Two weeks ago, Toyota sided with the Trump administration’s bid to bar California from setting its own fuel-efficiency and zero-emission rules. The next day, on Oct. 29, former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, tweeted, “Toyota, goodbye. The environm…
Author: Bradley Berman
LA adds hundreds of EV chargers to streetlights, giving renters a place to plug in
The City of Los Angeles has installed EV charging stations directly attached to more than 130 streetlight poles. Hundreds more are planned. The streamlined solution to electric-car charging has been deployed in major European cities but not so much ye…
IEA: Growth of SUVs kills eco-benefits from rise of electric cars
The International Energy Agency released its annual report yesterday. The Paris-based intergovernmental organization points to electric vehicles as instrumental in curbing global emissions. Unfortunately, those gains are being fundamentally undercut b…
VW breaks ground on massive Tennessee EV plant, dubbed a “magic moment” by CEO
Volkswagen breaks ground Wednesday on its Tennessee plant that will produce two battery-powered cars, according to Reuters. Plans for the $800 million investment in the Chattanooga plant were first announced in January. The ground-breaking shows that …
California drops EV rebates for cars over $60k, plug-ins below 35 miles of EV range
Starting December 3, California EV buyers purchasing vehicles with a price exceeding $60,000 will not qualify for the state’s $2,500 clean-vehicle rebate. The change will eliminate rebates for the Audi e-tron and Jaguar i-Pace — as well as many models…
Mercedes-Benz releases lifecycle environmental assessment of EQC electric SUV
Mercedes-Benz yesterday released an environmental report on its EQC electric vehicle. Much of the report focuses on its full life cycle of CO2 emissions, from the mining of raw materials to final disposal. Only about half of the vehicle’s impact occur…
Rivian’s quad-motor, torque vectoring sets high bar for Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla’s Cybertruck gets revealed in 10 days. We know it will have incredible performance in a straight line, and that Elon will trumpet its zero-to-60 number. But a vehicle’s offroad capability is more about handling. Whether or not Tesla can steal el…
Honda works on second EV, quits diesel, and puts hydrogen on hold
There’s no doubt that Honda fell behind on electric cars. Beat up the company as much as you like about its meager EV offerings to date. But also consider signs that the Japanese automaker is slowly correcting its course. In addition to introducing th…
EVs are not a problem during California fire season, they’re the friggin’ solution
Electric-car naysayers jump to the conclusion that California EV drivers were stranded during recent power outages. But Carleen Cullen, executive director of Cool the Earth, used juice from her two EVs to keep critical appliances running during fire s…
Waymo’s Detroit plant goes online, a step toward reducing FCA into a hardware provider
John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo, last week said that its Detroit plant is now in operation. Waymo is busily outfitting fleets of Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrids with self-driving tech. It’s a big step toward realizing traditional automakers’ greatest fea…
