EPA rolls back emissions standards on coal plants

Coal power plant in ChinaOn Thursday, EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced a new rule that will allow coal-fired power plants to emit more than 35 percent more global warming pollution than the current law allows. The proposal came on the eve of a climate summit in Poland that started over the weekend where world leaders were set to codify the next steps in...

Electric cars could spell end of front-wheel drive, VW exec says

Volkswagen ID Crozz conceptFirst it was Tesla, now Volkswagen. Ever since British designer and engineer Alec Issigonis developed the original Mini Cooper for 1959, front-wheel-drive vehicles have been consolidating their hegemony on the car market. Volkswagen itself was one of the main champions of front-wheel drive when it switched from the rear-wheel-drive Beetle to the...

Classic Aston Martin features plug-and-play electric power

1970 Aston Martin DB6 MkII Volante with electric powertrainWealthy buyers looking for an electric Aston Martin may not have to wait until the brand's new Rapide E performance car—at least not previous owners who may already have an old Aston Martin laying around. The company has joined other European automakers in developing an electric drive system for its classic cars. Aston Martin mounts its...

Electric upstart Rivian plans for dealers, but not to sell trucks

Rivian R1T electric pickup conceptElectric cars worry traditional car dealerships. Tesla sells cars nationwide without dealers—even if buyers have to drive over state lines to get them in some cases. Electric cars eat into one of dealerships' main profit centers, service, because they don't need oil changes, spark plugs, or even air filters. And traditional dealerships have...

Report: Global CO2 emissions at record levels in 2018

Smokestacks [CREDIT: Global Climate Budget 2018]Blame China—and India. Global carbon emissions are on the rise, and hit record levels in 2018, after remaining flat in 2016 and experiencing a small gain last year, a new report shows. The report by the Global Carbon Project came out just as world leaders gathered in Poland to discuss the next steps for reducing carbon emissions under the...

Toyota Prius AWD-e: Going light on the rear motor helps it hit 50 mpg

2019 Toyota PriusThe all-wheel drive version of the Toyota Prius introduced last week at the LA Auto Show earns an astoundingly good EPA fuel economy rating of 50 mpg combined—nearly as good as the 52 mpg earned by much of the Prius lineup (LE, XLE and Limited). But the system isn’t nearly as capable as the one you might encounter in Toyota’s...

VW’s last engines, Toyota batteries, Ford names: Today’s Car News

Left to right: Volkswagen ID, ID Buzz and ID Crozz conceptsVW announced that it is now designing the last combustion engines it will sell. Ford trademarks two possible names that could go on its upcoming electric SUV. Toyota explains why it still uses nickel-metal hydride batteries. And a Chinese battery company says it will pass the magic $100-per-kilowatt-hour threshold as soon as 2020. All this and...