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Automotive manufacturers are concerned about the Republican bill that would kill off the federal tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles. California has its own credit, so electric vehicle sales would continue, but the bill could hurt sales in other states, especially the 10 that have an electric vehicle sales mandate.

Ford is phasing out its hybrid and plug-in hybrid C-Max models and will focus on a new generation of electrified vehicles. The company plans to introduce 13 electrified vehicles over the next five years. In the US, Ford will offer two hybrid police vehicles, including the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, plus several other models, such as the F-150 hybrid truck.

GM’s CEO Mary Barra is promising to build 1 million electric vehicles and expects to hit the target by 20216 on a global basis. Barra’s confidence comes from a new family of EVs and a significant cost reduction on batteries.  Per Barra, the company will expand its EV platform to “multiple brands and multiple segments”.

The mayors of 12 major cities from around the world signed the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declaration, which pledges that they will add only fully electric buses to their cities’ public transportation from 2025. The mayors of Los Angeles and Seattle are among the mayors who signed the pledge. Other measures to reduce carbon output will also be taken with the goal of ensuring substantial areas of each city are emission-free by 2030.

In the race to put autonomous vehicles on US roads, Waymo is leading as they are the first to put fully self- driving vehicles on the road. The company announced that since October, they have been testing their autonomous minivans on Arizona roads without a safety driver. Instead, the vans have a passenger in the vehicle, most likely in the backseat, instead of behind the wheel. The vehicles have been geo-fenced in a 100-mile area around Chandler, though the company plans to expand beyond that area as more data is gathered.