Audi plans new plug-in hybrid Q5, A6, A7, and A8 for Geneva reveal

Audi A8, A7, A6 and Q5 plug-in hybridsAudi's future plans for plug-in vehicles involve more than the all-electric e-tron quattro scheduled to roll out later this year. Now, with the previous plug-in hybrid, the A3 Sportback e-tron, already in the rearview mirror, the company has announced plans to reboot its plug-in lineup with four more PHEVs: the Q5, A6, A7, and A8. Going forward...

Germany fines BMW over diesel emissions

2009 BMW X5 xDrive 35dGerman automakers have been under a microscope when it comes to emissions from their diesel cars, which were formerly bestsellers in Europe. After Daimler, Volkswagen, and German supplier Bosch paid billions in fines and several Audi managers have been arrested over installing diesel-emissions cheat devices, German prosecutors have handed down a...

Tesla Model 3 vs. Polestar 2: How the two electric cars compare

Tesla Model 3 vs. Polestar 2 Among electric car rivalries, traditional roles can sometimes be upended. That's the case for the firebrand Tesla Model 3, which plays an unfamiliar role as established rival against Volvo's electric-car upstart, the Polestar 2. The Tesla Model 3 has been on sale in the U.S. since 2017, and the Polestar 2 won't arrive in the U.S. until summer...

Do you look forward to home wireless charging? Twitter poll results

2018 BMW 530e iPerformance wireless chargingIn a study released on Tuesday, Volvo and its Harris polling partners found that 29 percent of electric-car drivers wished for more wireless charging. That may or may not be what our readers think. After one of the biggest suppliers of wireless charging, Qualcomm, announced last week that it would sell its Halo wireless charging business to rival...

Honda e Prototype is a production-bound Urban EV for Europe

Honda e PrototypeOne of Honda’s best-received concepts of recent memory was the car that it brought to the Frankfurt auto show in 2017—the Urban EV Concept, a model that reincarnated the automaker’s old City hatchback, with elements of retro Civic thrown in, all built as a modern electric car. Wednesday, Honda revealed its evolution of that...

Fiat Chrysler lays groundwork to build electrified Jeep models

2018 Jeep Grand CommanderWith a $4.5 billion investment in manufacturing in Michigan announced Tuesday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will put some big plans in motion to "electrify" its entire future Jeep lineup. That is likely to include a new Jeep Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid, based on an all-new Grand Cherokee planned to debut in early 2021, although FCA would not...

Rivian patent reveals removable battery for the truck bed

Rivian R1T electric pickup conceptRivian is proving that there's more than one way to get more range out of an electric car. A new patent filing from the company reveals that its upcoming R1T electric pickup could have even more than 400 miles of range by using an auxiliary battery in the bed of the pickup. The filing was revealed on Rivian Forums last week. READ THIS: Rivian R1T...

GM rolls last Chevy Volt off Detroit assembly line

2019 Chevrolet VoltWith the end of Chevrolet Volt production last week, it looks more like pure electric cars are winning the race to transform driving over more complicated, if versatile plug-in hybrids. GM built the last 2019 Chevy Volt on February 15, and in a ceremony last Tuesday it rolled off the assembly line at GM's Hamtramck factory in Detroit—after...

Volvo XC90, XC60 T8 plug-in hybrids add electric miles for 2020

2020 Volvo XC90Volvo announced on Friday that it is updating its lineup with two new "mild-hybrids" and more electric range for its existing T8 plug-in hybrid models. The XC60 and XC90 T8 plug-in hybrids will get up to 15 percent more range, according to Volvo's European announcement, which could boost their range estimates from 17 miles to about 20 miles. DON'T...