If BMW i5 is canceled, what does that mean for its electric cars?

Rendering of BMW i5 electric crossover utility vehicle, from patent drawings [Indian Autos Blog]When it launched in 2013, the BMW i3 electric car was arguably the most futuristic automobile in mass production anywhere in the world. Its all-electric powertrain could be ordered with an optional range-extending engine, and it rode on an aluminum chassis topped with a strong but lightweight body shell made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. It...

VW to cut environmental impact of carmaking by 45 percent

Volkswagen Golf uses 27.5 percent less waterIn the wake of its diesel emission scandal, Volkswagen has done its best to portray itself as a cleaner, more thoughtful automaker. Part of the damage control plot includes a slew of new electric vehicles to round out the German automaker's portfolio in the coming years. But, what about the environmental impact and carbon-emission burden of the...

Battery maker A123 quietly became a half-billion-dollar company

A123 Systems manufacturing facility, Livonia, MichiganTen years ago, lithium-ion cell maker A123 Systems was a hot startup and a much-publicized company. This author, in fact, profiled the company for IEEE Spectrum in the technology magazine's September 2007 issue. The six years that followed proved enormously painful for the Massachusetts company, however. DON'T MISS: A123 Systems To Recall...

Tesla solar roofs can now be preordered; CA installations start in June

Tesla Solar RoofElon Musk, habitually behind schedule, announced on May 10 that anyone can now preorder a Tesla Solar Roof—a roof made of shingles with built-in solar cells. Musk had previously said preorders would open in April, and promised the product would cost less than a conventional roof if you factor in the energy savings. DON'T MISS: Tesla debuts...

Chatbot for Kia Niro hybrid vs driving the actual car

2017 Kia Niro Touring, Catskill Mountains, NY, March 2017A chatbot would never lie to you, right? That’s what I wanted to find out when I tested a Facebook Messenger chatbot for the 2017 Kia Niro crossover, which recently won the Guinness Book of World Records for the lowest fuel consumption for a hybrid vehicle. (It was an interesting competition, because two people drove across the United States...

South’s good ol’ boy drag racers whupped by Tesla, not happy about it

Tesla Model S P100D drag raceFor as long as there have been automobiles, drivers have had the itch to go faster than the guy in the next car. Throughout decades we've seen horsepower wars waged between giant, large displacement V-8 engines and even 4-cylinder engines with plenty of forced induction. The rise of the electric car, however, has changed things quite a bit. DON'T...

Soaring growth of solar power demonstrated in one chart

Photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TennesseeSometimes a picture is truly worth a thousand words. In the case of the rapidly rising rate of solar generation for electricity, numerous forecasts by internationally respected bodies have proven woefully conservative. The image in the tweet below, created by Auke Hoestra at the Technical University of Eindhoven, in The Netherlands, shows it...

German electric-car industry centers in ‘Silicon Saxony’

Mercedes-Benz EQ electric car concept  [photo: Axel Harries]Silicon Valley seems to grab many of the tech headlines in the United States, especially when it comes to autonomous vehicles, cars than plug in, and the future of transportation. Electric-car maker Tesla has undeniably contributed to Silicon Valley's automotive chops, but other makers are working to ensure they aren't left behind as software...