Volkswagen's push for the development of an all-electric rallycross supercar were revealed by EV News in March 2016 with plans for electric cars to be introduced into the World RX structure announced in August of last year, but a source has now indicated that electric cars will take the place of conventional internal combustion engine Supercars in the headline category after next year.
“Electric cars will be the world championship. They absolutely, categorically will be the world championship,” the source told Autosport.
“Fifteen cars are required to begin in 2020. Nine different manufacturers have been engaged in the discussions and negotiations so far, but the ability to buy the required components and build a car has to be open to privateer teams if they want to go that way too.”
It’s understood that the new electric cars will be based on a common carbon monocoque tub and safety structure that will be supplied as part of a chassis kit, expected to also include suspension and braking systems.
The FIA is expected to issue an invite to tender for the chassis kit in the coming weeks, with an additional invite to tender for batteries.
It’s believed that motors won’t be from a single supplier and neither will the composite body shells that will sit on top of the carbon chassis’, allowing for different models of cars to be used.
Competitive development of quad-motor all-wheel-drive torque vectoring electric powertrains could provide the missing link between electric motorsport and road-car technology.
Volkswagen have made clear that its electric Pikes Peak programme is designed as a learning project towards a future factory electric RX entry.
Maine has become the latest in a growing string of states to propose adding registration fees for hybrid and electric cars to make up for tax revenue on the gasoline they don't use, or use less of. But it's also part of a much smaller group of those states in which the fees are punitive: drivers of those cars pay more than the gas taxes paid by... ![Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland [photo: Forth]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/chevrolet-bolt-ev-being-charged-outside-go-forth-electric-car-showroom-portland-photo-forth_100606247_t.gif)
It hasn't emerged much into the public eye, but some advocates and auto-industry sources have had quiet discussions on whether the U.S. will continue to lead the world in electric-car technology in a new decade. California remains the epicenter of plug-in car adoption, with roughly half the country's electric-car sales over seven years recorded... 
A major contributor to electric-car sales is the program under which buyers of new electric cars qualify for a federal income-tax credit of up to $7,500. But these tax credits are not unlimited. Once a manufacturer reaches sales of 200,000 plug-in electric cars (after December 31, 2009), the credits start to phase out for that company's cars... 
Today, we've got advice on buying or leasing an electric car, a possible diesel-cheating deal for Jeep and Ram, tax credits in the budget bill, and another Tesla statement after Musk said something that startled analysts. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, as we do every seven days, we ran down last week's most important... 
There are cars and trucks, and then there are trains and buses. While multi-seat vans and wagons can serve the purpose of buses carrying multiple unrelated people, a California company has come up with an entirely new concept. The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority announced yesterday it would test what maker Next Future Corporation calls the... 
Most shoppers seem to view visiting a franchised auto dealer to negotiate the purchase or lease of a new car with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. In fact, as electric-car driver Douglas Kerr notes, the process is often compared to having a cavity filled. Kerr has now leased or bought four separate electric cars, and he has some advice on reducing... 
While VW is moving toward the end of buybacks, payments, and fines for eight years of cheating on diesel emission standards, Fiat Chrysler is still in the thick of its own diesel mess involving Jeep SUVs and Ram trucks. On February 2, the U.S. Justice Department offered to let the company move forward if it recalls all 104,000 EcoDiesel models of... 
Sometimes it's the task of the Tesla communications department to explain, or provide context, or simply clean up the confusion after CEO Elon Musk says or tweets something about the electric-car maker. In the latest case, it was Musk's statement about Tesla Model 3 production equipment that required the good people of the company's long-suffering... ![2015 Nissan Leaf charging back at home after 1,000-mile road trip [photo John Briggs]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2015-nissan-leaf-charging-back-at-home-after-1000-mile-road-trip-photo-john-briggs_100558587_t.gif)
Fears that Congress would kill the federal tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric car were laid to rest in December when that incentive survived the $1.5 billion tax-cut bill. Now Congress has added back a handful of other tax credits related to electric cars and greener transportation in the $400 billion budget bill it passed in the wee... 
How did Tesla respond to questions over its latest delays in delivery dates for the Model 3 electric car? Why should EV owners and advocates worry about consumer awareness of plug-in electric cars? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, February 9, 2018. Friday, we... 
Today, we look at plummeting Prius sales, our monthly roundup of best green-car deals, new Tesla Model 3 delivery delays, and a video preview of the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The company that makes more electric-car batteries in China than any other, known as CATL, has ambitious plans for expansion into... 
As they say: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The first Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, launched for 2011, wasn't one of the better examples of the class for drivability. But Hyundai has updated its mid-size hybrid three times since then, with each generation getting markedly better. DON'T MISS: 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid... 
"Overall, I think, while there were challenges associated with Model 3 ramp, we were in a deeper level of hell than we expected, so a few levels deeper than we'd like to be, but swiftly exiting, I think." Those chastened but seemingly optimistic words came from the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, during a conference call discussing the company's... 
The Toyota Prius hybrid has been its maker's "halo car" and an example of its most advanced technology for two decades. Launched from an early-1990s project to halve the fuel consumption of a small car, its hybrid-electric powertrain pioneered mass electrification of passenger cars. But the sales arc of what has grown to be a family of Prius... 
With gasoline cheap and buyers continuing to shun passenger cars for crossovers and trucks, there are bargains to be had in fuel-efficient and electrified vehicles. This month's deals, courtesy of CarsDirect, includes cheap leases, low financing rates, and money off sticker prices. They cover a variety of vehicle types, with hybrids among the... 
Just a handful of companies today make the bulk of battery cells used in plug-in electric cars worldwide. Now the largest single maker of electric-vehicle cells in China has expanded its focus, from the home market to global markets and specifically the U.S. The name, CATL, may not be familiar to North American electric-car advocates, but the... 
Today, we're at the Chicago auto show media day—meaning today—and we've got news about updated hybrid and plug-in hybrid Hyundai Sonatas, a new diesel Ford, some Lexus pricing, and a look ahead to an all-new electric car in Geneva next month. All this and more on Green Car Reports. A battery-powered version of the Hyundai Kona Electric... 
What the auto industry calls a "mid-cycle refresh" can range from indistinguishable to very evident. The 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid falls into the latter category, with new front and rear styling, changes to the interior and dashboard, and numerous added safety and connectivity features. The hybrid Sonata follows the updated conventional gasoline...