Why self-driving cars are designed to look like overgrown toys

Mar 9, 2021
To make customers comfortable with mobile robots, companies are designing in approachability and familiarity.
This Nuro vehicle is built to transport packages, not people.
Nuro

More electric vehicles promised, but are fleet owners ready?

Jan 29, 2021
There isn’t a lot of experience or trust on which to base calculations about durability and cost savings for electric vehicles.
Consumers may need more concrete data on the benefits of electric vehicles before they commit.
Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images

Is this the end of the road for the internal combustion engine in the U.K.?

Dec 2, 2020
The nation banned the sale of new fossil-fueled cars starting in 2030. Enthusiasts, and the public, are not sure the electric revolution will be complete by then.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses in an electric taxi. His government has accelerated its plan to move the country to electric transportation.
Leon Neal/WPA Pool/Getty Images

How electric cars sparked GM's exodus from Australia, New Zealand and Thailand

Feb 17, 2020
It's part of a larger strategy to exit unprofitable markets.
A sign is viewed at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly as they announced the closing of multiple facilities including this one on November 26, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan.
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images

How Tesla made a U-turn

Jan 29, 2020
Last year seemed a troubled one for Tesla. And now? Its stock has more than doubled since October.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Availability of charging stations a stumbling block for electric cars

Jan 9, 2020
Right now, there are 63,000 public charging stations in the country, according to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, compared with 168,000 stations that serve gas.
The new all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Sue Carpenter

Battery prices are crashing. That's good news.

Dec 3, 2019
They've fallen 87% since 2010. That means cheaper electric vehicles.
An electric car charges on a London street.
Miles Willis/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

U.S. automakers seek advantage at Shanghai Auto Show

Apr 18, 2019
American manufacturers are eager to win Chinese customers.
Ford Lincoln unveils a luxury SUV with seven seats at the Shanghai auto show. Other carmakers have pushed new SUVs and electric models to drive sales amid a slowdown in the industry.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

Electric vehicles in the spotlight at Shanghai Auto Show

Apr 18, 2019
Electric cars are drawing attention and Chinese automakers are to the fore.
Chinese automaker BYD, a firm backed by Warren Buffet, unveiled an electric sports car at the Shanghai auto show. It’s not available for sale yet but many live streamers and car bloggers were surprised that this sleek design came from a Chinese automaker.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace