BMW Wants to Sell Half a Million Hybrids and Electric Cars by 2019

German carmaker BMW (bmwyy) aims to more than double the number of electric and hybrid vehicles it has sold to 500,000 by the end of 2019, Chief Executive Harald Krüger told German weekly WirtschaftsWoche.

In 2018 alone, deliveries of electrified vehicles are to rise by a "medium double-digit percentage," he said.

Read: Uber Selects Partner for Electric Cars in India

A pioneer in electric cars, BMW launched the i3 hatchback in 2013 but sales have been relatively low and management has wrestled with whether to go all-out for electrification.

But that changed in September when the Munich-based group said it would gear up for mass production of electric cars and aimed to have 12 fully electric models by 2025 with a range of up to 700 km.

The group said on Monday it had hit its target of selling 100,000 fully electric cars this year around the world, benefiting from strong demand in western Europe and the U.S. for models such as the i3 and the 2-series plug-in hybrid Active Tourer.

He said the carmaker would nonetheless keep making and selling cars with combustion engines to help finance a gradual shift to electrified cars.

Read: If You Think Electric Cars Will Save the Planet, Think Again

Unlike his peer Matthias Mueller, the CEO of Volkswagen, he rejected the idea of doing away with tax subsidies for diesel.

"Bearing customers in mind who bought diesels, that is unjustifiable," Krueger said.

Mueller earlier this month called for subsidies for diesel vehicles to be shifted gradually to incentives for green cars, such as electric vehicles.

Acting Transport Minister Christian Schmidt had shot down the idea, though, saying that diesel was still needed during the transition to greener vehicles and that there was therefore no reason to change tax rules.

Source: BMW Wants to Sell Half a Million Hybrids and Electric Cars by 2019

Faraday Future expats spin off a new electric car startup

Over the past few months, things appeared to be out of control at the high-profile electric car startup Faraday Future. The new leadership brought in by billionaire founder Jia Yueting, including Stefan Krause, former BMW and Deutsche Bank CFO, and BMW's head of EVs, Ulrich Kranz, along with several other high-profile employees, left in masses.

Now, sources have told Electrek that those same Faraday Future expats are launching their own electric car startup.

The circumstance surrounding this new startup is apparently directly linked to Krause's departure from FF.

As we previously reported, the longtime financial exec was brought on board to straighten up the company's finances, but sources say that he faced important roadblocks from FF founder Jia Yueting, also known as YT.

YT was better known as the founder of LeEco, a Chinese tech giant, but as the company's financial troubles got out of control over the last year, YT had to resign from his leading role at the company and instead moved to California to focus on Faraday Future, which is still under his control.

Earlier this month, YT's profile in China was hit even harder when the government placed him on a debt blacklist, which is a way to shame affluent Chinese business people and block them from engaging in reckless spending.

With his position in China growing weaker, it looked like YT turned to his US EV startup to build his empire back up.

That's while Krause was trying to raise money for the company in order to bring its first vehicle, the FF91, to production.

But sources say that while Krause made some progress to raise capital, deals fell through because they were contingent on YT resigning or giving up a controlling part in the company, which is something he refused to do.

Last month, FF sent out a press release announcing that they terminated Krause's employment and they were looking into legal actions against him:

"Stefan Krause's possible violation of law and lack of contribution to FF's goals over the course of his leadership since March has led to severe damages to the interests of FF and its investors. FF is currently taking legal actions as a result of Stefan Krause's malfeasance and dereliction of duty."

At the time, Krause responded by stating that his employment wasn't terminated and that he had instead quit a month earlier.

Now, sources have told Electrek that he launched his own electric car startup called 'EVELOZCITY'.

The startup has now a very simple website online with the following "vision":

"Design, develop and deliver the most competitive, capable, connected and clean mobility device for the next generation."

Sources say that he was able to raise funds using the groundwork that he had done on the previous deals that he tried to close for FF, but that ended up failing due to disagreements with YT.

