Not that long ago, only a few electric cars were on the market. Nowadays, there are a few dozen. We certainly have a few favorites here on CleanTechnica, but every plug-in car really has its own selling points. I’m sure I don’t have a comprehensive list of these in my head, and many of the points are definitely as subjective as opinions about music or movies, but below are many of my thoughts on why I’d recommend various plug-in models.
We’re not sure if Audi was directly inspired by the Sion announcement from Sono Motors back in July, but the German car manufacturer have just revealed that it too will be using solar panels to help power one of its future electric vehicles.
The European plug-in car market started its usual holiday season in July, down almost a third compared to the previous month (summertime = lower sales). There were some 19,600 registrations. But that is still up 41% regarding the same month last year, so the growth trend continues. Year to date, the market is up 34% this year, with the EV share now standing at a record 1.6%.
Apparently, slamming the Big 3 of Germany — Daimler, BMW, and Volkswagen — is in fashion in German politics. Or chief politicians in Germany are just fed up.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is cranking up the pressure on the German auto industry as it seeks to reorganize coming out of the diesel emissions scandals that shook its foundations. The strong push comes as Merkel seeks re-election and has recognized the mounting global market pressures that are coming to bear on the largely internal combustion–based German auto industry.
After our overview about the allegations surrounding Germany’s top automakers, one has to wonder if Tesla may soon pose a deadly threat. A recent article in the Financial Times ponders this further, reporting that:
An alternative title to the above was: “Slow & Steady Is A Recipe For Disruption.” But the story is still a little more complicated than that.
Now that we have several official specs for the Tesla Model 3, I wanted to do a thorough update of how the Model 3 competes against comparably priced offerings from BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, Toyota, Acura, and Jaguar. Last week, I commented at length about subjective features of the Model 3 that I think will make it a much more attractive offer for drivers and passengers — openness, torque, serenity, and 21st century controls. I honestly think these are the core factors (along with the convenience of home charging) that will lead to the Model 3 dominating its market segment. However, I know many people just want to see the numbers and I am sometimes in search of specific numbers for various comparisons, so this article is primarily aimed at providing several key specs across a few variations of the Model 3, the Tesla Model S, and 22 gas-powered competitors.
Tesla Model 3 is here, and that has pushed me to again incorporate Tesla sales estimates into our monthly US electric car sales reports. Well, that and a repeated request from readers to bring back Tesla’s US sales estimates*.
BMW, Audi, and Mercedes should be prepped for this, since they’ve already been walloped in the large luxury sedan class. Nonetheless, what’s coming is like nothing they could truly prep for. These automakers have been trading wins with each other in various monthly and annual races, but Usain Bolt just came to town and is soon joining the track days.
