Mercedes-Benz plans to expand lineup of more capable plug-in hybrids

2019 Mercedes-Benz S560eMercedes-Benz announced plans Wednesday improve the range and capability of its plug-in hybrids and to bring the flexible powertrain to more models. It also introduced a new brand name to designate its plug-in hybrid models: EQ Power. The EQ Power designation will appear alongside the company's new EQ line of all-electric cars in Mercedes...

Bollinger Motors announces B2 electric pickup alongside SUV

Bollinger B2Bollinger Motors has already generated a lot of interest in its B1 electric SUV. And on Wednesday it released images and some details of its long awaited second model, a pickup. The American startup electric truckmaker is one of several to announce an electric pickup. Tesla has said it is developing a pickup; the company asked its fans to submit...

Mercedes breaks ground on U.S. battery factory

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQCMercedes-Benz has broken ground on a new battery factory in the U.S.—right next door to its SUV factory in Alabama. The move is an indication that the company plans to build its upcoming all-electric EQC electric SUV in Alabama. The EQC is expected to go on sale in the U.S. as a 2021 model. Mercedes exports many of the SUVs it produces in...

Subsidy’s swansong: Canadian plug-in sales take a dip

2018 Nissan Leaf SLAfter generous tax credits expired in Canada’s largest province of Ontario, September, not April, turned out to be the coldest month for electric-car sales North of the Border. The tax credit was worth up to $10,000 ($14,000 Canadian.) British Columbia was a bright spot, with the provincial government announcing plans to maintain current...

Tesla again claims higher safety rating than NTHSA gives

Tesla Model 3 NHTSA testTesla took a page out of its Model S playbook over the weekend and announced that its Model 3 is the safest car that NHTSA has tested. Only Tesla isn't NHTSA. In a blog post Sunday night, Tesla said it based its findings on NHTSA data, just as it did with the Model S in 2013. "The agency’s data shows that vehicle occupants are less likely to...

How fast is fast enough for fast charging? Twitter poll results

EVgo charging station in Union City, California with resused BMW i3 battery backupIn an effort to make electric-car charging as ubiquitous and easy as filling up with gas, fast chargers are coming to malls, gas stations, rest areas and more, and these upcoming chargers are getting a lot faster. Where original fast chargers could replenish less than 65 miles in a half-hour charging session, some new chargers today can do up to...