12 new plug-in models by 2025, Audi revealed at the launch event for the e-tron quattro SUV in California last month, according to a report in British magazine Autocar. In addition to the e-tron SUV, the company will produce a fastback...

Report: Utility survey shows overwhelming support for renewable power

wind farmAmericans want renewable electricity, and they want it now. That's the conclusion of a new study that has large power providers buzzing with nerves, according to a recent report on Vox. The report, done for the Edison Electric Institute and presented at a recent meeting of the utility trade group, shows that 70 percent of Americans said they want...

Trump fuel-economy proposal writes off rising global temperatures

Smokestacks pollution air qualityIt's not that the Trump administration doesn't believe in climate change. It just doesn't want to do anything about it. In a 500-page draft environmental impact statement concerning the EPA's and NHTSA's joint proposal to roll back fuel-economy and emissions regulations, the NHTSA reports that it expects global temperatures to rise by 7 degrees...

EPA reportedly plans to eliminate science office

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerScience looks to no longer be a high priority at the EPA. The New York Times reported Thursday that the EPA plans to eliminate the powerful Office of the Science Advisor, merging it with another office under the Deputy Administrator for Science. The move represents a significant demotion of the science advisory role. Previously the Office of the...

2019 BMW i3 to get bigger battery with 153-mile range

2019 BMW i3The 2019 BMW i3 will get a larger battery, good for 153 miles of range, up from 115 miles for the 2018 model, the automaker announced Friday. BMW refers to the new battery in the 2019 model as the 120 amp-hour battery, which delivers total energy storage of 42.2 kilowatt-hours with the i3's 350-volt high-voltage power system. The new battery will...

SEC sues Tesla CEO Elon Musk over going-private tweet

Elon Musk at Tesla Model 3 revealThe Securities and Exchange Commission sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk for securities fraud Thursday over his Aug. 7 tweet when he announced he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private. In the complaint, filed in federal court in Manhattan, the SEC said Musk made "'false and misleading public statements and omissions" that harmed investors. The suit...

Elio Motors to buy engines, abandons building its own

Paul Elio with 5 successive prototype EliosElio Motors, which has been struggling since 2009 to build its own ultra-cheap, small, fuel-efficient, three-wheeled car, announced Thursday that it will source an engine from a major automaker. Previously, the company planned to build its own 3-cylinder engine with up to 55 horsepower for its projected 84-mpg three-wheeler. The company did not...

California considers boosting electric-car rebate to $4,500

Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland   [photo: Forth]The California Air Resources Board will discuss Thursday and Friday raising the state's electric vehicle rebate to offset the expiration of federal tax credits for the two largest electric-carmakers, Tesla and GM. The state offers a $2,500 subsidy for electric-car purchases. CARB is considering raising that amount to $4,500, according to...

Illegal parking in charging spots: The culprit? Electric cars

Electric vehicle parking by Flickr user aaron_anderer, used under Creative Commons licenseA whole Hatfields and McCoys culture has grown up around parking in electric-car charging spaces, with electric-car drivers who need juice facing off against conventional cars—and sometimes other electrics who park there and don't plug in or stay longer than they need to. Now a study conducted this summer of who gets parking tickets in...