Latest climate study says it’s already too late

Hurricane Florence approaches U.S. East Coast Sept. 12, 2018Sit down before you read this. Good. With all the dire warnings about climate-change coming from the most recent studies—from the Fourth National Climate Assessment released on Black Friday to an October report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which showed that catastrophic effects could hit by 2040—the latest news...

Mazda plans new dedicated electric car

2018 Mazda3Mazda may not have shown an electric car at last week's LA auto show, but it is poised to join the electric-car revolution. A new report in British Autocar magazine notes that the zoom-zoom automaker will introduce a new electric model in 2020 that won't be shared with other gas cars in Mazda's lineup. Mazda has said that a range extended version...

Tesla (again) says buyers must order today for full tax credit

Tesla Model 3 all-wheel drive Performance rolls off a new assembly line in a temporary structureIf you want to buy a Tesla and get the full tax credit, today is your last day to order for Tesla to guarantee delivery by December 31. With the tick-over of the new year, the federal tax credits on Teslas will be reduced from $7,500 to $3,750. That could raise base price of a Tesla from $39,700 after the tax credit to $43,450 (including delivery...

Tesla (again) says buyers must order today for full tax credit

Tesla Model 3 all-wheel drive Performance rolls off a new assembly line in a temporary structureIf you want to buy a Tesla and get the full tax credit, today is your last day to order for Tesla to guarantee delivery by December 31. With the tick-over of the new year, the federal tax credits on Teslas will be reduced from $7,500 to $3,750. That could raise base price of a Tesla from $39,700 after the tax credit to $43,450 (including delivery...

In the red: Electric cars share location data and more with Chinese

2014 Tesla Model S in ChinaIn this post "1984" world, most consumers acquiesce to sharing their data with companies in return for better, quicker, more convenient, cheaper, or even free services. How many, however, would voluntarily turn over data about everywhere they went and when to the government, particularly a Communist government? According to a new AP report, that's...

EV Drive coalition begins lobbying effort to save tax credit

First 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car    [photo: Patrick Reid]Members of the lame-duck Congress all got letters on their desks Tuesday stating why the electric-car tax credit should be revised and extended. Along with a five-point fact sheet made public Tuesday, the effort is the first salvo in a battle by the newly-formed EV Drive Coalition to extend the plug-in vehicle tax credit, which is expiring for two...

Tesla drivers log 1 billion miles on Autopilot

2017 Tesla Model S testing at Consumer ReportsSelf-driving systems are like teenage drivers: They get better with practice. Tesla announced in a Tweet on Thursday that its cars logged 1 billion miles driving on Autopilot. That's a key milestone, since Teslas driving on Autopilot (and driven by humans) send data about what they see on the road back to Tesla, so the company can address problems...