Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, June 2017: Prime time

2017 Toyota Prius Prime, Catskill Mountains, NY, Nov 2016Toyota made a strong return to the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market in June, selling 144 Prius Prime plug-in hybrids. The tally is all the more remarkable as the vehicle has so far launched only in Quebec. Why? That province is the home of Canada’s sole zero-emission vehicle mandate, patterned on California’s. Depending on the...

France plans to ban all gasoline, diesel vehicles by 2040

Nicolas Hulot, French minister of ecological transition, announces 2040 ban on vehicles with enginesTo most North Americans, the idea of banning all vehicles with internal-combustion engines seems unthinkable. Filling up with gasoline (or diesel) is as American as are dispersed low-density suburbs without mass transit, bike paths, or even sidewalks. Europeans, more of whom live in cities and most of whom have access to a more balanced set of...

CA bill would make up for federal electric-car incentives as they expire

California state capitol, SacramentoThe state of California has a long track record of supporting electric cars and doing everything possible to ensure plug-in vehicles can be obtained by the largest number of drivers. Aside from the Federal income-tax credits available nationally, the state of California has its own purchase rebates. Local utilities have also begun to incentivize...

Electric Mini may not be made in U.K. (but would anyone care?)

MINI E electric car used in vehicle-to-grid test. Photo by University of Delaware/Evan KrapeMini, despite being owned by BMW since 1994, has long been a decidedly British brand. But its British roots may be overlooked as a decision on where Mini's electric car is to be built closes in. Most Mini production takes place at the brand's Oxford plant in England, but both supply-chain factors and Brexit may sway BMW board members into...

Chevy Bolt EV electric car does many things: autocrossing is one

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV autocrossing, Photo: Brian RoThe idea of performance and electric cars normally don't go hand in hand, unless the topic is a Tesla Model S P90 D. Outside of that one high-performance electric vehicle, casual electric cars are hardly the racer's choice, but one owner felt otherwise. Brian Ro, the owner of a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, recently decided his electric car was in need...

Are Eco settings on cabin ventilation systems a safety hazard?

2013 Jaguar XK 2-door Convertible XKR Air VentsAs corporate average fuel economy requirements that started in 2012 continue to tighten, automakers have turned to an entire arsenal of tactics to reduce the fuel their vehicles burn. Downsized and turbocharged engines, transmissions with many more gears, lighter-weight structures, better aerodynamics and more all add incrementally to efficiency...

Chevrolet Colorado ZH2: first ride in hydrogen fuel-cell Army truck

Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicleOlive drab isn't the only green thing in the U.S. Army. Currently undergoing testing at Fort Carson in Colorado, the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle illustrates the unlikely intersection between eco-friendly powertrains and the demanding needs of a vehicle that may be deployed to a war zone. The Colorado ZH2 is a collaboration...

China revises electric-car incentives to reward longer ranges

BYD e5. Photo by CarNewsChina.com.It's long been official policy for China that the country's automakers will become the world's highest-volume producer of electric cars. (It also intends to dominate lithium-ion battery cells and photovoltaic solar panels, for the record.) But the government policies and incentives to achieve that goal have often changed over the years. DON'T...

Tesla’s Q2 2017 deliveries fall slightly due to 100-kwh battery shortage

2017 Tesla Model STesla delivered slightly more than 22,000 electric cars during the second quarter of the year, split between roughly 12,000 Model S hatchback sedans and about 10,000 Model X crossover utility vehicles. That total is more than 50 percent higher than the comparable April-June number for 2016, but down from the 25,000 cars it delivered in the first...