Is Chevy FNR-X concept the plug-in hybrid CrossVolt SUV?

Teaser photo of Chevrolet FNR-X plug-in crossover utility concept for 2017 Shanghai auto showIt's a single teaser shot, obviously of a Chevy front end, with unmistakable design nods to the Camaro muscle car. But the image of the Chevrolet FNR-X concept, to be unveiled at the Shanghai auto show less than two weeks hence, may be the first clue to some new GM plug-in hybrid offerings in the future. Along with a plug-in hybrid version of the...

Tesla Model 3 caught on video during daylight testing

Tesla Model 3 test car, Los Altos, CA, Apr 8, 2017  [clip from YouTube video by OMG_Tesla}The emergence of spy photos, and more recently video, has always been one of the standard indicators of a car nearing production. With production still said to start this July, pre-production versions of the Tesla Model 3 electric car should have been popping up in spy photos by now. Two weeks ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted brief footage of what...

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: full production to start today for plug-in minivan

2017 Chrysler Pacifica HybridIt's a well-reviewed new minivan design from the company that invented the modern minivan three decades ago. Unlike any other minivan, however, its large battery pack gives it 33 miles of EPA-rated electric range, and it can drive largely on battery alone despite its size, its seven seats, and its gaping cargo capacity. It's the 2017 Chrysler...

Four of 10 drivers globally would consider an electric car

2015 Nissan LeafIt’s been merely six years since the first modern electric car hit the streets, and the segment looks ready to take off. Over 43,000 people residing in 52 countries all around the globe were asked whether they are considering buying an electric car in the next five years. On average, four out of 10 motorists say they’re either very...

Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, March 2017: Chevy charges ahead

2017 Chevrolet Volt in Vancouver, BC, CanadaThe Chevy Volt likely continued its winning ways atop the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle sales charts in March. Its 377 sales give it a comfortable margin over the Tesla Model S's high mark of 325, set in March 2016 before the Model X became available. The Chevy Bolt's 241 units were nearly triple the 86 sold in February, and could be enough to...

Mazda’s electric car gets patents for rotary range-extender engine

Mazda Demio EV test-fleet electric car in Japan (aka Mazda2)Recent patent filings suggest Mazda’s next Wankel engine will equip a battery-powered car, not a rear-wheel drive heir to emblematic sports coupes like its RX-7 and RX-8. Mazda has invested more time and money into the rotary engine than any other automaker, so executives are reluctant to let it fade away into history. While the RX-8 has...

Putting plug-in electric car sales in perspective: they’re still very low

2017 Nissan Leaf  Volume sales of plug-in cars, both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models, began more than six years ago. From a first-year total of about 17,000 in 2011, they rose tenfold over five years, to roughly 160,000 last year in the U.S. But it's important to understand that despite their growth rate, cars with plugs still represent only a tiny...

More details on fast-charging rate in 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car at EVgo fast-charging station, Newport Centre, Jersey City, NJFor a few years now, Tesla has shown what a nationwide network of DC fast-charging sites for long-range electric cars should look like. Its Supercharger network now covers virtually all of the lower 48 states, and until earlier this year, it was completely free to Tesla drivers. The Chevrolet Bolt EV, the first affordable battery-electric car with...

Hong Kong closed a tax loophole; is Tesla ancillary damage?

First Tesla Model S delivered in Hong KongGovernment officials in Hong Kong have eliminated a popular tax exemption that made electric vehicles much cheaper to buy than comparable gasoline-powered models. Now Tesla worries it could take the brunt of the blowback. The loophole helped make Hong Kong one of the biggest overseas markets for the Silicon Valley carmaker's luxury electric cars...