A bill called Clean Energy for America advanced in the US Senate Finance Committee on a 14-14 tie vote. The bill, which contains a number of measures designed to incentivize clean energy, clean transportation and energy efficiency, must now be approved by the full Senate and the House of Representatives in order to become law…. Read more »
Tag: The Vehicles
Ford EV head: “We are not in this to build a couple of trucks.”
Over the years, Charged has reported on many EV initiatives from major automakers. These have always been announced with great fanfare, and promises of “commitment” to electrification, but after a couple of years and a couple thousand EV sales, most of these “new eras” have quietly faded away (Ford’s 2012 e-mobility effort was just one… Read more »
CARB proposes new rules for defining EV battery health
Buying a pre-owned EV presents a new concern for buyers to beware of—the health of the vehicle’s battery. All batteries degrade over time, and there’s no simple way for a buyer to know how much of its original range a used EV retains. Some older EVs—notable the air-cooled Nissan LEAF—have poor records in this department…. Read more »
Texas fails to change dealership law—Tesla still can’t sell directly to state residents
For a decade now, Tesla has been fighting state governments for the right to sell its vehicles directly to customers—something which has historically been prohibited in most US states. Texas is one of the states that still forbids direct sales, so residents have had to resort to a workaround some call the “Texas two-step.” Texans… Read more »
Proposed Texas EV tax would be the nation’s highest
In Charged’s home state of Florida, two separate proposals to impose special taxes on EV drivers were narrowly defeated in the legislature’s recent session. The latest battleground is Texas, where the legislature is considering an EV tax of up to $400 per year, which would be the highest rate in the US. (According to the… Read more »
EV maker Endera acquires school and shuttle bus OEM Metro Titan
Commercial EV specialist Endera has acquired Metro Titan, a school and shuttle bus manufacturing company. The acquisition gives Endera the capability to deliver electric commercial vehicles in all 50 states. From its Ohio-based facility, Endera will manufacture electric Type A school buses, shuttle buses, and paratransit vehicles for the DOT, healthcare, airport, university, corporate, municipal… Read more »
Ford raises its EV game: 40% pure EVs by 2030, new platforms, new battery initiatives and more
In a virtual meeting with investors, Ford outlined a plethora of plans to expand its electrification efforts. There was a big bundle of news, which will take the media some days to fully unpack, but the gist of it is that, under a plan dubbed Ford+, the automaker will be allocating capital to three priority… Read more »
Porsche Taycan EV on course to outsell the classic 911
For those who were wondering whether Porsche buyers would embrace an electric car, here’s your answer: last quarter, sales of the new Taycan EV were only a hair below sales of the iconic 911 model. Porsche delivered 9,072 Taycans during the first quarter of 2021, trailing the 911 by 61 units. Porsche unveiled the Taycan,… Read more »
Swiss city of Basel orders 62 electric buses from Mercedes and Hess
The city of Basel, located on the Rhine at the confluence of Switzerland, Germany and France, plans to fully electrify its bus routes, and power them with 100% renewable energy, by 2027. Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB)’s fleet currently includes 115 buses serving 14 routes (there are also 135 trams serving 9 lines). The city’s latest tender… Read more »
Kia releases official specs for US-market EV6 electric crossover
In March, Kia teased us with some exterior and interior images of the EV6 electric crossover, the automaker’s first dedicated (that is, not adapted from a legacy vehicle) EV. Now the automaker’s American division has confirmed official specs for the version destined for the US market. The EV6 will be available with two powertrain configurations… Read more »
