Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for October 2016

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4The leaves are beginning to change, and so are the deals on green cars. Our monthly survey of best deals on hybrid, plug-in electric, and fuel-efficient cars includes some new models, as well as some with incentives retained from previous months. As we get further into the 2017 model year, carmakers are getting more eager to rid themselves of...

Why lithium-ion cells with hollow cores matter (Apple Car or not)

Apple storeOne of the biggest news stories in the automotive industry has been a car that still isn't officially confirmed to exist. It's "Project Titan," Apple's much-discussed project to allegedly develop an electric car. Now, reports out of South Korea indicate that the most unusual feature of this rumored electric car—if it exists—could very...

German upper house asks EU to ban all gas, diesel cars by 2030

2016 BMW M2 production in Leipzig, GermanyLast week, the German Federal Council adopted a bipartisan measure that would ban all internal-combustion engines on German roads after 2030. While its actions only apply within Germany, language in the measure asks the European Union to ensure that all such cars are banned within the EU after that year at the latest. Type approval for road...

Hydrogen fuel-station finder app launched by Air Liquide

Air Liquide hydrogen fueling stationElectric-car drivers can rely on several different locator apps to find nearby public charging stations as they travel. While only a handful of public hydrogen fueling stations are operational at the moment, drivers of fuel-cell cars now have their own station-tracking app as well. Hydrogen-infrastructure company Air Liquide launched the new app...

Nissan Leaf S quietly gets 30-kwh battery upgrade, higher price

2016 Nissan LeafFor 2016, the model year just ending, the Nissan Leaf electric car got a larger-capacity battery for all but its lowest trim level. The Leaf SV and SL models this year have been fitted with a 30-kilowatt-hour battery, up from the previous 24-kwh capacity, that boosts their EPA-rated range from 84 to 107 miles. The base Leaf S version, the only one...

Chevy Bolt EV allocations: dealer in California gets electric-car update

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016As its new electric car gets closer to public sale, General Motors has apparently made its first allocations of 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVs to Chevy dealers. The news comes via a posting on the GM-Volt forum from a southern California dealership. Rick Alpern, the general manager of Keyes Chevrolet in Van Nuys, California, wrote that the dealer had...