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

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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

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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]

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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