California begins fighting back against the EPA’s fuel economy freeze. Austria proposes letting electric cars drive faster. Hyundai recalls Ioniqs. And BMW builds a new battery assembly line for its upcoming electric cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports.
California issued a pointed 400-page rebuttal to the EPA’s plan to freeze fuel economy standards. Perhaps more provocatively, the Trump administration proposal threatened to legally challenge the state’s longstanding statutory right to set its own emissions standards. The state has already been joined by more than 16 others in a lawsuit against the EPA.
Austrian authorities proposed a novel incentive to get more people to drive electric cars: let them drive faster on some highways. The proposal would set a new speed limit for electric cars of 81 mph, compared with 62 mph for others, despite that fact that faster speeds will make electric cars less efficient and require more frequent charges.
BMW announces plans for a new battery factory in Germany to supply its upcoming range of electric cars. The company will remodel and expand an existing factory that builds sedans, coupes, and hatchbacks.
Hyundai issued a recall for its Ioniq Electric and Plug-in Hybrid models that mirrors one for the cars’ siblings, the Kia Niro. Poor connections in a power relay can cause the rear seat to overheat—even without the optional rear seat heaters.
Google’s Waymo self-driving car operation has long tested self-driving cars in California. Now the state has given the company permission to leave the drivers behind and offer rides to the public.
Finally, Apple takes inspiration from bicycle racing in its latest patent filing on how to charge electric cars.
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