With a reportedly significant financial backing and preferring Krause's leadership over YT's, sources say that several high-profile Faraday Future executives and employees are following Krause to EVELOZCITY and that more could come.

We are told that Richard Kim, FF's former head designer, Bill Strickland, a former Ford executive who joined FF last year to lead its vehicle line, and Sohel Merchant, a former Tesla engineer who led vehicle engineering at FF, all joined the new startup.

We reached out to the company for a comment on the founding of their new startup. We will update if we get an answer.

On the other hand, now YT claims to have managed to raise $1 billion for FF despite his financial troubles – though it's still unconfirmed at this point.

Electrek's Take

The world of EV startups is starting to get crazy and FF was its poster child for a while. Not so much anymore.

As we reported last month when FF seemed close to its last breath, even though the company has been in financial trouble for the better part of the last 2 years, its 1,000+ employees haven't been sitting on their hands during that time and have developed some interesting EV technologies showcased in the FF91.

While the company might never deliver anything, hopefully, their work on the FF91 leads to something.

But there's also one other thing that we always admired about FF: the company's ability to attract top talent.

Now, it looks like EVELOZCITY is going to be where some of that talent is going to end up. Stay tuned to Electrek as we follow their progress.

Source: Faraday Future expats spin off a new electric car startup

3 Ways Electric Vehicles Are Changing Everything

Part 1 of 3 on the Future of Transportation and the Internet of Things

The world is moving away from cars based on the internal combustion engine (ICEs). The future is electric. With Tesla leading the way on what's possible with electric vehicles, more traditional auto manufacturers are following suit.

Volvo has announced that all of its cars will have electric motors by 2019. Aston Martin is planning the same by 2025. General Motors plans to have at least 20 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2023. The list goes on.

Much of the pressure is coming from countries banning ICE sales in the not-too-distant future. China is now the world's largest market for automobiles and China has announced that any car manufacturer wanting to sell into the Chinese market will need to have 10% of their offerings come from NEV's (New Energy Vehicles) by 2019, rising to 12% by 2020. Other countries are banning outright the sales of ICE vehicles. The Netherlands by 2025; China, India and Germany by 2030; France and the UK by 2040. Industry and consumers, want electric as well.

When everybody wants something, it tends to happen. The question is, what will be the ramifications? One safe bet is that the market for your ICE -based car will be drying up quickly – so think about selling yours now. Particularly if it is diesel. But beyond concerns for personal finance, we can also expect EVs to have a dramatic impact in a number of areas including climate conditions in cities, the automotive industry in general, and energy distribution worldwide.

Lower emissions

The obvious benefit of electric cars – the reason countries, industries, and individuals everywhere are pushing for them – is lower emissions. One of the cities most concerned about emissions is Beijing. Back in 2015, the notoriously thick smog of the city disappeared quickly when authorities banned driving  for two weeks in preparation for a World War II commemoration parade. The day after driving resumed, the smog returned.

Today, Beijing is planning to replace the city's nearly 70,000 taxis with EVs. Doubtless, this is a step in the right direction. Yet, while Beijing tends to get the lion's share of press coverage when it comes to smog, other cities face similar challenges. From Paris to Mexico City and all around the world, lower emissions from electric vehicles will help to improve health for citizens locally and fight climate change globally. Not forgetting the reduction also in noise pollution.

Industry change

The automotive industry is not just General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota and the rest. It's also made up of countless suppliers of parts and components. But when you move from a traditional ICE to the electric engine, you lose about 90% of the parts. Electric engines are just simpler. Manufacturers of spark plugs, gear boxes, exhaust pipes, etc. are about to see their market shrink dramatically.

