Not only do electric vehicles cost literally cents per kilometer to drive, but they also make routine car servicing a thing of the past. The maintenance schedule for Chevrolet's soon to be launched Bolt electric hatch back comprises tires rotation every 12,500 km (7,500 miles) and that's about it until a coolant system flush @ 240,000 km (150,000 miles). If an accurate wheel alignment accompanies every new set of tires you can effectively skip rotation which means the Bolt practically requires absolutely zero maintenance.
And that's only the tip of the iceberg. What goes unsaid is that in EV applications electric motors practically last forever. The international standard for rating motor insulation is based on a half life of 20,000 hours. For every 10c increase in insulation rating life expectancy doubles. For example, a class H (180c) motor that runs at 150c, the insulation systems would lose half it's mechanical strength after 160,000 hours. Power electronics components such as those found in motor inverters are typically rated at up to 100,000 hours.
To put that into context, with average annual motoring of 15,000 km @ an average speed of 60 km/h, a typical EV motor will comfortably cover a minimum 1.2 million kilometres, or 80 years of reliable motoring. No wonder dealerships hate selling EVs!
While the Nissan Leaf remains the best-selling electric car in other markets, the Japanese automaker's French partner once again remains on top of the European sales charts. The Renault Zoe was again the best-selling electric car in Europe between January and October, the most recent month with available data. The Zoe and Leaf have traded the lead... 
Debate over the profitability of Tesla electric cars has raged for years among its fans and detractors. Tesla supporters point to financial data from the Silicon Valley automaker to support the idea that it makes money on each car it sells. Skeptics point out that save for two marginally profitable quarters, one in 2009 and another this year... 
When's the last time you sat down and read large parts of an owner's manual for a car? If it's been a few years—or a few decades—you may be surprised how frustrating they are if you're actually searching for specific information. By and large, their indexes are atrocious (often using only manufacturer terms like "connected multimedia... 
Global efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions may be starting to pay off, suggests a recent study. Last month, scientists released an assessment that suggests global carbon emissions did not increase significantly in 2016. That makes this the third year in a row that carbon emissions have remained flat. DON'T MISS: Renewable energy growth... 
When it comes to green cars, California leads the nation—and has done so for decades. California residents buy more hybrids and electric cars than those of any other state, and it is also the only state with fueling infrastructure to support the sale of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Consumer enthusiasm is underpinned by strict regulations... 
The point at which electric cars will become truly cost competitive with internal-combustion cars is a subject of vigorous discussion by advocates and skeptics alike. But could tougher emissions standards help push the cost of electric and internal-combustion powertrains toward convergence? Even if the cost of electric cars doesn't drop... 
Today, we review the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, Chrysler reportedly plans to unveil a new electric car at CES, and Porsche may have used an illegal emissions-cheating "defeat device" in its gasoline cars Missed last week's news? Catch up with our Week in Reverse feature. Chrysler will reveal a new electric car at CES in January... 
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is among a roster of chief executives from Silicon Valley set to meet with president-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, according to news reports. Musk has suggested that climate change is among the most urgent challenges facing mankind, one reason his company makes only zero-emission electric cars. The president-elect, on the... 
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime turned out to be a better plug-in hybrid than we had expected when we drove it around sunny Ojai, California, on the press launch in October. It's a viable competitor to the second-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, though the Volt has an EPA-rated 53 miles of electric range to the Prime's 25 miles. Now we've had... 
