Starship electric sidewalk-delivery robot a hit at DC Auto Show

Electric sidewalk delivery robot from Starship Technologies at 2017 Washington DC Auto ShowWhat would you do if a small, knee-high box on wheels with a flag topping its tall antenna whirred toward you electrically on a sidewalk at 4 miles per hour? It turns out three-quarters of the pedestrians in several cities who've seen one didn't stop or even stare as it avoided them and continued on its way. That box is an electric sidewalk...

McKinsey suggests ways automakers could kick-start electric-car demand

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016Despite steady increases over the past few years, electric cars still represent only a tiny fraction of new-car sales. There are no shortage of theories as to why that is the case. Some electric-car advocates blame manufacturers for not adequately promoting the vehicles, while many within the industry point to a lack of consumer demand. DON'T...

Offshore wind energy in U.K. far ahead of lower-cost target

Offshore wind farmThe winds of change are blowing harder in the U.K. The price of energy generated by offshore wind farms has been falling steadily, and ahead of schedule too. Costs have fallen 32 percent since 2012, bringing them below a target of £100 per megawatt-hour previously set by the U.K. government and utilities. DON'T MISS: When lauding renewables...

How many Tesla Model 3 electric cars can company build this year?

Tesla Model 3 design prototype  -  reveal event  -  March 2016It's one of the most fascinating sets of questions in the auto industry. How quickly can Tesla Motors put its Model 3 electric car into production? And when? How many cars can it build this year? How many can it deliver to paying customers? At a promised starting price of $35,000, the Model 3 is not only Tesla's latest moonshot but the car that...

2017 Ram, Jeep diesels should be certified by EPA shortly, company says

2014 Ram 1500 EcoDieselFiat Chrysler may have a plan to address EPA complaints regarding software in its 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6, according to comments by CEO Sergio Marchionne. The EPA announced earlier this month that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had failed to disclose disclose eight separate software routines that affect the engine's emissions, each of which is a...

Electric-car MPGe as important as range, Hyundai Ioniq maker suggests

Slide from 2017 Hyundai Ioniq presentation on electric cars at Washington Auto Show, Jan 2017Along with price, the top-line statistic cited for any battery-electric car is its rated range. Until last month, the only electric cars that exceeded 200 miles in that metric were made by Tesla Motors. Now, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has a 238-mile EPA rating for range—and that's usually the leading point about the Bolt EV in discussions or...