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South Korea island of Jeju becoming an EV-incentive heaven

When it comes to providing some island EV love, we can point to Hawaii, which has been pushing hard for greater electric-vehicle adoption through subsidies and a broader charging network. Now, South Korea has Jeju. We're not sure if the surf is as good. Like Hawaii, Jeju is focusing on a "carbon-free" existence and lowered fossil-fuel dependency as a way to help the environment while addressing the extra expenses involved in providing fuel locally, Wards Auto says. Jeju, which is about 720 square miles, provides about $7,000 worth of EV incentives on top of those provided by the South Korean government. As a result, the cost of buying an EV can be cut in half. In the case of a Chevrolet Spark EV, going electric actually has a lower out-of-pocket price tag than buying a gas-powered counterpart on the island. South Korea's Ministry of Environment has earmarked about $14,000 in subsidies for each EV purchase, while 10 South Korean cities are adding on incentives anywhere from about $2,800 to $7,400 per vehicle. South Korean automaker Hyundai and affiliate Kia are just starting to do their part to boost the country's EV sales, which didn't even break the 800-unit mark last year. Kia recently said it will start making its 2015 model-year Soul EV in April, with sales debuting in South Korea by the end of the year. Hyundai is said to start selling its own EV starting in 2016. News Source: Wards AutoImage Credit: Korean Tourism Organization Government/Legal Green Hyundai Kia Electric incentives tax incentives island

Automakers drop support for Trump effort against California emissions

WASHINGTON — Toyota, Fiat Chrysler (now known as Stellantis following its merger with Peugeot) and other major automakers said on Tuesday they were joining General Motors in abandoning support for former President Donald Trump's effort to bar California from setting its own zero emission vehicle rules. The automakers, which also included Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru, said in a joint statement they were withdrawing from an ongoing legal challenge to California's emission-setting powers, "in a gesture of good faith and to find a constructive path forward" with President Joe Biden. The automakers, along with the National Automobile Dealers Association, said they were aligned "with the Biden administrationÂ’s goals to achieve year-over-year improvements in fuel economy standards." Nissan in December withdrew from the challenge after GM's decision in November shocked the industry and won praise from Biden. On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia to put the California emissions litigation on hold to "ensure due respect for the prerogative of the executive branch to reconsider the policy decisions of a prior administration." Biden has directed agencies to quickly reconsider TrumpÂ’s 2019 decision to revoke CaliforniaÂ’s authority to set its own auto tailpipe emissions standards and require rising numbers of zero-emission vehicles, as well as Trump's national fuel economy rollback. Asked to respond to the automakers' action, White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said in a statement that "after four years of putting us in reverse, it is time to restart and build a sustainable future, grow domestic manufacturing, and deliver clean cars for America." California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the automakers on Twitter for "dropping your climate-denying, air-polluting, Trump-era lawsuit against CA" and urged them to join the voluntary framework. TALKS WITH BIDEN Separately, an industry trade group on Tuesday proposed to start talks with Biden on revised fuel economy standards that would be higher than Trump-era standards but lower than ones set during the prior Democratic administration. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts under the Obama administration rules it discarded.

2021 Kia Seltos fuel economy revealed at up to 31 mpg combined

The 2021 Kia Seltos made its official debut in the U.S. just a couple months ago at the L.A. Auto Show. Now its fuel economy numbers have been published by the EPA. The compact crossover's numbers are roughly on par with its smaller Soul sibling and significantly better than the larger Sportage. The Seltos is available with two different engines, a 146-horsepower naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder coupled to a CVT, and a 175-horsepower turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with a dual-clutch transmission. The former is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, while the latter only comes with all-wheel drive. Unsurprisingly, the most efficient model is the front-drive 2.0-liter with city fuel economy of 29 mpg, highway economy of 34, and 31 combined. Adding all-wheel drive drops those numbers to 27 in town, 31 on the highway, and 29 combined. The turbo Seltos brings up the rear with 25 mpg in the city, 30 on the highway and 27 combined. Compared with its smaller sibling, the Soul, the Seltos performs impressively, with the front-drive model matching the Soul Eco Dynamics combined fuel economy of 31 mpg. On the other hand, the turbo Soul's 29 mpg combined rating is better than the turbo Seltos. The turbo Seltos does have all-wheel drive, which the turbo Soul lacks. In fact, no Soul is available with all-wheel drive, a worthy selling point for the Seltos. When comparing the Seltos numbers to the bigger Sportage, which also offers all-wheel drive, every version of the Seltos outperforms the best Sportage's combined fuel economy number of 26 mpg. Comparing the Seltos with other small crossovers, it fares well. Looking at front-drive competitors, only the much more expensive Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid and the smaller, cheaper Nissan Kicks and Hyundai Venue top the Seltos in fuel economy. The Buick Encore ties it. With all-wheel drive, the Seltos is also competitive. The non-hybrid Subaru Crosstrek's 30 mpg combined beats the Seltos by just one, and the Honda HR-V is tied with the Kia. The 2020 Kia Seltos will go on sale early this year. The base price will be below $22,000. Related Video: