Airbus considering hybrid system for next-gen mainstream passenger jet

Airbus A320neoHybrid technology isn’t just for cars or trucks. Anywhere there’s waste heat or kinetic energy that can be recaptured—which means virtually every mode of transportation—there’s an opportunity for hybrid tech to make the entire mission more fuel-efficient. Such is also the case for big passenger jets. According to the...

As EPA heads toward emissions rollback, Americans are driving more

Southern California traffic - by flickr user David R. BlumePolicymakers have long pointed to two straightforward paths for cutting carbon emissions: cleaning up the vehicle fleet itself, by making it more efficient (and electrified), and reducing the total number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT). While the new-vehicle front is affecting serious progress—likely soon slowed by pending changes to...

China lets air out of its EV market with new restrictions on startups

Kandi K22China has developed such a lead in EVs, the country is looking to dial it back, according to a recent Bloomberg report. The country has become famous as the largest market in the world for electric cars, which account for about 3 percent of the 28 million cars sold there a year, triple the percentage of almost double the sales in the U.S. The...

Tesla Model 3 transformed into DIY electric pickup

Tesla Model 3 pickup truck 'Truckla'Waiting and waiting for more details about the upcoming Tesla Pickup—the “cyberpunk truck”—or concerned that it’s going to be too big when it arrives? You could essentially build your own. That’s what San Francisco YouTube star Simone Giertz did, from a Tesla Model 3. In the project, which declares it’s...

Mack plans to send electric trucks to the garbage dump

Mack Electric LR garbage truckA lot of ink, pixels, and synapses get spent trying to figure out how to make heavy duty electric trucks that can travel 500 to 1,000 miles in a day and get a fast enough recharge before heading back to work. Recent studies have shown a far more effective way to reduce pollution is to supplant short-haul machines that spend most of their time in...

Tesla’s share of the home-solar market continues to slide

Tesla Solar RoofIf you’ve seen the light with electric cars, chances are you’re at least curious about home solar. Solar can help contribute to vehicle charging, and it can help reduce the load from the electrical grid during peak charging times. And as part of energy management systems, electric cars themselves (their traction batteries) could...

EPA, CARB escalate climate change war of words in Capitol Hill showdown

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerThe EPA and California Air Resources Board have moved slowly in the past year, failing to reach a consensus on key issues between the federal department's proposals to roll back emissions-based fuel economy standards and the state's decades-old ability to set their own. Tensions boiled over this week when EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler sent a...