Thinking of buying a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV? Read the owner’s manual!

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVThe first 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars should be arriving in dealerships sometime this month, likely in electric-car friendly California before anywhere else. The launch of the 238-mile electric car is now close enough that General Motors has undertaken the mundane yet critical task of issuing an owner's manual for the car. Owner's manuals...

German government worries carmakers vulnerable to electric-car onslaught

2017 BMW i3Many governments across the globe have enacted stricter emissions standards to curb air pollution and greenhouse gases; others plan to do so. Some have also drafted incentives and other policies to promote zero-emission vehicles, especially electric cars, to encourage the market and help achieve these emissions reductions. Germany's government...

GM debuts 9-speed automatic, offering 2-percent efficiency improvement

GM 9-speed automatic transmissionIn order to meet stricter emissions standards, automakers are scrambling for any efficiency gain they can get in internal-combustion engines and powertrains. One of the most popular options for increasing efficiency is transmissions with a greater number of gears. Where 6-speed transmissions were once considered more than adequate, now seven...

Why one Finnish city thinks it’s ideal for next Tesla Gigafactory

Rendering of Tesla battery gigafactory outside Reno, Nevada, Sep 2014The Tesla "gigafactory" near Reno, Nevada, is already billed as the largest lithium-ion battery cell plant in the world. But Tesla has discussed plans for at least one additional gigafactory, presumably to meet demand for battery cells related to large-scale electric-car production outside the U.S. One Finnish city is now making an official bid...