Oil's electric shock
More EVs will push their way onto the road as new affordable models are rolled out
In 2018, Nissan will finally release an update to its popular electric vehicle (EV), the Leaf. It will get 150 miles a charge, in the mid-range of EVs on the market. The breakthrough is in the price: $30,000. In California, generous state- and federal-tax credits will bring that cost down as much as $10,000. Even a middle-income buyer in Texas, which doesn't offer a tax credit, whose tax liability only allows them to use half the federal credit, could buy the Leaf for $26,250. For a car that will save at least $4,000 in fuel costs over the first decade of its life, that's a great price. It's also a dangerous price for both the auto industry and especially the oil industry. The EV-affordabili
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
