Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
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You may not have heard it happen, but the global automotive industry changed forever on Thursday. China released its plan to require substantial sales of plug-in electric cars by all makers who want to sell in the world's largest car market, and they start in little more than a year. The levels far exceed those required by California, whose zero-emission vehicle rules have just started to ramp up for 2018 after staying steady for six years. CHECK OUT: China wants all electric cars: will it work? Reasons and reactions "It is no exaggeration to call this a landmark event in the history of the...
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Dyson electric car for 2020 draws executives from Aston Martin, Tesla
Dyson, the British appliance company best known for its bagless vacuum cleaners, has cleared up speculation that has persisted for nearly 10 years. Founder and chief engineer James Dyson officially confirmed his company is developing an electric car and is planning for a 2020 launch. Not only has...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota electric-car tech to come from venture with Mazda, Denso
Very little is known for sure about the long-range electric car Toyota will launch around 2020. Over the last two years, the company—by far the industry's strongest proponent of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles—has concluded it must field a battery-electric vehicle to stay competitive...
John Voelcker -
How Tesla Model S alters car ownership: a buyer's one-year notes
In late July, we published an article describing one electric-car driver's experience in adding solar panels to his home to help with charging his family's five electric cars. That reader, who'd like to be known just as Shiva, has now owned a 2016 Tesla Model S for a year. He recently outlined for...
John Voelcker -
Which electric car will sell best in 2018, globally? Poll results
Next year is shaping up to be a banner year for electric cars globally. The new, longer-range second-generation Nissan Leaf will be in production at three factories around the world, the Tesla Model 3 should hit volume production, and the Chevy Bolt EV will be fully available in North America...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars about to be profitable, says India's Mahindra
The market for electric cars continues to grow, but vehicles powered by fossil fuels remain dominant across the globe. Many analysts believe electric cars will reach price parity with vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines sometime within the next decade. Indian maker Mahindra, however...
Sean Szymkowski -
In the rarified but still high-volume world of global luxury auto brands, Jaguar is still a tiny player. The British brand sold fewer than 150,000 cars globally last year, one-third of the number of Land Rover and Range Rover SUVs from its sister brands within Jaguar Land Rover. Audi sold 1.9 million, BMW sold 2 million, Mercedes-Benz sold 2.1 million, and even Lexus sold 680,000. DON'T MISS: Jaguar I-Pace electric concept at LA Auto Show: video walkaround But electric cars may offer a growth area for Jaguar, which unveiled its I-Pace electric crossover concept at last autumn's Los Angeles...
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Volkswagen to show flagship all-electric ID sedan in Geneva: Phaeton successor?
The long, strange, sad saga of the now-defunct Volkswagen Phaeton will likely go down as an asterisk in VW's long history. The pet project of now-departed VW Group chairman Ferdinand Piech, a member of the Porsche family that controls the carmaker, it was a $70,000-and-up luxury sedan from the...
John Voelcker -
Which maker will sell most electric luxury cars by 2020? Take our Twitter poll
It has taken several years for European luxury makers to sort out what to do about the unexpected arrival of Tesla and its electric cars into a market they've dominated for decades. Sure, Lexus and a host of lesser Asian makes have competitive products somewhere between premium and luxury, but...
John Voelcker -
National Drive Electric Week was bigger, broader, better than ever this year
This year's National Drive Electric Week was expected to be the biggest to date after organizers announced 175 events had been planned as of July. The seventh annual event to promote electric cars grew even larger than anticipated, with 278 separate local meets, presentations, and drive events...
Sean Szymkowski -
2018 Nissan Leaf vs Chevrolet Bolt EV: new electric cars compared
The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV went on sale last December, but only became available nationwide in August. Meanwhile, electric-car shoppers waited eagerly for details of the 2018 Nissan Leaf, the second-generation car that finally premiered in early September. We've now driven both cars, and can take a...
John Voelcker -
China to build many gigafactories' worth of electric-car battery plants
While the United States federal government threatens to backslide on renewable energy, California and China continue to move at an aggressive pace to lead the world in zero-emission vehicles. However, there's another piece to the electric-car puzzle that China seems poised to lead as well: battery...
