Video explains how electric cars work, battery and motor technology included

Electric motor, shown in 'How Does an Electric Car Work?' video by PatreonWhile many drivers generally understand the concept of an electric car, understanding generally stops there. It's a car, and you plug it in to get power to run it. That's fine as far as it goes. Beyond that, things get hazy pretty quickly, we've found. DON'T MISS: Plug-in hybrid problem: buyers don't understand them at all We've stopped counting...

States have a battle plan if Trump rolls back fuel-economy, emission rules

Gas pumpThe Trump Administration has had a challenging start on numerous fronts, but its work to slash emission rules and eliminate regulations continues. The EPA administrator, climate-science denier Scott Pruitt, has said he isn't "currently" planning to target target California's ability to set its own emission rules. In March, the agency previously...

Hyundai targets 1,400 units a year of next-gen fuel-cell vehicle: report

Hyundai FE Fuel Cell concept, 2017 Geneva auto showIt's public knowledge that Hyundai plans to replace its aging Tucson Fuel Cell utility vehicle with an all-new hydrogen-powered vehicle, and that it has big plans for the future. The Korean automaker showcased the FE Fuel Cell concept in March to provide a glimpse of what to expect when the dedicated design for its next fuel-cell vehicle arrives...

Tesla gets new Autopilot head after just five months

2016 Tesla Model STesla's most recent Autopilot software head has left the company after just five months on the job. Chris Lattner, who had previously worked at Apple for more than a decade, joined Tesla in January as head software engineer overseeing development of the electric cars' Autopilot active-safety systems. However, it wasn't a good fit—something...

2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid first drive

2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE, Willamette Valley, Oregon, June 2017The 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient version of all-new range of Toyota's popular mid-size sedan, its best-selling vehicle in the U.S. until very recently. The new Camry Hybrid is based on some of the same underpinnings as the 2016 Prius, and uses that car's updated hybrid system and choice of two batteries. In a car we judged...

Electric cars will cost less to buy than regular cars by 2025: analysis

2015 Nissan Leaf plugged in to recharge   [photo: John C. Briggs]Studies have shown that electric vehicles have a number of strikes against them in the minds on consumers who don't know much about them. Range anxiety, the lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure—or even awareness that it exists—and high purchase prices all play a part in the challenges faced by electric cars. However, a new...

How many Tesla Model 3s will be delivered by Dec 31? Poll results

First release candidate Tesla Model 3 electric car, from video tweeted by Elon Musk, March 2017With photos of Tesla Model 3 test cars now popping up regularly, it seems likely that some number of Tesla's lower-priced all-electric sedan will roll off the production lines within the next few months. The big question is when the company will start delivering them beyond the board members, investors, friends, and passionate owners who will get...