Electric-car charging networks spin out, merge, and go global

Fast-charging 2015 Nissan Leaf at evGo station in Auburn, MA   [photo: John Briggs]Much like the cell-phone network industry in the mid-1990s, the electric-car charging industry is on a fast pace of network expansions and mergers. EV charging companies are on the verge of rapid global growth as utility companies and large multinational corporations put up big money, according to a report from Navigant Research Blog. For...

Toyota Prius One: stripped-down hybrid added at lower price

2017 Toyota PriusIt hasn't been the greatest of years for the Toyota Prius hybrid, the Japanese carmaker's flagship product. The fourth generation hybrid hatchback debuted as a 2016 model into the teeth of continued low gasoline prices, and its radical design language apparently turned off at least some potential buyers. Now Toyota is taking steps to make the...

Tesla trucks: semi to be shown in Sept, pickup in 18-24 months

2012 Tesla Model S beta vehicle, Fremont, CA, October 2011Relative few companies regularly make major announcements via their CEO's Twitter account, but electric-car maker Tesla is different. From software updates to dates for new product lines, tweets from Tesla's CEO Elon Musk routinely make news. And so it was this week, when Musk announced the months in which the company plans to reveal designs for...

Clean Power Plan carbon cuts may survive, even if Trump EPA kills rule

Photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TennesseeThe Clean Power Plan’s future looks uncertain at best under President Donald Trump. The commander-in-chief appears to be urging American utility companies to pivot back towards burning coal to produce electricity. Ending the so-called “war on coal” is intended to create jobs in the mining sector, at the expense of the...

Volkswagen teases electric crossover for Shanghai auto show

Teaser for Volkswagen ID SUV Concept debuting at 2017 Shanghai auto showVolkswagen appears to be quite clearly committed to an ambitious program of electric cars following its diesel emission scandal. But aside from two adapted models launched a few years ago—the VW e-Golf and e-Up hatchbacks—and a few low-range plug-in hybrids, it doesn't yet have much to put in showrooms. Instead, it's launching a series...

Genesis GV80 fuel-cell concept SUV at NY auto show

Genesis GV80 concept, 2017 New York auto showThese days, it's all but de rigeur that concept cars from major global automakers be shown with some form of alternative propulsion. They may preview future production vehicles powered by plain old conventional gasoline engines, but a plug-in hybrid or other greener powertrain shows the automaker is forward-looking. Is that the case for the...

Q: Why is Tesla worth more than GM? A: The sins of Detroit

Tesla Motors, Palo Alto, CaliforniaIt remains unclear whether Tesla will survive as an independent company, given that it's had exactly two profitable quarters in its 12-plus years of existence. And yet, last week, Tesla briefly passed General Motors to become the most valuable U.S. automaker by market capitalization. It had passed Ford last week, and long ago surpassed the value...

Honda Clarity Electric, Plug-In Hybrid sedans revealed at NY auto show

2017 Honda Clarity ElectricAt the New York auto show this morning, Honda revealed the second and third powertrains for its Clarity mid-size sedan, now offered only in California with a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain. The 2017 Honda Clarity Electric and 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid are powered by a battery pack and a plug-in hybrid powertrain, respectively. The plug-in...