This means that for companies in the automotive supplier ecosystem, much of the market is going away soon. The simplicity of electric engines will also be felt further down the value chain. Service centers, for example, will feel the hit.  Many of these centers – particularly the large chains – use the inexpensive 3,000-mile oil change as a loss-leader to upsell customers on needed maintenance. But without oil in the electric engine – and without as much need for maintenance – many of these chains will have to rethink their business models to survive.

New energy horizons

One of the most significant impacts of EVs will be on the way energy is distributed – because in addition to being modes of transportation, EVs will also act as energy sources that can plug directly into the grid.

This will help address the challenge of "demand response". The problem to solve here is one of grid stability in the era of renewable energy. Traditionally, large centrally located energy generation plants –  coal, gas, and nuclear – have churned out a steady supply of energy that results in a fairly stable grid.

However, the renewable energy paradigm – based mostly on solar and wind – is neither centralized nor steady. Rather it is distributed across rooftops, solar farms, and mountain tops. And it is variable according to weather conditions.

With renewables, in other words, utilities have less control over the supply side of the equation – meaning how and when energy is generated. This has the potential to lead to instability on the electricity grid. If you can't manage the supply, then you have to manage the demand - demand side management, also known as demand response. This can be done using incentives, and the technology is advancing such that increasingly the process is becoming automated.

By providing a storage mechanism that can both take energy in when their is an excess, and sell it back to the grid in times of high demand, car batteries on EVs can act as frequency regulators for the grid. This is a big deal that has the potential to change energy distribution forever.

At night, say, when the wind is blowing, a car battery can store energy generated by wind turbines. Or, in the middle of the afternoon when everybody wants air conditioning on a hot day, the same batteries can distribute some of their energy. This leads to improved grid stability, which allows for a higher percentage of variable generators (renewables) on the grid.

Industry convergence

Interestingly, the entities with the closest relationships to the owners of the batteries so critical to grid stability would not be the utilities but EV manufacturers. What's stopping Elon Musk from enticing Tesla customers from sharing their batteries? Tesla could enable its customers provide energy from their batteries – and then sell it on the grid for a profit. Customers make money. Tesla makes money. Utility companies make money. The grid is more stable, and everybody is happy.

This transforms the automobile industry into an energy industry. At SAP we talk a lot about digital transformation as a response to digital disruption. This is disruption at its most dramatic.

Elon Musk has stated aims to make 500,000 Tesla's in 2018. Let's say he falls disastrously short and only hits half his target. Let's also assume an average 80 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery size in the EVs – (Tesla cars today have battery sizes ranging from 60 -110 kWh). 250,000 cars x 80 kWh – and you'll see that this fleet would have the capacity of 20 gigawatt hours of storage. For comparison, a gigawatt is roughly the output of a nuclear power plant. So, Tesla will be producing the equivalent of 20 nuclear power plants worth of storage, at least. Per year.

Electric vehicle manufacturers will be able to aggregate the energy from all the EVs on their networks, and sell access to these "virtual power plants". It is a whole new world.

Stay tuned for more on how the transportation industry is changing forever.

An earlier version of this article was first published on The Digitalist.

Source: 3 Ways Electric Vehicles Are Changing Everything

The Electric Smart ForTwo Is The Answer To People Who Say Cars Aren't Weird Anymore

Where have all the weird cars gone? I feel such lament every time I see that Jason drives some odd plastic French thing, my mom talks about her Isetta or I have to explain what my 411 is. But fear not: the rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive Smart ForTwo Cabrio is here to keep wackiness on wheels.

[Full disclosure: Mercedes-Benz and Smart wanted me to drive the new ForTwo Cabrio so much that the company flew me to San Diego, put me in a fancy hotel and fed me for the weekend. I was next to the ocean. I had so much fish. All the fish. RIP fish.]

Weep at the plain silver cars, for they are not as cool. The big grey boat rules, though. Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

When I mentioned that I would be driving this car, I was slightly disappointed by how many people asked, "Why would anyone buy a Smart car?" Come on, people. Have we all bought into Big Beige to the point where we can't imagine a car existing for fun?

