In Germany, Renault has run tests on an innovative smart-charging system with The Mobility House (TMH). Eleven ZOE-owner Renault employees in Germany tested the system at their homes. TMH technology automates electric vehicle charging schedules to coincide with periods when electricity costs less. MORE

Green Germany driver training driver''s ed plug-in cars Ask anyone who''s driven an electric car, and they''ll tell you it''s quite different from piloting a typical internal-combustion car. That''s often meant as a compliment, but the unique driving characteristics of electric powertrains could have weightier implications as well. Since electric cars drive differently, should they become a regular part of. MORE

When it comes to electric-car incentives, Germany hasn''t had policies as aggressive as those in some other European countries. Yet Germany has a goal of putting 1 million plug-in cars on its roads by 2020. RELATED: Belatedly, Germany Follows California, Offers Electric-Car Incentives German Chancellor Today, it''s a long way from meeting that goal. MORE

Germany is one of several countries with aggressive plans to curb transportation-related carbon emissions. But a recent study claims the transportation sector in Germany is the only one that hasn't, in. emissions Germany greenhouse gas Fuel Economy carbon dioxideOver the past few years, its large domestic car industry has worked to improve fuel efficiency--and even launched several plug-in electric models. MORE

India Germany Norway New car sales plug-in cars The Netherlands transportation policyPlug-in electric cars currently make up a fairly small percentage of the millions of new vehicles sold globally. But within the next two decades, they may be the only new cars available for sale in certain countries. Multiple countries have announced plans to end the sale of new internal-combustion cars as a way to cut carbon emissions. DON'T. MORE

Deutsche Post, Germany's postal service, wants to use electric vehicles, and it's going to great lengths to achieve that goal. Europe Germany plug-in cars fleetIt will build its own electric vans, in fact. In 2012, Deutsche Post debuted prototype electric vans built by startup StreetScooter, and in 2014 it acquired the company outright. DON'T MISS: Automakers to fund 40 percent. MORE

The European Union began legal action Thursday against Germany, the U.K., The Volkswagen diesel scandal has led to numerous lawsuits against the German automaker in multiple countries. But now regulatory agencies in European countries have become caught up in the legal fallout from VW's emissions cheating. and five other nations. DON'T MISS: Every. Europe emissions lawsuit EU Volkswagen diesel scandal MORE

That''s why Germany has finally come around, and will now offer certain perks to drivers of plug-in cars as part of its goal of putting 1 million of them on the country''s roads by 2020. As governments try to encourage the adoption of electric cars, incentives have proven to be one of the most powerful tools. MORE

TDI VW Germany lawsuit Volkswagen diesel scandalA lot has been said about Volkswagen's use of "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests, but a German court may win the prize for most-creative description. VW "defeat device" software is like putting horse meat in lasagna, three German judges decreed during a recent hearing related to the diesel scandal. Besides. MORE

Europe Germany plug-in cars Commercial vehicle fleetDeutsche Post, the German mail service, has long hoped to replace its fleet of 30,000 internal-combustion delivery vans with electric vehicles. In 2014, it bought the company Street Scooter, which has since built thousands of small car-sized electric delivery vans. Now Deutsche Post has announced it is partnering with Ford to put a larger. MORE

Among European nations, Germany is one of the least active when it comes to policies promoting electric cars. Germany incentives plug-in cars transportation policyEven as the country's powerful auto industry has turned more attention to plug-in cars, government support for them has been largely limited to political speeches. But now German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel apparently wants to put the. MORE

Car rental giant, Sixt is expanding its partnership with energy firm, RWE to offer customers in Germany the opportunity to rent electric cars. Tags: Electric cars 500 e Essen Fiat Fiorino germany Karabag micro-vett RWE Sixt From May 3, 2010, models of the Karabag 500 E, based on the popular Fiat 500 and the Micro-Vett Fiorino E, based on the Fiorino small van will be available to hire [.]. MORE

While its actions only apply within Germany, language in the measure asks the European Union to ensure that all such cars are banned within the EU after that year at the latest. Europe emissions government Germany EU plug-in cars transportation policyLast week, the German Federal Council adopted a bipartisan measure that would ban all internal-combustion engines on German roads after 2030. MORE

