Video shoot shows Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV in production form

Production-ready Jaguar I-Pace spotted in MonacoThe British luxury brand Jaguar, far smaller than any of its three German competitors, may be looking to steal a march on all of them. While Audi revealed a concept version of its forthcoming e-tron all-electric SUV 18 months ago, and Mercedes-Benz followed with its EQ Concept last September, the Jaguar I-Pace concept was the surprise hit of...

Cities lead global push for cleaner, zero-emission cars

Mark Webber driving a 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid in LondonCarlos Ghosn, the man behind the Nissan Leaf electric car and now the chairman of the Renault Nissan Alliance, isn't the first to say it. But his recent comment that cities are driving the push for electric cars is an important one, because it indicates a prime market for their advantages. The result is that city governments all over the world are...

Subaru plans for all-electric versions of existing model lines

2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2017 Geneva auto showIt's now clear that every automaker, no matter how large or small, will have to develop and sell battery-electric vehicles by 2020 to 2025. Companies like GM and Volkswagen, which each make 10 million cars a year, can afford the breathtaking costs of developing expertise and engineering cars with entirely different powertrains. For smaller...

2017 Smart ForTwo electric cars priced from $24,550

2017 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive - first drive, Miami, Nov 2016   [photo: Jeff Jablansky]The market for electric vehicles normally comes with a high price of entry, though Smart is proposing that its new two-seat battery-powered minicar is a value proposition. Prices for the 2017 Smart ForTwo electric coupe and cabriolet begin at $24,550 and $28,750 respectively. If you've followed Smart's electric offerings, the starting price for...

U.S. planning to sue Fiat Chrysler over diesel emissions: report

2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel HFEThe U.S. Justice Department may be planning to file a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler over allegations that the engines in its light-duty diesel trucks included equipment to defeat Environmental Protection Agency emissions tests. A report from Bloomberg last week cites unnamed sources who were briefed on the forthcoming suit. The equipment in...

Trump names vocal renewable-energy critic to oversee…renewable energy

The White House, Washington, D.C.  [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]While the news headlines on President Donald Trump mostly address potential scandals, his administration has also lagged significantly in appointing top-level officials to run government agencies. Those that have been appointed often have an adversarial relationship to the missions of the agencies they run. Scott Pruitt, for example, is now...

Renault, Qualcomm show off electric-car road charging at 60 mph

Dynamic wireless electric car charging testing using a Renault Kangoo Z.E.It's long been an inspiring futuristic concept: electric cars that can recharge continuously at speed, driving along roadways with built-in inductive charging. Think a modern-day version of slot cars, but at 1:1 scale. Now French automaker Renault has demonstrated a prototype of just such a system, briefly recharging one of its electric cars at 60...

2012-2014 VW Passat TDI diesels approved for modification by EPA

2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI Six-Month Road TestAnother small portion of Volkswagen's diesel scandal has been put to rest: the EPA announced its approval of modifications for 2012 through 2014 Passat TDI sedans. In total, 84,391 Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel vehicles are eligible to be modified and deemed compliant, should the existing owner choose to keep the car rather than sell it back to VW...