Volkswagen will make electric cars in Tennessee, at expanded plant

Left to right: Volkswagen ID, ID Buzz and ID Crozz conceptsVolkswagen today announced that it would use Chattanooga, Tennessee as its North American base for assembling electric cars. The decision to expand its Chattanooga facility means that many, if not all, of the vehicles that will be sold in the U.S. under Volkswagen’s new electric vehicle initiative will also be built in the U.S., not Mexico...

Nissan elevates the sedan with IMs electric-car concept

Nissan IMs conceptAt the Detroit auto show, Nissan today revealed the IMs concept, a vision that sees the sedan as existing in a quite different, all-electric “elevated” form. At face value, the IMs serves as a sedan counterpoint to the IMx concept first shown at the 2017 Tokyo show and advances some of the design and interface themes seen in that...

2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid signals the start of a big electrified push

2020 Ford Explorer hybridAs Ford prepares the first of several fully electric vehicles, for what amounts to a rapidly expanding niche, the automaker is also working on rolling out electrified versions of its existing mainstream lineup. After finding plenty of success many years ago with its Ford Escape Hybrid, and then sitting out the hybrid-SUV market for many years, the...

GM president dashes hopes of future Volt, says no more hybrids

2019 Buick Velite 6 ElectricFollowing news in late November that General Motors would kill off the Chevrolet Volt, one of the pioneers of modern plug-in cars, a senior GM executive has hinted—strongly—that it won't be back. On Friday, in the Q&A session after the company's investor conference, incoming company president Mark Reuss doused those hopes. In...

Long-range Cadillac SUV to lead GM’s next electric-car push, in 3 years

Future Cadillac long-range electric large luxury utility vehicle (rendering), 2019 Detroit auto shoOn Sunday night, General Motors showed renderings of a future long-range, all-electric SUV to be offered roughly three years hence by its Cadillac luxury brand. The look at the brand's first battery-electric vehicle came as part of the 2019 Detroit auto-show debut for the 2020 Cadillac XT6, a three-row crossover utility vehicle powered by a very...

2019 CES: Quiet year for green-car and self-driving news

2019 Nissan Leaf PlusAs always, the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show held this week in Las Vegas was massive. Hundreds of thousands of attendees, workers, and support staff converged at multiple venues to show off their latest wares, meet with clients, partners, and the media and try to break through the news clutter. For automotive news, however, this year’s CES...

Socket to me: MyChevy app tells Bolt EV drivers where to charge

Chevrolet Bolt EV charging at EVgo stationToo many apps! That's one of the complaints electric car drivers have about charging electric cars. With the time it takes to charge one of the biggest complaints is mapping your way to a charger only to arrive and find it's occupied or out of service. Now General Motors has forged an agreement with two of the largest charging networks in the...

Trump nominates coal-lobbyist Wheeler to head EPA

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerIn the midst of a government shutdown, President Donald Trump formally nominated Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to head the agency on Wednesday. Wheeler is a former lobbyist for coal mining company Murray Energy when the Obama administration was working to pass new restrictions on power plants that burn coal. Wheeler was confirmed as...

Musk axes affordable Tesla Model S, X 75D

2018 Tesla Model S and 2018 Tesla Model XIn a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will quit selling low-end, short-range versions of its Model S sedan and Model X SUV. The move will dramatically raise effective prices on those models and may push potential buyers into higher-spec Model 3s instead. READ MORE: Tesla cuts prices $2,000, almost hit...

Musk axes affordable Tesla Model S, X 75D

2018 Tesla Model S and 2018 Tesla Model XIn a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will quit selling low-end, short-range versions of its Model S sedan and Model X SUV. The move will dramatically raise effective prices on those models and may push potential buyers into higher-spec Model 3s instead. READ MORE: Tesla cuts prices $2,000, almost hit...