As the land of big pickup trucks and Big Oil, Texas would hardly seem like the kind of place where electric cars could thrive. Yet the Lone Star State is one of the friendliest for plug-in cars which, according to a recent Navigant Research post, have a powerful ally there: utility companies. There are now around 5,000 electric cars registered in MORE

A new mobility programme in Austin, Texas, that aims to reduce emissions in one of the fastest growing urban areas in the USA, has stepped up its efforts by signing a new partnership with a real estate firm. Car2go will join forces with urbanspace with more than 30 of urbanspace’s agents and staff to be granted [.]. MORE

Today on Green Car Reports: Tesla Motors recorded 6,457 Model S electric-car deliveries in the first quarter of 2014, new research says diesel-car emissions still pose a significant health hazard, and Texas plans $2,500 electric-car purchase rebates. MORE

Cities and regions across Texas are partnering with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Transportation Research (CTR), and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to form the Texas Automated Vehicle (AV) Proving Ground Partnership. Members of the Texas Partnership are contributing their facilities, expertise and talents as part of a larger Texas network of proving grounds and test-bed sites. MORE

Tesla Motors may not be allowed to sell its electric cars directly to customers in Texas, but it can still put them on display. After failing to convince the Texas legislature to legalize direct sales (twice), the company is opening a second gallery in Houston this weekend. sales Tesla Motors plug-in cars Texas state lawsLike the existing Tesla gallery--also in Houston--the new one will show. MORE

Tesla can''t sell its electric cars directly to customers in Texas, but CEO Elon Musk still has ambitious plans for the state. As he often does, Musk dropped a bombshell on Twitter last week, announcing that he plans to build a test track for his "Hyperloop" transportation concept in the Lone Star State. MORE: Elon Musk''s Hyperloop: 30 Minutes In MORE

According to an analysis by the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, a new round of layoffs could be underway in Texas, for example. The Texas Alliance predicted that the first drop in oil prices last year would lead to 40,000 to 50,000 layoffs in Texas. by Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com. Crude oil just capped off a third straight week of declines, as WTI nears the $40 per barrel threshold. MORE

Texas is the latest to consider an extra tax on electric vehicles to make up for lost gas revenue, helping to raise money for road maintenance. If you bought an electric car to try and save a few dollars on gas, you may start to find it a little more difficult in some states. According to state Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), increasing MORE

And that''s why one city in the often conservative oil state of Texas. energy policy climate change Texas renewable energy solar state laws charging infrastructure wind energy While the politics of climate change remain contentious in the U.S.--if if not in much of the rest of the developed world--that doesn''t have to hold up the growth of renewable-energy infrastructure. Because if there''s one thing everyone can agree on, it''s that saving money is great. MORE

Capacity of Texas, the developer of the series hybrid Pluggable Hybrid Electric Terminal Tractor (PHETT) ( earlier post ), has been awarded an $872,000 Grant to develop a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Terminal Truck—the ZETT, or Zero Emission Terminal Truck—based on the PHETT platform. The project is supported by the State of Texas through a Grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. —Phillip Ford, President of Capacity of Texas. MORE

Today, we've got electric cars that drive themselves, electric luxury SUVs that will arrive sooner than you think, a small crossover that'll offer an electric version, and yet another Tesla battle with a state legislature. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Hyundai Kona small crossover utility vehicle will have an all-electric version. Today in Car News MORE

Ah, Texas, the state that was formerly a nation and continues to do things slightly differently. Politics rebates dealers incentives Tesla Motors plug-in cars Texas state lawsIts politics is bare-knuckle, its hats are big, and so are its ranches. It also generates more renewable wind energy than any other state in the union. Its auto-dealer lobbyists, however, are equally large and powerful. DON'T MISS: Tesla Loses Legal. MORE

Then there''s Texas, where a. Green Georgia Illinois Texas incentives plug-in cars rebates state laws tax credit State tax credits and purchase rebates have proven effective in kickstarting the early market for plug-in electric cars and other green vehicles. But they don''t last forever, as buyers in Illinois and Georgia are learning; the Ilinois program has been suspended, and Georgia seems likely to kill off its program as well. MORE

Over the last couple of years, Tesla Motors has fought legal and legislative battles in a number of states over proposed or current state laws that try to stymie its unique factory-direct sales and service model. MORE

ExxonMobil will invest $15 million as a leadership member of the University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute to pursue technologies to help meet growing energy demand while reducing environmental impacts and the risk of climate change. MORE

