2018 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid to launch in U.S. at end of year

Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid (U.K. version)Last month, the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid went on sale in the United Kingdom, offering British buyers a mass-priced compact wagon with 25 to 30 miles of electric range. While it shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In model, the Niro has more of a wagon shape than Hyundai's five-door hatchback—good for European markets where...

Honda’s second electric-car concept is Sports EV coupe unveiled in Tokyo

Honda Sports EV concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor ShowFollowing Honda's hit electric-car concept at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Urban EV, the company brought a second all-electric concept to the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show with more sporting intentions. The Honda Sports EV coupe concept debuted the Urban EV concept, a design wrapped in a sleek and retro-looking sports car body. If Honda bet on retro...

Oklahoma Supreme Court rules state’s electric-car tax unconstitutional

2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4 plug-in hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, July 2017When the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that imposed new fees on owners of hybrid and electric cars only, it was swiftly sued by the Sierra Club. Now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in that suit, filed in August. In a 6-3 decision, the state's highest court struck down the bill as an unconstitutional tax...

Tesla Model 3 fast-charging at Superchargers will not be free

Tesla Supercharger for city centersBefore production of the Tesla Model 3 began, company CEO Elon Musk promised Tesla would offer owners some sort of free Supercharger use. Specifically, Musk said, "free long-distance charging is [included]," which led many reservation holders to believe they would receive free Supercharger credits, just as owners outside of the Model S and Model X...

Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride fuel-cell concept targets 600 miles of range

Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor ShowToyota continues to experiment with and develop various types of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles despite not yet offering a single production battery-electric car. The Japanese automaker now sells the Mirai, has announced it will begin studies of the Project Portal fuel-cell semi truck, and reportedly plans a fuel-cell luxury sedan for its Lexus brand...

Nissan IMx Concept electric SUV debuts at Tokyo Motor Show

Nissan IMx concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor ShowThe long-awaited all-electric crossover utility concept from Nissan finally made its public debut Wednesday morning on the first press day at the Tokyo auto show. Dubbed the Nissan IMx, the compact crossover concept includes both fully autonomous driving and an electric range given as more than 370 miles (600 km). That range is likely on a...

Who sold 10,000 plug-in vehicles last month? (Not Tesla, Nissan, or Chevy)

2018 BMW i3, 2017 Frankfurt Motor ShowWhen consumers think of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, most likely conjure thoughts of Tesla, or perhaps Nissan with its Leaf and Chevrolet with its Volt and Bolt EV. However, none of those three brands managed to sell 10,000 plug-in cars during the month of September. That sales honor belongs to BMW, which announced sales of its i3...

“Death of the internal combustion engine” is now a thing

ClunkersThe very first working four-cycle internal-combustion engine was invented by Niklaus Otto in 1876, and in due course it changed the world. A quarter of a century later, gasoline engines, steam-powered vehicles, and electric drive competed on an equal basis, but by 1915, it was clear the gasoline engine would triumph. The next 100 years brought...

How will Tesla Model 3 do over the next year? Poll results

2017 Tesla Model 3 If ever a car were in "production hell"—to use Tesla CEO Elon Musk's memorable phrase—the Tesla Model 3 is, right around now. From the first hand-built Model 3s delivered in late July through the end of September, fewer than 300 cars have gone to buyers—far short of the 1,500 predicted by Musk in early July. That now makes it...