Ford will begin commercial trials of the plug-in hybrid Transit Van in Cologne, Germany. This will extend to a third European city research into the use of plug-in hybrid electric vans that run solely on electric power for most city trips. From spring 2019, Ford, supported by the City of... Read more →

In London, Land Rover unveiled the New Range Rover Evoque luxury compact SUV. The new Evoque offers a choice of three- and four-cylinder Ingenium gasoline and diesel engines, a 48-volt mild-hybrid system (MHEV) and a 3-cylinder plug-in hybrid system (PHEV). The compact footprint is almost identical to its predecessor’s at... Read more →

Subaru Corporation is introducing its first plug-in hybrid vehicle, the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, in the US. Offering real all-wheel capability in a hybrid package, the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Hybrid features the new Subaru StarDrive Technology that uniquely integrates electric motors, a 2.0-liter direct-injection SUBARU BOXER engine, Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive,... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has handed over the first GLC F-CELL (earlier post) vehicles to selected customers in the German market. The Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL (combined hydrogen consumption: 0.34 kg/100 km, combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, combined electrical consumption: 13.7 kWh/100 km) features both fuel cells and a battery drive which can be... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz is delivering the first new third-generation plug-in hybrids—labelled EQ Power—to customers now and over the coming months. Mercedes-Benz is initially using this type of powertrain in the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class. The 13.5 kWh battery in the hybrid vehicles is paired with either a gasoline engine or, for the... Read more →

The third generation of the plug-in hybrid from Mercedes-Benz is due to be launched. (Earlier post.) The new S 560 e (combined fuel consumption: 2.6-2.5 l/100 km, combined CO2 emissions: 59-57 g/km, combined electrical consumption: 20.2-20.0 kWh/100 km) can be ordered from today. The modified components and the intelligent powertrain... Read more →

By 2022, Mercedes-Benz’ entire product range will be electrified. There will be electric alternatives in every segment from smart to SUV, with well in excess of 130 variants in total, ranging from 48-volt on-board electrical system with EQ Boost to plug-in-hybrids to all-electric vehicles with batteries or fuel cells. As... Read more →

The FCA Melfi, Italy plant is beginning preparations to produce the Jeep Renegade Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) scheduled for market launch in early 2020. The Renegade PHEV will be produced alongside the Renegade and 500X full combustion engine products that are currently produced at the Melfi vehicle assembly plant.... Read more →

BMW unveiled the new seventh-generation 3 Series at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris; market launch is from 9 March 2019. The new 3 Series powertrain technology offers higher output, greater pulling power and optimized efficiency. Six engine variants will be available from launch: four-cylinder gasoline models, four-cylinder diesels, plus... Read more →

ŠKODA, a member of the Volkswagen Group, is unveiling the VISION RS plug-in hybrid concept at the Paris Motor Show. The study provides the first glimpses of the next evolutionary stage of ŠKODA’s sporty RS models and the design of a future compact vehicle. ŠKODA is also demonstrating the use... Read more →

Peugeot is introducing gasoline plug-in hybrid systems for the Peugeot 3008 and 508 and 508 SW engines. The HYBRID engine and the HYBRID4 (four-wheel-drive) engine will be available for the second quarter of 2019. Peugeot 3008 PHEV. The 1.6L PureTech engine has been adapted, including with the addition of a... Read more →

Brazil-based Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, part of the TRATON Group, introduced the e-Delivery electric truck (earlier post)—a battery electric version of the company’s Delivery mode—at IAA Commercial vehicles. The model is in the test phase and is to go into production by 2020. The company also introduced the e-Flex flexible... Read more →

Cummins Inc. unveiled PowerDrive, a suite of plug-in hybrid electric powertrain solutions spanning light-, medium- and heavy-duty applications, at the 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicle Show. The Cummins PowerDrive offers both parallel and series capabilities. The PowerDrive replaces the conventional transmission and switches in real time between two hybrid and two... Read more →

Ford revealed the production version of the new Transit Custom plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) at IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hannover, Germany. The Transit Custom PHEV targets an all-electric driving range of 50 kilometers (31 miles), and uses the multi-award-winning Ford 1.0-liter EcoBoost gasoline engine as a range extender... Read more →

Geely Auto’s flagship B-segment hybrid sedan Bo Rui GE has been selected as an official diplomatic concierge vehicle by the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions. The Bo Rui GE comes in either a MHEV 48V mild hybrid or full PHEV plug-in hybrid version. The Bo Rui GE MHEV is... Read more →

