Porsche’s 800-Volt fast charging for electric cars: why it matters

Porsche Mission E Concept  -  2015 Frankfurt Auto Show live photosThe future of electric cars for practical transportation relies to some degree on the future of DC fast charging, and how it develops over the next decade. As in other spheres of electrifying transport, Tesla Motors has pointed the way to one vision of the future with its expanding network of Supercharger fast-charging sites. But Tesla's network...

Kreisel brothers: Austria’s secret electric-car weapon?

Kreisel Electric Porsche PanameraThere's no shortage of companies trying to replicate the success of Tesla Motors. Startups such as Faraday Future, Lucid Motors, and NextEV have all announced plans to build long-range electric cars aimed pretty much directly at the Silicon Valley automaker's electric cars. But rather than take on Tesla itself, a small Austrian firm plans to equip...

Tesla falls even further as Consumer Reports ranks reliability

2016 Tesla Model XThe Tesla Model S was once the darling of Consumer Reports, garnering high ratings in the magazine's initial tests. But more recently, Consumer Reports has found fault with the initial build quality of the Model X crossover, and criticized Tesla's Autopilot system. That build-quality problems meant Tesla's first appearance as a brand in the...

Hyundai targets VW diesel buyback owners with special prices

2017 Hyundai Sonata Now that a final settlement has been approved by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer, Volkswagen can begin sending out buyback offers to hundreds of thousands of 2.0-liter TDI diesel owners. The majority of affected owners are expected to take the buybacks, rather than wait for any approved modifications that may allow their cars to comply...

Buybacks coming for Audi Q7 TDI diesel SUVs: German report

2013 Audi Q7 TDI S LineThe Volkswagen diesel settlement approved by a federal judge earlier this week does not address all of the company's cars fitted with illegal "defeat device" software. It covers only VW and Audi TDI models with 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines, sold in the U.S. from model years 2009 through 2015. It's good news for the 475,000 owners of those...

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV: video review of 238-mile electric car

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVFrom the outside, this car looks like a tall hatchback, not all that remarkable, maybe a bit bigger than some of the smallest cars around. But from the moment you open the door and get behind the wheel, it's clear that this is no ordinary Chevrolet. In fact, it's Chevrolet's first-ever electric car: the 2017 Chevy Bolt EV. The Bolt has an...

Final VW diesel settlement signed; buyback offers to start soon

Volkswagen TDI 'clean diesel' television ad screencapAs expected, yesterday U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer signed the final agreement among Volkswagen, the EPA, and the state of California covering the bulk of VW's diesel emission cheating scandal. The agreement means that buyback offers can now be issued to owners of almost half a million vehicles sold by Volkswagen and Audi from 2009 through...