The report that Toyota is planning an electric car with a solid-state battery for 2022 has led some fans and advocates to suggest huge new leaps in electric cars are imminent. The 2011 Nissan Leaf had an EPA-rated range of 75 miles combined; the comparable figure for a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is 238 miles. That's remarkable progress, and clearly... Electric-car battery progress: incremental improvements, not revolutionary leaps
The report that Toyota is planning an electric car with a solid-state battery for 2022 has led some fans and advocates to suggest huge new leaps in electric cars are imminent. The 2011 Nissan Leaf had an EPA-rated range of 75 miles combined; the comparable figure for a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is 238 miles. That's remarkable progress, and clearly... 
VW Group remains one of the world's three largest carmakers, along with Toyota and General Motors, but the German automaker foresees challenges ahead. Specifically, VVolkswagen believes the industry will face a shortage of lithium-ion batteries if new investment is not made soon for additional cell fabrication factories, often referred to using... ![Chevy Bolt EV fast-charging at EVgo station before trip across Maryland [image: Brian Ro]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/chevy-bolt-ev-fast-charging-at-evgo-station-before-trip-across-maryland-image-brian-ro_100611271_t.gif)
Electric-car range is a funny thing. It is rated by the EPA, and most people focus on that combined figure, though an individual's use may greatly affect the car's actual range. Gentle drivers who drive mostly at lower speeds can greatly outdo that combined range, while steady driving at maximum highway speed will cut a significant percentage off... ![James Dyson with digital motors [image: Dyson]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/james-dyson-with-digital-motors-image-dyson_100531077_t.gif)
Just 18 months after its $90m acquisition of Sakti3, the British consumer-products company Dyson is taking a step back. Dyson has chosen to relinquish the patent rights that were the core intellectual property of the Michigan based start-up company. Its move demonstrates the high risk companies are willing to accept in order to be at the forefront... 
Being a pioneer isn't easy. When you're pioneering new automotive technology, it can be challenging and sometimes costly. Just ask anyone who owned an early turbocharged sport sedan, for instance. That also applies, in some cases, to some of the first modern electric cars, and in particular the Nissan Leaf. DON'T MISS: Nissan Leaf leases can... 
Among German luxury brands, BMW was the first to show significant interest in electric cars. It launched its "i" sub-brand in Europe in 2013, and its plans have evolved to include adding all-electric powertrains to models within the main BMW brand in future. That is part of an effort to grow sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids significantly... 
New York State is known for a lack of transparency, backroom dealings, and little public input into the deliberations that lead to legislation produced by its state legislature. So it wasn't too surprising that after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an electric-car incentive program in April 2016, radio silence ensued. Thankfully, the legislation... ![2014 BMW i3 electric car during winter [photo: owner Chris Neff]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2014-bmw-i3-electric-car-during-winter-photo-owner-chris-neff_100596467_t.gif)
One of the challenges of electric cars is persuading potential buyers that they can do virtually everything that most other vehicles can. For those who live in wintry climates, that includes dealing with snow, slush, road salt, ice, and variable traction. Given the recent major snowstorms that hit large swaths of the U.S. this month, we felt an... 
Hyundai first made the argument that energy efficiency in electric cars is just as important as their range, as part of its launch of the Ioniq Electric hatchback, EPA-rated at 124 miles. Now Honda is making that argument as well, based on a news report it confirmed saying that the Clarity EV electric mid-size sedan will have a battery range of... 
It was one of the new battery-electric vehicles anticipated for this year, a mid-size sedan from a global maker that remains the second highest-volume hybrid maker in the world. Then the news hit earlier this week: the all-electric Honda Clarity EV would have a rated battery range around ... 80 miles. From the justifications they offered, we...