Shrink-to-Fit Car for City Parking

The Hiriko Fold resembles other electric microcars, but the podlike E.V. has a hinged body, which can retract its front and rear modules. That shrinks the eight-foot-long car to five feet, making parking easier.

Uber, an App That Summons a Car, Plans a Cheaper Service Using Hybrids

Uber, a start-up based in San Francisco, has won a following among urbanites with its novel twist on calling a car service: its app lets you summon a luxury sedan with a tap on your phone. Now it is trying to appeal to the less affluent by adding less luxurious cars. In San Francisco and New York on Wednesday, Uber will start to give customers the option of choosing a hybrid car at a price that it says will be 10 to 25 percent more than a taxi. That compares with the 40 to 100 percent premi...

An Acid Test for Electrics

By summer’s end, nearly a dozen plug-in cars and crossovers may be traveling California’s highways. Here is a look at some of the newest models.