United States
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Innovation can be a hard concept to define as it relates to electric cars. Sure, there are the powertrains and structural designs of the vehicles themselves—including new proportions for the cabin enabled by the compact running gear and battery packs under the floor. But there are also many factors outside the car itself: education and marketing for car shoppers, charging networks to enable longer trips, the role of public utilities, and a lot more. DON'T MISS: What was our most important story of 2017? Twitter poll results Today, China is the world's largest electric-car market, just...
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Where will we see the most electric-car innovation? Take our Twitter poll
It hasn't emerged much into the public eye, but some advocates and auto-industry sources have had quiet discussions on whether the U.S. will continue to lead the world in electric-car technology in a new decade. California remains the epicenter of plug-in car adoption, with roughly half the...
John Voelcker -
EPA chief Scott Pruitt: 'environmentalism' is use rather than preservation
EPA head Scott Pruitt will likely go down as one of the most controversial agency chiefs in that agency's history of almost 50 years. The former Oklahoma attorney general, who sued the EPA 14 times on behalf of fossil-fuel interests during the Obama administration, has a radically different view of...
Sean Szymkowski -
US governors release own plans to cut carbon at climate-change summit
While President Trump has announced the U.S. will pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, the United States cannot formally exit the agreement until November 5, 2020. Despite the administration's stance and its many efforts to end U.S. action to reduce carbon emissions, numerous U.S. governors...
Sean Szymkowski -
These 12 cities will buy only electric buses from 2025 on; more expected to join
The mayors of 12 major cities from around the world have taken a landmark step to increase the use of zero-emission public transportation late last month. Mayors of London, Paris, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle, Auckland, and Cape Town all signed...
Sean Szymkowski -
Syria to sign Paris Climate pact, leaving US alone; Trump disinvited from climate summit
Following President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States from the Paris Climate Accord—a global pact to reduce carbon output and curb climate change—only two other nations had not signed the treaty. Now, the U.S. sits alone and isolated internationally on climate policy...
Sean Szymkowski -
Although claims of imminent volcanic eruption are likely exaggerated, any eruption of what's known as the Yellowstone Supervolcano would cause global chaos. Through intense monitoring programs, scientists have a clear idea of the Yellowstone volcano's behavior. Now NASA scientists are exploring a radical idea that could one day neutralize the threat of eruption altogether. DON'T MISS: Clean energy to grow, coal to fade, regardless of Trump EPA plans The agency proposed a theoretical initiative to gradually cool the supervolcano and extract its heat, not only to reduce the threat of a...
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Energy Dept to award $15 million for very fast electric-car charging
The United States Department of Energy has announced a new funding initiative to accelerate the development of what it calls "Extreme Fast Charging" (XFC) systems. In total, the DoE will award $15 million for the development of electric-car charging systems as well as batteries capable of very fast...
Sean Szymkowski -
Oklahoma Supreme Court rules state's electric-car tax unconstitutional
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...
Sean Szymkowski -
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...
Sean Szymkowski -
UAW wakes up to job threat posed by electric cars, as German unions have already
With an evolving shift to electrified and plug-in electric cars, the changes that will bring to the auto industry are far from limited to the powertrains. The entire mass-production and vehicle assembly process the industry pioneered a century ago will require major restructuring, it appears...
Sean Szymkowski -
2019 Land Rover Range Rover P400e plug-in hybrid revealed, on sale in US next year
Following the debut of the smaller Land Rover Range Rover Sport P400e plug-in hybrid, the luxury SUV maker revealed its larger sibling: the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover P400e. The Land Rover Range Rover P400e plug-in hybrid is the larger of the two, but the SUV boasts an identical electrified...
Sean Szymkowski -
Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has had a very busy schedule since being confirmed to lead the agency set up to protect America's air, water, and land from pollution. Unlike his predecessors, Pruitt—a climate-science denier and aggressive advocate of fossil fuels—has largely ignored environmental groups and public-health advocates in his months at the EPA. Instead, he has met almost exclusively with countless heads of fossil-fuel and manufacturing industries, whose activities the agency has traditionally regulated. DON'T MISS: Trump EPA to hold unneeded...
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EPA to study cutting amount of ethanol in U.S. gasoline
Since 2007, the Renewable Fuel Standard has required increasing levels of ethanol in gasoline blends sold in the U.S. Most fuel stations across the United States no longer offer pure gasoline, with E10—a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline—prevailing. After years of...
Sean Szymkowski -
2019 Range Rover Sport P400e plug-in hybrid on sale in US in summer 2018: technical details
Six years after Land Rover confirmed it would introduce a Range Rover plug-in hybrid, the luxury-SUV brand has now provided an official on-sale date. A 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid model will both go on sale in the United States in the summer of 2018, likely followed by a...
John Voelcker -
Electric trucks to grow fast from now through 2030: report
In the coming years, the world's auto industry will continue to shift its product mix to electric and electrified vehicles to meet growing concerns over carbon emissions and stringent fuel-economy regulations across the globe. However, the passenger-car segment isn't the only area that will see...
Sean Szymkowski -
Want to buy a used, updated Volkswagen TDI diesel car? Your VW dealer will get first dibs
Updated Volkswagen diesel vehicles with new engine software will soon be back on the market, but those looking to buy one will have to wait for their local dealership. Volkswagen will offer the hundreds of thousands of modified diesel vehicles to its franchised dealers first, offering them a "right...
Sean Szymkowski -
How Teslas charge in US and UK: similarities and differences
It's well-known that electrical outlets in the United States and elsewhere vary, but it also makes for somewhat different charging experiences with the Tesla Model S. In Europe, the standard voltage is higher than the United States, which means more power can be drawn from a standard wall outlet...
Sean Szymkowski -
Plug-in electric cars are going to be a bigger part of the vehicle mix in future than they have been to date. That much is abundantly clear. Electric cars are one of four significant forces that will likely change what we think of as an "automobile" forever, the others being autonomy, connectivity, and sharing. DON'T MISS: Tesla and China: why an obvious match isn't as simple as it seems But where will those electric cars come from? Today, cars with plugs are largely built only in North America, Europe, and China. So we asked our Twitter followers which country (or region) would be producing...
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Top 10 Cities For Commuting By Electric Car
We've taken a look recently at the five EVs we're most looking forward to driving, and another look at the five EVs you should do your best to see at the upcoming 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. We're clearly at the beginning of something big for personal transportation, an age where electric travel is...
Antony Ingram -
Is The International Energy Agency Lying About Oil Reserves?
One IEA Insider Says Yes
Robert Scardino -
Infrastructure Hurdles Hinder Mini E Trial
Being a pioneer isn't easy. Just ask BMW North America CEO, Jim O'Donnell. As the German automaker continues to test 450 electric Minis (aptly called Mini Es) in New York, New Jersey and L.A., creating the charging network has proven challenging. "We are learning a heck of a lot just about the...
Robert Scardino