Car News In the Rearview: The Pope and the Chinese Electric Revolution

Welcome to In the Rearview, where we bring you the last week’s car news, in nicely condensed form.

This week, we start with a Pope-whack, as Pope Francis smacked his face on the Popemobile during a parade when the driver stamped on the brakes. Really, I think that with modern car features (or maybe, just, you know, a pillow?), that easily could have been prevented.

Speaking of prevention, following the hurricanes in Texas and Florida, there is one thing that is clearly true–some jerk is going to try to sell flood-damaged cars to unsuspecting people. So, keep an eye out for signs of flooding, like rust and mold under floor mats, mud in tight cracks, or a mildew smell in the cabin.

And, since we’re talking about hurricanes, now seems a pretty good time to remind ourselves what the rules are when the electricity is out.

Shifting gears, this was a big week for green vehicle news. For starters, Tesla has finally introduced its superchargers into urban areas, starting with Chicago and Boston. Really, that sounds like it would have been a good idea a long while before now, but it’s nice whenever it’s done.

Then, Shell, Honda, Toyota, and a pretty substantial chunk of change from California have teamed up to bring more hydrogen fueling stations to the state. That brings the total…to something around 50? I think?

Speaking of Honda, the brand’s Clarity Plug-in Hybrid has officially been rated at 47 miles of electric range, which is actually pretty impressive, and puts the Clarity in the top three of plug-in vehicle ranges. I would drive it.

In other electrified vehicle news, it seems that the Electric Revolution has picked up a new, high-profile member, as Lincoln has announced that it will shortly be offering electrified (meaning, most likely, conventional hybrid) versions of all of its vehicles.

That seems like a good idea, though, because the end is nigh, as China has announced that it is working on a timetable to ban regular gas and diesel engines, leaving just so-called “New Energy” vehicles on the roads. So, you can be sure to see more electrified vehicles from a lot of brands.