Federal tax credit on Tesla models set to ratchet down again July 1

2018 Tesla Model S and 2018 Tesla Model XBuyers who want to buy a Tesla have only a few days to take delivery if they want to earn a federal tax credit of $3,750 after they buy. Tesla is in the midst of the phase-out of its federal tax credit after it surpassed selling a cumulative total of 200,000 cars last June. The $1,875 credit on Teslas will last from July 1 to December 31, before...

BMW isn’t finished with internal combustion engines yet

2020 BMW X3 M CompetitionMany automakers now see electric vehicles as the long-range future of the passenger vehicle. What may actually say more though, in the language of corporate nuance, is that few companies have gone so far as to solidly declare that the end is nigh for internal combustion engines. Among the examples that have been so bold: Volvo won’t develop...

Reports: Tesla working to develop its own batteries

2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017Unlike other electric automakers, Tesla has long had a lock on its own battery supplies through an exclusive deal with Panasonic and the companies' jointly owned battery Gigafactory in Nevada. Now the company is working to develop its own batteries at a skunkworks near its main car factory in Fremont, California, according to multiple reports...

Architect of clean-air rollbacks resigns at EPA

Bill Wehrum, EPA Office of Air and Radiation head (CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons)EPA Office of Air and Radiation Administrator Bill Wehrum, an attorney who formerly represented power companies in their effort to roll back clean-air regulations, has resigned. The biggest air-quality issues that the Office of Air and Radiation oversees are tailpipe emissions from cars, and emissions from power plants that increasingly provide...

BMW Motorrad sketches out what’s next: electric motorcycles

BMW Motorrad Vision DC electric motorcycle conceptWhile quite a few startup companies have been building electric motorcycles for years, established motorcycle manufacturers have been slow to join the fray. The much-anticipated Harley Davidson Livewire, for instance, isn't yet out but is due in August. On Tuesday, BMW Motorrad, the company's motorcycle division, at last announced its intent to...

Battle over EV tax credit pits automakers against oil interests

U.S. Capitol BuildingThe possibility of an extension for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit has recently intensified lobbying efforts in Washington D.C.—and pitted the efforts of the auto industry soundly against those of the oil and gas industry. So reports the Washington Post. According to its report this week, the powerful companies and interests opposing the...

Schwarzenegger is “kicking gas” and taking names in EV-advocacy short

Arnold Schwarzenegger in 'Kicking Gas' electric car campaignElectric-vehicle marketing, ads, and advocacy can often be completely lacking in one thing: humor. Sometimes a little bit of the farcical can go a long way to help point out the strengths of EVs—or in this case, how out of touch old-fashioned used-car dealers might be in not choosing to embrace the electric side. Enter the Governator. Arnold...