plug-in cars
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When plug-in electric cars came on the market less than four years ago, the first 240-Volt home charging stations carried four-figure price tags. Now a handful of models cost less than $500--and a fairly high-amperage model is being offered by Home Depot this month for $499 after a special offer. The Schneider Electric EVlink 30-Amp Level 2 charging station is offered at $599, but there's a special discount code ("EVLINKSUMMER") that cuts the price by a further $100. DON'T MISS: 2014 BMW i3 REx 38-HP Range Extender Vs. 14,000-Foot Mountain: Who Wins? The amperage rating is an important, and...
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In CA, Renters Can Now Install Electric-Car Charging Stations
A new California law would require landlords to let tenants install charging stations.
Stephen Edelstein -
'Tesla Hunger Games': Are States In 'Race To Bottom' For Gigafactory?
Analysts criticize the competition for Tesla's battery Gigafactory.
Stephen Edelstein -
BYD's Rising Electric-Car Sales Swamped By Falling Gas Models
Chinese automaker BYD was the first car company in the world to put a plug-in hybrid passenger car into production, a couple of years before the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car hit the road. Despite several hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric product lines, however, the vast...
John Voelcker -
2018 Nissan Leaf Renderings: How Conservative Will Design Be?
It's long been acknowledged that the current Nissan Leaf electric car is a radical and distinctive design, just as the landmark 2004 Toyota Prius hybrid was. But some portion of potential buyers, who may be amenable to the benefits of driving a battery-electric vehicle, won't consider the Leaf...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Ad Shows Driver...Not Plugging In (Video)
Toyota has been quite upfront about its belief that plug-in electric cars are not the technology of the future. (It says hydrogen fuel-cell cars are.) And now this belief has appeared in the advertising for its Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. That car is the third or fourth best-selling car with a...
John Voelcker -
The 2015 Tesla Model X could be a bigger success than the Model S, according to Morgan Stanley.
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2015 Kia Soul EV: Animals, Electrons, Maroon 5 (Video)
Well, it's about time: An electric-car maker is using straight-out sex appeal to market a new electric car. Even if it is, errrmmmm, rodent sex appeal. A new video posted last Wednesday uses Kia's now-familiar supersized hamsters to market the new 2015 Kia Soul EV. DON'T MISS: 2015 Kia Soul EV...
John Voelcker -
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf Price To Start At $36,265, Top Trim Level Only
The 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car will be priced from $36,265, VW announced this morning. And the first battery-electric car ever offered in the U.S. by Volkswagen will be offered only in the very top Golf trim level, the SEL Premium model. The 2015 e-Golf goes on sale in November at selected...
John Voelcker -
Who Wins Electric-Car Brand Battle? BMW, Tesla Have The Buzz Now
Sales numbers aside, are BMW and Tesla winning the electric-car brand battle?
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla CEO Elon Musk's Personal Touch: Secret To His Success?
How does a car-company CEO get to be a rock star? It helps, of course, if your company makes a five-passenger luxury sedan that outdrags a Porsche 911, uses half the energy of a Prius, and has the highest crash-safety rating ever recorded. But Elon Musk has done something else to separate himself...
David Noland -
GM's 200-Mile Electric Sonic EV For 2017: What We Know So Far: UPDATED
The arrival of a moderately-priced battery electric car with a rated range of 200 miles will change the entire market for plug-in vehicles. When that will happen, and from which maker, remains open--though the likely suspects are Nissan, Tesla, and General Motors, with BMW as a long-shot outsider...
John Voelcker -
New license plates will mark plug-in cars for first responders.
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2014 BMW i3 REx Vs Chevy Volt: Range-Extended Electric Cars Compared
Until recently, the Chevy Volt was the only range-extended electric car available in the U.S. I've driven a Volt for almost three years now, and it's been a splendid car--quiet, smooth, peppy, and amazingly economical. New REx on the block But now the Volt has a formidable new competitor: the new...
David Noland -
Tesla Model S: The Electric Car For 'Mistresses', Apparently
Most buyers of expensive luxury sedans are men, and most Tesla Model S electric car drivers seem to be men too. There are notable exceptions, of course, including NASCAR ARCA-series racer and self-described "vegetarian hippie chick" Leilani Münter. But now, apparently, the fast, sleek...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Battery Gigafactory: Speed, Incentives, Power-Line Proximity Crucial
States are competing for Tesla's massive lithium-ion cell factory, but there isn't a definite leader yet.
Stephen Edelstein -
Prototype Electric Saab 9-3 EV Revealed By Struggling Owner NEVS
After Saab Automobiles vanished from the U.S. market three years ago, the bankrupt remains of the Swedish brand and its factory in Trollhattan were bought by a Chinese company. Its goal was to recast Saab as a maker of electric vehicles, and this week Swedish engineers presented a prototype of a...
John Voelcker -
First 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive Sold Last Month
Last month, 41 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive hatchbacks were delivered to their owners, marking the first month of sales for the first battery-electric vehicle from the German luxury maker. The official first buyer, Kim Price, lives south of Los Angeles in Mission Viego; she's been a...
John Voelcker -
For a two-seat car priced at more than $100,000, not sold in North America, and with just 250 built, the Volkswagen XL1 gets an extraordinary amount of attention. That's due to the hugely high fuel-economy ratings for the tiny carbon-fiber vehicle powered by a diesel plug-in hybrid system. It's rated at a combined 261 miles per gallon on the European cycle, using both battery energy and diesel propulsion (or 310 mpg in the U.K., using Imperial gallons). DON'T MISS: 2014 Volkswagen XL1: First Drive Of Wolfsburg's 261-MPG Car VW execs say it runs at 138 miles per gallon as a conventional hybrid...
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Tesla News: Model S Warranty, Gigafactory Fight, New Roadster Battery (VIDEO)
The Silicon Valley electric-car maker Tesla Motors seems to be in the news almost every day. Over the last two weeks, the company faced fallout over glitches in early Model S cars, and upgraded its powertrain warranty. It also turned the screws on states competing for its multibillion-dollar...
John Voelcker -
What It Takes To Build A Tesla Supercharger DC Fast-Charging Site
A contractor's photos show the construction of a new Supercharger site.
Stephen Edelstein -
Could Less-Pricey 2016 Chevy Volt Undercut Plug-In Hybrids?
The average new vehicle transaction price in the U.S. today is around $32,000. Now it appears that the upcoming 2016 Chevrolet Volt may possibly have two model variants, one of them targeting a base price of $30,000. That price could potentially equal--or undercut--every plug-in hybrid offered...
John Voelcker -
You're Better Off Buying 100-Mile Electric Cars, Report Says; Shoppers May Disagree
Sometimes mathematical logic is simply swept aside by the more primal emotions: fear, anxiety, and insecurity. Which is why so many car buyers make choices that cost them money in the long run. Some of those choices may be luxury items they want but don't need; others may be capabilities they'll...
John Voelcker -
First BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Sport Coupes Delivered At Pebble Beach Concours
The first BMW i8 plug-in hybrid coupes were delivered amid the appropriately-upscale atmosphere of Pebble Beach.
Stephen Edelstein