Why aren’t there more hybrid crossover utilities and SUVs?

2017 Nissan Rogue HybridIt's one of the most frequent questions asked by shoppers interested in utility vehicles with better gas mileage: why aren't there more hybrid SUVs and crossovers? Following the 2012 demise of the much-loved Ford Escape Hybrid, it took four years for the 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to emerge. This year, we have the 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid to compete...

3 California battery storage sites come online, one from Tesla

Tesla and SolarCity energy storage array on Ta'u, American SamoaLong a leader in the push to reduce vehicle emissions and switch to renewable energy, California marks another milestone this week. The last of three battery energy-storage sites will come online in Southern California, providing storage and buffering for unpredictable renewable energy. Together, the three sites add up to capacity equal to fully...

VW suggests engine downsizing is done; emissions rules are the reason

2018 Volkswagen Golf SportWagenWhen it comes to improving fuel efficiency, simply making an engine smaller is a fairly direct way to get results. It's the approach that many automakers have taken in recent years. They have downsized engines across model lines, usually adding turbochargers at the same time to match the power output of the larger-displacement engines that they...

Bowing to inevitable, Faraday Future scales back plant plans

Faraday Future FF 91During a press conference at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, Faraday Future announced plans to build its first electric car within two years. Later in 2016, it selected a site for what it claimed would be a $1 billion electric-car factory to be built in North Las Vegas, Nevada. But work at the site stopped late last year, and a new report...

Lucid Air electric car video show luxury sedan on the road

Lucid AirLucid Motors, the California automotive startup formerly known as Atieva, unveiled its Air electric car in December 2016. But so far, the car hasn't been seen on public roads. Lucid has now rectified that by releasing a video that shows its luxury sedan driving around the San Francisco Bay Area. DON'T MISS: Lucid reveals design for its luxury Air...

What will a fully-loaded Tesla Model 3 cost? Poll results

Tesla Model 3Now that the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV is arriving in more dealers each month, anticipation fever has turned to the Tesla Model 3. (There's a new generation of the Nissan Leaf coming too, but so far not a lot of people seem to be focusing on that.) The Silicon Valley carmaker's Model 3 electric sedan is promised to start at $35,000 and to go into...

Toyota shows Mirai Super Bowl ad, but only in California

2017 Toyota Mirai Super Bowl ad 'Daisy' screenshotAs is the norm these days, the ads running during Super Bowl LI this past weekend drew almost as much attention as the game itself. Automakers are among the myriad companies that expend considerable creative and monetary resources on Super Bowl ads every year. And green cars make occasional appearances in these ads. DON'T MISS: Here are the car...