Electric Vehicles
Coverage of electric vehicle (EV) policy and use by government and consumers in the United States as jurisdictions increasingly incorporate electric cars, buses and other vehicles into government fleets to help meet climate change goals. Includes stories about electric vehicle infrastructure and battery development, hybrid vehicles, electric scooters and bikes.
In recent months, global auto manufacturers have released plans to electrify their vehicle fleets by 2030 or 2035, setting up a race to see who can most quickly shift entirely away from producing vehicles powered by gasoline.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg addressed the opening session of the Forth Roadmap Conference this week, stressing the need to transform the transportation sector as a central effort to combat climate change.
A three-year competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and Mathworks challenged students from 11 universities to convert a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer into a hybrid vehicle.
A report released this week by the California Energy Commission found that charging infrastructure isn't being built fast enough in the state to meet its lofty transportation and climate change goals.
New research from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that as electric utilities phase out fossil fuels like coal, the electric cars they recharge far outpace gas-powered cars when considering overall greenhouse gas emissions.
The state program aimed at encouraging drivers to buy electric vehicles with $5,000 rebates expired in December, falling short of its intended goal. Now, some are wondering if the program will come back.
Although researchers have consistently found that electric vehicles emit less carbon than traditional automobiles, the state of the overall electric grid may determine whether the environment will be cleaner.
The provision would expand the $7,500 tax credit for vehicles costing less than $80,000, eliminate the cap for automakers and add $2,500 for autos built by union members and for vehicles assembled in the United States.
When cars can operate themselves, the central question will be whether accidents are the manufacturer’s responsibility or whether the fault would lie with the driver and be covered by personal auto insurance.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the organization responsible for public transportation in New York City, will buy 60 electric buses this year. The move will give MTA 85 total electric buses by the end of 2021.
