Tesla Loses No. 1 Spot in Market Value Among U.S. Automakers
The electric-car maker’s shares are off sharply after a report of production trouble, giving General Motors back its No. 1 spot after less than three months.
CA bill would make up for federal electric-car incentives as they expire
The state of California has a long track record of supporting electric cars and doing everything possible to ensure plug-in vehicles can be obtained by the largest number of drivers. Aside from the Federal income-tax credits available nationally, the state of California has its own purchase rebates. Local utilities have also begun to incentivize... Electric Mini may not be made in U.K. (but would anyone care?)
Mini, despite being owned by BMW since 1994, has long been a decidedly British brand. But its British roots may be overlooked as a decision on where Mini's electric car is to be built closes in. Most Mini production takes place at the brand's Oxford plant in England, but both supply-chain factors and Brexit may sway BMW board members into... Tesla slams IIHS after ‘Acceptable’ Model S test, older NHTSA ratings cited in response
![Tesla Model S after IIHS small-overlap frontal crash test, Spring 2017 [frame from IIHS video]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/tesla-model-s-after-iihs-small-overlap-frontal-crash-test-spring-2017-frame-from-iihs-video_100613200_t.gif)
The influential Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released a new round of crash-safety test results, and one of the cars tested was the Tesla Model S electric luxury hatchback sedan. In its accompanying release and video, the IIHS suggested that Tesla's claim the Model S is the "safest car in history" might no longer be accurate. Quickly... Army fuel-cell Chevy, all-electrified Volvos, Tesla deliveries, Eco setting a hazard? Today’s Car News
Today, we've got Tesla sales reports, a first ride in a hydrogen-powered military vehicle, why the 'Eco' setting could be hazardous to your health, and a manufacturer teaser shot of a very-long-awaited plug-in sports car. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Yesterday, we reported on Tesla's second-quarter financial results; it delivered about... Plug-in electric car sales for June: Volt passes Prius Prime, Bolt EV rises again
In May, the Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid was the highest-selling car with a plug in the U.S. for only the second time ever. Last month, however, the Chevrolet Volt recaptured its usual spot at the top of the plug-in sales charts for those manufacturers who report monthly sales. Chevy sold 1,745 Volts, slightly down from the May number of... Chevy Bolt EV electric car does many things: autocrossing is one
The idea of performance and electric cars normally don't go hand in hand, unless the topic is a Tesla Model S P90 D. Outside of that one high-performance electric vehicle, casual electric cars are hardly the racer's choice, but one owner felt otherwise. Brian Ro, the owner of a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, recently decided his electric car was in need... Are Eco settings on cabin ventilation systems a safety hazard?
As corporate average fuel economy requirements that started in 2012 continue to tighten, automakers have turned to an entire arsenal of tactics to reduce the fuel their vehicles burn. Downsized and turbocharged engines, transmissions with many more gears, lighter-weight structures, better aerodynamics and more all add incrementally to efficiency... Volvo to electrify all cars from 2019: ‘end of internal-combustion engine alone’
Volvo has announced a major leap forward in an effort to embrace an electrified portfolio of vehicles. The Swedish automaker will go all-electrified come 2019; every single vehicle it launches will feature an electric motor in some usage. To be clear, this is not the immediate end of the internal-combustion engine for Volvo: its electrified future... Volvo, Betting on Electric, Moves to Phase Out Conventional Engines
The automaker said that all of the models it introduces from 2019 will be either hybrids or powered solely by batteries.