Last month, Volkswagen apparently admitted that it had used "defeat device" software to evade emission controls in 482,000 cars sold in the U.S. with three versions of its 2.0-liter TDI diesel engine. Then, yesterday, the EPA issued a complaint in which it accused VW of incorporating similar software into its 3.0-liter V-6 diesels, which are used. TDI Volkswagen diesel scandal MORE

But despite its large domestic car industry, Germany is not among them. Carbon Footprint Germany incentives plug-in cars transportation policySeveral European countries--including Norway, The Netherlands, and France--aggressively promote electric cars as a way to reduce vehicular carbon emissions. German government support for electric cars has been lukewarm at best, but now it appears that could change soon. DON'T. MORE

hydrogen Germany Daimler Dieter Zetsche plug-in cars hydrogen fuel cellThere's an emerging rivalry between two different technologies for zero-emission transportation: battery-electric cars and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Within the auto industry, each powertrain has its strong advocates. Some carmakers are focusing on either fuel cells or batteries, to the exclusion of the other. Hydrogen fuel cells are backed most. MORE

Initiatives in Germany and Austria should see major improvements to charging networks in a short period of time, as both countries aggressively promote electric cars in an effort to reduce emissions. Europe Germany Austria plug-in cars charging charging infrastructureTwo adjacent European countries are stepping up efforts to improve their public electric-car charging infrastructure. MORE

PD Glasseiden, a Germany-based producer of fiberglass; European Carbon Fiber GmbH; and the ForschungsCampus Open Hybrid LabFactory e.V., established under the auspices of the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Vehicle Technology at the TU Braunschweig and Volkswagen AG have formed a joint venture— CarboSax GmbH —to pursue developing, manufacturing and distributing more sustainable carbon fibers in Germany. MORE

Bosch has begun on-road testing of autonomous driving in Japan, its third location for the development work after Germany and the US. Like their colleagues in Germany and the US, the team in Japan is already conducting tests with automated test vehicles on public roads. MORE

Politics global warming California Germany climate changeThe 50 states that make up the U.S. don't get to set their own foreign policies (neither do Canadian provinces). But that doesn't necessarily prevent them from working with other countries on matters of mutual interest. And that's just what California is doing in an agreement announced this weekend that expands its efforts to battle climate change. MORE

hydrogen Future Cars Germany Daimler Dieter Zetsche hydrogen fuel cell Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell F-CellLarge global automakers customarily pursue research into multiple types of technologies and future powertrains at the same time. Sometimes they pan out, sometimes they don't. German automakers have only really come around to devoting their efforts to plug-in electric cars in the last five or six years. DON'T MISS: Mercedes-Benz electric cars to. MORE

Just as the Volkswagen Group begins to wind down its diesel scandal in the United States, things may be ramping up in Europe. A German government task force discovered a new type of defeat device in Audi vehicles, which allows the cars to cheat emission tests. Both V-6 and V-8 powered Audi A8 diesels—built between 2009 and 2013—were. Diesel cars MORE

Infrastructure hydrogen Germany Car Sharing hydrogen fuel cell Hyundai Tucson Fuel CellCar-sharing services have become increasingly popular over the past few years, and many of them operate fleets of battery-electric cars. Now, a German company believes it's time to pair this new approach to car use with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The Linde Group—which manufactures and distributes industrial gases—believes such a. MORE

Germany is set to gain twenty new hydrogen filling stations over the next three years as part of a partnership project between car giant Daimler and the Linde technology group. Fuel Cells Hydrogen cars Daimler fuel cell germany hydrogen network stationThe new stations will be set up in Stuttgart,Berlin and Hamburg, as the country develops all important infrastructure to facilitate the use of hydrogen fuel [.]. MORE

German regional transit operator Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV) is introducing a pair of electric buses with Bombardier PRIMOVE wireless charging technology ( earlier post ) in a research project serving the city of Mannheim, Germany. Powertrain components of the PRIMOVE bus. MORE

And in Germany, it seems, electric car It isn''t unusual for citizens of a particular country to employ a little patriotism when buying vehicles and stick to brands from that country. A huge swathe of Americans buy cars built by the Big Three, for example. Italians buy plenty of Fiats. French drivers often stick to Renaults, Peugeots and Citroens. MORE

The German government has agreed a new package of measures designed to promote the uptake of electric and plug-in hybrid cars. Perks will include free parking privileges and the freedom to use bus lanes. MORE

