Vanden Plas Luxury Awd Sedan. Mechanics Special, Does Not Start. No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

California adapts ZEV mandate with PHEVs for smaller automakers

California is the nation's largest market for zero-emissions vehicles with over 100,000 of them estimated to be on the roads there. The state's goal is to keep that number growing every year. To that end, the California Air Resources Board is now tweaking its rules in a way that might not boost ZEVs but could mean more plug-in hybrids for the Golden State. Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Volvo asked for an exemption to the state's zero-emissions vehicle mandate last year due to their relatively small development budgets compared to larger automakers. CARB denied their request but did craft a compromise, according to Automotive News. Rather than being required to offer a ZEV in the state, companies with an annual global revenue of less than $40 billion, like those in this group, may instead sell plug-in hybrids to earn ZEV credits. The companies aren't completely off the hook, though. If these plug-in hybrids don't earn enough credits, the corporations must buy them on the market to make up the difference. Automakers with popular electric models like Nissan and Tesla have made a big business through this trading system by selling their surplus to rivals. Tesla alone pocketed $51 million in the first quarter from this part of its business, according to Automotive News. The changes to the regulations also aren't set in stone, yet. CARB is meeting in 2016 and could adjust things further at that time. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. via Hybrid CarsImage Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Government/Legal Green Jaguar Land Rover Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Volvo Emissions Electric Hybrid California zev credits zero emissions vehicle

Jaguar calls a hot-rodded I-Pace a when, not an if

Jaguar showed the world what a high-performance I-Pace might look like when it unveiled the racing-ready eTrophy (pictured) in 2017. Though it's built exclusively for track use, the hot-rodded EV is teaching the British firm's Special Vehicles Operation (SVO) division valuable lessons about electrified performance, and those tricks will seep into a street-legal production model in the coming years. Michael van der Sande, the head of SVO, told British magazine Autocar that a high-performance I-Pace is more of a when than an if. Jaguar has amassed decades of sports car-building experience, and it's trying to reinvent itself as a purveyor of electric cars, so combining these two images into one seems natural. We're a little bit surprised it hasn't happened yet, though van der Sande warned the project hasn't started because SVO is busy making other, higher-volume cars with fatter profit margins. The eTrophy uses the same basic powertrain as the I-Pace, according to Autocar, but it receives a long list of chassis modifications that help it handle better than stock. The production model would receive more comprehensive changes, including a more powerful electric powertrain, but its body kit would certainly resemble the one worn by the eTrophy cars. Whether the hotter I-Pace would arrive as a limited-edition model, like the XE Project 8, or as a standard addition to the range is up in the air. Jaguar is aware that venturing into the high-performance electric car segment would force it to lock horns with Tesla, which offers jaw-droppingly quick versions of the Model S and the Model X. The California-based firm is currently planning to attempt a lap record on Germany's Nurburgring track with a triple-motored prototype of a car coming to production in 2020, so Jaguar knows precisely who to beat if it wants to secure ultimate bragging rights in the electric car segment.

Waymo opens its self-driving taxis to 'Trusted Testers' in San Francisco

Alphabet's fully autonomous driving unit Waymo is ready to offer rides to select passengers in San Francisco, the company announced on Tuesday. Starting later today, residents can sign up to become "Trusted Testers." With an invite to the program, you can use the Waymo One app to take rides in the fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles Waymo will have stationed in the city.  Waymo describes the Trusted Tester program as a "research-focused" effort designed to help it collect feedback on its ride experience, with an emphasis on gathering information related to accessibility.    "We kicked off this program last week with a select few and are now expanding the program to all interested San Franciscans," the company said. "We’ll begin with an initial group and welcome more riders in the weeks to come." Much like it did in Arizona, Waymo won't let the cars drive without supervision right off the back. The company will have employees in the cars to ensure its fifth-generation Waymo Driver technology doesn't get lost on San Francisco's tricky one-way streets and hills. The company also told Bloomberg passengers will ride for free.   The expansion comes after Waymo recently announced CEO John Krafcik was leaving the company to pursue other projects. Some saw Krafcik as being too slow to push the company toward commercialization.  This article by I. Bonifacic originally appeared on Engadget. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.