New Mercedes engines get more complicated to meet emission rules

Mercedes-Benz belt-driven starter generator (RSG)While it plans to launch 10 new electric cars by 2025, Mercedes-Benz is far from done trying to improve the efficiency of internal-combustion engines. The German luxury automaker is giving its lineup of engines a major overhaul, in fact. It plans to introduce a new family of 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder engines, with the new engines starting to arrive...

Electric cars will require 10,000-plus job cuts at VW, says HR chief

Volkswagen I.D. electric car concept, 2016 Paris auto showAs it works to pull itself out of the quagmire of the ongoing diesel-emissions scandal, VW Group has ambitious plans to add more electric cars to its lineup. Right now, the only electric car Volkswagen sells in multiple regions under its own brand its the e-Golf, an all-electric variant of the popular hatchback. But the company plans to launch 30...

China decides maybe hybrids could help its emissions too

ChinaWhen it comes to electric cars, China has some of the most generous incentives of any country. But in its attempt to promote greener vehicles, China has largely ignored hybrids to focus on cars with plugs. Efforts so far have concentrated on what the government calls "New Energy Vehicles," a category that encompasses electric cars, plug-in...

Tougher testing for emissions may mean bigger engines, but why?

2012 Volkswagen Up minicar (German model), road test, Catskill Mountains, NY, May 2012Stricter global emissions standards have led many automakers to downsize engines, but that trend may be about to reverse itself. Cutting displacement is a relatively straightforward way to improve fuel economy. But as regulators move toward adoption of more realistic testing procedures in the wake of the Volkswagen diesel scandal, automakers may...

Faraday Future electric crossover teased before CES debut (video)

Teaser for Faraday Future electric car debuting at 2017 Consumer Electronics ShowFaraday Future will unveil its first production electric car at CES in January, and last week it released a short teaser video previewing that vehicle. The short video features a camouflaged test vehicle driving around a track, but offers little information about Faraday Future's first model. Text that accompanies the video notes the quietness of...

Mercedes to launch 10 electric cars by 2025 under EQ sub-brand

Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept, 2016 Paris auto showAfter unveiling its Generation EQ electric SUV concept at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz announced some ambitious future electric-car plans. Late last week, the luxury carmaker said a production model based on the Generation EQ will be the first of no fewer than 10 electric cars it will sell under a new EQ sub-brand. That would seem to...

Alstom hydrogen fuel-cell train to be tested in Germany

Alstom Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel-cell trainUnlike other forms of transportation, the railroad industry is already fairly familiar with electric power. Electric trains that use overhead wires or an electrified third rail for power are already commonplace on world railroads. But the infrastructure demands of electric trains are considerable, limiting where it is practical to deploy them...