Sure, the ForTwo Cabrio barely has room for two humans and a relatively small trunk, so it's only really practical for basic in-town errands and commutes. Yet a Smart ForTwo is not just another bland car you buy because it ticks the boxes. Asking "why?" is missing the point if you don't already look at it and chuckle. The very idea of this funny little road-legal golf cart is inherently silly and that's what makes it wonderful.

I'm not sure I'd ever own a Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabrio myself, but I certainly appreciate that it exists, and that it's here to fill someone's needs.

Bonus points if your name is Ed! Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart What Is It?

The 2018 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabrio is the closest thing to a modern "fun car" that's not explicitly made for speed or adventure that I've encountered, with easily removable roof rails that make it feel hilariously open inside despite its incredibly compact size.

All Smart cars in the United States and Canada will be electric from here on out, hence, "Electric Drive" in the name and the plug-graphic on the body.

The car's electric motor sits brilliantly between the De Dion rear suspension—down low, for better handling. That's the same weird bent "dead axle" suspension setup that Caterhams use to good effect, and in the ForTwo, it allows enough room inside the tube's bends to house the engine.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

Smart boasts the tiniest turning radius—just 22.8 feet—of any car on sale today, which is its best feature. Park it anywhere! Who cares? It's not in anyone's way. It's also the only all-electric convertible on sale at the moment.

But most of all, it's fun. Everything from the candy-colored two-tone paint jobs that are available to its wacky folding roof make it a solid contender for the 420th season of Human Interface Replication Bot 9000 Drives several centuries from now.

"The humans of the late 2010s had a sense of humor after all," Jason's robot doppelgänger will beep—correctly, I might add.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Specs That Make It Tick

The new ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet is four inches wider than the previous model, and comes with an Eco mode and Android Auto integration for the first time. (They don't mention Apple CarPlay, by the way.) The battery is all-new for this generation, and it's more efficient and lighter than ever.

It has a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery that powers a 60 kWh three-phase synchronous electric motor, which is mated to a single-speed automatic transmission. The tiny electric drop-top makes a claimed 80 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of torque—23 percent more torque than the last electric ForTwo. Smart says that it takes about three hours to fully charge the car using its 7.2 kW, 240-volt onboard charger, or 16.5 hours to fully charge with a 120-volt standard home wall socket. It goes from 0 to 60 in 11.7 seconds.

Estimated range on a single charge is about 57 miles for the Cabrio, which we didn't come close to using all of in our brief test drive. When we asked why the Smart didn't come with more range to combat newer, longer-range EVs like the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt, they claimed that most commutes were around 27 miles per day, and with charging stations available at many businesses during the day, that's fine.

Its dimensions are appropriately tiny, as you'd expect: about 106 inches long, about 5.45 feet wide, and with a wheelbase of just 73.3 inches. If you're getting one as a gift, it's probably small enough that you could one-up the cheesy December to Remember-style giant bow and get an entire minicar-sized gift box for it.

Yo dawg, I heard you like open roofs. Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart A Love-Hate Relationship With This Roof That's Mostly Love

If you're going to get a Smart ForTwo, the Cabrio is the one to have. The multiple-configuration roof is delightfully silly and easy to use. Merely having the roof peeled back like a can of sardines is enough to make you want to stand up out of it and survey the sidewalk for wildlife.

You can leave the roof rails in to peel back the overhead space of the roof, or with another press of the button, drop the roof down all the way. Once it's entirely retracted, though, you can pop loose the two side rails to make the already tall and airy cabin feel even more open.

The rails' latch is simple to pop up, each rail is hilariously lightweight, and both sides' rails fit neatly and securely into the rear tailgate. You can't put the roof back on with those rails out, so be forewarned if bad weather is en route.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

For the most part, it's not a bad place to sit with the roof down—even for me, Jalopnik's foremost convertible-hater. My hair barely blew around with the side windows up, as there's a ton of head room in this thing.

