plug-in cars
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The 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive will be the first Mercedes-badged electric car sold in the U.S.
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2014 BMW i3: Polarizing Looks, Average Range--Can It Succeed?
Most of the world's truly significant cars have been striking, even polarizing, designs. But some unusual, even polarizing, designs have been colossal failures. And it remains unclear which category the 2014 BMW i3 will fall, in the different global markets in which BMW is selling it. DON'T MISS...
John Voelcker -
Does Nissan Leaf Supplant The Prius As Loathing Target For CA Drivers?
If you've never lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may not have heard of "Mr. Roadshow," the nickname of San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Richards. Nor will you know how important his columns are, covering traffic, congestion, freeways, law enforcement, cars, and all the other topics...
John Voelcker -
GM Is Serious About Electric Cars, Despite Grumbling By Advocates
Sometimes memories are short. Electric-car advocates often forget that it took seven years from the first Toyota Prius hybrid, launched in Japan in 1997, until sales of the second-generation Prius started to grow in global markets. Now, General Motors appears to be the subject of suspicion and...
John Voelcker -
Audi A6 e-tron Plug-In Hybrid To Be Sold In China
The Audi A6 e-tron plug-in hybrid is based on the A6 L e-tron concept from the 2012 Beijing Motor Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Leaf Vs The Volcano: The Silent Ascent
A Nissan Leaf puts its regenerative brakes to good use traversing Hawaii's Haleakala volcano.
Stephen Edelstein -
Overshadowed by their spectacular sales success in March, electric vehicles hit a momentous milestone in Norway last month. Fully one percent of Norway's passenger-car fleet now consists of battery electric vehicles. And this isn't a case of rounding up, either – this is a full 1 percent. As reported by Norwegian website Gronn Bil ("Green Car"), the country is now home to 26,886 cars that plug in, of which 25,710 are pure battery electric vehicles. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model S Sets Record For Single-Month Sales In Norway Given the country's estimated 2.5 million passenger cars, this means...
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China's Electric-Car Future: Government Subsidies, Buyer Resistance
Over the last few years, China has experienced some of the highest city pollution concentrations anywhere on earth--with concentrations of pollutants climbing far past dangerous levels on official scales. Roughly a quarter of that is due to heavy traffic, and it's prompted legislation to clean up...
Antony Ingram -
Electric-Car Concept From Japan Floats Like A Boat In Emergencies
The Fomm Concept One is an electric car designed to take on a tsunami.
Stephen Edelstein -
CA Electric-Car Incentive Update: Funds Run Out, Green Stickers Gone
Access to carpool lanes on California's legendarily crowded freeways is a big perk. So is getting a check in the mail that cuts the purchase cost. These incentives were successful in spurring sales of hybrids years ago, and they've helped sales of modern battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars...
John Voelcker -
Plug-in Electric Car Sales In Canada For March: Volt Returns To Triple Figures
While the Nissan Leaf is gaining momentum, the Chevrolet Volt remains in the driver's seat for March in plug-in electric-car sales for Canada. The Chevy Volt returned to triple-figure sales in Canada for the tenth time in March, tallying 105 sales from coast to coast. That figure was up slightly...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Tesla Gigafactory Faces Skepticism From Panasonic, Analysts
Elon Musk, CEO of startup electric-car maker Tesla Motors, is no doubt used to skepticism. Now he faces new doubts over the company's plans for a massive "gigafactory" costing as much as $5 billion to manufacture more lithium-ion cells than any other plant in the world. DON'T MISS: Tesla's...
John Voelcker -
Sales of plug-in electric cars are very regional right now, globally as well as within the United States. Norway, for instance, has seen electric-car sales soar because it offers financial incentives and other benefits that aren't available to drivers of vehicles with combustion engines. Now we can add South Korea to the list of countries where electric cars are selling relatively well. DON'T MISS: 2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Unveiled At Chicago Auto Show And, again, a substantial part of the sales growth can be attributed to generous subsidies to get buyers "over the hump" and into cars...
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FINAL UPDATE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales In March: Nissan Leaf Has Best March Ever
March was another good month for U.S. sales of the Nissan Leaf, the best-selling electric car in the world. In fact, March was a good month for several plug-in electric cars, with monthly sales up for many models, and new monthly records for a few. Roughly 9,000 electric cars were sold in March...
John Voelcker -
Plug-In Electric Car Sales Cross 400,000 Globally In Three Years
In global terms, plug-in car sales are still a drop in the ocean. That's to be expected--we've only had volume production models for the last three or four years. Disruptive products always take a little while to get going. But global plug-in electric car sales have now topped 400,000 units--a...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen Shows Off Its 40-Year History Of Electric Cars
While its new 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf will be the first-ever plug-in electric VW sold in the U.S., the German carmaker has a surprisingly long history of prototype electric cars. Two weeks ago, during a drive event for its VW e-Golf and e-Up production models, along with prototype Golf GTE plug-in...
John Voelcker -
2014 Nissan Leaf Domestic Content: Now Closer To Volt, Focus Electric
Last fall, we learned that the first year of U.S. production of the Nissan Leaf electric cars, built in Smyrna, Tennessee, had only 15 percent North American content. This year, the numbers are somewhat better--and they bring the Leaf closer to the domestic-content percentage of other plug-in...
John Voelcker -
Why Oil State Texas Turns Out To Be Friendly To Electric Cars
Charging stations run by utility companies make Texas a popular spot for electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
GM will recall 656 2014 Cadillac ELR coupes to fix a software glitch.
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Massachusetts To Offer Rebates For Plug-In Electric-Car Purchases
Massachusetts is the latest state to incentivize electric-car purchases.
Stephen Edelstein -
Volkswagen e-Up: Driving VW's Smallest Electric Car (Forbidden Fruit)
Of the three plug-in VW cars we drove in Berlin this month, the one we liked best is the one we won't get in North America. The Volkswagen e-Up battery-electric minicar is a blast. It's small, rollerskate-agile, and performs well enough that it would be our preferred vehicle in any crowded city...
John Voelcker -
Audi A3 e-tron Option: Carbon-Free Recharging (In Germany)
One advantage to plug-in electric cars is that they can operate with no carbon footprint if the electricity used to recharge them is generated from renewable sources. Burning liquid fuels, on the other hand, will always generate carbon emissions. Now Audi is offering a way for German buyers of its...
John Voelcker -
Life With Tesla Model S: UPDATE On Pedal Placement Problem
Two days ago, I described in this article a frightening incident in my Tesla Model S. Approaching a downhill intersection, I inadvertently stepped on both the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously. The car barely slowed, and it appeared I was headed for a collision with another car...
David Noland -
2013-2014 Nissan Leaf Electric Cars Recalled For Airbag Sensor Issue
Nissan Leaf electric cars are being recalled to fix faulty airbag sensor software.
Stephen Edelstein