Why is the plug-in Prius on the short end of plug-in tax policies? Is America heading down the wrong plug-in path? What’s the point of plug-in vehicles? Most would say either foreign oil independence or global warming, or both. Yet, the only way that plug-ins will have …

Plug-in Prius offers the most cost-effective plug-in architecture When it comes to batteries, we have to walk before we run A new UK study on total costs of ownership (TCO) of low carbon cars demonstrates that plug-in vehicles will probably still need government incentives in 2030 to overcome higher TCO’s, and that plug-in hybrids similar to the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid will…

The solar-roofed Smart Forvision plug-in concept Eye candy, but also an important new direction There have been a number of vehicle previews ahead of the Frankfurt Auto Show that have been built upon plug-in drivetrains. Unfortunately, automakers have no intention to build most of these concepts. Instead, these vehicles serve…

Maybe a hybrid version would be better? Another interesting automotive idea The Volkswagen Nils single seat urban electric vehicle follows in the wheels of Audi’s new urban plug-in concepts :  small, light, technologically advanced plug-in vehicles. Unfortunately, while these urban concepts make a ton of theoretical sense, they are still missing some key points. Most notably, like the Audi concepts, the Nils only achieves about…

Cruze all about sales, Volt all about marketing? Why isn’t Volt production back on track? Back in June GM shut down Chevy Volt production to upgrade manufacturing capabilities, enabling GM to produce more Volts, as well as some Opel Ampera’s – Europe’s version of the Volt. By…

The new look of Ford Evos-inspired design language coming to a Ford near you soon The smoking-hot Ford Evos plug-in hybrid is one of those concept vehicles that will probably never see the light of day. The Evos wasn’t really designed for production, but rather to express the future of Ford’s design language. And …

ELR ready for a next generation Volt battery pack More and more the luxury segment is being defined by batteries The Cadillac Ciel plug-in hybrid, or at least a car built on the Ciel’s Omega platform, is almost a done deal and should be given the go-ahead before year’s end. While details are still scant, GM has decided it needs a new flagship to put Cadillac back…

Is it a plug-in, a transformer, or both? Are there enough rich people to save the world? I know, I know. If not for rich people, average joes would never have been able to afford cell phones and flat screen TVs. God bless the rich people! Although I wonder, did the government ever offer massive tax incentives and…

Catching up to the Jetsons? And maybe even far less relevant Want to spend less money on gasoline, but can’t afford a new, more fuel efficient car. No worries. A new Smartphone app can reduce your fueling costs by 20 percent according to a new MIT/Princeton study . And that’s just the beginning of how the cloud is going to fundamentally change the auto industry — maybe even far more…

If you can't get home without a charge, you should've bought a pure EV Should one have preferential treatment? Should there even be free public charging? Who has more rights to a public charging station, pure battery electric plug-ins, such as the Nissan Leaf that have limited range, or plug-in hybrids , such as the Chevy Volt, which can always just use gasoline power? That’s become the…

Despite tax incentives, Chinese consumers don't want Chinese-made plug-ins Mainstreaming electrification is going to take longer than advocates will want to admit Some in China, including communists like Premier Wen Jiabao and even some government agencies, are beginning to have cold feet when it comes to China&#…

Can cars like this really help mainstream battery technologies? But is that a good thing since BMW doesn’t sell to the masses? Today, BMW already offers a few hybrid cars , but in the next few years, BMW will significantly increase its output of electrified offerings, especially ones with plugs. While it’s great to see an auto manufacturer like BMW embrace the efficiency of the…