The new Mercedes-Benz GLE features a number of significant innovations, including the 48V active suspension system E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL—a world first. Driving assistance systems take another step forward with Active Stop-and-Go Assist. The GLE will receive a completely new range of engines on market launch in early 2019. At a... Read more →

Ford will present its latest generation of connected and electrified Transit products at the IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hannover, Germany, from 20-27 September 2018. Ford’s Transit Custom plug-in hybrid (PHEV) will make its show debut in production form, and the new Transit with a segment-first 48-volt mild hybrid (mHEV)... Read more →

The BMW X5 xDrive40e, introduced in 2015, was the first plug-in hybrid production car from the BMW core brand. (Earlier post.) BMW will introduce a new X5 plug-in hybrid, the BMW X5 xDrive45e iPerformance, in Europe in 2019, to be followed by a US model in 2020. The new x5... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors’ 2019 Outlander PHEV, featuring a redesigned powertrain, is now on sale in Japan. The 2019 model, unveiled earlier this year at the Geneva show (earlier post), features a more advanced PHEV system that gives this SUV a stronger EV flavor. Mitsubishi made improvements to 90% of the major... Read more →

A new report from the California Center for Jobs & The Economy indicates that cumulative plug-in vehicle (plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles) sales in California have reached 8.6% of the 2030 goal of 5 million units. Full battery-electric vehicle sales are at 4.4%. Source: “State’s Progress on 5 Million... Read more →

FCA US has awarded the production of the power electronics module for the Jeep Wrangler PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) to its Toledo Machining Plant. As part of the Capital Markets Day presentation in June, FCA committed to expanding its electrified propulsion systems in global architectures spanning the full range... Read more →

Ford has released the first images of the new Territory, a mid-size SUV targeted at new buyers in emerging cities in China. Ford developed the Territory together with its joint venture partner, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC). Territory customers can choose between a fuel-efficient gasoline engine option; 48V mild hybrid with... Read more →

A new 7.2 kW charging system on the 2019 Chevrolet Volt cuts recharging times nearly in half by adding about twice the all-electric driving range per hour of charge. The new system headlines a number of additional enhancements for the 2019 Volt and increases the vehicle’s all-electric utility for owners... Read more →

Hyundai has lowered the price and slightly increased the all-electric range of the refreshed 2018 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV). The new PHEV model adopts the same distinctive design of the recently released Sonata gasoline and Hybrid models while delivering 28 miles (45 km) of all-electric range (vs. 27 miles... Read more →

Cummins Inc. is acquiring Silicon Valley-based Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI), which designs and produces hybrid and fully-electric power solutions for commercial markets. Adding EDI to the Cummins portfolio is the latest step forward in Cummins’ efforts to become a global electrified power leader. EDI’s hybrid-electric drivetrain systems, the EDI PowerDrive... Read more →

A new study by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) finds that the affordability of electric cars remains a strong deterrent for customers across the EU, along with lack of infrastructure and lack of investment in infrastructure. The analysis, which compares national data on the market uptake of electrically-chargeable vehicles... Read more →

BP has entered into an agreement to purchase Chargemaster, the UK’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging company. Chargemaster operates the UK’s largest public network of EV charging points, with more than 6,500 across the country. It also designs, builds, sells and maintains EV charging units for a wide range of... Read more →

Two years ago, Southern California Edison launched Charge Ready, a pilot program to increase the availability of charging for passenger electric vehicles. After having recently installed Charge Ready’s 1,000th EV charging station, SCE has filed a plan with the California Public Utilities Commission to expand the program to support the... Read more →

Volvo Cars revealed the new S60 mid-size premium sports sedan at the company’s new—and first—US manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina. The new Charleston plant was officially inaugurated concurrent with the reveal of the S60. The combined car launch and factory opening reinforce Volvo Cars’ commitment to the US, an... Read more →

Voyage, a startup in the autonomous taxi space, entered into a long-term strategic partnership with Renovo, a mobility technology company, to license Renovo’s AWare OS for use across its global fleet of automated vehicles. Initial AWare deployments will take place this year in Voyage’s existing commercial community deployments in The... Read more →

Volvo Cars is launching a new upgraded electrified performance offer called Polestar Engineered, specifically developed for its new 60 Series T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid cars. The announcement comes one week before the company will reveal its new S60 premium sports sedan at the inauguration of its first US manufacturing... Read more →

Seven companies—Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO); TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc.; TEPCO Power Grid, Inc.; Hitachi Systems Power Service, Ltd.; Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC); SHIZUOKA GAS Co., Ltd.; and Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.—have been selected by the Ministry for Economy, Transport and Infrastructure (METI) to receive grants under METI’s FY2018... Read more →

