Electric cars from BlueIndy car sharing now face the crusher

BlueIndy electric-car sharing station and European Bollore BlueCar, Indianapolis, Indiana, May 2014Dozens of electric cars from the defunct BlueIndy car-sharing service were sent to a scrapyard, as the City of Indianapolis mulls what to do with leftover charging stations, according to local news reports. The Bollore BlueCars—purpose-built for BlueIndy and other car-sharing services operated by France's Bollore Group—are waiting to...

Kia Stinger sport sedan might switch to electric, hints design boss

2020 Kia StingerThe Kia Stinger may need to go electric in order to survive, Kia design boss Karim Habib hinted in a recent interview with Top Gear. "As the technology goes towards EVs and as the world and its appetite for these types of cars changes, the concept probably has to evolve as well," Habib said in reference to the Stinger. Habib stopped short of...

Pasadena claims to have the largest public EV fast-charging station in the US

Marengo Charging Plaza, Pasadena, CaliforniaMost places in the United States are lucky to have just one EV fast-charging outlet. Pasadena, California, isn't like most places. Located in the state with more electric cars than any other, Pasadena now claims to have the largest fast-charging station in the U.S. The Marengo Charging Plaza, in a downtown parking garage, boasts 44 charging plugs...

Will Lordstown Motors outsell electric trucks from GM, Ford, and Rivian?

Lordstown EnduranceSince it emerged last year, Lordstown Motors has been considered a small niche operation aiming at the sustainability-report margins: corporate fleets, public utilities, and worksites that want to be seen as sustainable. But any early impressions of the company need to be put aside after what CEO Steve Burns said in an interview with the Detroit...

France is making EVs and plug-in hybrids the basis for $9 billion program

2017 Renault ZoeThe French government is putting together an 8 billion euro ($8.8 billion) bailout package to help the auto industry recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and electric cars will be an important part of it. The aid package, as reported by Automotive News Europe, includes more generous incentives for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, as well as a...

Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid confirmed for Europe, likely for US

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe teaserThe next-generation Hyundai Santa Fe crossover will be offered with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains in Europe. Hyundai has not confirmed either of them for the United States, but the plug-in hybrid seems likely to be the larger SUV that Green Car Reports was tipped would fit into the automaker's lineup for the U.S. later this year instead of...

Super-flat REE skateboard EV platform will get suspension help from KYB

REE modular EV platformREE Automotive will get some help from a Tier 1 automotive supplier as it continues to push a skateboard EV platform toward production. The Israeli startup has arranged a partnership with KYB, a company that supplies suspension systems to automakers. KYB will apply its suspension expertise to REE’s skateboard platform, the companies said in a…

Electric oil tankers: A slick use of renewable energy?

e5 electric oil tankerIt seems even the oil industry is acknowledging that electric transportation is the future. A group of seven Japanese companies formed the eConsortium to promote electric ships. The consortium's first project? An electric oil tanker. Expected to be the world's first zero-emission tanker, it will be powered by "large-capacity lithium ion batteries"...

Hyundai Kona Electric: The new favored police patrol car for Europe?

Hyundai Kona Electric police cars in SwitzerlandAs cities look to reduce air pollution, some are equipping their police forces with electric cars. The Hyundai Kona Electric is proving to be a popular choice, in Europe at least. Police forces in Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom currently use Kona Electric patrol cars, Hyundai said earlier this month in a press release. The Ioniq and...

Connected EVs could help power the grid: California utility studies how

Southern California Edison Charge Ready electric-car charging programCalifornia has more electric cars than any other state, and a local utility wants to put them to work powering the grid. Southern California Edison (SCE) plans to launch a demonstration project for "vehicle-to-grid" or "V2G" technology, in which vehicles both charge and discharge power to the grid. More than 200,000 electric cars are currently on...

EVs predicted to gain market share, despite 18% sales drop in 2020

2020 Nissan LeafElectric-car sales will decrease in 2020 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, but not as much as sales of internal-combustion vehicles. That's among the top-level predictions from an annual Bloomberg New Energy Finance report released Wednesday. It also predicts that electric cars will continue to gradually gain market share in the coming...

Pop-up EV charging hubs deemed a success in UK trial

Urban Electric pop-up street-side charging hubs in BritainA trial of pop-up EV charging stations in the United Kingdom has proven successful, showing a possible way to expand urban charging infrastructure without adding clutter. A British company called Urban Electric announced the trial last year, placing prototype pop-up charging "hubs" along streets in Oxford, England. Activated by an app, the...

Nissan electric ambulance curbs the tailpipe emissions

Nissan NV400 electric ambulanceIn a lung-related pandemic, maybe we should be thinking a little more about how many of our existing emergency vehicles—ambulances specifically—have tailpipes and big diesel engines. Working with the Tokyo Fire Department, Nissan converted an ambulance to electric power. It's not the first electric ambulance, but Nissan claims it is...

Dyson electric car would have had 600-mile range, founder claims

Patent drawing for Dyson electric car due in 2021British inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson made headlines with plans to develop an electric car, only to scrap the project in October 2020. In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Dyson disclosed more details of the project, which apparently progressed to the point of building a working prototype. Codenamed N526, the prototype was a 7-seat...

Polestar will deliver its electric cars in these cities first

Polestar SpaceVolvo spinoff Polestar will open its first United States retail locations later this year in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the automaker said in a press release Monday. Set to open in the second half of 2020, these showrooms will be operated in partnership with local dealers. New York and Los Angeles will get one showroom each...

Lightyear inks deal for production of long-range EV’s solar roof

Lightyear OneDutch startup Lightyear has secured a supplier for its long-range electric car's solar roof. Royal DSM will partner with Lightyear to scale up production of the roof system. The two companies will also look into solar-roof applications for other cars, as well as vans and buses, Lightyear said in a press release Thursday. The roof consists of 53...