Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
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Tesla is closing in on a deal to begin production of its cars in China, after it signed a preliminary agreement to explore building cars near the major city of Shanghai. By signing the preliminary agreement, Tesla will begin the first step towards local production in China, a move that would significantly lower costs. More importantly, it will help Tesla avoid China's 25 percent import tax currently placed on Tesla cars brought in from the United States. DON'T MISS: Tesla and China: why an obvious match isn't as simple as it seems Bloomberg reports Tesla will more clearly define its...
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Drive a Chevy Bolt EV electric car 313 miles on a charge: here's how
Electric-car range is a funny thing. It is rated by the EPA, and most people focus on that combined figure, though an individual's use may greatly affect the car's actual range. Gentle drivers who drive mostly at lower speeds can greatly outdo that combined range, while steady driving at maximum...
John Voelcker -
Latest teaser for 2018 Nissan Leaf shows ProPilot Assist self-driving capability
Nissan has begun to release a slow trickle of information about the 2018 Leaf electric car, but the latest teaser has nothing to do with its zero-emission powertrain. Instead, Nissan has revealed the 2018 Leaf will arrive with ProPilot Assist, the automaker's driver-assistance technology. The...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mercedes to show all-electric hatchback concept this fall, countering Audi: report
German luxury carmakers often follow each other's product plans in something close to lockstep. Let one maker—BMW, say—introduce a new category of vehicle—sport utility "coupes," say—and soon Mercedes-Benz and Audi will have their own too. And the premium brands appear to be...
John Voelcker -
Is the latest Tesla Autopilot 'smooth as silk' as Musk claims? Video shows results
Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised that the latest iteration of Autopilot would be the most refined variation of the software yet. In fact, the Tesla chief recently tweeted that the new Autopilot algorithm would be "smooth as silk." One owner, James Hansbert, recorded his experience after receiving the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Demand for Hyundai Ioniq hybrid, electric models higher than expected, company says
The issue first came to light in a question from a reader. It boiled down to this: "What's going on with the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, and why can't I get one at my local dealer in California?" The e-mail even included a link to a Korean business-news article, which is unusual for reader queries...
John Voelcker -
Working to redirect attention from its diesel-emission scandal—soon to wind down in the U.S. but ongoing in Europe—Volkswagen Group has talked a lot about its future electric-car plans. It will launch three high-volume battery-electric vehicles on a common architecture over the next five years, and has now shown concepts for all three. Now it has confirmed that it will build the second and most iconic of those, the Volkswagen ID Buzz. DON'T MISS: VW ID Buzz concept: all-electric Microbus could arrive in 2022 (Jan 2017) Unveiled at January's Detroit auto show, the ID Buzz is a...
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How California and China plan to push for millions of zero-emission vehicles
California has long been the nation's leader in zero-emission vehicles, with initiatives dating more than two decades. Now the Golden State is partnering with China, the world's largest car market, to accelerate that country's zero-emission goals. The state announced a new initiative with China, in...
Sean Szymkowski -
Yes, ads for the Chevy Bolt EV electric car do actually exist; here's one
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV isn't yet available in all states, but it's been on sale in California for six months now. While Chevy has said all along it will market the 238-mile electric car in a very targeted way, specifically trying to reach people similar to existing owners, it may have expanded...
John Voelcker -
The US Senate once had its own electric cars: two Studebakers that ran underground
One advantage of electric cars is that unlike gasoline or steam cars, they have no emissions. More than a century ago, that was why the U.S. Capitol acquired two custom-built electric cars, nicknamed "Tommy" and "Peggy." They were built by Studebaker, an early and hallowed U.S. car brand that...
John Voelcker -
VW too will launch electric-car joint venture in China with partner
Volkswagen is following the lead of many other global automakers: it has signed a deal for a new electric-vehicle joint venture in China. The German automaker said this week it has partnered with Chinese automaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. (JAC) to produce electric vehicles, as well as to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla changes warranty, cuts used Model S prices, to lure Model 3 buyers
Tesla has given its used electric-car sales a jolt and sweetened the deals for potential buyers. CEO Elon Musk announced changes to the Tesla Model S sedan's warranty structure and major price cuts on used examples during the annual shareholder meeting held June 6. "Maybe somebody wants to buy a...
