Germany ‘reassured’ after worries on Chinese electric-car mandates

2017 BMW i3Electric-car mandates can be a powerful tool for reducing transportation-related emissions. California first proposed its current zero-emission vehicle mandate in December 2011, but similar mandates are only now being widely adopted elsewhere. One such policy in China is creating friction, however. DON'T MISS: Quebec passes Canada's first...

EPA reports show automakers meeting fuel-economy, carbon emission rules

Fuel gaugeLow gas prices and high sales of crossovers and SUVs have led critics of current U.S. emissions standards to question whether automakers can continue meeting those standards. But a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that so far, carmakers are doing just fine. The EPA's annual CO2 and Fuel Economy Trends Report compares...

New Mercedes engines get more complicated to meet emission rules

Mercedes-Benz belt-driven starter generator (RSG)While it plans to launch 10 new electric cars by 2025, Mercedes-Benz is far from done trying to improve the efficiency of internal-combustion engines. The German luxury automaker is giving its lineup of engines a major overhaul, in fact. It plans to introduce a new family of 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder engines, with the new engines starting to arrive...

China decides maybe hybrids could help its emissions too

ChinaWhen it comes to electric cars, China has some of the most generous incentives of any country. But in its attempt to promote greener vehicles, China has largely ignored hybrids to focus on cars with plugs. Efforts so far have concentrated on what the government calls "New Energy Vehicles," a category that encompasses electric cars, plug-in...

Tougher testing for emissions may mean bigger engines, but why?

2012 Volkswagen Up minicar (German model), road test, Catskill Mountains, NY, May 2012Stricter global emissions standards have led many automakers to downsize engines, but that trend may be about to reverse itself. Cutting displacement is a relatively straightforward way to improve fuel economy. But as regulators move toward adoption of more realistic testing procedures in the wake of the Volkswagen diesel scandal, automakers may...

So how about all-electric supersonic aircraft, then?

Concorde (photo by Eduard Marmet, via Wikimedia Commons)Supersonic airliners haven't flown since 2003, when the last Concorde was retired. But could supersonic planes carrying large number of passengers make a comeback—and with electric power no less? That's the vision of Luke Workman, a designer of lithium-ion battery packs who believes all-electric supersonic aircraft are attainable. DON'T...

So how about all-electric supersonic aircraft, then?

Concorde (photo by Eduard Marmet, via Wikimedia Commons)Supersonic airliners haven't flown since 2003, when the last Concorde was retired. But could supersonic planes carrying large number of passengers make a comeback—and with electric power no less? That's the vision of Luke Workman, a designer of lithium-ion battery packs who believes all-electric supersonic aircraft are attainable. DON'T...

Smallest state poses big question: natural gas or renewable energy?

wind farmThe smallest U.S. state now faces a big question on energy policy. Rhode Island is in the midst of deciding whether to continue getting a large portion of energy from fossil fuels, or to switch to renewable energy. Those options are represented by two competing projects: a large natural-gas power plant, and an offshore wind farm. DON'T MISS: Dirty...