california

California really is the Golden State for the Blue Oval. For proof, look to the words of one J Mays, Ford's vice president of global design, who told Inhabitat that hybrid sales are far better than the company expected out west. "Our hybrids are flying off the shelves in California," he said, ...

Prospective electric-vehicle drivers may have to do some California Dreamin' if they want to get a new EV in the Golden State because – surprise – people like EVs when they drop in price. The Honda Fit EV and the Fiat 500e are among the plug-in models that have seen a jump in demand ...

It's hard to get sympathy when you have the funds to lay out north of $100,000 for a car, but for those Fisker Karma owners feeling blue, Hybrid Support Solutions (HSS) is there for you. For $3,995, of course. Karma owners can pay $3,995 for a subscription that gives them a chance to get service ...

Is there a plethora of big rigs in the Gem State? Results of a US Energy Information Administration (EIA) report tracking state-by-state energy-related carbon dioxide emission makes that question worth asking, as Idaho was the state with the highest percentage of emissions stemming from the ...

Oil companies and other supporters of the fossil fuel status quo have been using a study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to attack California's landmark clean energy bill AB32, particularly the bill's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). Oil companies have been particularly irate that the LCFS ...

San Francisco and Los Angeles are known for their fog and smog, respectively, but at least the some folks representing the state of California want to make sure the view is crystal clear for plug-in drivers looking to juice up their vehicles. The EV Open Access Act, or SB454, was recently passed ...

This might come as puzzling news for any Angeleno or San Franciscan whose head is ringing from the most recent batch of potholes: California has the highest state gas taxes in the country, charging almost five times as much per gallon as low-tax states such as Alaska and Georgia, the US Energy ...

In February, the world's best-known plug-in battery-swapping network left California. Now, it looks like the state's not too keen on the concept. The California Air Resources Board (CARB), which is leading the effort to increase the number of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) in the state in the ...

Almost 200 publicly accessible plug-in vehicle charging stations were added in the US last month by public and private entities, reflecting a slight acceleration in station deployment as more Americans buy electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Drivers could choose from 5,865 charging stations ...

The California legislature may do what the feds have been unable to do – create a permanent tax credit for buyers of super efficient vehicles, including electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid-electric, and natural gas. The lunacy of federal tax credits is that the $7,500 credit disappears once a ...

In what some would consider an "If You Build It, They Will Come" scenario straight out of "Field of Dreams," California proponents of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCEVs) adoption say the Golden State may expand its hydrogen refueling station count more than eightfold during the next three years, ...

Mary Nichols, chairman of California Air Resources Board, recently took a jab at automaker trade groups for urging the US Environmental Protection Agency to block California's zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandates. They're undermining the progress they've been making in creating the market for ...

Something interesting happened on the way to make the 2014 Fiat 500e a real car. As the idea for the car was bandied about in public for many years, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne complained bitterly, saying the only reason the car was coming to market was because mean ol' California was ...

The US increased the number of publicly accessible electric-vehicle charging stations by about nine percent in the first quarter of 2013 as retailers and municipalities looked to start meeting increased demand from drivers of plug-ins vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. As of March ...

While the city of Long Beach, CA, could pit BYD and Proterra electric buses against each other in a race along the city's famed Long Beach Grand Prix route to determine the winner of the municipality's new bus contract, we know that's not going to happen. Instead, the city is debating its ...

To quote L.L. Cool J, automakers concerned about stricter alt-fuel mandates keeping "going back to Cali, Cali, Cali." It remains to be seen whether the EPA responds by saying, "I don't think so." Last week, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers ...

US public and private entities are adding publicly accessible electric-vehicle charging stations at a clip of about 180 units a month, which would put the country's total at about 7,400 by year end, according to US Department of Energy figures. For the six weeks from January 17 to February 28, ...

The approval of the Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid for California carpool lanes puts the Blue Oval into the winner's circle; tied with Toyota for the most fuel-efficient models approved for use in the Golden State's HOV lanes. To qualify for the high occupancy program, a vehicle must be ...

Less than five months after electric-vehicle maker Amp said it was switching from passenger-vehicle conversions to delivery-truck electric-vehicle production, the company earned a victory of sorts by getting approval to sell its trucks in the most populous US state. The California Air Resources ...