Electric-car ‘datathon’ to be hosted by White House tomorrow

The White House, Washington, D.C.  [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]The Obama Administration will make at least one more push to promote electric cars as it enters its final two months. The White House will hold its first-ever "Electric Vehicle Datathon" tomorrow, with the goal of devising ways to use data to increase electric-car adoption. Held in concert with the Department of Energy and four of its national...

Electric-car ‘datathon’ to be hosted by White House tomorrow

The White House, Washington, D.C.  [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]The Obama Administration will make at least one more push to promote electric cars as it enters its final two months. The White House will hold its first-ever "Electric Vehicle Datathon" tomorrow, with the goal of devising ways to use data to increase electric-car adoption. Held in concert with the Department of Energy and four of its national...

Tesla stores to focus on energy as well as electric cars

Tesla Powerwall 2.0Tesla is perhaps best known for its electric cars, but the company has another prominent business as well. Its Tesla Energy division markets stationary lithium-ion battery packs for energy storage. Energy-storage systems can increase the utility of home solar arrays, meaning Tesla Energy will likely become more important now that Tesla is set to...

VW Group cars had highest recall rates, even before diesel scandal

2016 Volkswagen PassatIt's been over a year since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disclosed Volkswagen's use of illegal "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests. But VW had another dirty little secret waiting to come to light. That is its recall rate: cars from its Volkswagen and Audi brands have had the highest rate of recalls...

2017 electric cars with more than 100 miles of range

2017 Nissan Leaf  In the six years since modern electric cars first went on sale in large numbers, the field has matured significantly. There are now several models that offer at least 100 miles of range, and many are widely available to consumers. That includes the Tesla Model S and Model X, starting at about $70,000, as well as several models that are more...

Autonomous Renault Zoe electric car to be tested in Boston by nuTonomy

nuTonomy autonomous Renault Zoe in BostonThe Renault Zoe electric car isn't sold in the U.S., but it will make an appearance on the streets of one U.S. city very soon. The battery-electric subcompact hatchback will serve as an autonomous-driving test bed for nuTonomy, a startup founded by researchers from MIT. The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of...

Bill to cap ethanol in U.S. fuel supply gains momentum

U.S. Capitol BuildingEfforts by the U.S. Congress to cap the amount of ethanol blended with the U.S. fuel supply appear to be gaining momentum. The current Renewable Fuel Standard, passed as part of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, has proven increasingly unpopular among certain legislators. But ardent support from the renewable-fuels industry and the...