Automakers lay out mpg concerns for Trump: Talk to California, please

President Donald Trump (Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)Ten months after the U.S. EPA and DOT proposed easing federal fleet fuel economy standards for 2021-2026, there has been no formal submission of the plan. And more than a year after the EPA suggested that it might challenge California’s waiver to set stricter standards, it hasn’t confirmed one way or another whether it will do that. As...

Automakers lay out mpg concerns for Trump: Talk to California, please

President Donald Trump (Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)Ten months after the U.S. EPA and DOT proposed easing federal fleet fuel economy standards for 2021-2026, there has been no formal submission of the plan. And more than a year after the EPA suggested that it might challenge California’s waiver to set stricter standards, it hasn’t confirmed one way or another whether it will do that. As...

Fiat Chrysler withdraws merger offer to Renault after Nissan balks

2017 Fiat 500eA potential merger between Fiat Chrysler and Renault, which would have involved Japanese partners Nissan and Mitsubishi, is off the table. Fiat Chrysler withdrew the offer after Nissan, Renault's larger but junior partner withheld its support. A report in trade journal Automotive News (subscription required), noted that Nissan representatives...

Karma to expand dealerships to 13 US cities, 19 countries by year-end

Karma SC1 Vision Concept  -  2019 Shanghai auto showKarma, the company, is starting its effort in earnest to revive sales of its Revero—the car that started life as the ill-fated Fisker Karma. According to the federal government, Karma sold 231 of the cars in 2018, well down from the 2,667 that Fisker sold in the car's first year on the market. That's partly the result of a paucity of...

BMW teams with Jaguar Land Rover for EV parts

BMW iX3 Concept front 3/4Jaguar Land Rover and BMW announced on Wednesday that they will form an alliance to build the unique parts, beyond the battery, that make up an electric vehicle. The effort will focus on electric drive units (EDUs), including motors, transmissions and power electronics, such as motor controllers. BMW has said it plans to build 25 new plug-in...

Hydrogen supply pinch affects San Francisco fuel-cell drivers

2018 Toyota MiraiHydrogen fuel-cell drivers in California’s San Francisco Bay Area may soon have to find a backup plan—like a gasoline or electric vehicle. As of Wednesday night, 9 out of the 11 passenger-vehicle hydrogen stations in the Bay Area were down due to a hydrogen shortage—a status that remained the same going back to Monday. An...

Report: Mercedes-Benz EQE shapes up as Tesla Model S rival for 2022

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC Edition 1886Mercedes-Benz has begun producing the first of its EQ line of electric cars in Europe with the EQC 400 SUV. The company has announced that it plans to build 10 new EQ electric cars by 2022, and other parts of that lineup are beginning to take shape; and officials stated very early on in the EQ project that it planned various versions that would...

Tesla gets (more) real with online pricing, downplays gas-price game

2019 Tesla Model 3 PerformanceIt came as something of a breakthrough on Monday when Tesla updated its website to, nearly, put cash prices for its cars up front in its Design Studio—where potential buyers go to configure the cars they want to buy. Until now, shoppers had to complete building their cars online to see the final price. Up to that point, Tesla only showed an...

No puncture, no pressure: GM could offer airless Michelin tire in 2024 EV

Michelin Uptis prototype tire, on Chevrolet Bolt EVMichelin yesterday revealed a comprehensive look at what some cars could be rolling on in just five years: the company’s first airless passenger-vehicle tire. The Uptis Prototype (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System) is a wheel/tire combination made primarily of rubber, aluminum, and a new resin-embedded fiberglass-reinforced material...