Ghosn on EVs, Honda Clarity PHEV driven, California emissions standards, GM talks CAFE changes, and Japanese solid-state batteries: Today’s Car News

2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Plugged into L1 in Corte Madera, Calif.Carlos Ghosn, chairman of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, and a leading proponent of electric cars, believes the industry has found the electric-range sweet spot. It's the price that must drop to sway consumers. Green Car Reports takes another look at the 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV, with some historical perspective. Major Japanese automakers...

2018 Honda Clarity PHEV revisited: is this the car Bill Clinton wanted built?

2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Plugged into L1 in Corte Madera, Calif.With new stewardship comes new perspective—sometimes on old things. Here at Green Car Reports, we have driven the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid a couple of times. New reviewers sometimes bring new context and background to subjects we've covered before. Driving a Clarity PHEV in and around San Francisco for four days earlier this month...

Japanese automakers team up to solidify next-gen batteries

Lithium-ion cell and battery pack assembly for Nissan Leaf electric car in Sunderland, U.K., plantFacing competition from American scientists, Japanese automakers are teaming up to develop solid-state lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, according to a Nikkei report. Some engineers see solid state batteries as the holy grail for cars because they are safer and have higher energy density than today's lithium-ion batteries. That can give...

Automakers may not want to roll back fuel-economy standards after all

General Motors CEO Mary Barra provides an update on the ignition switch recall investigationAverting a showdown between 17 states and the federal government may take priority over industry-friendly fuel-economy targets. At least, that's what they're saying. Reports leading up to a May 11 meeting between leaders of America's automotive industry and President Donald Trump indicate that automakers may lobby the federal government to scale...

Transitions at Green Car Reports

Honda Clarity series with Green Car Reports editor John Voelcker at Honda R&D Center, Tochigi, JapanIf you can get them to admit it, many reporters and writers consider editors’ notes to be self-indulgent. Sometimes they’re necessary, however—and this is one of those times. Regular readers of Green Car Reports may have noticed that our writing staff has changed in the last few weeks. DON'T MISS: 7 things we learned in 9 years...