Delivering on zero emissions In Germany, courier service Hermes (not to be confused with French luxury goods retailer, Hermès) is going. Germany England plug-in cars Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Nissan e-NV200In the U.S., MORE

Fuel Cells Hydrogen cars environment fuel cell germany hydrogenGermans are excited about the prospect of hydrogen cars, but are concerned about the cost and the availability of hydrogen refuelling stations, according to new research. MORE

As part of Audi''s plans to explore electric mobility, the luxury carmaker has deployed 80 of its A1 e-tron plug-in hybrid concept cars into the German federal government''s Electromobility Showcase initiative. MORE

Urban centers are very different in the U.S. to those in Europe, its more recent history and greater expanses of space allowing wide, open and sprawling spaces to develop--a far cry from the older and more tightly-packed cities of Europe. It''s this difference that makes cities free of cars a much more realistic prospect in Europe than it is in the MORE

After much discussion, Germany appears poised to implement significant incentives to encourage the purchase of electric cars. Germany energy policy incentives plug-in cars transportation policyThis week, the German government announced an incentive program that will include rebates for both electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Lawmakers have committed 1.2 billion euros (about $1.4 billion) to the program. DON'T. MORE

DON'T MISS: EU starts legal action against Germany, UK for. Europe emissions Germany energy policy plug-in cars fossil fuelsAmbitious emissions-reduction goals are important, because they allow policymakers to coordinate and focus efforts on a defined target. But the problem with setting lofty goals is that, eventually, they must be met. The German government is now finding out how difficult that can be. MORE

Car sharing website BlaBlaCar is launching its service in Germany, bringing its total European operations to ten countries. As more and more drivers look for ways to save money on their motoring costs, services like BlaBlaCar’s have been growing. MORE

It''s taken awhile, but electric cars are finally getting some serious attention from the mainstream automotive press. Maybe it''s increased consumer interest, or maybe the fact that there are now enough widely-available models to warrant comparisons, but electric cars are starting to show up more in the pages of enthusiast "buff books." In a recent MORE

Unlike other forms of transportation, the railroad industry is already fairly familiar with electric power. Electric trains that use overhead wires or an electrified third rail for power are already commonplace on world railroads. But the infrastructure demands of electric trains are considerable, limiting where it is practical to deploy them. hydrogen hydrogen fuel cell Public transport Trains MORE

Government officials in Germany seeking to express national pride in their choice of vehicle have no shortage of options. Indeed, given Germany's considerable investment in its auto industry, using a German car. Europe Germany Tesla Motors plug-in carsThe established German luxury brands offer many models that frequently serve in the capacity of official vehicle for an elected official. MORE

Germany may be on the verge of turning its talk about electric-car incentives into action. Germany plug-in cars transportation policy Incentives and RebatesThe European nation with one of the world's most robust auto industries has no programs to subsidize the purchase of new electric cars at present, but discussions appear to have gotten more serious over the past few months. A new proposal would allow German. MORE

It appears that electric vehicles will face a number of challenges before they can hope to become successful in Germany. Electric cars Green cars Latest news electric vehicles Gartner germany Germany electric carsA Gartner Inc study has revealed that German consumer purchase considerations for fully battery operated electric vehicles remain low compared to other powertrain technologies – and most current electric vehicles miss consumers’ ownership requirements. The [.]. MORE

TDI VW Germany Volkswagen diesel scandalThe revelation that Volkswagen used "defeat device" software to cheat on U.S. emissions tests shook the public's confidence in one of the world's largest carmakers. Volkswagen hasn't done much to rebuild its reputation since its cheating was first revealed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at a press conference in September. And VW may. MORE

A 12m Solaris battery-electric bus with electrical traction and on-board power supply equipment from Vossloh Kiepe has entered passenger service with the Braunschweiger Verkehrs-AG as the first of five such buses. MORE

In Germany and Austria, EV owners will soon reap the benefits of a rapidly expanding charging. Today, we have Volkswagen TDI models that are "undrivable" following diesel fixes, the true impact of the clean energy industry on the U.S. economy, and news on German and Austrian electrification efforts. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Today in Car News MORE

The 2014 BMW i3 plug-in electric city car has moved one step closer to showrooms, as production began today at the company''s plant in Leipzig, Germany. While assembly takes place at Leipzig, components from the i3 are sourced from BMW and joint venture facilities in various German cities--Wackersdorf, Landshut and Dingolfing among them--as well as MORE