After Tesla’s federal tax credits expire, which electric car would you buy?

2018 Tesla Model 3Last week, we reported that Tesla is close to reaching the end of its allocation of federal tax credits for those who buy its cars. The credits amount to a $7,500 discount for most buyers. The credits were passed after the 2007 federal Energy Independence and Security Act to promote the sale of electric cars. They offered buyers a way to offset...

Study shows 23 percent cancelations on Tesla Model 3 deposits

2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range electric car, road test in greater Atlanta area, Feb 2018Tesla has staked a lot on the number of reservation deposits it has received for the Model 3. When the company first opened reservations for the car two years ago, it said that more than 400,000 people had put down a $1,000 deposit for what Tesla billed as a $35,000 car. That number eventually rose to 450,000. The deposits are fully refundable...

Texas reinstates incentives for electric and alternative fuel cars

Texas VoltAfter a three-year hiatus, Texas has reinstated purchase rebates for plug-in electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles. Texans who buy electric cars after Sept. 1 can get a $2,500 rebate from the state, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News, in addition to the $7,500 tax credit from the federal government. Buyers of fuel-cell cars...

Even Wackier! Most bizarre green cars ever proposed, Part II

Scoot Quad (nee Renault Twizy) tested in San Francisco, Oct 2015Last week we listed seven of the most bizarre "green" cars (and some not-so-green) of the 20th century, most of which were rolled out in response to depression, war recovery, or out-of-control gas prices. This week, we'll look at seven more from the 21st century, which seems to have had a concentrated share of attempts at innovation in response to...

Report: Trump EPA plans to cancel California emissions waiver

Smog over Los Angeles, courtesy Flickr user steven-bussThe EPA is planning to cancel the special waiver that California has relied on since 1970 to set its own emissions standards, according to a Bloomberg report. As part of its plan to reverse a program to steadily tighten fuel economy standards that it coordinates with California and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the EPA has...

Washington State electric car credits expire, agencies miss mandates

DC Fast-Charging Stations in Oregon and Washington states, January 2015 [map: PlugShare.com]On the same day that Washington State's electric-car tax credits expired on June 1, an advocacy organization issued a report that said state agencies have done very little to meet a deadline to buy electric cars. The state passed a law in 2007 requiring that all public agencies meet 100 percent of their transportation needs with electricity or...

Jeep Grand Commander EV leads FCA electrification push

2018 Chrysler Pacifica HybridAn all-electric Jeep may clamber to life as soon as 2021—at least in China. The Jeep Grand Commander will arrive in 2021 with an all-electric powertrain, according to a sweeping presentation by Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne in Italy Friday. The company didn't reveal any more details about the electric Grand Commander or specify whether...

Crowdfunded Estonian Nobe electric has a plan to revive bubble cars

Estonian Nobe conceptWant to get in on the ground floor of a new electric-car startup? Crowdfunding seems to be the latest rage for automotive startups in Europe. The latest is an Estonian startup called Nobe, which hopes to raise funding to build a small, electric three-wheeler. The company officially launched the vehicle Wednesday along with a crowdfunding drive...

California utilities commission passes record incentives for chargers

Smog over Los Angeles, courtesy Flickr user steven-bussThe California Public Utilities commission on Thursday approved the largest public electric vehicle charging package in U.S. history, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. NRDC senior attorney Max Baumhefner, who lobbied for the program, says it is designed to set electricity up as a direct competitor to gasoline as a transportation...

Battery tech may be getting a big solid-state boost soon

Tesla Motors - Model S lithium-ion battery packA Woburn, Massachusetts, company may be attracting big name attention for its solid-state technology that it says can withstand higher temperatures and offer higher capacity. For battery makers, producing a stable solid to withstand the rigors of charging and discharging has proved elusive. Ionic Materials said in February that it had secured $65...

Camera mirrors could add range to Audi e-tron electric SUV

2019 Audi e-tron prototypeAudi is pulling out all the efficiency stops on its upcoming electric e-tron SUV. It's currently slated to be the first production car to offer cameras in place of exterior rearview mirrors. Exterior mirrors have always been a bane to automotive engineers trying to improve efficiency (not to mention reduce wind noise.) In an electric SUV, that's...