Chevrolet Colorado ZH2: first ride in hydrogen fuel-cell Army truck
Olive drab isn't the only green thing in the U.S. Army. Currently undergoing testing at Fort Carson in Colorado, the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle illustrates the unlikely intersection between eco-friendly powertrains and the demanding needs of a vehicle that may be deployed to a war zone. The Colorado ZH2 is a collaboration... China revises electric-car incentives to reward longer ranges
It's long been official policy for China that the country's automakers will become the world's highest-volume producer of electric cars. (It also intends to dominate lithium-ion battery cells and photovoltaic solar panels, for the record.) But the government policies and incentives to achieve that goal have often changed over the years. DON'T... Tesla’s Q2 2017 deliveries fall slightly due to 100-kwh battery shortage
Tesla delivered slightly more than 22,000 electric cars during the second quarter of the year, split between roughly 12,000 Model S hatchback sedans and about 10,000 Model X crossover utility vehicles. That total is more than 50 percent higher than the comparable April-June number for 2016, but down from the 25,000 cars it delivered in the first... Tesla Model 3 deliveries, EPA climate nonsense, better electric motors: Today’s Car News
Today, we've got some long-awaited Tesla news, two discouraging reports on energy and science from Trump's government, and some promising technology for longer range in electric cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, we ran down the most important green-car stories from last week. We also noted that the Aston Martin RapidE... What Trump’s ‘Energy Week’ policies actually mean
The White House declared this past week "Energy Week" and offered up a few key points on which the Trump administration plans to focus to unleash what it calls a new American dominance in energy. However, neither the initiatives nor the proposed policy changes hone in on where the world is heading: renewable energy, free of fossil fuels. Instead... Better electric motors can boost electric-car efficiency
One of the greatest challenges faced by modern electric cars is the vehicle's range, which is largely proportional to the energy capacity of the battery. Range anxiety often keeps buyers out of electric cars and in their fossil-fuel powered counterparts. Most of the attention given to solving the range dilemma has focused on the battery, but one... Honda team up with Hitachi in EV motor joint venture
Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the establishment of a joint venture company for the development, manufacture and sales of motors for electric vehicles on the premises of Hitachi Automotive Systems in Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture.
As announced on February 7, 2017, the two companies have conducted discussions based on a Memorandum of Understanding signed on February 3, and entered into a joint venture agreement on March 24 to make more tangible preparations to establish the new company.
The newly established company will receive a financial grant from Ibaraki Prefecture as it has been recognized as a relevant project that "promotes the establishment of corporate head office functions" within the prefecture.
The new company will respond to the growing global demand from automakers for electric vehicle motors by developing competitive motors that combine the expertise of the two companies.
Automakers are increasingly teaming up with parts suppliers to build components for the fast-growing EV segment as a way to expand product line-ups while containing high development costs.
"Producing motors is capital intensive, so rather than just manufacturing them for our own purposes, we would like to produce in large volumes with the possibility of supplying a variety of customers," said Honda Chief Executive Officer Takahiro Hachigo.
"In pairing up with Hitachi, we're hoping to tap into its expertise in volume production."
The venture will be 51 percent owned by Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd and 49 percent held by Honda, the two companies said.
It will build motors to be used in petrol hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-electric cars, and will have sales and manufacturing functions in the United States and China in addition to Japan, they said.
Hitachi Automotive Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd and longtime supplier of components including engine and brake parts to Honda.
It counts the alliance of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Renault SA as its biggest client, accounting for around one-third of annual sales. Other customers include Toyota Motor Corp, Ford Motor Co and Volkswagen AG.
The tie-up highlights Honda's willingness to join with other industry players as it competes to develop more lower-emission cars. It comes after Honda's announcement last week that it was teaming up with General Motors Co to produce hydrogen fuel cell power systems in the United States from around 2020.
"It's a reflection that a lot of the new technologies being developed for automobiles are not cheap, so companies are finding partners that they can share the burden with to reduce their risk," said Janet Lewis, managing director of equity research at Macquarie Capital Securities Japan.
Trump EPA to hold unneeded ‘critique’ to challenge climate science
The best analog to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's latest action might be for the U.S. Geological Survey to undertake a "scientific critique" of theories that the world is round. After all, numerous authoritative sources over the years have raised doubts that the Earth is not flat. Surely their views deserve to be aired. Late last week, it... Tesla Model 3 production to start Friday, deliveries July 28
As he had promised he would late one evening last week, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has tweeted out some updates on the upcoming Model 3. He expects first production Model 3 electric car, with serial number 001 ("SN1"), to be completed this Friday, July 7. The first 30 customers to buy Model 3s should receive them, he followed up, at a "handover... Tesla’s First Mass-Market Car, the Model 3, Hits Production This Week
After years of producing luxury cars in small numbers, Tesla hopes sales of its new model, priced around $35,000, will push its output to 500,000 cars a year.