Electric cars necessary to protect Mercedes jobs, says labor leader

2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric DriveMercedes-Benz parent Daimler is pushing for more electric cars, and that has the company's labor leaders thinking about how such a shift might affect its workers. Electric motors and drivetrains require far fewer components than internal-combustion engines, meaning fewer workers are needed to assemble them. The technical knowledge needed to design...

Can GM beat Chinese BYD as global electric-car leader? It plans to try

2017 Cadillac CT6The automaker that sold the most plug-in electric cars last year wasn't a U.S., Japanese, or European firm. It was BYD, the Chinese carmaker notably backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. BYD sold just over 60,000 battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids last year, with the vast majority going to customers in its home country. DON'T MISS...

California removes limit on carpool access for plug-in hybrids

Green HOV-Lane StickerOf California's many incentives for green cars, one of the most popular is solo access to the state's carpool lanes for drivers of electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and certain other vehicles. But while California will distribute an unlimited number of "white stickers" for electric cars—as well as vehicles using hydrogen fuel cells and...

2018 Kia Soul EV to get range boost to keep pace: report

2016 Kia Soul EVWhen it debuted late in 2014 as a 2015 model, the Kia Soul EV boasted an impressive range for an electric car with a mainstream price. At an EPA-rated 93 miles, its range exceeded that of any electric car on sale at the time without a Tesla powertrain. But two years after its introduction, it appears the Soul EV is about to be surpassed by a new...

Michigan says selling Tesla electric cars in state is illegal, again

Tesla Store opening in Westfield Mall, London, Oct 2013Tesla Motors has, once again, been blocked from selling its electric cars directly to customers in Michigan. Over the past couple of years, Tesla has been engaged in a battle with Michigan's franchised car dealers who—like dealers in several other states—view Tesla's direct-sales model as a threat. Most recently, Tesla submitted an...

Koreans add to Chevy confusion chorus over Bolt, Volt names

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVThere's no getting around the fact that the words "bolt" and "volt" sound similar. So Chevrolet was likely inviting confusion when it decided to name its 238-mile electric car the Bolt EV, while continuing to offer the Volt plug-in hybrid. It's easy for English speakers to confuse "B" and "V" sounds on occasion, after all. DON'T MISS: Why 'Bolt'...

Volkswagen electric-car concept teased before Paris Motor Show

Teaser for Volkswagen electric car concept debuting at 2016 Paris auto showToday, Volkswagen sells one all-electric car under its own brand in multiple markets—the e-Golf electric variant of its well-known five-door compact hatchback—and another in Europe only, the e-UP, a battery-electric minicar. But in the wake of continuing fallout from the Volkswagen diesel scandal, the company is wrenching itself toward...