17 states have passed extra fees on EVs; is that fair?

BMW ActiveE electric car in front of old gas pumps, Belvidere, NJ   [photo: Tom Moloughney]Nobody likes paying gas taxes, and that seems particularly true for drivers who don't buy gas—such as those who drive electric cars. As legislators have begun to notice more electric cars on the roads, more of them have become concerned about their drivers not buying gas—and so not paying any gas taxes. According to a new editorial by...

In Germany, neighborhood solar starts to eat away at utility revenue

Photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TennesseeFive years ago, an electric-utility think tank issued a dire warning to its members: Your century-old business model is ending. The continually falling costs of renewable energy generation, especially solar panels, would begin to erode utilities' business from its most profitable customers, the study said. Now, in Germany—hardly known for...

Shell bashes bans on gasoline cars, proposes carbon pricing instead

Shell fuel station in EuropeThe prospect of bans on gasoline and diesel new-car sales have become a much greater threat not only to automakers but to oil companies as well, now that China has said it is studying such a move. The world's largest car market has not announced any timetables for such a ban, which will likely be implemented to give domestic automakers the maximum...

China wants all electric cars: will it work? Reasons and reactions

BYD e6 electric taxi in service in Shenzhen, ChinaIt was quaint and adorable when Norway did it, saying it would end sales of cars with internal-combustion engines by 2025. The Netherlands followed suit, with little fanfare. More recently, France and the U.K. have enacted various forms of bans on non-electrified vehicles, on varying schedules. Now that China has said it's considering timetables...

China wants all electric cars: will it work? Reasons and reactions

BYD e6 electric taxi in service in Shenzhen, ChinaIt was quaint and adorable when Norway did it, saying it would end sales of cars with internal-combustion engines by 2025. The Netherlands followed suit, with little fanfare. More recently, France and the U.K. have enacted various forms of bans on non-electrified vehicles, on varying schedules. Now that China has said it's considering timetables...

CEO Barra attacks China gas-car ban, suggests buyers should decide

One of 130 second-generation self-driving Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars, with GM CEO Mary BarraGeneral Motors CEO Mary Barra met with reporters in Shanghai on Friday, discussing the company's vision of the future: "a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion." The company doesn't think, however, that China should be quite so hasty in pushing to ban cars that actually do have tailpipe emissions, however. Barra argued...

What Trump’s ‘Energy Week’ policies actually mean

Donald TrumpThe White House declared this past week "Energy Week" and offered up a few key points on which the Trump administration plans to focus to unleash what it calls a new American dominance in energy. However, neither the initiatives nor the proposed policy changes hone in on where the world is heading: renewable energy, free of fossil fuels. Instead...

Coal-country voters laugh at politicians who deny climate change

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)The "war on coal" has long been a talking point of politicians running for elected office in the state of Kentucky. The state was once home to a booming coal industry that has floundered over the years as cheaper fracked natural gas has supplanted coal for electricity generation. The state's coal industry job losses have thus been due to the surge...