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...