Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

  • 2018 Hyundai Kona

    Both Hyundai and Kia planned to approach the electric and plug-in car market aggressively, but now the Korean siblings plan to boost production even over totals announced earlier this year. This past summer, both brands said they would increase their electrified car production to 50,000 units next year. Now, according to a report earlier this week, the brands now target a combined 100,000 plug-in cars produced in 2018—thanks to increases in Kia Niro electric and Hyundai Kona electric production. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Kona small SUV revealed, with electric version to come The revised...

  • 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV
    Plug-in electric car sales for Oct: new Bolt EV record, Prime and Volt tied

    Chevy did it again. More specifically, GM delivered 2,781 Chevrolet Bolt EVs to buyers during October, a new high for its 238-mile electric car, and the highest reported sales of any plug-in electric vehicle last month. That brings the total number of Bolt EVs sold in 11 months to 17,083 (plus an...

  • Nissan IMx concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
    Which maker will sell the first affordable AWD electric SUV? Take our Twitter poll

    Utility vehicles are hot. There's no denying it. The best-selling passenger cars in the U.S. have been mid-size sedans like the Toyota Camry for a couple of decades, but now they're likely to be eclipsed by compact crossover utility models like the Toyota RAV4. Of course, the Ford F-Series line of...

  • Greenhouse-gas emissions of battery-electric vehicles globally in MPG equivalent [U of Michigan TRI]
    Electric cars emit less carbon than average U.S. new car, everywhere in the world

    When electric cars first arrived in 2011, it was a reasonable question: Aren't you just shifting emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack? The answer is yes, but the carbon emissions per mile of an electric car—properly measured on a wells-to-wheels basis—are virtually always lower...

  • Tesla Model 3 via Model 3 Owners' Club video
    Tesla Model 3 owners' club video offers new details on electric car

    First-hand details about the Tesla Model 3 remain almost as rare as the cars themselves; Tesla has built only a few hundred Model 3 electric cars since its launch in July Now a new video provides an incredibly in-depth look at Tesla's mass-production car, though we suspect it may have been approved...

  • Nissan IMx concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
    Nissan shares what future electric cars should sound like: the 'Canto' theme

    Less than two years from now, barring action by the Trump administration, a National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration rule will require hybrid and electric cars to produce an audible noise under 19 mph. Alongside its Nissan IMx self-driving electric SUV concept it launched at the recent...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 "first production" car, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017

    Only one topic really mattered in the Tesla third-quarter financial results call for analysts held Wednesday afternoon: Model 3. In light of far lower September deliveries than promised as late as July by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, all interest focused on the more-affordable, higher-volume electric car that's meant to catapult Tesla to selling half a million cars a year. The news for October deliveries was, to put it bluntly, not good. DON'T MISS: Parts order for Tesla Model 3 cut by 40 percent starting in December: report Model 3 deliveries had kicked off in late July with a highly touted ceremony...

  • 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV
    2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV: minimal changes, same range and price

    With sales of the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car rising every month, shoppers are inevitably curious about any changes to the Bolt for the 2018 model year, its second. Now the information is out, and buyers will find the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV is virtually the same car as the 2017 model—with...

  • Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
    Toyota electric cars could use airless tires if research pans out: report

    Although electric cars offer numerous benefits in engineering, design, and zero-emission operation, their overall weight remains a hurdle for automakers, especially as bigger batteries with longer ranges become more important. It now appears that Toyota may look to airless tires as a way to cut...

  • Better Place 2012 Renault Fluence ZE just before return to Renault [photo: Brian of London]
    'Totaled' is the long, sad story of Better Place and its failure: book review

    It is just over five years since I bought my Better Place Renault 2012 Fluence ZE in Israel—and a little over five months since I returned it to Israel’s Renault importer for a cash settlement. By that time, the 22-kilowatt-hour battery capacity was down to 11.3 kwh, and a warning light...

  • 2018 Hyundai Ioniq
    Could automotive subscription services boost electric-car use?

    As automakers commit to more electric and electrified cars in the near future, many hurdles remain that can make owning an electric car more difficult than a conventional vehicle. Meanwhile, as electrified cars become more common, automakers and brands will also continue to introduce new models for...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017
    Parts order for Tesla Model 3 cut by 40 percent starting in December: report

    Relatively few auto-company CEOs would publicly mention sleeping on the roof of one of their factory buildings. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not like most other chief executives of auto companies. Most also don't break news via tweet, for instance. A tweet by Musk Thursday evening referred to the...