That being said, the ForTwo's urban safari adventure roof system isn't perfect. The roof rails take up a considerable amount of trunk space when they're fitted into the tailgate. The tailgate also takes a considerable amount of force to shut all the way—even without the rails inside.

Worst of all, though, is the lack of rear visibility with the roof folded down. It's not good, especially for short drivers. Visibility is great with the roof up, but the folded roof occupies much of where the back window would go, which is annoying.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Hits

The Smart ForTwo is one of those weird TARDIS-esque cars that feels more spacious inside than it looks. It's by no means a luxury interior, but the seats are supportive and well-bolstered, and everything is nicely within reach. The magnifying glass effect over the temperature dial was particularly clever.

The roof can fold up to aid with trunk access, too. Trunk view with the rails stowed. Photo credit: Stef Schrader

Ample bins and nets also helped make the Smart's small space more usable. The trunk space can also be configured to haul more stuff than you'd think. The front passenger seat can fold flat, and you can remove the rear subwoofer and charger to free up more space.

It also doesn't feel as awkward to drive as you might think. The ForTwo's miniscule turning radius means you can stick it almost anywhere, and its steering is quick and direct. Its low center of gravity meant that I only really felt that it was weirdly tall for its wheelbase in faster turns.

Other than that, this is one of the most stable tiny cars I've driven on the freeway, thanks in part to its brilliant Crosswind Assist system, which comes standard on these cars as part of the car's stability control system. It very gently applies the brakes on the opposite side of a gust to keep the car straight. The technology was first developed for the Sprinter, and gradually made its way to the little ForTwo.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

While you really have to floor the throttle pedal to get the Smart ForTwo to get going relatively quickly, its battery-miser Eco mode was a pleasant surprise. In the Smart, Eco mode forces it to recuperate as much energy as possible, reduces heating and cooling output, uses a flatter acceleration curve and reduces the top speed. Unlike other cars I've driven with similar modes, this one didn't kill the performance of the car so dramatically. It could still get out of its own way.

It's also very clever with how it manages its energy recuperation by default, using radar to judge how much traffic is ahead and tweak how much energy it should recuperate under braking as a result. As soon as you take your foot off the accelerator, it starts recuperating energy to extend its own range. Neat.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Misses

The seats were just fine, however, the driver's seating position was a tad awkward for me. The dead pedal sat up way too high compared to the location of the regular pedals. The pump-style manual "raise" function for the seat pushes the seat up and forwards simultaneously, with the front of the seat awkwardly dipping slightly downward with every pump upwards.

The steering column also looks like it should adjust, but doesn't. Currently that option is only available in Europe.

The ride is a little harsh for a car that's clearly not built for performance, and the brake pedal felt spongey and numb. While the power is probably adequate for the car's purposes, I was left wanting for more.

As many cars do now, the infotainment system's more detailed functions were disabled while the car was in motion. I get that this is for safety, but it's highly annoying as a passenger who wants to tweak something or tinker with features out of curiosity or boredom. The navigation unit also didn't attempt to pronounce street names, which led to me taking a few wrong turns when I was trying to navigate some of San Diego's narrow city blocks.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart

We're also going to need to pay extra close to what happens to the electric vehicle tax credit for this one. The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Cabriolet is priced at a premium—starting at $28,100 before tax credits. Some items that are standard on other small cars, like the center armrest ($100) and the rear park assist ($250), were listed as add-ons on our tester's monroney. As tested with destination and delivery fees, ours added up to $32,180 before tax credits—which is just around $2,000 shy of the price of a BMW 3 Series.

