Investigators: Autopilot sped up before fatal Tesla Model X crash

Tesla Enhanced AutopilotA preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday said that a Tesla Model X traveling on Autopilot increased the vehicle's speed before it crashed into a highway barrier and killed its driver. The report of the March 23 crash that killed 38-year-old Walter Huang details the minutes and seconds before impact, and...

GM, Honda partner on next-generation electric-car batteries

Battery pack assembly for 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV electric car at GM's Brownstown, Michigan, plantGeneral Motors and Honda have announced a partnership to develop smaller, lighter batteries to be used in the next generation of electric cars from both companies. The battery agreement specifies that the companies will collaborate using GM's next-generation battery technology. Honda will buy battery modules from GM as a part of the arrangement...

Electric trucks coming from Daimler, Freightliner, Volvo, and others

Freightliner eCascadia electric semi-truckIt's not even on the road yet and the Tesla Semi is getting some new competition. German Automaker Daimler, which owns Freightliner, Fuso, and other truck brands, announced that it would deliver its first 30 electric trucks to customers in North America for testing later this year. Last month, Swedish truckmaker Volvo also introduced an electric...

Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for June 2018

2018 Chevrolet VoltJune is proving to be a great month for those who want to buy a car that plugs in, with some electric cars offering rebates as high as $16,400, or zero-percent financing along with a hefty cash rebate. The cars look a lot like the ones that had the best deals last month, but we'll go through them again, along with what it will take to drive one...

Plug-in electric-car sales for May: Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius Prime lead

2018 Nissan Leaf with EVgo fast charger at NJ Turnpike Molly Pitcher travel plaza, Feb 2018After a slow month in April, sales of the Nissan Leaf came roaring back in May. Nissan sold 1,576 Leafs in May, up from 1,171 the month before. The Leaf also had a record month in Canada, selling 906 units north of the border. It is worth noting that this achievement was accomplished with the redesigned Leaf's 151-mile battery. A 220-mile battery...

Tesla Model Y coming in 2020; Roadster and Semi still on the way, says Musk

Teaser for Tesla Model Y electric SUV due for reveal in 2019Tesla CEO Elon Musk told shareholders Tuesday that the last few months have been "hellacious" for building the Tesla Model 3, but that the automaker expects by the end of this month to build 5,000 of the mid-size luxury sedan each week and beyond. "It's insanely hard to stay alive," Musk added. The Model 3 may be critical for the automaker to stay...

Shell Starship semi posts record fuel-economy in cross-country run

Shell Airflow Starship truck in Gila Bend, AZ,  on cross-country fuel economy run The streamlined Shell Starship Airflow semi truck has made it to Florida on its cross-country fuel-economy record run, and the results have been tabulated: The truck posted 28.4 percent better fuel economy than the average truck on the road, while carrying significantly more weight. The Starship averaged 8.94 mpg, compared with 6.4 mpg for the...

Plug-in Electric Car Sales in Canada, May 2018: Rewriting records

2018 Nissan LeafLast month, the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid set a new single-month sales record for plug-in electric vehicles in Canada and sold 589 units. One month later, that sales pace—plus one car—is only good enough for fourth place. Nissan shattered Mitsubishi’s record in May with 906 sales of its Leaf electric car, astounding by...

Panasonic works to develop cobalt-free electric-car batteries

Tesla gigafactory, March 2016, shown in drone footage posted to YouTube by Above RenoOne of the most widespread concerns about electric cars centers around the availability and cost of cobalt. Cobalt is an element used in lithium-ion batteries to build stability and increase safety. While the signature element in modern electric-car batteries, lithium, is mined in only a few countries, it is relatively easily accessible, and so...

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...