A new Chinese electric carmaker plans to sell electric cars in the U.S. via the owner of the defunct automaker Coda. A new Tesla Model S unexpectedly caught fire—twice—after getting a flat tire in California. And Volkswagen teased a video and images of its new I.D. electric hatchbacks testing in South Africa. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

Electric car fans have long wondered why automakers don't do a better job of promoting their benefits. Now that automakers are being required to sell more electric models outside of California, Nissan is ramping up those efforts for its Leaf electric car—and part of that is an electric crossover utility vehicle

Mullen Motor Company, the California startup that bills itself as "the affordable electric car company," plans to start selling an electric sports car from China alongside its small neighborhood electric vehicles and (previously) leftover Coda sedans.

In a report similar to a few in 2013, another Tesla Model S caught fire in California, twice, after getting a flat tire on a highway.

And Volkswagen, perhaps growing tired of listening to online skeptics who doubt the company is serious about selling electric cars, released a teaser video of its new ID electric hatchback testing in South Africa.

After General Motors announced 15,000 layoffs along with closing 5 factories and eliminating the Chevy Volt, schoolchildren in Ohio, where one of the factories is located, launched a letter-writing campaign to CEO Mary Barra. The factory builds the Chevrolet Cruze, which forms the basis of the Volt.

Finally, a Tesla Model X completed the first test run—complete with video—of CEO Elon Musk's new Boring Company tunnel in L.A. Using retractable outrigger wheels to guide it along the tunnel walls, the car completed the 1.14-mile loop at 35 mph.  

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