In other words, that $7,500 federal tax credit is needed just to bring the sticker price of these tiny cars down to a price that's almost palatable for the masses. Some states offer even more incentives that drive the price down even further (down to $17,650 in California, for example) so the ForTwo Cabrio is comparable in price to a well-optioned Yaris. Even if you're all-in on the ultra-small weirdo car life, you're still going to be paying extra over larger gas-powered cars to get it.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart What To Watch For

My drive with the Smart ForTwo was too short for me to get any real read as to whether the consumption specs were accurate. We also never charged the car at all, so I couldn't get a read on how fast it takes to charge, or use the function in the car's navigation system that helps you find an open charger.

It can also pre-heat or pre-cool the car while it's still hooked up to a charger so as not to eat into the vehicle's range once it's off, which we also couldn't test. After all, it's hard to really test out how an HVAC system works when it's mild, sunny and the top is off.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart Early Verdict

I had to ask the question: who buys a Smart ForTwo? Smart's representatives said the car was wide open for appeal—everyone from young city-dwelling singles, empty-nesters they described as "young at heart," the environmentally-conscious to number crunchers who see that it's one of the most affordable electric cars for sale.

That's a lot of marketing-speak, but the length of that list speaks to something interesting: the ForTwo doesn't feel like it's engineered to a focus group like too many other new cars do. Smart built something cool, and the buyers came. The automotive world should try that more often, if for no other reason than to buck the trend of too many boring copycat crossovers.

It's hard not to sort of like this silly little happy thing, despite its flaws. I wish it came with a more performance-oriented drive mode or a more powerful drivetrain option, as it always felt a bit more sluggish than it should be for its size, especially when compared to slightly larger small cars like the Yaris iA. More power would make the ForTwo Electric Drive Cabrio deeply enjoyable to drive, and not just because it's a wacky novelty of a car.

There is something it does far better than any other mass-produced car on sale right now, though: squeeze into tight spaces. If you want to one-up everyone's parking and turning abilities, just get the Smart car, and giggle all the way into the tiniest corner of the parking lot.

Photo credit: Mike Shaffer/Smart
Source: The Electric Smart ForTwo Is The Answer To People Who Say Cars Aren't Weird Anymore

Tesla motor, Shelby Cobra body, Kia battery: watch electric Cobra stun a race crowd

In 1962, a 39-year-old Carroll Shelby stuffed a Ford V-8 into an AC Ace to create one of the most sought after performance cars ever made, the AC Cobra.

Some 50 years later, a group of engineers from British Columbia, Canada has brough Shelby's idea—small two-seat sports car, very big power—into a new age.

EPower Racing has been competing with its battery-powered Cobra replica since this summer. And in the style of Shelby, the car finds its motivation in an American-made motor.

DON'T MISS: South's good ol' boy drag racers whupped by Tesla, not happy about it

According to Engine Swap Depot, the team built a custom chassis for the car, which contains the motor from a Tesla Model S P85 and the lithium-ion battery pack from a Kia Soul EV.

In a forum thread, the team explained, "We chose the Kia Soul EV as the battery pack donor largely based on DOE test reports which showed it as one of the few ... capable of putting out over 300 kilowatts (400 horsepower) for sustained length of time."

It is also one of the lightest packs available, the team said, weighing just 400 pounds for a usable capacity of 27 kilowatt-hours.

Draining the battery is a Tesla motor capable of 310 kw (416 hp), though the team said it has dialed back the output to 220 kw (295 hp) due to "battery/motor temperature" issues.

Range is also an issue, with the team saying its uses up the battery's full charge "in 20 minutes—which is about 16 laps on a 1.4-mile road race course."

But for those 16 laps, the Tesla-powered Cobra slays its competition with ease.

WATCH THIS: Tesla Model S beats Lamborghini Aventador in 1/4-mile drag race; so does Model X SUV

In a video posted on EPower Racing's YouTube channel, the car picks off rival after rival at Mission Raceway Park.

It also turns a fastest lap time of 1:14.3 in the process.

You can follow the team's progress on the DIY Electric Car forum.

