Could battery health reports rescue an ailing used EV market?

2019 Nissan Leaf Plus, San Diego area, Feb 2019All the hype over electric vehicles could lose much of its charge over a continued weak link: the used EV market. There are about 44,000 used-car dealerships in the U.S. today, and roughly a quarter of those have ever sold an EV. Outside of some boutique dealerships in EV-savvy cities on the West Coast and elsewhere (and outside of the Tesla...

Chevy offers 0% financing on used Bolt EV and Volt

2018 Chevrolet Bolt EVIf you're considering a used electric car, now might be a good time to spring into action. General Motors is offering 0% APR financing for 72 months on used Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars and Chevy Volt plug-in hybrids, reports CarsDirect, which cited a bulletin sent to dealerships last week. The deal, which runs through February 1, is the type...

Renault 5 Prototype: All-electric return of a hot-hatch legend

Renault 5 PrototypeFor its latest electric concept car, Renault looked to the past. The Renault 5 Prototype features retro styling inspired by the cult-classic Renault 5 hatchback. The original Renault 5 was launched in 1972 as a humble economy car, but also spawned the mid-engine R5 Turbo hot hatchback, built to compete in the World Rally Championship (WRC). The...

Emergency responders need more training on EV fires, NTSB warns

Polestar 2 crash testFirst responders need more training to deal with the possible fire risk from crashed electric cars, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a report released Wednesday. In high-speed crashes with high impact forces, lithium-ion battery cells are likely to be damaged, creating a fire risk, the NTSB said in a press release...

Trump administration again delays higher fuel economy fines

2021 Ram 1500 TRXWith just days left before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, the Trump administration on Tuesday agreed to an auto-industry request to delay steeper fines for failing to meet fuel-economy standards, according to a Reuters report. The move effectively amounts to a stalling tactic that panders to behind-the-scenes lobbying from a few...

Tesla Model Y crash test results: 5-star rating secured

2021 Tesla Model Y  -  U.S. NCAP crash-testingThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted official federal crash-test results for the 2021 Tesla Model Y, and it achieves top-tier results in every possible way. In federal NCAP crash testing, the Model Y achieved five stars overall, plus five stars in every single category of frontal and side testing, as well as in rollover...

Sony Vision-S electric car starts public road tests in Europe

Sony Vision-S prototype testingOne year after its unveiling at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Sony Vision-S electric car is now testing on public roads. Sony didn't provide much other detail on how things were progressing with the car. The short video it released for CES 2021 was essentially just some B-roll of the camouflaged prototype being driven on a test...

Nio ET7 flagship teases 150-kwh solid-state battery, arrival in 2022

2022 Nio ET7Chinese automaker Nio is launching a flagship electric car with an available 150-kilowatt-hour battery pack, and when it's scheduled to start deliveries in early 2022, it could be the first mass-produced passenger car anywhere in the world—yes, before Tesla—to have solid-state battery technology. The Nio ET7 sedan will also feature...