When will major buyer demand for electric cars arrive? Poll results

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars outside dealership    [photo: Patrick Reid]With modern electric cars about to enter their eighth year on sale, they remain a tiny fraction of the North American and global markets. While plug-in models now make up almost 1 of every 20 vehicles sold in California, in the U.S. overall and globally it's more like 1 percent. The hurdles to getting shoppers to consider electric cars are...

ChargePoint to manage GE’s electric-car charging network

2014 BMW i3 REx fast-charging at Chargepoint site, June 2016  [photo: Tom Moloughney]The ChargePoint electric-car charging network announced today that it will take over management and operation of General Electric's charging network. GE's network currently numbers 1,800 commercial and roughly 8,000 residential charging sites, made up of its DuraStations and WattStations. They will be added to the 35,900 privately owned charge...

Drive a Chevy Bolt EV electric car 313 miles on a charge: here’s how

Chevy Bolt EV fast-charging at EVgo station before trip across Maryland    [image: Brian Ro]Electric-car range is a funny thing. It is rated by the EPA, and most people focus on that combined figure, though an individual's use may greatly affect the car's actual range. Gentle drivers who drive mostly at lower speeds can greatly outdo that combined range, while steady driving at maximum highway speed will cut a significant percentage off...

Electric-car noise rules to be canceled under Trump deregulation plan?

Chevrolet Bolt EV self-driving prototypeModern electric cars have been on U.S. roads for seven years or so, and owners love their smooth, quiet, close to noise-free operation. That silence has been a bone of contention for even longer, however, since hybrids operating purely on battery power are similarly quiet. For years, the U.S. Department of Transportation was charged with drafting...

Chargeway: the best electric-car idea you’ve never heard of

Chargeway electric-car charging symbols for Chevrolet Volt, BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model SPretty much everyone knows how to put fuel into a conventional car. You pull up to the pump, open the vehicle's fuel door, put in a credit card, select diesel or one of three grades of gasoline, lift the hose, and pump. (In New Jersey and Oregon, someone else does this for you.) Electric-car charging isn't quite that simple. DON'T MISS: Car buyers...

Video explains how electric cars work, battery and motor technology included

Electric motor, shown in 'How Does an Electric Car Work?' video by PatreonWhile many drivers generally understand the concept of an electric car, understanding generally stops there. It's a car, and you plug it in to get power to run it. That's fine as far as it goes. Beyond that, things get hazy pretty quickly, we've found. DON'T MISS: Plug-in hybrid problem: buyers don't understand them at all We've stopped counting...

States have a battle plan if Trump rolls back fuel-economy, emission rules

Gas pumpThe Trump Administration has had a challenging start on numerous fronts, but its work to slash emission rules and eliminate regulations continues. The EPA administrator, climate-science denier Scott Pruitt, has said he isn't "currently" planning to target target California's ability to set its own emission rules. In March, the agency previously...

2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid first drive

2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE, Willamette Valley, Oregon, June 2017The 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient version of all-new range of Toyota's popular mid-size sedan, its best-selling vehicle in the U.S. until very recently. The new Camry Hybrid is based on some of the same underpinnings as the 2016 Prius, and uses that car's updated hybrid system and choice of two batteries. In a car we judged...

How many Tesla Model 3s will be delivered by Dec 31? Poll results

First release candidate Tesla Model 3 electric car, from video tweeted by Elon Musk, March 2017With photos of Tesla Model 3 test cars now popping up regularly, it seems likely that some number of Tesla's lower-priced all-electric sedan will roll off the production lines within the next few months. The big question is when the company will start delivering them beyond the board members, investors, friends, and passionate owners who will get...

What AWD vehicle has the highest fuel economy?

2014 BMW 328d xDrive Sport Wagon, New York City, Jun 2014"I want a fuel-efficient car, but I live in a snowy area, and won't buy one without all-wheel drive; what's the best?" It's a question we hear often. Whether or not you agree that AWD is a must-have in wintry climes, the selection of cars with high fuel economy and AWD is limited. DON'T MISS: 2014 BMW 328d xDrive: 40-MPG Diesel Sport Wagon...