Report: Rising electric-car production may strain unexpected resources

Tesla Supercharger site in Rocklin, California, before expansion    [photo: George Parrott]Despite electric cars producing no tailpipe emissions, not all of their effects will be environmentally beneficial, according to a recent report by McKinsey & Co. The group, which is often optimistic about electric car adoption, forecasts that by 2030, plug-in cars will make up at least 20 percent of car sales globally, and up to 35 percent in...

GM files patents for new active aerodynamic aids

Patent for Active Side Skirts filed by General MotorsGeneral Motors filed patent applications in June for three types of active aerodynamic systems that could make cars more efficient and potentially even give electric cars longer ranges. The three patent applications were all filed as part of Chevrolet's design for the new eighth-generation Corvette, but they could make their way to other GM cars...

2018 Chevy Bolt EV makes successful 2,000-mile road trip

David Edwards' Chevy Bolt EV draws a crowd while charging Readers like David Edwards periodically send letters about road trips they’ve made in their electric cars. While long road trips are becoming somewhat commonplace with Teslas, he points out that they still aren’t common for other electric cars. Just last year, reader Jay Lucas sold his Chevy Bolt EV after finding it too difficult to...

2019 Audi e-tron prototype first ride: Soothingly familiar

2019 Audi e-tron prototype drive, Pikes PeakAt 5 o’clock in the morning, the only sound heard at the summit of Pikes Peak, 14,114 feet above sea level, is the ceaseless whipping of the wind. Inside the Audi e-tron electric crossover SUV prototype, I hear almost no sound at all. Silence, like the e-tron itself, is soothingly familiar. That’s something that can’t be said...

Chinese electric carmaker Nio seeks public funding in US

Nio Formula E race car, EP9, ES8 and Eve concept carChinese electric carmaker Nio has filed for an initial public offering to sell its stock in the U.S., according to a Reuters report Tuesday. The company, which has built a Formula E race car, an exotic electric sports car, and an electric SUV for China, is looking to ramp up production and build a smaller, more affordable SUV. It will trade on the...

Time is running out for VW diesel claims

Volkswagen turbodiesels await their fate near Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado SpringsTime is running out for owners of 2.0-liter VW TDIs to file their claims against the company and receive a settlement that could be worth at least $5,100. All claims in the diesel emissions lawsuit must be filed by Sept. 1. So far, Volkswagen has bought back more than 350,000 TDIs and repaired another 57,000. CHECK OUT: VW TDI owners face deadline...

Electrify America launches “Jetstones” ad campaign

Electrify America 350 kw chargers at Home Depot in Chicopee, Mass.If regular automakers aren't advertising their electric cars well enough, maybe purveyors of electric-car infrastructure can fill in the gaps. Electrify America, VW's court-mandated effort to build a nationwide DC fast-charge network, is launching its first ad campaign Monday on behalf of all electric cars. Called the "Jetstones," the ad campaign...

Canadian gold mine cleans up its act with electricity

Sandvik DD422iE in Goldcorp Borden mineMining operations get a lot of flack for creating environmental problems around the world. Yet they provide much of the basic material that keeps the global economy humming. Some mining companies are drilling down in their efforts to clean up their acts. As the world’s fourth-largest gold mining company Goldcorp has received its share of...