  • 2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4 plug-in hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, July 2017

    When the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that imposed new fees on owners of hybrid and electric cars only, it was swiftly sued by the Sierra Club. Now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in that suit, filed in August. In a 6-3 decision, the state's highest court struck down the bill as an unconstitutional tax on electric- and hybrid-vehicle owners. DON'T MISS: Norway proposes electric car tax that could affect Tesla significantly The court said the tax was untethered from a regulatory purpose and simply sought to impose a new financial burden and raise...

  • 2017 Fiat 500e
    Electric cars are some of fastest-moving used vehicles in the U.S. (updated)

    Not every car buyer can afford a brand-new vehicle, which often makes gently used vehicles an appealing alternative. But while cars that plug in take only a small share of new-vehicle purchases today—about 1 percent—they apparently move quite fast off dealer lots once they're used. In...

  • Tesla Supercharger for city centers
    Tesla Model 3 fast-charging at Superchargers will not be free

    Before production of the Tesla Model 3 began, company CEO Elon Musk promised Tesla would offer owners some sort of free Supercharger use. Specifically, Musk said, "free long-distance charging is [included]," which led many reservation holders to believe they would receive free Supercharger credits...

  • Nissan IMx concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
    Nissan IMx Concept electric SUV debuts at Tokyo Motor Show

    The long-awaited all-electric crossover utility concept from Nissan finally made its public debut Wednesday morning on the first press day at the Tokyo auto show. Dubbed the Nissan IMx, the compact crossover concept includes both fully autonomous driving and an electric range given as more than 370...

  • Polestar 1
    Polestar's second, third cars will be all-electric, one to challenge Tesla Model 3

    While Tesla works out the production bottlenecks that plague the Model 3, rivals continue to gear up to challenge the Silicon Valley maker's more affordable electric car. Specifically, Tesla's latest announced competitor comes from the new brand at Volvo Cars Group, named Polestar, which has become...

  • 2018 BMW i3, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show
    Who sold 10,000 plug-in vehicles last month? (Not Tesla, Nissan, or Chevy)

    When consumers think of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, most likely conjure thoughts of Tesla, or perhaps Nissan with its Leaf and Chevrolet with its Volt and Bolt EV. However, none of those three brands managed to sell 10,000 plug-in cars during the month of September. That sales honor...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 "first production" car, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017

    If ever a car were in "production hell"—to use Tesla CEO Elon Musk's memorable phrase—the Tesla Model 3 is, right around now. From the first hand-built Model 3s delivered in late July through the end of September, fewer than 300 cars have gone to buyers—far short of the 1,500 predicted by Musk in early July. That now makes it highly unlikely Tesla will be able to ramp to its projected production pace of 5,000 cars a week by the end of this year. DON'T MISS: Tesla axes hundreds of employees for 'performance' with Model 3 lagging: report Reports in The Wall Street Journal have...

  • European Union battery alliance announcement
    EU announces launch of battery alliance to boost cells for electric cars

    As it stands today, Asia dominates the production of electric-car battery cells globally, with Japanese and Korean companies representing the bulk of the industry outside of booming Chinese makers. Europe, however, lacks a single major player in the fabrication and assembly of lithium-ion battery...

  • 2014 Tesla Model S in China
    Tesla to build electric-car factory in Chinese free-trade zone: report

    China is the world's largest car market, and the country plans to phase out sales of new vehicles with combustion engines in the future. Tesla makes and sells only electric cars, and it aspires to become a volume automaker, meaning China is key to its future. The Chinese government effectively...

  • ebee streelight charging station
    Arizona joins 7 Western states in deal to expand electric-car charging networks (update)

    The Western United States will soon see an electric-car charging network that covers 5,000 miles of roadways. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced on October 4 that he and six other governors in western states have agreed to develop a network of fast-charge stations in the region. Now...

  • Rotary engine
    Mazda all but confirms rotary range extender engine for electric car

    How Mazda plans to integrate plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles into its range of increasingly efficient gasoline and diesel models is a topic that interests parts of the global auto industry. In 2019, the small Japanese maker will offer a combustion-engine technology never before...

  • Cummins Urban Hauler Tractor concept
    Cummins buys Brammo electric-drivetrain group for future electric semi

    Cummins has long been known for its diesel engines, but the company recently revealed its first concept truck using an all-electric powertrain. The Urban Hauler Tractor debuted last month and Cummins said it previewed a production model that could arrive by the end of this decade. Now, the...

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