Nissan and Renault to share common electric-car platform in future

2017 Nissan Leaf  The Renault-Nissan Alliance currently leads all other makers in total global sales of electric cars. The Nissan Leaf remains the best-selling electric car in history, while the Renault Zoe is the best-selling electric car in Europe at the moment. These two cars account for the vast majority of the alliance's electric-car sales, with the Leaf...

Which green-car technology will matter least in 2025? Poll results

2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, 2016 Toyota Mirai at hydrogen fueling station, Fountain Valley, CAThere's no single silver bullet that will reduce the energy consumption and emissions from the 80 million new road vehicles sold globally each year. Instead, thousands of individual efforts to improve the efficiency of powertrains, reduce vehicle weight, cut wind resistance, and all the rest come into play. But alternative powertrains will likely...

Far more Chevy Bolt EVs likely to be sold than compliance requires

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVFor the past few years, several of the electric-car models on sale in the U.S. have been "compliance cars." That means they are built primarily to satisfy California's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, and are generally only available in that state and perhaps a few other electric-car friendly markets. General Motors is aiming for more...

First 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric cars sold today, in California

First 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV buyers, Fremont, California: Bobby Edmonds, Bill Mattos, Steve HenryAnd now it's real. Just 23 months after GM CEO Mary Barra unveiled the Chevrolet Bolt concept at the Detroit Auto Show, the very first production versions of Chevy's 238-mile electric car to be sold were delivered this morning to eager San Francisco Bay Area buyers. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will be sold first in California and Oregon, and then...

Chrysler to reveal new electric car at CES, possibly a minivan: report

2017 Chrysler PacificaThe Fiat 500e electric minicar is aging, and with the introduction of the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV this month, the three-door hatchback's 84 miles of range becomes woefully uncompetitive. So Fiat Chrysler Automobiles needs a new all-electric vehicle to comply with California zero-emission vehicle rules, despite its CEO's frequent complaints that...

Modern electric cars at 20: from EV1 to Bolt EV, where are we now?

1996 General Motors EV1Twenty years ago today, the very first GM EV1 electric cars were delivered to 40 lessees in California in a blaze of publicity. Since then, plug-in electric vehicles have seen more than their share of ups and downs. That first EV1 was a high-tech two-seater created specifically to meet California's then-current zero-emission vehicle rules...

Plug-in electric car sales for Nov: Volt soars, Prius Prime arrives

2017 Toyota Prius Prime PremiumTraditionally, the North American winter months have seen a slowdown in sales of plug-in electric cars—but the rule didn't seem to apply last month.. Last month, sales of the Nissan Leaf electric car actually increased over last year's comparable number, while those of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid soared. While no Chevy Bolt EV 238-mile...