As European countries continue to crack down on emissions from road vehicles, automakers are stepping up with solutions to ease reduce levels of smog-causing nitrogen oxides, especially in city centers. Ford identified the commercial vehicle segment as one it believes is ripe for electrification, and earlier this month it revealed its Ford Transit... Ford Transit van with range-extended electric powertrain revealed
As European countries continue to crack down on emissions from road vehicles, automakers are stepping up with solutions to ease reduce levels of smog-causing nitrogen oxides, especially in city centers. Ford identified the commercial vehicle segment as one it believes is ripe for electrification, and earlier this month it revealed its Ford Transit... ![2012 Chevrolet Volt crosses 400,000 miles, September 2017 [photo: owner Erick Belmore]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2012-chevrolet-volt-crosses-400000-miles-september-2017-photo-owner-erick-belmore_100621124_t.gif)
As more battery-electric cars are sold and more drivers become aware of them, the question of battery life recurs among pretty much every potential buyer. How long will the battery last? Will I have to replace it every 18 months as I do in my smartphone? Data on the liquid-cooled battery packs of older Tesla Model S and Chevrolet Volt cars offers... 
While the 2018 BMW i3 will formally debut next week at the Frankfurt auto show, the company has released details ahead of time on the updates to the lineup of its compact electric car. While battery range stays the same as last year, a new i3s model (for Sport) has been added, with revised suspension and a Sport mode added to its drive-mode... 
The 2017 Karma Revero remains as much of a head-turner today as the low, sleek four-door sedan was when it debuted a decade ago under another name. It also happens to be a range-extended electric luxury sedan, though we tend to think that the Karma would sell just as well if it ran on coal dust and baby-seal blood. It's a big, low, handsome shape... ![2014 BMW i3 REx range-extended electric car at 3 years [photo: owner Tom Moloughney]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2014-bmw-i3-rex-range-extended-electric-car-at-3-years-photo-owner-tom-moloughney_100607410_t.gif)
This week, my 2014 i3 REx turned three years old; I picked it up on May 21, 2014. For the most part I’ve been very pleased with the car. It’s definitely not perfect, but then again no car is. It has fit my needs and driving demands perfectly and I only needed to drive on the range extender for about 2,700 of the 71,000 miles that I've... 
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... ![2013 Chevrolet Volt in Venice, California [photo: Chris Williams]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2013-chevrolet-volt_100407520_t.gif)
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... 
Advocates of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell cars are often at odds over which powertrain technology is the more practical solution to reducing emissions. But French firm Symbio continues to experiment with ways to combine the two. It fits hydrogen fuel cells as range extenders for battery-electric vehicles, primarily small delivery vans... ![Section of 2018 BMW i3 spy shot [image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien, as used on Motor Authority]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/section-of-2018-bmw-i3-spy-shot-image-via-s-baldauf-sb-medien-as-used-on-motor-authority_100593578_t.gif)
This year's updated BMW i3 electric car is only just arriving at U.S. dealerships after a battery-capacity boost that gives it longer range. But already some details of the 2018 BMW i3 have leaked out, in the form of spy photos and further rumors about more battery capacity yet. Unlike our usual previews based on manufacturer releases, then... 
The 2017 BMW i3 represents the first significant update of BMW's electric car since it went on sale in the U.S. back in May 2014. This mid-cycle refresh includes several updates, most notably a much larger battery pack and a corresponding increase in its EPA-rated range. Battery capacity rises 50 percent, from 22 to 33 kilowatt hours, and BMW says...