BMW venture arm invests in U.S. electric-bus maker Proterra

Proterra Catalyst electric busYou can't buy one at your local car dealer, but electric transit buses have a significant role to play in reducing vehicular emissions and expanding the spread of electric-vehicle technology. Two companies have a majority of the U.S. market for electric buses, which is growing quickly if perhaps more quietly than that for electric cars. The U.S...

Mercedes to make electric cars at its China factory with BAIC

Mercedes-Benz EQ electric car concept  [photo: Axel Harries]It's not only electric cars: China is also now the world's largest market for luxury cars. Audi got an early foothold among party officials and high-ranking government officials, but the allure of global brands has ensured that Mercedes-Benz and BMW sell lots of cars there as well. Now, Mercedes parent company Daimler is combining its local...

California joins Germany in climate coalition to support Paris pact

California state capitol, SacramentoThe 50 states that make up the U.S. don't get to set their own foreign policies (neither do Canadian provinces). But that doesn't necessarily prevent them from working with other countries on matters of mutual interest. And that's just what California is doing in an agreement announced this weekend that expands its efforts to battle climate change...

How much would relaxing U.S. fuel-economy rules matter? Poll results

Gas pumpOne of the earliest acts of the Trump Administration was to announce that it would re-examine emission rules finalized by the EPA in the waning days of the Obama Administration. Making good on that promise, EPA administrator (and climate-science denier) Scott Pruitt reopened the commenting period on tailpipe-emission limits of carbon dioxide...

2017 Honda Clarity Electric to lease for $269 a month, starting in August

2017 Honda Clarity ElectricWhat would you pay to lease a smooth, quiet, comfortable, relatively luxurious mid-size electric sedan with only about 90 miles of range? Honda hopes the answer is $269 a month with $1,730 down, on a three-year lease that takes advantage of the federal income-tax credit for electric-car purchase. Pricing is now out for the 2017 Honda Clarity...

Some crossover SUVs get easier fuel-economy rules, others don’t

2018 Toyota C-HRWhat's a truck? If you tell your average suburban family that they're hauling their kids to school and sports practices in a truck, many will push back. "It's an SUV," you'll likely hear, or perhaps, "it's called a crossover"—short for crossover utility vehicle, or a car-based SUV. DON'T MISS: Are you driving a car, a crossover, an SUV, or a...

2018 Nissan Leaf: rumored timing, steps for U.S. rollout

Teaser for 2018 Nissan Leaf debuting in 2017With the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV on the market since December and Tesla Model 3 deliveries said to start within a few months, the upcoming 2018 Nissan Leaf is in danger of getting lost in the noise level. The second generation of Nissan's pioneering electric car will likely be unveiled within the next three months. But what happens after that?...

Chevy Bolt EV: nationwide sales moved up to August for electric car

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016A slow Chevrolet Bolt EV rollout across the U.S. has frustrated electric-car advocates in many states toward the end of the list. While the first Bolt EVs were delivered in California last December, the last group wasn't scheduled to receive their cars until September. Now GM has moved that up by a month, opening orders nationwide as of June 1 and...