Sean Szymkowski -
As Kermit the Frog sang, sometimes it's not easy being green. That appears to be particularly the case in Michigan, home to the three largest U.S. automakers. The Great Lakes State is a global hub of automotive technology, the bulk of it centered around internal-combustion engines. CHECK OUT: Michigan Gov Snyder Signs 'Corrupt Politics At Its Worst' Anti-Tesla Bill (Oct 2014) If you want to buy or drive an electric car in Michigan, however, the odds appear to be stacked against you at the moment. Consider the following hurdles: (1) BAN ON TESLA SALES It's still not possible for Tesla to sell...
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Electric-car leases in California: Leaf, Volt, Focus vs Clarity
The state of California is undeniably the United States' premier market for electric vehicles. It's also a market where automakers actually need to sell certain volumes of zero-emission cars, which means some of the nation's best lease deals on electric cars can be found in the Golden State. There...
Sean Szymkowski -
Driving a Chevy Bolt EV electric car halfway across the U.S.: what it takes
How badly do you want a new, affordable, long-range electric car? Badly enough to drive it more than 800 miles without a unified fast-charging infrastructure? That's exactly what Bill Massmann, a professional land surveyor in St. Louis, Missouri, did to become the proud owner of a new 2017...
John Voelcker -
Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV being built now; Europe launch this year, U.S. in 2018?
While Audi and Mercedes-Benz have trumpeted the electric crossover utility vehicles they will offer in 2018 and 2019, a smaller competitor is keeping pace with the German giants. The British brand Jaguar won praise for the design of its I-Pace electric SUV on its debut at last November's Los...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes to make electric cars at its China factory with BAIC
It's not only electric cars: China is also now the world's largest market for luxury cars. Audi got an early foothold among party officials and high-ranking government officials, but the allure of global brands has ensured that Mercedes-Benz and BMW sell lots of cars there as well. Now, Mercedes...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model X gets uniform 5-star safety ratings from NHTSA, first SUV to do so
Tesla's Model X has secured a major accomplishment: it is officially the first SUV to receive 5-star crash-test ratings in every single category. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Model X uniform 5-star ratings, which Tesla says is due to the design of the all-electric...
Sean Szymkowski -
What would you pay to lease a smooth, quiet, comfortable, relatively luxurious mid-size electric sedan with only about 90 miles of range? Honda hopes the answer is $269 a month with $1,730 down, on a three-year lease that takes advantage of the federal income-tax credit for electric-car purchase. Pricing is now out for the 2017 Honda Clarity Electric, the battery-electric entry in the Clarity range that already includes a hydrogen fuel-cell model and will add a plug-in hybrid for 2018. DON'T MISS: Honda Clarity Electric, Plug-In Hybrid: first drives, impressions The all-electric Clarity is...
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Bill in NY legislature would let Tesla quadruple store locations in state
Tesla's five New York state stores could increase four-fold should a new piece of legislation pass the state legislature. The bill calls for an increase "certificates of registration for entities that manufacture or assemble zero-emissions vehicles." In turn, it would "authorize 20 certificates...
Sean Szymkowski -
2018 Nissan Leaf: rumored timing, steps for U.S. rollout
With the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV on the market since December and Tesla Model 3 deliveries said to start within a few months, the upcoming 2018 Nissan Leaf is in danger of getting lost in the noise level. The second generation of Nissan's pioneering electric car will likely be unveiled within the...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Bolt EV: nationwide sales moved up to August for electric car
A slow Chevrolet Bolt EV rollout across the U.S. has frustrated electric-car advocates in many states toward the end of the list. While the first Bolt EVs were delivered in California last December, the last group wasn't scheduled to receive their cars until September. Now GM has moved that up by a...
John Voelcker -
NEVS reveals Chinese electric cars based on former Saab 9-3, 9-3X models (updated)
Swedish auto brand Saab may never return, but the company NEVS has now officially debuted its production electric cars—which are adapted from Saab assets it acquired following the brand's fall from grace. NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) is, in fact, a Swedish company, though it's...
Sean Szymkowski -
How much is a replacement Chevy Bolt EV electric-car battery?
It's one of the most common questions among electric-car buyers: what happens if the battery fails? The answer is that all electric-car batteries are warranted against failure for either 8 years/100,000 miles or 10 years/150,000 miles, depending on which state you live in. The followup is often...
John Voelcker