Rivian teases electric pickup and SUV planned for LA auto show

Rivian R1T electric pickup concept teaserA new startup automaker, Rivian, plans to beat Tesla to the punch with an electric pickup truck. After years of stealth, the company is finally poised to reveal its new pickup and SUV at the LA auto show later this month. This week, the company set up a media site complete with space for pictures of its upcoming vehicles, and released a teaser...

Panasonic says solid-state batteries are still 10 years off

VW Battery PacksWhile scientists and automakers around the world are racing to develop solid-state batteries for electric cars, Panasonic says don't hold your breath. In an interview, Panasonic North American chief executive officer Tom Gebhardt told Business Insider that the hotly-anticipated battery breakthrough won't make it to production electric cars for...

Look for new gridlock-busting purple California Clean Air stickers

Carpool lanes I-5, Seattle, Washington [Credit: SounderBruce-Wikimedia Commons]California electric-car drivers have a new color to keep track of. Starting New Year's Day 2019, the state will issue updated Clean Air stickers that allow electric cars purchased after January 1 to access the state's carpool lanes, even without a carpool inside. The new purple decals will remain valid through Jan. 1, 2023, a year longer than the...

California to pass half-million electric-car mark

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in Maven car-sharing fleet, Los Angeles [photo: Dan MacMedan foBy the end of November, California will have more than 500,000 electric cars registered in the state, according to the latest report from Veloz, a consortium of state regulators, utilities, and other advocates for electric cars. California already has 491,000 electric cars on its roads, out of the 1.02 million sold in the United States since 2011...

Tesla, GM, Nissan band together to extend electric-car tax credits

Image from 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric-car ad by Ourisman Chevrolet, Rockville, MarylandAs tax credits for buyers of America's two most popular electric-car brands begin to sunset, automakers and advocates are banding together to restructure the tax-credit program and extend them. Tesla, General Motors, and Nissan—the top three sellers of electric cars in the U.S.—have banded together with the Center for Climate and...

Wind and solar cost less than coal for power

wind farmProducing renewable electricity is cheaper than running old coal plants, a new report from investment firm Lazard shows. Lazard reports that new wind farms in the U.S. can produce power for $29 to $56 per megawatt-hour, compared to $27 to $45 for existing coal-fired powerplants, according to a report last week in the British Financial Times...