What’s the most exciting electric car for 2019?

Tesla Model 3 bought [Photo by reader AH]Tons of new electric SUVs are hitting the market for 2019. None, though, can apparently hold a candle to the entry-level Tesla Model 3, in our Twitter followers' estimation. That's the result of our Twitter poll last week, which asked, "What's the most exciting electric car for 2019?" In response, fully 58 percent of our Twitter followers chose...

Kia Niro Electric range rated at 301-miles in Europe

2019 Kia e-Niro (Niro EV)When it introduced the Kia Niro EV in Korea in June, the company said it would go 236 miles on a charge. It has now been rated at far more than that in Europe. Kia on Tuesday said that the car earned a rating of 301 miles on the new Worldwide Harmonized Light-Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The news was first reported by the Express, in Britain...

Report: Justice Department investigating Tesla, Musk over tweets

Elon Musk at Tesla Model 3 revealThe U.S. Department of Justice may be investigating Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk for criminal wrongdoing related to a series of tweets its founder sent this year, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment on the report. At issue are a series of tweets in August in which Musk said that the automaker had...

Electric car-sharing programs expanding in U.S.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in Maven car-sharing fleet, Los Angeles [photo: Dan MacMedan foElectric cars and car sharing go naturally together. Both aim to clean up the environment by reducing gasoline consumption. With lower maintenance, electric cars are also easier to maintain for fleets than gas cars. Combined with gas cars, car-sharing fleets can also provide a backup for electric-car owners who want occasional access to a larger...

Saudi investment fund takes $1 billion stake in Lucid Motors

Lucid AIrLucid Motors announced yesterday that it will receive a $1 billion investment from the Saudi Arabian public investment fund. Lucid is a Silicon Valley-based electric car builder working on a direct competitor to the Tesla Model S. In August, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk suggested that he had held talks with the same Saudi investment fund about...

Audi e-tron electric crossover debuts to battle Tesla

2019 Audi e-tron quattro, in European trim, at San Francisco launch eventAnd finally, there is Audi. Late Monday night, the German luxury maker debuted took to the stage in San Francisco with its long-awaited, first volume battery-electric vehicle, a five-seat midsize crossover utility to be known simply as e-tron. It also opened reservations and will allow customers to configure the car, requiring a refundable $1,000...

Tesla opens its first in-house body shops to reduce repair times

Tesla Model 3 all-wheel drive Performance rolls off a new assembly line in a temporary structureFacing reports of long wait times at Tesla-authorized collision repair centers, Tesla is bringing collision repairs in-house. The company has been opening in-house body shops at a Tesla service centers in the past month, and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday that the company plans to bring "most collision repairs" in-house, because...

2019 Nissan Leaf to cost $30,885, long-range battery still to come

2018 Nissan Leaf SLThe 2019 Nissan Leaf doesn't cost any more than it did last year, but it also won't deliver any additional electric range—yet. The Leaf S, Leaf SV, and Leaf SL will cost $30,885, $33,385, and $37,095 including an $895 destination charge. That's before any government tax credits or rebates. The Leaf is eligible for a full $7,500 federal tax...

BMW Vision iNext electric concept redefines German luxury flagship

BMW iNext ConceptFor decades, the flagship of every German luxury maker’s line has been its largest sedan: the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, and at the pinnacle, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. But times change. The BMW Vision iNext, previewed for small group of journalists this week before Saturday’s global debut, entirely rethinks what a “flagship”...