The White House declared this past week "Energy Week" and offered up a few key points on which the Trump administration plans to focus to unleash what it calls a new American dominance in energy. However, neither the initiatives nor the proposed policy changes hone in on where the world is heading: renewable energy, free of fossil fuels. Instead... What Trump’s ‘Energy Week’ policies actually mean
The White House declared this past week "Energy Week" and offered up a few key points on which the Trump administration plans to focus to unleash what it calls a new American dominance in energy. However, neither the initiatives nor the proposed policy changes hone in on where the world is heading: renewable energy, free of fossil fuels. Instead... 
One of the greatest challenges faced by modern electric cars is the vehicle's range, which is largely proportional to the energy capacity of the battery. Range anxiety often keeps buyers out of electric cars and in their fossil-fuel powered counterparts. Most of the attention given to solving the range dilemma has focused on the battery, but one... 
The White House has declared this week the inaugural "Energy Week," and what better way to mark the occasion than by driving electric cars? Cars that plug in to use grid energy for travel are a great catalyst for reducing energy consumption and reducing our use of fossil fuels. Now one reporter who took the plunge and leased a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt... 
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute has once again confirmed the Tesla Model S electric car is an outlier. While the Model S gets high ratings for its crash safety, it also seems to incur higher insurance losses than competing conventional cars. Higher claim frequencies, more costly repairs, and higher... ![BMW i3 electric car charging in 'EV Charging Only' space, Santa Clarita, CA [photo: Steve J. Myung]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/bmw-i3-electric-car-charging-in-ev-charging-only-space-santa-clarita-ca-photo-steve-j-myung_100607534_t.gif)
As the demand for electric cars grows, utility companies are considering their effect on local power grids—both positive and negative. Recently, California's PG&E and BMW recently wrapped up a pilot program testing experimental vehicle-to-grid technology to see if electric cars could actually aid the grid—and they did. The program... ![2017 Renault Kangoo ZE [photo: Yannick Brossard for Renault]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2017-renault-kangoo-ze-photo-yannick-brossard-for-renault_100612267_t.gif)
French automaker Renault has given its small light commercial electric vehicle a handful of upgrades, including a significantly longer battery range. The Renault Kangoo ZE is now officially on sale with a longer rated range, a more powerful charging system, and a heat pump to keep the little van efficient in the coldest temperatures. Renault... 
The expanded collection of sensors known as Hardware 2 continues to bring new and revamped features to the Tesla Model S and Model X electric cars. But how do the latest features offered by Autopilot stack up against those offered until last fall by the superseded Hardware 1 setup? One owner has gone through the trouble of laying everything out as... 
Electric vehicles shouldn't be considered all-out carbon footprint saviors, but they can legitimately be viewed as the great minimizers. The benefits of electric vehicles over those with internal-combustion engines are vast, but a strange new study is making rounds that claims electric cars are worse for climate-change emissions. The study... 
A German company has brought forth its idea of how to provide convenient, cost-effective electric-car charging and now it has made its way to the United Kingdom. Ubitricity rolled out its streetlight car charging ports two years ago, but the German company has now spread its innovation to the UK. In a recent video, the Fully Charged Show takes a... 
Volkswagen Group is moving toward wrapping up its diesel deceit in the United States, but in Europe, it may only be starting. European owners of Volkswagen Group vehicles—Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, and Skoda—may justifiably feel as if they've received the short end of the stick when it comes to compensation. In fact, there is no... 
Audi has confirmed what was seemingly already known: the e-tron Sportback concept is headed to production. The e-tron Sportback concept was revealed at the 2017 Shanghai auto show earlier this year and the production version will arrive in 2019 bearing the same name. The brand last week confirmed the e-tron Sportback would arrive in 2019 and be... 
Tesla is closing in on a deal to begin production of its cars in China, after it signed a preliminary agreement to explore building cars near the major city of Shanghai. By signing the preliminary agreement, Tesla will begin the first step towards local production in China, a move that would significantly lower costs. More importantly, it will... 
Nissan has begun to release a slow trickle of information about the 2018 Leaf electric car, but the latest teaser has nothing to do with its zero-emission powertrain. Instead, Nissan has revealed the 2018 Leaf will arrive with ProPilot Assist, the automaker's driver-assistance technology. The system is capable of assisting drivers in stop-and-go... 
It seems every other day Tesla CEO Elon Musk has news about the next big project for the electric-car maker. This time, the news is about a project that seems relatively achievable, but one that produces as many questions as it answers. According to reports, Tesla is looking into starting its own streaming music service. DON'T MISS: Tesla driver... 
It's public knowledge that Hyundai plans to replace its aging Tucson Fuel Cell utility vehicle with an all-new hydrogen-powered vehicle, and that it has big plans for the future. The Korean automaker showcased the FE Fuel Cell concept in March to provide a glimpse of what to expect when the dedicated design for its next fuel-cell vehicle arrives... 
Tesla's most recent Autopilot software head has left the company after just five months on the job. Chris Lattner, who had previously worked at Apple for more than a decade, joined Tesla in January as head software engineer overseeing development of the electric cars' Autopilot active-safety systems. However, it wasn't a good fit—something... ![2015 Nissan Leaf plugged in to recharge [photo: John C. Briggs]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2015-nissan-leaf-plugged-in-to-recharge-photo-john-c-briggs_100547119_t.gif)
Studies have shown that electric vehicles have a number of strikes against them in the minds on consumers who don't know much about them. Range anxiety, the lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure—or even awareness that it exists—and high purchase prices all play a part in the challenges faced by electric cars. However, a new... 
Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised that the latest iteration of Autopilot would be the most refined variation of the software yet. In fact, the Tesla chief recently tweeted that the new Autopilot algorithm would be "smooth as silk." One owner, James Hansbert, recorded his experience after receiving the latest firmware updated for his Tesla Model S... 
The National Transportation Safety Board has published its first findings after investigating a fatal highway crash in 2016 involving a Tesla Model S and a tractor trailer. The crash occurred on last summer after 40-year-old Joshua Brown was driving with Tesla's Autopilot engaged. The system failed to apply the brakes when a tractor trailer turned...