Sean Szymkowski -
Connecticut ushered in a unique electric-car incentive in 2014, and the first points of data on its effectiveness have now been published. The Connecitcut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program not only provides a direct incentive for consumers to buy electric cars, it also awards cash to the dealership that sells one. The program was designed to motivate dealers to sell electric cars, since it's generally easier to peddle gasoline-powered vehicles, which are often more profitable as well. DON'T MISS: Rewarding Dealers Who Sell Electric Cars: Connecticut Takes The...
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Tesla Model 3 interior details, features emerge from pair of videos
While the 2017 Tesla Model 3 electric car is now being delivered in small numbers to company friends and employees, not all the specifications, features, and details for the electric car are available. Now more information has emerged, in the form of a pair of videos—one by a detailer and...
John Voelcker -
2019 Volvo XC40 small SUV to become brand's first electric car
Two years ago, the Volvo XC90 large SUV launched to widespread acclaim and awards as the Sino-Swedish brand's first all-new vehicle in six years. It was followed by the S90 sedan and V90 wagon in 2017, filling out its large luxury lineup. The 2018 Volvo XC60 mid-size crossover utility is now...
John Voelcker -
VW Group makes 300 models globally, will electrify them all by 2030
Along with the gleaming concept cars and new production models unveiled at last week's Frankfurt auto show, auto-company executives also make news. Often a company's CEO or product chief will announce directions for the future, whether they're hints about upcoming vehicles or new powertrain plans...
John Voelcker -
Scots couple complete grueling Mongol Rally in electric car
The Mongol Rally is no small undertaking for any driver, in any type of vehicle. The 10,000-mile rally takes drivers from Europe to Siberia, via Mongolia, with no support vehicles or backup cars. On July 16, 2017, a Scottish couple arrived at the starting line at the Goodwood race course in England...
Sean Szymkowski -
Which electric car will sell best in 2018? Take our Twitter poll
OK, now the 2018 Nissan Leaf has made its debut, and we know the prices, specifications, and standard and optional features of the updated electric car with a projected 150 miles of range. Deliveries of the 2018 Leaf will start early next year, but meanwhile the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has been on...
John Voelcker -
Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, announced that it will invest up to $1 billion to build electric SUVs and batteries in and around its assembly plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The plans, first reported reported Thursday in The Wall Street Journal (paywalled), represent a major expansion of electric-car manufacturing in the U.S. So far, Ford, General Motors, and Nissan produce either battery-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles at U.S. plants. (The plug-in Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan is built in Canada.) CHECK OUT: Mercedes-Benz electric cars to arrive sooner as urgency...
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The 2018 Nissan Leaf has three types of cruise control: how they differ
When the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car arrives at dealerships early next year, it will offer fresh styling inside and out, more power, a 150-mile range, and an array of standard or optional active-safety features. It will come in Nissan's standard three trim levels—base S, mid-level SV, and...
John Voelcker -
Porsche Mission E electric sport sedan: 200-mile recharge in 15 minutes
While there have been lots of concept cars and production announcements, the first serious German competitor to the Tesla Model S and Model X won't arrive for at least another year. And what could prove the most potent of them all—the production version of the stunning Porsche Mission E...
John Voelcker -
Foreign makers might build electric cars in China, but rumored rule change has a catch
China's announcement 10 days ago that it was assessing a timetable for ending sales of new cars with gasoline or diesel engines continues to reverberate. The country intends to dominate global production of lithium-ion battery cells and electric vehicles, for a host of reasons from industrial power...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Bolt EV, Sonic, Bolt, Sonic: GM mingles gas, electric cars on same assembly line
General Motors didn't have to construct an all-new assembly plant to build its affordable, mass-market Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. In fact, it produces the electric car at the existing Orion assembly plant in Michigan, which opened in 1983. That's not the most interesting aspect of Bolt EV...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mercedes EQC electric SUV reservations open in Norway, for 2019 delivery
The country of Norway has been among the most ardent in urging drivers to buy zero-emission vehicles, offering a friendly market in which automakers can launch new electric cars. In fact, Norway was the first nation to announce a ban on the sale of new vehicles powered by fossil fuels; it's due to...
Sean Szymkowski