In May, the 82 nd Texas Legislature passed and the Governor Rick Perry signed House Bill 1353 , which took effect on 1 September. This legislation allows the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to create a 75-mph speed limit on sections of the highway system found to be reasonable and safe through a speed study. As soon as practicable, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) would have to conceal or remove any old speed limit signs and install updated ones. MORE

Texas may be known as an oil state, but it's also a sprawling and sunny state, making it a good place to set up solar panels. The Japanese carmaker's campus in Plano, Texas, will. Texas renewable energy solar clean energy energyToyota hopes to take advantage of that when it completes the move of its North American headquarters from Torrance, California, to the Lone Star State next year. MORE

The two-year car2go North America Pilot Programme in the state capital of Texas – Austin – has come to an end. Green cars Latest news Austin car sharing car sharing scheme Car2go Daimler TexasHowever, a new agreement has been signed to ensure that car2go will continue its operations in the city. Developed by Daimler, car2go is the world’s first free floating car sharing network and it launched [.]. MORE

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, led by Prof. Arumugam Manthiram, have found that using phosphorus pentasulfide (P 2 S 5 ) as an electrolyte additive. enables the direct use of commercially available bulk Li 2 S particles as high-capacity cathode materials for rechargeable Li?S S batteries, without intricate synthesis or application of a high charging cut-off voltage that deteriorates the electrolyte stability and safety. MORE

On the list of reasons to dislike electric cars, arguments about electricity grids being unable to cope with demand are often fairly near the top. You'll have heard it before: The concept that, as everyone drives home after work and plugs in their electric vehicle, electricity grids fail under the strain and cities are plunged into darkness MORE

Texas is tough, and Texas car dealers are no exception. But electric-car startup Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], in the person of its CEO Elon Musk, testified yesterday at a hearing in the Texas legislature on a bill that would allow it to sell its cars directly to Texas buyers. That''s presently illegal in Texas, where legislation long backed by state MORE

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will award up to $5.7 TCEQ Texas Clean Fleet Program grants, which are part of the Texas Emission Reductions Plan (TERP), are offered to eligible entities that own or lease a fleet of 75 or more on-road vehicles that are currently registered in Texas and intend to replace at least 20 on-road diesel vehicles. MORE

Texas is famous the world over for two things on a massive scale: oil and droughts. For the oil and gas industry, water-starved Texas is a highly competitive playing field and the competition between oil companies and other heavy users of water is intense. MORE

Texas is the land of pickups and SUVs, of oil wells and full-day drives from your Texas home to Grandma’s Texas home. Your everyday driver had better be your highway car, because every drive involves a highway. I’ve owned every size of SUV, from Chevy Suburban to Toyota Land Cruiser to BMW X1 to Subaru Outback (not exactly an SUV. Plug-In Hybrids plug-in cars MORE

The residents of Austin, Texas, have taken to the concept of a car club in their droves with 10,000 drivers signing up for the car2go mobility programme. Tags: Green cars Latest news Austin car clubs car share clubs Car2go LIVESTRONG Texas Just four months after its launch on May 21, 2010, more than 80,000 rentals have been completed throughout the greater downtown Austin area with average use lasting between [.]. MORE

Today, one owner describes what it's like to buy an electric car in Texas, the 2017 Ford F-150 full-size pickup truck is set to launch next month with a new 10-speed automatic transmission, and we have more details on the new Kia Rio debuting at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. MORE

In Texas, the state legislature declined to make an exception to existing rules that make it illegal for automakers to sell cars to retail buyers. Win some, lose some. Tesla''s had a very good year thus far, but it was recently dealt legislative defeats in two states where it had hoped to sell its electric cars. In North Carolina, a Senate MORE

arm from Torrance, California, to Plano, Texas. Toyota announced yesterday that it would relocate the headquarters of its U.S. Left unaddressed in the announcement was the fact that the Japanese carmaker, known for its green image and its pioneering Prius hybrid range of 50-mpg cars, is moving from a state that has aggressively cut auto emissions MORE

A report from MIT and The University of Texas at Austin urges the US to accelerate efforts to pursue carbon capture and storage (CCS) in combination with enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a practice that could increase domestic oil production while significantly curbing emissions of carbon dioxide. Recent research suggests the potential for even greater capacity in the Permian Basin of West Texas. Schematic of a CO 2. EOR System. MORE

