First carbon-capture power plants come on line this year

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)For electric utilities eager to hang onto their existing coal-fired power plants, carbon-capture technology must offer an exciting chance at salvation. As the name says, carbon capture retains and stores the emissions produced by coal power plants in particular, in theory mitigating some of their environmental impact. Power plants equipped with...

2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid: gas mileage review

2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Jan 2017Last year, Nissan sold almost 330,000 Rogues in the U.S., making it by far the brand's most popular model. For 2017, the compact crossover utility vehicle has added a new model, a hybrid that competes with the very successful Toyota RAV4 Hybrid—of which 44,000 were delivered last year. We recently spent four days and almost 380 miles with...

Full-size diesel pickup truck that gets 37 mpg? Achates says yes

Achates opposed-piston two-stroke diesel engine, as it would be packaged for truck installationCould a full-size pickup truck ever get a fuel-economy rating of 37 mpg? California-based Achates Power believes it can, and its novel engine uses a design that dates back to the earliest days of internal combustion to do so. The company announced its two-stroke, opposed-piston diesel engine for pickup trucks in 2014, and revealed a prototype of...

Tesla Autopilot investigation closed by NHTSA, will continue to monitor

Tesla AutopilotThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed its investigation into the fatal Florida crash last May of a Tesla using the company's Autopilot driver-assist system. The Model S in question collided with a tractor trailer that turned left in front of it, killing the driver, who was the electric car's sole occupant. At the time...

New bill in coal-producing Wyoming would ban renewable energy for utilities

Grand Teton, WyomingWhile renewable-energy use has grown substantially over the last few years, the regulatory environment remains volatile. Some states have worked hard to stimulate renewable energy, supporting infrastructure projects and offering incentives to consumers who install home solar arrays. But others have tried to restrict renewable energy, often at the...

GreenTech Auto shutters its doors, closes Mississippi factory

GreenTech Automotive MyCarThe harsh reality of high costs and the inexorable heft of the auto industry have claimed another electric-car startup. GreenTech Automotive opened a plant in Mississippi in 2014, first saying it would manufacture a small, two-seat electric vehicle called the MyCar there. It later struck a deal with Chinese automaker JAC Motors to develop an...