BYD: tiny electric cars for China could be 75 percent of sales

BYD Qin EV300Chinese automaker BYD was the world's largest producer of plug-in electric cars last year, and the outlook for new markets in its home country are quite healthy, suggesting strong continued growth. BYD plans to tackle the country's inland cities, viewed as a new frontier for automakers, with a small and very affordable electric car. The industry...

2018 Lexus NX Hybrid gets more safety equipment at lower price

2018 Lexus NXDrivers shopping the luxury crossover market have a new proposition to consider, and it comes with hybrid power. The updated 2018 Lexus NX 300h hybrid crossover will go on sale with a recommended price that's actually lower than the outgoing 2017 model. Despite the price drop, this year's hybrid NX 300h actually boasts more standard equipment...

2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid goes on sale in UK

Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid (U.K. version)The Kia Niro Hybrid has been on sale in the United States since early 2017, but at its launch, the brand promised a plug-in hybrid version would arrive by the end of this year as well. Ahead of its U.S. launch, the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid has now arrived in the United Kingdom with a 36-mile rated range on battery power alone on the optimistic NEDC...

CA legislators propose $1 billion to remove dirtiest diesel trucks

California state capitol, SacramentoThe state of California has officially launched its legislative push for stricter heavy-duty truck and bus emission regulations. Following calls for the state to use its recently-extended carbon cap-and-trade program to fund updates to fleets of semi trucks and other commercial vehicles, four state senators have stepped forward with an official...

Big oil firms fear Trump rules rollback: not for environment but for PR

Oil field (Image: Flickr user johnny choura, used under CC license)Efforts to loosen regulations on the oil industry now underway have met with public approval from fossil-fuel companies. But while the Trump administration has moved swiftly to create a more friendly regulatory environment for big oil, some executives have urged a slowdown behind the scenes. That's not for environmental reasons, but due to worries...

Dethleffs solar-assisted electric motorhome concept unveiled

Dethleffs e.home electric motor homeThe notion electric cars will become a standard transportation option is slowly being accepted across multiple industries. It hasn't penetrated quite as much in the motorhome world, but now a German company has shown its interpretation of what the future of plug-in motor homes could be. It's called the Dethleffs e.home concept and it envisions a...