Survey: Vast majority of Americans want higher mpg in new vehicles

2020 Hyundai Ioniq (European spec)There was a time when freezing federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards was something that automakers, a wide range of companies, and a very significant portion of the American public might have backed. But that isn’t the case today. A new nationally representative survey from Consumer Reports, conducted in June but released last...

Big yellow school buses go green with electric power

Blue Bird electric school busSchool buses may be the perfect application for electric vehicles. They run short delivery routes, sit for hours in between, and deliver the most environmentally precious cargo of all. School districts who want to get on board don’t have to wait. Blue Bird, perhaps the best known coachbuilder with vast vats of yellow paint, now offers three...

Porsche Taycan performance teased once more—on an aircraft carrier

2020 Porsche Taycan  -  0-90-0 mph stunt on USS Hornet aircraft carrierFast charging, fast acceleration, the handling of a true sports car, and a premium interior. That sums up part of what Porsche has been aiming to prove with its Taycan, which is due for a full reveal Wednesday, September 4. Ahead of that, Porsche has already boasted of the Taycan’s 24-hour run, covering 2,100 miles, and a recent lap record...

World’s largest electric ferry completes maiden voyage

All-electric passenger and car ferry, in DenmarkElectric transportation technology is spreading beyond cars to heavy equipment, airplanes, helicopters, and now, boats. The Danish ferry boat Ellen, which made its maiden voyage earlier this month between the Danish islands of Aero and Als, claims to be the world’s largest all-electric ferry. While electric technology is still a challenge...

Tesla gets official nod from China with tax exemption

2019 Tesla Model 3 PerformanceThe California-based electric car maker Tesla has received a boost from the nation with the world’s largest auto market—China. As part of a declaration posted Friday by the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Tesla is receiving an exemption from a 10-percent purchase tax. The news, which is part of a broad...

Rusting sheet metal could generate electricity for EVs

Rusted car, Strezlecki Track, Australia (via Wikimedia)All those rusty buoys, boats, and piers along the world’s coastlines could be doing something much more useful, say scientists at CalTech and Northwestern University. They could be generating electricity. In a paper released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last month, chemistry professors Tom Miller from CalTech and...