While the Volkswagen BUDD-e probably won’t make it to production, the hardware under the body will. The concept is the first vehicle to showcase VW’s new Modular Electric Platform, called MEB for short. Designed specifically for either plug-in hybrid or battery-electric vehicles, the platform can accommodate both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in a variety of body styles.
To put it mildly, a hybrid F-150 pickup is a bold move by Ford. It’s the automaker’s single most important vehicle; the top seller and profit machine that pays the light bills in Dearborn. But Ford isn’t afraid to gamble with their top seller.
While it may or may not use the E-Ray name, an electrified Corvette will happen. What type of powertrain and when will it arrive are the unanswered questions for now.
General Motors is quoting a “more that 200-mile” driving range for the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt until the official EPA numbers are released.
While you may not be as good of a driver as you think – don’t be disheartened, an app might be all you need to become a better driver.
Nissan’s urban personal mobility solution is the New Mobility Concept, an ultra-compact two-seat electric vehicle for every-day short distance urban driving. If you live in or are traveling to San Francisco, you don’t have to wait to see if this little four-wheeler is a possible answer for pollution-free urban transportation.
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will have a 30-mile all-electric driving range and is expected to deliver up to 80 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) on EPA tests. The powertrain centers on a 3.6-liter Atkinson cycle Pentastar V-6 gas engine. It’s mated to a two-motor hybrid system that substitutes for a transmission and operated like an electrified version of a continuously-variable transmission (CVT). A 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack is located under the second row of seats, which preserves Chrysler’s Stow ‘n Go seating and storage for the third row.
In case you haven’t noticed, that gasoline price has increased a couple of cents in the past week and is expected to edge up some more in the coming weeks. In other words, that makes the 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid’s value proposition a little more enticing.
We can say with confidence that cars have never been better bargains, offering cost-effective paths to a “greener” transportation.
Ford recently marked the one-year anniversary of the opening of its newly expanded California R&D lab and ticked off its accomplishments as leader in what CEO Mark Fields called Ford’s “one foot in today, one foot in tomorrow” strategy.