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Source: Tesla motor, Shelby Cobra body, Kia battery: watch electric Cobra stun a race crowd

Honda Clarity, BMW i3 REx driven; battery costs fall; electric car fight; tax credit lives: The Week in Reverse

Which country may wipe the floor with the U.S. in the global race among makers of electric cars?

What car may pose a significant threat to the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, December 15, 2017.

Friday, we learned EV shoppers can breathe a little easier: The reconciled tax bill that will be voted on by the U.S. Congress did not end the tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric car, as one draft initially had.

While a new joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic will develop prismatic cells for future electric cars—despite Toyota's aversion to EVs—Hyundai worries battery prices will stop falling by 2020 due to materials shortages.

(So far, however, the cost of lithium-ion battery packs continues to fall, and much faster than expected even a few years ago.)

2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, 2016 Toyota Mirai at hydrogen fueling station, Fountain Valley, CA

Enlarge Photo

On Thursday, our Twitter poll on which alternate fuels may survive had a somewhat surprising result.

Meanwhile, an old China hand explained why China will dominate the U.S. in electric cars in future years.

Wednesday, we noted Pepsi has added itself to the list of companies that have reserved all-electric Tesla Semi trucks, placing the largest single order to date.

Under the Trump Administration, the EPA has enforced fewer laws and given polluters more leeway.

On Tuesday, we published all the details from our first drive of the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid sedan. Our assessment: Watch out, Chevy Volt.

2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid drive, Napa Valley, Caifornia, Dec 2017

Enlarge Photo

As we've written before, mass-market buyers don't understand plug-in hybrids. With the Clarity now at dealers, can a new Honda ad break through the confusion?

We kicked off the week on Monday with our thoughts on driving a 2017 BMW i3 range-extended electric car, which we'd been mulling over for a while now.

Six states have the highest rates of electric-car adoption, but can you name them? We've got maps!

Over the weekend, we dove into past history to explain why a possible future electric Volkswagen Thing might be an interesting and popular electric car.

If electric-car buyers struggle with trading luxury and practicality, the brands involved are likely Tesla and Chevrolet. Will the Tesla Model 3 change that?

2011 Chevrolet Volt and 2013 Tesla Model S [photo: David Noland]

Enlarge Photo

With the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal still playing out in Europe, the VW Group's CEO has turned against diesels by suggesting that subsidies for them should end.

Finally, in China, an all-electric cargo ship will haul coal to power plants, reducing their cost to generate electricity. Isn't it ironic?

Those were our main stories this week; we'll see you again next week. Until then, this has been the Green Car Reports Week in Reverse update.

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Source: Honda Clarity, BMW i3 REx driven; battery costs fall; electric car fight; tax credit lives: The Week in Reverse

Toyota batteries, Hyundai worries, bigger Nissan, electric-car production plants: Today's Car News

Today, we've got two different takes on electric-car batteries, some new oversight for the EU to prevent the next Dieselgate, and a small electric delivery van that got bigger. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

A new joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic will develop prismatic cells for future electric cars, despite Toyota's aversion to them.

While we're talking about batteries for plug-in cars, Hyundai worries their costs will stop falling by 2020 due to materials shortages.

The EU will get new powers to oversee and overrule its members states' vehicle-approval bodies, in hopes of averting the next Dieselgate scandal.

Where electric cars are built in the U.S. seems to be shifting: the top three states are now California, Michigan, and Tennessee, but which one will come out on top?

What do you do if the Nissan e-NV200 small electric delivery van isn't, errrm, big enough? In the U.K., Voltia has stretched it and made it taller, which produces an unusual look.

Tesla clearly won't have the electric semi market all to itself; the latest contender is Thor Trucks, which definitely wins on intimidating looks.

Finally, because it's Friday, we have a new flying sports car, just for you. (Don't hold your breath?)

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Source: Toyota batteries, Hyundai worries, bigger Nissan, electric-car production plants: Today's Car News