2017 Toyota Corolla: first drive of updated compact sedan

2017 Toyota Corolla, test drive, Ojai, California, Sep 2016The Toyota Corolla has been almost the default compact sedan among North American buyers for what seems like decades now. In good years, more than 350,000 are sold to retail and fleet buyers in the U.S., and they're part of the automotive landscape in even the reddest states of the union. The latest Corolla is thus cautiously evolutionary, with...

Atieva Atvus electric car image emerges; is it Tesla competition?

Atvus electric car to be built by Atieva  [image: Recode, via California public-records request]There's no shortage of putative rivals to electric-car maker Tesla Motors, from German luxury makers to other California startups. Thus far, of course, none have actually put a car on sale—unlike Tesla, which has sold somewhere north of 125,000 cars since 2008. One of the least-known is Chinese-backed Atieva, located in Silicon Valley since...

Atieva Atvus electric car image emerges; is it Tesla competition?

Atvus electric car to be built by Atieva  [image: Recode, via California public-records request]There's no shortage of putative rivals to electric-car maker Tesla Motors, from German luxury makers to other California startups. Thus far, of course, none have actually put a car on sale—unlike Tesla, which has sold somewhere north of 125,000 cars since 2008. One of the least-known is Chinese-backed Atieva, located in Silicon Valley since...

Did you know Exxon researched hybrid cars (then ignored them)?

1976 Chrysler Cordoba Sport CoupeHybrid cars are often thought of as a fairly recent development, but few things under the sun are truly new. In response to the 1970s oil crises, engineers began contemplating ways to move the auto industry beyond fossil fuels, using much less sophisticated technology than what became available in the ensuing decades. One of the leaders of this...

Carbon emissions from U.S. power generation fall to 25-year low

Wind farm, by Flickr user Patrick Finnegan (Used under CC License)While automakers work to meet stricter carbon-emissions standards, another sector of the U.S. economy has already made notable progress in reducing ts emissions. Carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions from electricity generation during the first six months of 2016 were the lowest since 1991, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)...

Off-again, on-again Audi R8 e-tron ended after 100 built

2017 Audi R8 e-tronThe Audi R8 e-tron—an all-electric version of the German automaker's R8 supercar—is no more. Less than two years after the production R8 e-tron was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Audi plans to stop building the car. So ends one of the longest and most convoluted development stories of any new car in recent memory. CHECK OUT...

Hydrogen marketing campaign suggests, ‘Let’s clear the air’

Air Liquide hydrogen fueling stationAdvocates of hydrogen fuel-cell cars are working to make their presence felt in much the same way that electric-car advocates have for years. Last Saturday was National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day. The specific date (10/08) was chosen in honor of hydrogen's atomic weight (1.008). Fuel provider Air Liquide used the celebration to launch a new...

What will be the most unexpected thing about Tesla Model 3? Poll results

Tesla Model 3 design prototype  -  reveal event  -  March 2016Three long-range electric cars at affordable prices will move the industry forward over the next year or two. The Chevy Bolt EV is within several weeks of arriving at the first dealers that will carry it, and a second-generation Nissan Leaf should go into production by the end of next year. That leaves the Tesla Model 3, unveiled this past spring...

2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: brief drive of updated three-row SUV

2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, test drive, Ojai, California, Sep 2016The 2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid remains the only three-row hybrid crossover utility vehicle sold in the U.S. today. And for the 2017 model year, it's gotten some mild updates. a power increase, and a critical feature for family vehicles: a total of five USB ports. We had a chance to spend half an hour in a new 2017 Highlander Hybrid during last...