Fiat Chrysler will phase out diesel engines in its passenger cars sold in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) market by 2021, according to company executives presenting at FCA Capital Markets day in Balocco, Italy. The company, however, will still offer diesel in its light commercial vehicles across its brands.... Read more →

Hyundai’s model-year 2019 IONIQ lineup—hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric—adds new and broader applications of active safety features, enhanced voice-recognition features and standard remote charge management for Plug-in and Electric models. 2019 Ioniq models will be available at Hyundai dealerships this summer. 2019 Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid New for the 2019 IONIQ... Read more →

A team from Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories in the US and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and German Aerospace Center in Germany has reviewed and compared 40 market diffusion models for plug-in vehicles to find similarities or differences and make recommendations for future improvements... Read more →

BMW i is introducing a factory-fitted, fully integrated inductive charging facility for the high-voltage battery in a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Production will start in July. The BMW Wireless Charging option can be ordered now as a leasing-option for the BMW 530e iPerformance (fuel consumption in legislative EU test-cycle combined: 2.3... Read more →

Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) has received a production order for PHEV bus drivetrain systems from the city of Kunming, China. The 30-unit order brings EDI’s total China fleet size to 168 vehicles, all of which are deployed on leading OEMs across urban and rural routes in China. China’s continued push... Read more →

The Ohio State University has taken first place in the final year of EcoCAR 3, an Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition, sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM). This is OSU’s fourth consecutive win. The team earned 895 out of 1000 overall points. Ohio State... Read more →

The new Volvo S60 sedan to be launched later this spring will be the first Volvo to be produced without a diesel engine option. The company said that the move highlights its commitment to a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine. All new Volvo models launched from 2019 will... Read more →

Combined sales of BMW i, BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles were up 52% in April (9,831), bringing the total number of electrified BMW Group cars sold to over 250,000, said Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Brand BMW. The Group... Read more →

Audi aims to sell approximately 800,000 fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids in the year 2025. At today’s Annual General Meeting of Audi AG, the Board of Management is presenting the updated “Audi.Vorsprung.2025.” strategy. To enable about every third customer to decide in favor of an e-model by the middle... Read more →

Maxwell Technologies, a leading developer and manufacturer of capacitive energy storage and power delivery solutions, announced a technology partnership with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely), the parent company of leading brands such as Volvo and Geely Auto. The partnership focuses on the integration of state-of-the-art ultracapacitors and advanced power conversion... Read more →

The newly introduced 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid makes significant advancements over both the standard Cayenne and the preceding Cayenne S E-Hybrid (earlier post) it replaces, including more power, quicker acceleration, a faster top speed, and increased electric-only range. The Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid uses the same three-liter mono-turbo V6 as the... Read more →

Toyota Motor plans to introduce to the Chinese market plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) versions of its Corolla and Levin passenger cars in 2019 and a battery electric vehicle (BEV) model based on its C-HR / IZOA compact SUV in 2020. (To be sold in China as a C-HR by... Read more →

The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) has released a request for applications (RFA) inviting private sector partners to build fast-charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) along most major highway corridors in Colorado, including I-25, I-70, US 36, US 40, US 50, US 160, US 285 and US 550. The state is... Read more →

Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) has integrated integration its EDI PowerDrive 4000 into a Class-4 General Motors Low Cab Forward platform, creating an electrified work truck for agriculture applications. The vehicle combines the benefits of a CNG Fuel system and Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) technology and is geared to help agriculture fleets... Read more →

Moody’s Japan K.K. says that the push toward alternative-fuel vehicles—battery electric vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles—poses a credit challenge for multiple sectors in Japan, with the large auto sector and sectors such as steel and refining most affected. Over the next decade, Japanese auto manufacturers and associated industries... Read more →

Buick will add two new models to its China portfolio—the VELITE 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and VELITE 6 battery-electric vehicle (BEV)—to tap into the fast-growing domestic demand for new energy vehicles. In April 2017, Buick introduced the Velite 5, its first extended-range electric vehicle, in a global debut... Read more →

Hitachi Europe Ltd., Mitsubishi Motors and ENGIE are partnered in a project to explore the potential for electric vehicles to act as a means of energy storage for an office building. For this demonstration, the consortium linked Hitachi’s vehicle-to-everything (V2X) charger to ENGIE’s office building in Zaandam, The Netherlands. Hitachi’s... Read more →

At the New York International Auto Show, Lincoln unveiled Aviator, a three-row plug-in hybrid production preview. The “teaser” model serves to preview the direction Lincoln plans to take with its newest SUV when the production model goes on sale next year. With its roomy interior and twin-turbocharged powertrain available with... Read more →