After a slow start, Tesla’s sales are starting to take off in the world’s largest auto market. The company sold 10,400 vehicles in China in 2016 – triple the previous year’s figure – and sales for the first three months of 2017 have put it on track to double that this year. China represented around… Read more »
Black Mamba The last time Charged spoke with WattZilla’s Frank Gangi, he teased the company’s Black Mamba as “a lightweight EV charging cord that looks like a snake that ate a rat.” Don’t be put off by the namesake – as Gangi tells it, the Black Mamba is a carefully designed, lightweight charger that packs… Read more »
Honda’s Clarity Electric sedan is scheduled to arrive at select dealerships in California and Oregon in August. The company has announced an introductory 36-month lease offer of $269 a month (plus tax), which includes 20,000 miles per year. The Clarity Electric sports a 161 hp (120 kW) electric motor that produces 221 lb-ft (300 N·m)… Read more »
In the short history of the modern EV industry, it’s been common for automakers to launch plug-in cars under a new brand or model – particularly those companies who are serious about selling EVs at scale. Or, at least the ones that want to appear serious about selling a lot of EVs. Even though Hyundai… Read more »
Oregon legislators are considering a bill that would establish a $1-million fund to provide a $250 incentive to automobile sales staff who sell electric vehicles to Oregon residents (it exempts sales at exclusively electric dealerships). The bill (HB 2514) addresses two interrelated issues, according to its sponsor, Representative Phil Barnhart. First, $250 would be a… Read more »
Hyundai’s new Ioniq offers three ways to go electric – it’s available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions. The Ioniq Hybrid and Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid both feature a 1.6-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder gas engine that delivers 104 hp and 109 ft-lb of torque, along with a six-speed double-clutch transmission. The Hybrid sports a 32 kW… Read more »
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid plug-in hybrid has a life-cycle global warming impact that’s 31% less than that of the previous-generation minivan, and 24% less than its 2017 gas-powered stablemate, according to an analysis by Fiat Chrysler (FCA). FCA’s engineers used an industry-standard software tool that determines Global Warming Potential (GWP), considering not only fuel… Read more »
It has long been apparent to EV journalists (or to anyone who watches TV or reads magazines) that automakers have little interest in advertising their plug-in models – we’re inundated with car ads every hour of every day, but the clever commercials seldom mention the 30 or so EVs and PHEVs that are theoretically available… Read more »
The Toyota Prius is a historic vehicle by any measure. It was the first hybrid to be mass-produced, and it remains the only one to achieve truly mass-market popularity – since it first went on sale in Japan in 1997, it has sold nearly six million units in over 90 worldwide markets. Toyota introduced the… Read more »
By Lisa Jerram, Principal Research Analyst, at Navigant Research It’s been a little over five years since the modern EV market was launched in the US, and growth has been steady – EV sales are expected to approach 200,000 in 2016. EV charging, the partner to the EV market, has grown as well. Today, the… Read more »