Voltabox of Texas , the US subsidiary of German automotive supplier paragon AG, officially opened of its new plant in Cedar Park where Voltabox is now operating one fully automated assembly line for Li-ion battery packs. Voltabox of Texas obtained certification that more than 60% of its value creation is based in the US at the end of 2014. MORE

NRG Energy has opened its first eVgo direct-current electric vehicle charging station in Dallas, Texas, as part of a privately funded 70-station network in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the company announced. The chargers are designed to be “fast-chargers,” which use a 480-volt direct electrical current to charge an electric vehicle MORE

Electric cars Green cars Latest news electric cars green cars Indiana Kohl's plug-in vehicles Texas USA WisconsinOne of the leading department stores in the USA – Kohl’s (logo, pictured) – is to extend its plug-in vehicle charging station initiative. The store will offer 36 new stations across 18 new locations before the end of the year – including an expansion across the states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin for the first [.]. MORE

price of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive, and Toyota moves to (not very green) Texas. Today on Green Car Reports: We drive the sexy 2015 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid, we learn the U.S. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Ebuggy electric-car trailer boosts range by 300 miles, but is that worth sacrificing one''s dignity? Toyota will MORE

Green Georgia Texas Washington State plug-in cars sales When the Kia Soul EV electric car debuted just over a year ago, Kia planned a fairly cautious roll out. The electric tall wagon would launch in California, and sales would expand to other states at an undetermined future point. Then reality struck. It turned out that buyers really liked the idea of an all-electric tall wagon with 93 miles of. MORE

When people think of Texas, there’s always certain stereotypes associated with it: cowboys, twangs, conservative politics, boots, guns and big, gas-guzzling trucks. While some stereotypes are rooted in truth, Texas can surprise you. Like when people actually visit a major city and realize that most Texans are neither cowboys nor all heavily MORE

Texas will soon become the latest state to reward electric-car buyers with a check. The program was approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in November 2013 with an intended The Lone Star State will implement a rebate program, announced last fall, that will give $2,500 rebates to owners of plug-in cars, Charged EVs reports. MORE

dealers New car sales dealerships TexasTesla Motors' direct-sales model for electric cars has rankled franchised auto dealers. Dealer associations have attempted to block Tesla direct sales in multiple states, and have undertaken public-relations campaigns extolling the virtues of the franchise model. One of the latest claims made by franchised dealers is that the traditional model. MORE

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to locate and purchase or lease a Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid somewhere in the heart of Texas oil country. Buying Plug-In Hybrids dealers plug-in cars dealerships TexasHoping to make Tom Cruise proud, I accepted the mission. But first, a bit of perspective: in 2005 I had set out to purchase a Mercury Mariner Hybrid. I had done my homework, and knew exactly. MORE

Preliminary findings from a study on the use of hydraulic fracturing in shale gas development suggest no direct link to reports of groundwater contamination, according to project leader Dr. Charles ‘Chip’ Groat, of The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute. The first project would evaluate claims of groundwater contamination within the Barnett Shale in North Texas. MORE

announced that Express Lube of Fredericksburg, Texas, is the first US service station to sell gasoline blended with Gevo’s renewable isobutanol at the pump. Gevo, Inc. Gevo anticipates this to be the first of many retail locations to offer the product as the company rolls out its isobutanol to the marina, outdoor equipment and off-road gasoline markets. Earlier post.). MORE

The Propane Council of Texas (ProCOT)—a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the use of cleaner-burning, domestically produced propane—is offering incentives to private Texas vehicle fleets that are new to propane autogas. The Propane Council of Texas defines a private fleet as a business fleet with three or more vehicles registered in Texas. —Jackie Mason, Education and Marketing Director for the Propane Council of Texas (ProCOT). MORE

Both Texas and Arizona have seen skirmishes before between Tesla and groups representing franchised car dealers. The battle between Tesla Motors and car-dealer groups has flared up again on two familiar fronts. Franchised dealers, who have long enjoyed a state-mandated monopoly on retail car sales, appear to feel threatened by the automaker''s MORE

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final greenhouse gas (GHG) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) construction permit to Natgasoline LLC to construct a new motor-grade gasoline production facility in Texas that uses natural gas as feedstock (gas-to-gasoline, or GtG). EPA has finalized 54 GHG permits in Texas, proposed an additional seven permits, and currently has 12 additional GHG permits in development in Texas. MORE