plug-in cars

  • 2019 Jeep Renegade

    A Jeep Renegade plug-in hybrid will join the brand's portfolio in early 2020, parent automaker Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles confirmed on Monday. The Melfi manufacturing plant in Italy has begun preparing for the electrified Renegade variant as part of FCA's wider electrification strategy. The automaker said the Renegade plug-in will be built alongside the regular model and the 500X at the Italian manufacturing facility. Pre-production is scheduled to begin in 2019 before the tiniest of Jeeps with an electric motor baked in launches some time in 2020. The new plug-in hybrid should launch with the...

  • 2018 BMW 530e iPerformance
    BMW is "putting all our eggs in PHEV basket," diesels dead in US after 2018

    UPDATE: BMW has clarified its statement to Motor Authority in an email. "The final decision as to whether or not the BMW X5 diesel variant will come to the U.S. market has not been made. BMW of North America continues to monitor customer preferences and is prepared to adjust the product portfolio...

  • 2019 Ford Edge
    Ford to launch 16 electric cars in next 5 years

    Ford has been light on electrification announcements, but its future powertrain plans came into better focus this past Sunday. The automaker announced it will launch 16 electric cars in the next five years, and the first will arrive in 2020, The Verge reported. However, many of the upcoming...

  • 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid
    Half of Porsche sales will be electrified cars by 2025

    The Volkswagen brand grabs a lot of the headlines surrounding VW Group's electrification plans, but Porsche will also help lead the way forward. In fact, Porsche is so confident in its electrified future that it believes half of its total sales will encompass plug-in hybrid and battery-electric...

  • 2016 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Convertible
    Next Volkswagen Beetle to be electric, rear-wheel drive?

    Should reported plans for a next-generation Volkswagen Beetle pan out, the iconic car will see a major transformation. On Friday, Autocar reported VW is actively considering a rear-wheel-drive, all-electric Beetle. The change would harken back to the original Beetle, which was rear-wheel drive with...

  • Porsche Mission E concept electric car
    Porsche believes it will set standards and thrive in the electric-car era

    Porsche has seen tremendous transformation over decades of operation. Arguably, it faces another new challenge: the era of electric cars. The brand isn't worried, however, and chief financial officer Lutz Meschke believes Porsche will set its own standards and thrive as it always has in the coming...

  • 150 millionth Volkswagen delivered

    The Volkswagen brand spans more than 150 markets around the world, and over the course of decades, it's finally delivered its 150 millionth car. And fittingly, it's an electrified (and rather sporty) vehicle: a Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. The brand delivered the milestone car in Norway, also fitting as Norway leads Europe in the push toward zero tailpipe emissions transportation. The country will ban the sale of new cars powered by an internal-combustion engine in 2025. VW says GTE is the owner's sixth Golf in addition to two Passats, a Polo, and a Caravelle. If the Golf GTE sounds unfamiliar...

  • Unplugged Performance Tesla Model 3
    Unplugged Performance readies Tesla Model 3 kits

    Unplugged Performance has yet to actually dive into the world of tuning Tesla's electric cars, but it's arguably made some pretty cool aftermarket parts for its vehicles. Naturally, after tackling the Model S and Model X, it's turning its attention to the Tesla Model 3. Like most Unplugged...

  • Mercedes-Benz EQA concept, 2017 Frankfurt auto show
    Batteries included: Mercedes, VW pledge allegiance to electrification

    The 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show was full of new cars and futuristic designs, but one word hummed in the background: electrification. Many major automakers announced that they would produce more electric or electrified vehicles in the near future, while others doubled down on moving to fully...

  • Tesla mobile battery swapping rig patent
    Patent filing suggests Tesla still interested in battery swapping

    Tesla first toyed with the idea of battery swapping three years ago, only to walk away from the service less than one year later. Despite this, the electric-car maker may still have an eye on battery swapping, and a new patent filing is evidence of this. In May of this year, Tesla filed to patent a...

  • Porsche Mission E concept electric car
    Production Porsche Mission E to be priced like Panamera

    Now that Porsche has ushered the 2019 Cayenne out into the world, it will be dedicating most of its resources to its next major launch: the production version of the Mission E electric sedan. Porsche's chairman, Oliver Blume, was kind enough to provide a little bit of insight into Porsche's first...

  • Tesla Supercharger for city centers
    Tesla taking Supercharger network to city centers, starting with Chicago and Boston

    Tesla has largely focused its Supercharger charging station network on highways and popular roads, but the Silicon Valley automaker will soon change that. Tesla announced it will begin to expand its Supercharger charging network to city centers, with downtown Chicago, Illinois, and Boston...

