China decides maybe hybrids could help its emissions too

ChinaWhen it comes to electric cars, China has some of the most generous incentives of any country. But in its attempt to promote greener vehicles, China has largely ignored hybrids to focus on cars with plugs. Efforts so far have concentrated on what the government calls "New Energy Vehicles," a category that encompasses electric cars, plug-in...

Is Infiniti now ready to launch an electric car, after all?

2012 Infiniti LE ConceptNissan's strong commitment to electric cars has not, so far, extended to its Infiniti luxury brand. While the six-year-old Nissan Leaf is the bestselling electric car in history, the company has repeatedly postponed plans for an all-electric Infiniti model. But Infiniti's on-again, off-again electric car may now be back on again. RELATED: Infiniti...

Tesla and China: why an obvious match isn’t as simple as it seems

2014 Tesla Model S in ChinaChina is not just the world's largest overall new-car market, it's also now the largest market for plug-in electric cars. With its ambitious plan to build 500,000 electric cars per year beginning in 2018, it would seem to make sense that Tesla Motors would make China a priority. But Tesla has struggled in China since it launched the Model S there...

China ratchets down green-energy growth for first time ever

ChinaOver the past few years, China has made a major push to reduce carbon emissions by encouraging use of green technologies. Thanks to generous government incentives and fleet purchases, it is now the world's largest market for plug-in electric cars. Construction of new solar and wind farms has also proceeded at a rapid pace. DON'T MISS: Chevy Volt...

Chevy Volt to become Buick Velite for sale in China: report

2016 Buick Cascada  -  second drive reportThe current-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid may acquire a new identity for the Chinese market. General Motors sold the first-generation Volt under different brands in various international markets. So far it hasn't continued that practice with the second-generation version, which went on sale in the U.S. earlier this year. DON'T MISS...

U.S., China peer-reviewed reports lay out huge subsidies for fossil fuels

Oil well (photo by John Hill)Critics of the renewable-energy industry argue that it's unfair that energy sources such as wind and solar often benefit from government subsidies. But the volumes and amounts of subsidies received by the fossil-fuel industry are substantial, as new analysis shows. In December 2013, the U.S. and China announced plans to undertake a reciprocal peer...

Tesla software update fixes flaw found by Chinese white-hat hackers

2016 Tesla Model SModern cars' increased reliance on software to control vital functions opens up new technological possibilities, but also poses the potential of hacking. That risk now requires automakers to think like tech companies, and keep to updating software to close weak points that could allow hackers to access vehicle systems. Electric-car maker Tesla...

Can GM beat Chinese BYD as global electric-car leader? It plans to try

2017 Cadillac CT6The automaker that sold the most plug-in electric cars last year wasn't a U.S., Japanese, or European firm. It was BYD, the Chinese carmaker notably backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. BYD sold just over 60,000 battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids last year, with the vast majority going to customers in its home country. DON'T MISS...