Tesla Model S climbs back to top of Consumer Reports safety ratings

2017 Tesla Model SThe Tesla Model S has retaken its spot as the luxury sedan that gets the highest ratings from Consumer Reports after the electric car gained back automatic emergency braking that works at all legal road speeds. Some may remember Tesla restored the automatic braking during an update to vehicles earlier this year, but the system only worked at...

Fisker: about those graphene electric-car batteries? Never mind

Teaser for Fisker EMotion debuting on August 17, 2017Fisker's promise to bring advanced, solid-state graphene cells to the battery pack of its upcoming Emotion electric car is officially dead. Automotive-grade graphene batteries have yet to be perfected, but Fisker was poised to become the first company to utilize the technology. The batteries provide greater range and shorter charging times, but...

Audi, Mercedes now updating European diesels for emissions; more to come?

2013 Audi TDI rangeBoth Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Volkswagen Group have approved new plans to retrofit older diesel-powered vehicles with new software at no cost to owners. The largest number of such cars will be in Europe. The news comes amid the latest allegations surrounding German automakers and their brands' diesel cars—and more updates could be on...

Volkswagen’s 5 electric cars start in 2019: what we know so far

Volkswagen I.D. lineup, Photo: Groenl7As Volkswagen works to look toward the future, following its damaging diesel deceit, electric cars and plug-in vehicles will be front and center in its product publicity. The German automaker has already hinted at its future electric cars with a handful of concepts, but its first high-volume electric cars won't arrive until 2019. What do we know...

1946 Chevy pickup truck is world’s oldest Prius hybrid. Really.

1946 Chevrolet pickup Toyota Prius conversionThere are countless tales of classic cars and trucks receiving new life via parts from a completely different automobile. Whether it's an engine swap, a new platform, or a mix of a few different vehicles, project cars make for some of the greatest stories. This 1946 Chevrolet pickup truck is something very different, however, and it's a labor of...

Scotland fuels car with biobutanol derived from whiskey production

Celtic Renewables biobutanol whiskey fuelElectric cars may receive most of the attention within the realm of alternative propulsion methods, but liquid hydrocarbon fuels will be with us for many decades to come. The challenge then becomes how to reduce the carbon footprint of extracting, transporting, refining, and burning those fuels to reduce the damage they impose on the environment...

Hyundai-Kia electric-car production to soar to 50,000 next year

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, Ioniq Electric, and Ioniq Plug-In Korean siblings Hyundai and Kia will aggressively increase production of electric cars next year, according to a report in the Korean press. The production increase comes amid the combined automaker's goal to become the second largest maker of green vehicles (hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric cars) by 2020. Hyundai-Kia set the goal in 2014...

VW intends to price its ID electric car five-door hatchback aggressively

Volkswagen I.D. lineup, Photo: Groenl7Volkswagen intends to take on the growing global electric-car market in an aggressive way, given the automaker's range of I.D. electric-vehicle concepts over the last couple of years. While a complete portfolio of electric cars will eventually find their way into production, the first high-volume electric Volkswagen will be a production version of...