Atieva Atvus electric car image emerges; is it Tesla competition?

Atvus electric car to be built by Atieva  [image: Recode, via California public-records request]There's no shortage of putative rivals to electric-car maker Tesla Motors, from German luxury makers to other California startups. Thus far, of course, none have actually put a car on sale—unlike Tesla, which has sold somewhere north of 125,000 cars since 2008. One of the least-known is Chinese-backed Atieva, located in Silicon Valley since...

Off-again, on-again Audi R8 e-tron ended after 100 built

2017 Audi R8 e-tronThe Audi R8 e-tron—an all-electric version of the German automaker's R8 supercar—is no more. Less than two years after the production R8 e-tron was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Audi plans to stop building the car. So ends one of the longest and most convoluted development stories of any new car in recent memory. CHECK OUT...

What will be the most unexpected thing about Tesla Model 3? Poll results

Tesla Model 3 design prototype  -  reveal event  -  March 2016Three long-range electric cars at affordable prices will move the industry forward over the next year or two. The Chevy Bolt EV is within several weeks of arriving at the first dealers that will carry it, and a second-generation Nissan Leaf should go into production by the end of next year. That leaves the Tesla Model 3, unveiled this past spring...

Electric cars to dominate on roads of wealthy cities by 2030: report

2017 BMW i3Within the next 15 years, the world's wealthy cities could be teeming with electric cars. That's the prediction of a new report, which claims electric cars could account for two thirds of the cars on the roads of 50 major world cities by 2030. Researchers predict that a combination of growing consumer interest and stricter emissions standards will...

How Formula E electric-car series could make road cars better

2016/2017 Formula E Hong Kong ePrixThe adage "racing improves the breed" is often used to justify automakers' participation in motorsports. The implication is that technology developed for racing, and tested under the harsh conditions of competition, can eventually be applied to production cars. Indeed, items that many of today's drivers take advantage of—from the rear-view...

Does Tesla have plant, permits to build 500,000 electric cars a year?

Tesla Model 3 design prototype  -  reveal event  -  March 2016The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV is due at dealers within a couple of months, and little is known about the next Nissan Leaf. That leaves the Tesla Model 3 as the biggest question mark among electric cars. We know what the car is, since Tesla unveiled prototypes this spring. It's whether the company can get the Model 3 into production on schedule. DON'T...

Electric Mini officially confirmed by BMW CEO, also electric BMW X3

2016 MINI Cooper S Convertible  -  First DriveIt's increasingly evident that BMW will offer all-electric versions of existing models, departing from its previous strategy of building dedicated plug-in models under the "i" sub-brand. The carmaker has said it would add all-electric versions of the next-generation X3 crossover, as well as an unspecified Mini model. The move comes as BMW seeks to...

Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for October 2016

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4The leaves are beginning to change, and so are the deals on green cars. Our monthly survey of best deals on hybrid, plug-in electric, and fuel-efficient cars includes some new models, as well as some with incentives retained from previous months. As we get further into the 2017 model year, carmakers are getting more eager to rid themselves of...

Why lithium-ion cells with hollow cores matter (Apple Car or not)

Apple storeOne of the biggest news stories in the automotive industry has been a car that still isn't officially confirmed to exist. It's "Project Titan," Apple's much-discussed project to allegedly develop an electric car. Now, reports out of South Korea indicate that the most unusual feature of this rumored electric car—if it exists—could very...