  • Bosch electric powertrain

    While some automakers have plenty of expertise in electric powertrains, others haven't entered the realm. Bosch is hoping automakers will see past developing their own electric powertrain technology and fancy a ready-to-use unit instead. The automotive supplier has revealed its off-the-shelf solution for electric cars that can be applied to numerous vehicle applications. Bosch's mobility solutions chief Dr. Rolf Bulander says the so-called "e-axle" combines the motor, transmission, and power control electronics all in one. It does not include the battery or software, which would have to be...

  • 2018 BMW M2
    Electrified Rolls-Royce and BMW M cars are coming

    BMW revealed it has big plans to begin introducing electric cars for mass production in the near future—and yes, they even include Rolls-Royce and its BMW M-division cars. The German automaker revealed it has 12 new fully-electric vehicles under development and plans to start producing the...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    A Nissan Leaf Nismo might be coming, eventually

    If there is one automaker that has embraced electric performance cars, it's Tesla. Not only has the Silicon Valley automaker proved electric cars can look good, be luxurious, and work as daily drivers, it's also shown performance is a breeze with a proper battery pack, big motors, and the right...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 "first production" car, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017
    Tesla Model 3 performance version coming next year, says Musk

    The Tesla Model 3 has finally reached production, albeit in small numbers. However, there's more to come from the electric-car maker's most affordable model. While Tesla begins to ramp up production of the Model 3 in Long Range trim, with an EPA-estimated 310-mile range, the automaker is also...

  • Fisker EMotion
    Graphene batteries not coming to Fisker Emotion after all

    Remember Fisker's promise to introduce the industry's first automotive-grade graphene batteries? That's not happening. Now, Fisker's upcoming Emotion electric car will utilize fairly standard lithium-ion battery cells. The latest information, reported by Automotive News (subscription required)...

  • Volkswagen ID model lineup, Photo: Groenl7
    Volkswagen working on sporty electric hatchback sedan alongside revived Microbus

    The days of Volkswagen diesels are long gone, and the future is electric. It's public knowledge Volkswagen has been working on a portfolio of electric cars to cope with the aftermath of its Dieselgate scandal. Now, for the first time, we have a more detailed look at those plans, and they appear to...

  • Electric motor, shown in 'How Does an Electric Car Work?' video by Learn Engineering

    Maybe not so shockingly (pun intended), many drivers don't know how an electric car actually works. For many, the knowledge spans as far as plugging it in, letting charge, and driving it off. It's not really as simple as that, even though an electric motor is comprised of far fewer moving parts than a traditional internal combustion engine. A video from "Learn Engineering" looks to explain what's actually going on underneath all the clockwork and introduce the masses to a world of electric propulsion. The video presentation tears down a standard Tesla Model S, no doubt the world's most...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf ProPilot Assist
    2018 Nissan Leaf will arrive with ProPilot Assist self-driving capability

    There's a new nugget of information surrounding the 2018 Nissan Leaf, but it doesn't have to do with its battery, range, or its powertrain at all. Instead, it's all about self-driving capability. The 2018 Nissan Leaf will arrive with what the brand calls ProPilot Assist, a semi-autonomous driving...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevy Volt, with charging station visible; photo by George Parrott
    Why Your Electric Car May Talk To Your Utility Behind Your Back: It'll Save You Money

    Cars are remarkably dumb and uncommunicative objects. They only started having any situational awareness of what's around them--other vehicles in the blind spot, for instance--a few years ago. And they still don't talk to each other. Electric cars--which usually pioneer a whole lot of...

  • Frame from 2014 Cadillac ELR video on YouTube, with actor Neil McDonough
    Even Cadillac Marketing Chief Worried About 'Provocative' ELR Ad

    Turns out that even the marketing chief at Cadillac was "troubled" by the ad it ran during the recent Oscars and Sochi Olympics broadcasts. The goal, according to Cadillac's advertising director Craig Bierley, had been to air a "provocative" ad that would break through the clutter and draw...

  • 2014 Cadillac ELR
    Cadillac Sweetens 2014 ELR Deal With Free Home-Charging Station

    A free 240-Volt Level 2 charging station could help buyers forget the 2014 Cadillac ELR's steep base price.

  • 2014 Cadillac ELR at Detroit-Hamtramck
    2014 Cadillac ELR Luxury Coupe Begins Shipping To Dealers

    The 2014 Cadillac ELR is on its way to dealers.

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