2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid rated at 47 miles of range

2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In HybridWhile there will be three distinct powertrains offered in the Honda Clarity mid-size sedan, most U.S. shoppers will only ever see one of them on sale. That's the plug-in hybrid, which will go on sale "later this year" as the sole Clarity to be offered at all Honda dealers. Now the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid's electric range has been...

2018 Nissan Leaf: does it pioneer the ‘mid-range’ electric car?

2018 Nissan LeafWith the 2018 Nissan Leaf due to arrive at U.S. dealers in four or five months, next year is shaping up to be a very interesting test of what buyers want in battery-electric cars. Much of the focus has been on the new car's range rating, projected to be 150 miles combined when it's confirmed by the EPA. The new Leaf enters what carmakers call...

Honda CR-V Hybrid appears in Frankfurt; US likely next, but when?

Honda CR-V Hybrid prototype, 2017 Frankfurt auto showFive months ago, Honda showed a hybrid version of its CR-V compact crossover utility vehicle at the Shanghai auto show. Now, a European version of the Honda CR-V Hybrid is being shown at this week's Frankfurt auto show. Having teased it twice around the world, will the hybrid crossover come to North America too? DON'T MISS: 2018 (?) Honda CR-V...

Texas fossil-fuel industry made state more vulnerable to hurricane

Oil field (Image: Flickr user johnny choura, used under CC license)Hurricane Harvey will go down as one of the most destructive and costliest natural disasters in the United States. While the storm has dissipated, with this week's attention focused on Hurricane Irma, the effects and damage tolls will last for years—and one thing already seems clear: Texas' dependence on the fossil-fuel industry poses an...

China developing timetable to end sales, production of gasoline cars

BYD Qin EV300The auto industry has now grudgingly accepted that battery-electric cars will make up some portion of the world's new vehicles in years to come. But a milestone in that trend may have come today, in news from China. Policy makers in the world's most populous country, and largest car market, are developing a timetable to end production and sales of...

Goal for 2018 Nissan Leaf: double sales of new electric car

2018 Nissan LeafAfter lavish launch events around the world, the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car will go on sale next month in Japan and early next year in North America. The second generation of the world's best-selling electric car, however, faces a very different landscape than did its predecessor in December 2010. For one thing, the 2011 Leaf was the sole...

BYD: tiny electric cars for China could be 75 percent of sales

BYD Qin EV300Chinese automaker BYD was the world's largest producer of plug-in electric cars last year, and the outlook for new markets in its home country are quite healthy, suggesting strong continued growth. BYD plans to tackle the country's inland cities, viewed as a new frontier for automakers, with a small and very affordable electric car. The industry...

2018 Lexus NX Hybrid gets more safety equipment at lower price

2018 Lexus NXDrivers shopping the luxury crossover market have a new proposition to consider, and it comes with hybrid power. The updated 2018 Lexus NX 300h hybrid crossover will go on sale with a recommended price that's actually lower than the outgoing 2017 model. Despite the price drop, this year's hybrid NX 300h actually boasts more standard equipment...

Mazda’s SkyActiv-X: diesel fuel economy from gasoline engine

2020 Mazda 3 prototypeThe internal combustion engine, now more than 200 years old, will be with us for a long time to come yet. Powering more than 1 billion vehicles on the planet and almost 100 million new ones each year, it is the default way to move vehicles along the world's roads. With its carbon emissions now conclusively implicated in climate change, electric...

2012 Chevy Volt has now crossed 400,000 miles, range remains steady

2012 Chevrolet Volt crosses 400,000 miles, September 2017   [photo: owner Erick Belmore]As more battery-electric cars are sold and more drivers become aware of them, the question of battery life recurs among pretty much every potential buyer. How long will the battery last? Will I have to replace it every 18 months as I do in my smartphone? Data on the liquid-cooled battery packs of older Tesla Model S and Chevrolet Volt cars offers...