Policymakers in Washington are promoting electric vehicles as a solution to climate change. But an uncomfortable truth remains: Battery-powered cars are much too expensive for a vast majority of Americans. Congress has begun trying to address that problem. The climate and energy package passed on Sunday by the Senate, the Inflation Reduction Act, would give… Continue reading Electric Cars Are Too Costly for Many, Even With Aid in Climate Bill
Author: New York Times Online News
Plug-In Hybrid Cars Gain Ground in Race With Electric Rivals
In late 2010, General Motors sought to seize the high ground from Toyota’s successful Prius hybrid with the Volt plug-in hybrid — a car that could drive short distances on only electricity and fire up a gasoline engine for long trips. But the Volt and other cars like it struggled to win over drivers as… Continue reading Plug-In Hybrid Cars Gain Ground in Race With Electric Rivals
Toyota Adds $2.5 Billion to Its Investment in a North Carolina Battery Plant
Toyota Motor said on Wednesday that it was more than doubling its investment in a battery plant in North Carolina as part of a broader effort to catch up to rivals in fielding electric vehicles. The automaker said it would invest an additional $2.5 billion in the plant, which is to be built near Greensboro,… Continue reading Toyota Adds $2.5 Billion to Its Investment in a North Carolina Battery Plant
Some Carmakers Say Recycling Car Parts Is the Future. But Is It Realistic?
It sounds simple. But a study published in 1998 by the Society of Automotive Engineers found that midsize American sedans comprised about 20,000 components. Cars have only gotten more complex, which is a challenge for recyclers, said Greg Keoleian, lead author of the study, now a professor at the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable… Continue reading Some Carmakers Say Recycling Car Parts Is the Future. But Is It Realistic?
This Remote Mine Could Foretell the Future of America’s Electric Car Industry
Hiding a thousand feet below the earth’s surface in this patch of northern Minnesota wetlands are ancient mineral deposits that some view as critical to fueling America’s clean energy future. A company called Talon Metals is drilling here around the clock, extracting samples of rock rich with nickel in a bid to become the country’s… Continue reading This Remote Mine Could Foretell the Future of America’s Electric Car Industry
Expansion of Clean Energy Loans Is ‘Sleeping Giant’ of Climate Bill
Tucked into the Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden signed last week is a major expansion of federal loan programs that could help the fight against climate change by channeling more money to clean energy and converting plants that run on fossil fuels to nuclear or renewable energy. The law authorizes as much as $350… Continue reading Expansion of Clean Energy Loans Is ‘Sleeping Giant’ of Climate Bill
Ford’s Quarterly Profit Is Up Nearly 20% From a Year Earlier
Automakers are seeing improvements in the supply of computer chips, but shortages continue to disrupt production. The latest reading on the situation comes from Ford Motor, which said Wednesday that its second-quarter profit had risen nearly 20 percent from a year earlier, when the global chip shortage took a severe toll on its operations. The… Continue reading Ford’s Quarterly Profit Is Up Nearly 20% From a Year Earlier
Can Tesla Data Help Us Understand Car Crashes?
Shortly before 2 p.m. on a clear July day in 2020, as Tracy Forth was driving near Tampa, Fla., her white Tesla Model S was hit from behind by another car in the left lane of Interstate 275. It was the kind of accident that occurs thousands of times a day on American… Continue reading Can Tesla Data Help Us Understand Car Crashes?
Amazon Wants 100,000 Electric Vans. Can Rivian Deliver?
Nearly three years ago, Amazon announced that it would buy 100,000 custom-made delivery vehicles from Rivian, a fledgling maker of electric vehicles. On Thursday, after some delays, the companies said hundreds of the vans were finally on the road. The battery-powered trucks are crucial to Rivian’s business plan and survival in a very competitive auto… Continue reading Amazon Wants 100,000 Electric Vans. Can Rivian Deliver?
Ford Increases Battery Supply to Meet Electric Vehicle Goals
Ford Motor said on Thursday that it had reached an agreement to acquire battery packs from a Chinese supplier as it races to ramp up its global production of electric vehicles. The automaker said it would begin purchasing battery packs next year from Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited that will be used in electric vehicles… Continue reading Ford Increases Battery Supply to Meet Electric Vehicle Goals