Could Norwegian milk trucks point to the best next step in vehicle electrification?

Photo: Semcon

Don’t get me wrong. As much as any car enthusiast, I love the explosiveness, sound, and feel of raw power under the hood that you get from a strong internal combustion engine. And on a certain level, it’s hard to imagine the idea of a motoring life without those dynamics.

But I also think that the benefits of electric powertrains, like the power of immediate torque at the wheels and the downforce benefits of a chassis-length, bottom-mounted battery—even if we leave aside for the moment any remaining debate about the net economic and environmental impacts— cannot be dismissed.

Turning over a new LEAF: Meet the Nissan NISMO electric race car that approaches the torque of Volkswagen’s record-shattering I.D.R. Pikes Peak

Photo: Nissan Media Newsroom.

2018 has been landmark year for the ascendancy of electric vehicles in the motorsports world, especially with Volkswagen’s triumph in shattering, in an electric race car, the previous all-time record in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Now, as we look ahead to a new year of motorsports, Nissan is reasserting its presence with the debut last week, at Nissan Crossing in Tokyo’s Ginza district, of the new all-electric Nissan LEAF NISMO RC, a product of the automaker’s racing arm.

There’s still time to get that full federal electric vehicle tax credit, Tesla reminds prospective buyers

A Tesla Model S, customized by Creative Bespoke, on display at SEMA 2018. Photo by Bill Hayward.

Maybe, on the day after Black Friday 2018, they were trying to stir up a bit of Cyber Monday mojo to score a few online orders for their vehicles before the end of the month. In a message sent yesterday afternoon to their email newsletter subscriber list, Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), reminded prospective buyers that there is still time to take advantage of the full $7,500 U.S. federal tax credit on electric vehicle purchases.

Eat your heart out, Tesla—check out this cool electric car that a Nissan predecessor company built over 70 years ago.

Photo: Nissan Official Media Newsroom.

OK. So it’s not quite as sleek and sexy as a Tesla Roadster.

But this vintage 1947 Tama electric vehicle built by Tokyo Electro Automobile Co., Ltd., has a funky charm of its own. And for Japanese car enthusiasts, it might be pretty cool to think that a company that is part of Nissan’s history was thinking this early about the benefits of electrification, in response to an energy crisis of its time.

Waking up to the debate about the efficiency and environmental impact of electric vehicles

I guess I really do eat this stuff for breakfast.

When I awakened this morning, the first things I saw in both my Facebook feed and my email inbox were highly relevant to the ongoing debate on the merits of electric vehicles. The first was a Facebook post featuring photos of a Tesla at a charging station, and the second was an e-mailed press release announcing a partnership between technology company Semcon and hydrogen fuel-cell producer Powercell.

Be still, my heart: the Jaguar E-Type is coming back—sort of.

Photo: Jaguar Newsroom

By Bill Hayward

Three days ago, it was officially announced that the childhood dream car that I’ve never owned is making a comeback of sorts.

And I almost missed the press release in my inbox.

But I finally found it, and my heart almost skipped a beat when I read it: Jaguar Classic confirmed on Thursday that they will offer all-electric E-Types for sale, branded as E-Type Zero to emphasize the zero-emissions profile of the powertrain.

Volkswagen, Dumas electrify the automotive world with all-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record.

Photo: Volkswagen U.S. media website.

As covered in our article just over a month ago, Volkswagen said they would do it. And on Sunday, they did it.

Those of us who have been watching the advances in electric vehicle technology have known it for a while. But in case you haven’t been paying attention, something happened at Pikes Peak this week to add a big, public, exclamation point to the reality that electric vehicles aren’t just for tree-huggers any more.

BMW launches wireless plug-in hybrid charging for German market, with other regions soon to follow.

Photo: BMW Group PressClub Global.

The BMW Group announced today that a touchless charging station is now available as a lease option in Germany for the BMW 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid. According to BMW, the launch in Germany will be followed by offerings in the UK, the US, Japan and China.

Volkswagen builds a stunning new electric race car to tackle Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Photo: Volkswagen U.S. Media Site

No, you haven't seen a Volkswagen like this before. And, yes—it's glorious. A stunning vehicle like this can do much to transform the image that comes into the mind of the skeptical car enthusiast on hearing the phrase "electric car." This one certainly isn't built for the stereotypical tree-hugging, latte-sipping environmentally-correct eco-car owner.

"Alexa, Warm Up My Car": Kia Adds Amazon Alexa Remote Voice Controls to Several Models

Kia Optima Hybrid. Photo: Kia media website.

If you've been waiting anxiously to be able to control your Kia from an Alexa-powered Amazon device, your moment has arrived.

Kia Motors America announced on Monday that they have added the ability to remotely control a number of functions, such as starting and stopping the engine or heating and cooling car interiors, using simple voice commands.

The new features are enhancements of Kia's UVO Skill system, UVO being an acronym for "Your Voice." UVO Skill also allows owners to lock doors, sound the horn and flash the lights, and start and stop charging a Kia plug-in or electric vehicle.

Rotary Engine May Make Comeback as Range Extender for Electric Vehicles, Hybrids

Wankel Rotary Engine architecture (left)
compared to LiquidPiston Rotary "X" Engine.

Remember the Wankel Rotary Engine that powered the Mazda RX-7?

Today, the original Mazda RX-7 power plant continues to have a devoted cult following of enthusiasts, even though it never achieved wide commercial success. That said, Mazda did continue producing rotary engine cars until 2012, the last one being the RX-8, and plans to release its next rotary engine next year, according to Fox News.

Meanwhile, LiquidPiston Inc., an  advanced internal combustion engine technology company based in Bloomfield, CT, has other plans for a new engineering approach to the rotary engine. The company envisions its Rotary "X" engine as a better alternative for range extension in electric vehicles and hybrids.

Meet the All-Electric Genesis Essentia, a GT Coupe Concept Unveiled at New York International Auto Show

 Genesis, the new luxury spinoff marque from Hyundai, revealed their new Essentia Concept at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. The Essentia in all-electric, high-performance gran turismo luxury coupe that the company says is designed around an "Athletic Elegance" paradigm, providing a vision of future Genesis product performance and technology.

"We understand our obligation as a luxury car manufacturer to create objects of desire, sparking passion and inspiration by emphasizing a culture while exceeding expectations in terms of technology and connectivity, bringing our outside world seamlessly to the inside of the vehicle," said Manfred Fitzgerald, a former Lamborghini executive who now heads up the Genesis brand globally. "This is what the Genesis Essentia Concept is all about, and we are thrilled to introduce our interpretation of an all-electric, two-door Gran Turismo here in New York."

Porsche Unveils Refreshing New Twist on the Crossover: Meet the Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept

Our first reaction? To tell the truth, we were a little perplexed.

Hmm... well, it looks a little like a Veloster from the back... doesn't it?

Then, we took a closer look. And our verdict? This, dear readers, is definitely a twist on the crossover concept that we can applaud—as ambivalent as we have been, in general, about Porsche's moves beyond the traditional sports car category.

And, to add another layer of interest, it's an electric. An electric that makes 600 horsepower.

We'll forgive the floating roof. It's still a concept, and mistakes are correctable.