Electric-car startup Piëch sketches out future models, including SUV

Piech Mark Zero conceptSwiss startup Piëch wants to be more than a pretty face. The company showed a sleek new electric concept coupe at the Geneva auto show in March called the Mark Zero, which it plans to put into production in 2022, and recently released sketches of two models expected to follow the Mark Zero: a four-seat GT coupe, and a five-passenger SUV. As...

Rivian builds R1T Overland as cookout camping special

Rivian R1T Overlanding conceptRivian hasn't even launched any vehicles, and it's already building special editions and devising expensive accessories for its R1T electric pickup. The latest is a camping special, not sized for a giant slide-in camper, but outfitted with a bed-top tent and an integrated slide-out kitchen for camping or tailgating cookouts. MUST READ: Rivian R1T...

Report: Apple once attempted to buy Tesla

Tesla Model S Autopilot testing with IIHS [CREDIT: IIHS]Tesla has long been called the Apple of automakers for its alternative approach, its rampant fan base, and its Silicon Valley roots. But the interest could go deeper. Financial analyst Craig Irwin of Roth Capital Partners revealed Tuesday that Apple tried to buy Tesla in 2013, but was rebuffed. He said that the tech company bid $240 a share for...

“How should EV owners pay for road maintenance?” Twitter poll results

Canadian reader K's new Tesla Model 3Last week, after several states proposed new registration fees on electric cars, ostensibly to pay for road maintenance, we wondered what our readers thought would work best. We have nothing against electric-car drivers paying their fair share for road maintenance, but some state proposals seemed to go beyond mere fairness to actively discouraging...

2020 Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid arrives in Europe

2020 Audi Q5 55 TFSI eAudi released the 2020 Q5 55 TFSI e quattro—the first of its new range of plug-in hybrids—in Europe on Tuesday, with some impressive specs. The company says the crossover will have 25.9 miles (40 kilometers) of electric range on Europe's new WLTP driving cycle from its 14.1 kilowatt-hour battery, located under the floor. Using the...

Report: EPA model will count fewer deaths to help favor coal plants

Smog over Los Angeles, courtesy Flickr user steven-bussThe EPA is following through on plans to reduce the number of deaths it counts as attributable to air pollution, reportedly in an effort to support the Trump Administration's plans to shore up the coal industry. The plans were first discussed at a meeting of a key EPA air-quality standards board in the end of March. Now a report in the New York...

“What kinds of EV incentives are most effective?” Take our Twitter poll

Carpool lanes I-5, Seattle, Washington [Credit: SounderBruce-Wikimedia Commons]On Monday, we took a look at how electric cars have become the new norm in Norway. There, they've moved beyond early adopters and die-hards to the early mass market. In Norway, 31.2 percent of new-car buyers chose an electric car. It's like this not just because of new incentives for electric-car buyers, including as exemptions from sales...