[Source: Consumer Reports] A number of states are charging electric-vehicle owners fees that experts and consumer advocates say are higher than what the drivers of equivalent gas-powered vehicles are paying in gas taxes, potentially discouraging an important environmentally friendly technology. Almost all states have gasoline taxes to help pay for transportation projects, and electric-vehicle owners Read More…
Tag: electric vehicles
China’s electric vehicle showrooms are sending an ominous signal about the sales outlook this year
[Source: South China Morning Post] Chinese electric and hybrid vehicles makers are bracing for a downturn, after consumers flocked to showrooms before the government scaled back its subsidy programme designed to promote green vehicles in June. Analysts said anecdotal evidence points to a downturn in the new-energy vehicle (NEV) segment in July, the first full Read More…
Fading electric vehicle support in US and China could delay peak oil demand
[Source: GTM] The U.S. Energy Information Administration and International Energy Agency are likely to upwardly revise their oil demand projections, a new report says. Policy support for electric vehicles is waning in key markets around the world, potentially softening EV sales and pushing back forecasts for a peak in global oil demand, according to a Read More…
Not as easy as it looks: Report highlights obstacles for charging electric vehicles
[Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune] Aggravations add up for some drivers and may slow the EV transition. Brianne Van Gorder of Rancho Bernardo loves her new Volkswagen eGolf. But as a first-time owner of an electric vehicle, she’s not so crazy about finding a way to charge it when she is away from home. Sometimes, Read More…
Here’s how much California is spending to put electric cars on the road
[The San Diego Union-Tribune] California policymakers are committed to making sure that electric vehicles — and the charging stations and other infrastructure needs associated with them — transform the state’s transportation sector. But it won’t come cheaply. A review conducted by the San Diego Union-Tribune showed various state agencies have committed $2.46 billion in public Read More…
State’s progress on 5 million zero emission vehicles by 2030: Q1 2018 results
[Source: California Center for Jobs and the Economy] The latest new vehicle sales data from California New Car Dealers Association shows that, as expected, the above-trend ZEV sales in Q4 2017 were likely consumer responses to the potential sunset of related federal subsidies. The Q1 sales of true ZEVs (battery and fuel cell vehicles) were Read More…
Automakers and policymakers may be on a path to electric vehicles; consumers aren’t
[Source: UC Davis/Institute of Transportation Research] In 2017, several automakers and policymakers announced commitments to a transition to electric vehicles: Toyota set a goal to sell more than 1 million electric vehicles by 2030; Volvo aims to beat Toyota by doing the same by 2025; VW’s goal is 25% of its vehicle sales will be Read More…
When will electric cars go mainstream? It may be sooner than you think
[Source: The New York Times] As the world’s automakers place larger bets on electric vehicle technology, many industry analysts are debating a key question: How quickly can plug-in cars become mainstream? The conventional view holds that electric cars will remain a niche product for many years, plagued by high sticker prices and heavily dependent on Read More…