Union hack: British company offers electric classic Mini conversion

Classic Mini Cooper electric conversion by SwindThe Mini Cooper SE revealed last week and the planned electric Mini Rocketman city car represent a new push from the official owner of the Mini brand, BMW. While neither of those models has arrived quite yet, the UK-based company electric bicycle company Swind has already started making a limited number of electric conversions of classic Minis for...

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

2017 Toyota Prius Prime test drive, Ojai, California, Sep 2016As tax credits on electric cars wind down, great deals are getting harder to find. Still, our partners at CarsDirect found some deals as low as $199 a month for July in scouring manufacturer programs for deals. Since some electric cars are still sold in small numbers and in limited areas, we've focused our selections on deals on cars that are...

Ford will use VW platform to build an electric car for Europe

Volkswagen ID Roomzz conceptFord and Volkswagen announced jointly on Friday that VW will share its MEB affordable electric car architecture with Ford, while VW will join Ford's Argo self-driving effort. In addition to its own efforts to build electric cars, Ford will build a new electric car for the European market based on Volkswagen’s mass-market MEB platform. Ford...

LG Chem looks for location for second US battery factory

2019 Audi e-tron battery packWith more automakers lining up to buy lots of batteries for electric cars, leading battery supplier LG Chem is planning to build a second battery factory in the U.S., according to a Reuters report citing three people familiar with the matter. The company is considering sites in Kentucky and Tennessee among other locations. LG Chem already operates...

Tesla crash scores, CHAdeMO for Model 3, Mini Rocketman: Today’s Car News

MINI Rocketman ConceptThe federal government has extended its 5-star ratings to the whole Tesla Model 3 lineup. A long-anticipated adapter lets the Model 3 charge in more places. British reports say Mini may revive its Rocketman as an electric car for China. And Democrats on Capitol Hill have released a climate emergency resolution. All this and more on Green Car...

Capitol Hill Democrats declare “climate emergency”

Smokestacks pollution air qualityMany Americans consider climate change a global emergency that's worth pulling out all the stops to address—especially by buying and driving electric cars. Now, it turns out Democratic lawmakers in Washington agree. A bicameral group of Democrats on Capitol Hill introduced a resolution on Tuesday to declare climate change a national...

Tesla opens access to CHAdeMO chargers for Model 3 drivers

Tesla Model S with CHAdeMO adapterTesla has been widely known for having the most convenient fast charging networks in the world of electric cars. It's been so successful that some have even referred to it as Tesla's "moat" against competition. For Model 3 owners, however, who make up the bulk of Tesla drivers, it has been all they have access to. This week, Tesla released a...

Electric Mini Rocketman to take to Chinese city streets

MINI Rocketman Concept MkIIIn case the new electric Mini Cooper SE isn't small enough for some buyers, Mini plans to build an even smaller electric car in China, based on its 2011 Rocketman concept. British auto magazine Autocar learned that the company plans to team up with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors to build an electric city car smaller than the Cooper SE. The...

23 states now oppose EPA fuel economy freeze

Smog over Los Angeles, courtesy Flickr user steven-bussThe number of states that oppose President Trump's efforts to freeze emissions and fuel economy standards is growing. In June last year, 16 states and Washington, DC, sued the federal government over the proposal before it was even released. On Tuesday, governors of 23 states plus Puerto Rico released a joint statement urging the Trump...

Tesla Model 3 earns top safety scores in Europe

Euro NCAP front crash test of 2019 Tesla Model 3European tests have demonstrated safety levels in the Tesla Model 3 beyond those yet tested in the U.S. The European New Car Assessment Program announced results last week from its full round of testing on a 2019 Model 3, and it gave the Model 3 its highest overall score in 2019 for the full collection of tests—in crash protection for its...

No updates for Tesla Model S, Model X, says Musk

2018 Tesla Model SThe Tesla Model S and Model X might never get the floating, center-mounted, horizontal instrument cluster from the newer Model 3, as had been widely reported based on patent and trademark drawings and insider reports. On Monday night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk quashed the rumors on Twitter, his usual venue, in response to a question from a follower...

2020 Mini Cooper SE urban electric car revives Mini E formula

2020 Mini Cooper SE HardtopThe fully electric 2020 Mini Cooper SE will bring back everything early Mini pioneers loved about the company's first electric effort, the 2009 Mini E, in a more conventional, practical package. It will still be the sportiest Mini, with quicker powertrain responses, and a lower center of gravity, than the gas-powered Mini Cooper S. The biggest...

Toyota covers Prius Prime with solar panels to test mileage

Toyota Prius Prime PHV test vehicle with solar panels in JapanWhile Toyota has been skeptical of electric cars, the carmaker is expressing optimism about technology that can supplement plugging in: solar. Along with its battery partners NIDO and Sharp, Toyota is experimenting with a new Prius Prime in Japan (called the Prius PHV there), equipped with 860 watts of solar panels on the roof, hood, and rear...