Tesla Model 3: beta phase to be skipped, will go straight to production?

Tesla Model 3Development of new vehicles, especially if they're on underpinnings that haven't been used in previous models, follows a very predictable schedule. First, a concept car is revealed. Often, it's a thinly disguised version of the future production car with some added design flourishes that won't make it onto the assembly lines. Then spy shots of...

Michigan utility cancels electric-car charging stations after opposition

2017 Chevrolet VoltIn multiple states, electric utilities are beginning to establish networks of electric-car charging stations. But plans for such a network in Michigan recently hit a roadblock. Last week, local utility Consumers Energy withdrew its request to install public electric-car charging stations at an estimated cost of $15 million. DON'T MISS: California...

Has GM really ‘already lost’ the electric-car race to Tesla?

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in Maven car-sharing fleet, Los Angeles [photo: Dan MacMedan foLots of people like horse races, win-or-lose competitions, and rankings. They're easy to understand, and definitive. They may also lose the forest for the trees, which is what we're tempted to suggest about a new article that addresses the launch of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. GM's 238-mile battery-electric hatchback is rolling out...

Electric cars only need 100 miles of range, some carmakers say; is it true?

Slide from 2017 Hyundai Ioniq presentation on electric cars at Washington Auto Show, Jan 2017Hyundai first made the argument that energy efficiency in electric cars is just as important as their range, as part of its launch of the Ioniq Electric hatchback, EPA-rated at 124 miles. Now Honda is making that argument as well, based on a news report it confirmed saying that the Clarity EV electric mid-size sedan will have a battery range of...

What does a Chevy Volt do when it runs out of gas and battery charge?

2013 Chevrolet Volt in Venice, California [photo: Chris Williams]Unlike conventional hybrids and many plug-in hybrids, the first-generation Chevrolet Volt makes extensive use of both electric and gasoline power. With a fully-charged battery pack, it will drive on electric power alone until the charge is depleted, at which point the onboard gasoline engine activates. The gasoline engine serves as a generator...

Tesla Model S lineup slims down as 60, 60D versions end

2017 Tesla Model SThe ever-shifting Tesla Model S lineup has gone through another change. It will slim down as Tesla discontinues the electric car's current base models—the rear-wheel drive Model S 60, and the all-wheel drive Model S 60D, both with 60 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity. Both versions are being pulled from the Model S lineup after less than a...

30 cities join to explore $10 billion electric-car purchase

New York City skyline (by Flickr user AngMoKio)While federal policies to reduce vehicular emissions of carbon dioxide are now back in the limelight, it's a different story on the state and local level. A group of 30 U.S. cities is discussing a major purchase of electric cars for their municipal fleets. The cities have jointly asked automakers for cost and feasibility estimates of providing...

Tesla engineer alleges ‘culture of discrimination’ against women

2012 Tesla Model S beta vehicle, Fremont, CA, October 2011A female Tesla engineer has accused the automaker of widespread discrimination against women. In a lawsuit filed last year, AJ Vandermeyden alleged Tesla ignored complaints of "pervasive harassment" of female employees, paid her a lower salary than men doing the same work, and promoted less-qualified men over her, and responded negatively when she...

Porsche Mission E electric car to cost less than Panamera sedan

Porsche Mission E concept electric carPorsche's most ardent fans no longer complain about the expansion of the German sports-car maker's lineup into sedans and, even worse, sport-utility vehicles. The large Panamera sedan and the Cayenne and Macan SUVs are not only some of Porsche's more popular models, but fund its development of the fabled 911 rear-engine sport coupe and the Boxster...

European electric and plug-in hybrid sales for Jan 2017

2017 Renault ZoeIt's a new year, and that means a reset of the tally of European electric-car sales. In January, the top-selling European-market electric car of 2016 maintained its status for one more month. The Renault Zoe accumulated 2,602 sales in the first month of the year. DON'T MISS: Nissan e-NV200 beats Renault Kangoo ZE in electric van sales in Europe...

Lucid Air priced slightly below Tesla Model S at $60,000

Lucid AirThe Lucid Air electric car will be available in a base model with less power and a lower range than the high-end model unveiled last year, but at a much lower price. A Lucid Motors press release confirmed the Air base model will start at $52,500, after the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric cars is applied. That means the true base price will...

Chevy Bolt EV tested by Tesla Model S owner: his assessment

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016Fleeing my home in New York’s Hudson Valley for California during February and March has a number of charms. Currently at the top of the list: reading about Winter Storm Stella while watching the surfers at Rincon Beach. For electric-car nuts like me, however, there’s another California perk that’s not far behind: the wide...

More details emerge on low-cost electric car from Renault-Nissan for 2020

2017 Nissan Leaf  The Renault-Nissan Alliance's plans for future electric cars are beginning to come into focus. The two automakers have dominated global battery-electric car sales with the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe, as well as lower-volume models like the Nissan e-NV200 and Renault Kangoo ZE electric vans. But many of the automakers' electric models are due for...

After Audi e-tron, next electric car to be compact BMW i3 competitor

2016 Audi A3 e-Tron Sportback, San Francisco Bay Area, Oct 2015Next year, the Audi e-tron luxury electric crossover is expected to arrive at U.S. dealers, bringing Audi into direct competition with the Tesla Model X roughly three years after the world's first all-electric utility vehicle went into production. But with a pledge to sell 25 percent of its cars with plug-in electric capabilities by 2025, VW...

Which luxury brand will do best in electric cars? Poll results

Rendering of BMW i5 electric crossover utility vehicle, from patent drawings [Indian Autos Blog]Within the next two years we will see new all-electric luxury cars from Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz appear in actual showrooms. All four of those makes have shown concepts for their pricey, 200-mile-plus electric cars, and most of them are expected to go on sale in the second half of next year as 2019 models. But which make is likely to...

Volvo plans a long-range electric car for 2019, details to come

2018 Volvo XC60The electric car that Volvo has long planned for 2019 could join a growing group of long-range, mass-market models like the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the upcoming Tesla Model 3, and the second-generation Nissan Leaf. The Swedish automaker has concentrated on plug-in hybrids for the most part thus far, but plans to launch a production electric car within...

Half of Norway’s new-car sales are now hybrids or electrics

Electric-car rally in Geiranger, Norway [Image: Norsk elbilforening via Flickr]Norway has achieved yet another milestone in electric-car sales. The Scandinavian country may be the friendliest for electric cars in the world, thanks to a combination of aggressive incentives, well-developed charging infrastructure, and a citizenry committed to lowering carbon emissions. Thanks to this unique array of circumstances, electric...