Volvo has previewed more of its upcoming XC40 EV’s sleek design and sustainable materials—and it will have a frunk. Audi has confirmed some more details about its third electric vehicle, the compact Q4 E-tron electric crossover, and teased two other future EVs. Mitsubishi mulls four motors for its next plug-in hybrid. And Washington now has what amounts to a Prius tax. This and more, right here at Green Car Reports. 

Audi did more than confirm its upcoming Q4 E-tron is production-bound and based on Volkswagen’s MEB electric architecture. It also teased a future compact electric sedan and performance crossover that could in the future rival the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Starting this month, Washington state is charging drivers of hybrid vehicles $75 extra in annual registration fees—to subsidize a plug-in infrastructure they don’t use, and tax breaks for some plug-in buyers. 

Volvo has teased another layer of information about its upcoming XC40 EV. It says the electric Volvo will have a front “frunk” cargo area and be “sleeker and more modern” than its gasoline counterpart. 

Mitsubishi’s Mi-Tech concept for the Tokyo Motor Show suggests that it’s among many automakers reformulating or rethinking its plug-in hybrid system. The far-out Mi-Tech concept has four motors and a downsized powertrain with a gas-turbine generator instead of a normal internal-combustion engine. 

And it seems that the electric-car rivalry at Germany’s Nürburgring is just getting started. Porsche says there’s “some room left” for a faster lap—with production-spec cars, versus the stripped Model S cars Tesla had been running there to show off its “Plaid” three-motor powertrain.

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