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U.S. News & World Report lists its best electric and hybrid vehicles for 2024
Cars from Hyundai and Volvo claimed five of the top 10 spots on U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the best electric and hybrid vehicles for 2024, while Tesla is shut out.
Testers with the publication evaluated nearly 100 EVs and hybrids, scoring them based on price, driving range, performance and other factors. The best EVs offer a mix of power, speed and fast-charging capabilities, said John Vincent, senior editor for vehicle testing.
“Today there’s an electric vehicle for almost every segment of the market,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “Electric cars are our future. They’re going to come faster than some people think, and they really solve a lot of problems.”
For now, however, many motorists remain unconvinced, with concerns about range, charging speeds and reliability. Although a record 1.2 million EVs were sold in the U.S. last year, according to Cox Automotive data, that amounted to just under 8% of the automobile market. EVs have more problems and are generally less reliable than gas-powered cars, according to a 2023 study from Consumer Reports.
Here are U.S. News’ top 10 electric and hybrid vehicles for 2024.
Best luxury electric car: Lucid Air
This luxury sedan, which starts at $69,076, has the longest driving range of any EV, according to a U.S. News review.
The Lucid Air “is a very cool car,” Vincent said. “It’s incredibly fast, it’s incredibly efficient and can drive 500 miles on a single charge. It’s a better Tesla Model S than the Tesla Model S.”
Best luxury electric SUV: Volvo XC40 Recharge
The XC40 Recharge scores well in safety, partly because it has features like lane-departure warning and traffic-sign recognition, according to U.S. News. The vehicle starts at $52,450 and and can travel 293 miles on a single charge.
Best electric SUV: Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Ioniq 5 also scores well in safety, with such features as forward automatic emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert. The vehicle starts at $41,800 and has a single charge driving range of 220 miles.
Best electric car: Hyundai Ioniq 6
This spacious sedan seats five and offers a smooth ride, according to a U.S. News review. Its standard base model starts at $37,500, while a higher-end model, the Limited, starts at $53,650.
Best electric truck: Ford F-150 Lightning
The electric version of Ford’s most popular pickup truck has one of the most spacious cabins in its class, according to U.S. News. The base model can tow 5,000 pounds and the upgraded version can tow 7,700.
“You can move from the gas-powered F-150 to the F-150 Lightning and not notice a lot of difference in how it performs,” U.S. News’ Vincent said.
Best luxury plug-in hybrid: Volvo S60 Recharge
The Volvo S60 offers some of the fastest battery charging times on the market, according to U.S. News. The vehicle can get a full charge in about nine hours with a 120-volt power outlet and in around four hours using a 240-volt outlet. The S60 comes in five different models, ranging in price from $51,950 to $58,550.
Best plug-in hybrid: Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid
The Sportage Plug-In gives drivers a smooth ride over rough pavement and the engine has zip, accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 7 seconds, according to U.S. News. The vehicle comes in two models — the X-Line, starting at $39,490, or the X-Line Prestige, starting at $43,990.
Best hybrid car: Toyota Camry Hybrid
The Camry Hybrid has a “generous amount of advanced driver-assistance features, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control,” according to U.S. News. It comes in five models, with prices that range from $28,855 to $34,295.
Best hybrid SUV: Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
The Tucson has one of the most spacious interiors of all hybrid SUVs, according to U.S. News. The vehicle can tow up to 2,000 pounds and comes in four models, ranging in price from $32,575 to $39,715
Best luxury hybrid: Lexus NX Hybrid
Drivers will notice this luxury vehicle’s leather upholstery, large touch screen and head-up display, according to U.S. News. The Lexus NX has five models, ranging in price from $43,465 to $60,005.
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Floods, landslides struck parts of Bosnia as residents slept, leaving at least 16 dead and several missing
A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia overnight Friday, killing at least 16 people in floods and landslides in several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country, with surging waters rushing into people’s homes as they were sleeping.
Rescue services in the south said several people were missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist as roads were closed and houses left without electricity.
Josip Kalem, a resident of Fojnica, one of the towns hit by the floods, said his dog’s barking woke him up at around 4 a.m. When he came out on the terrace, he saw the water rising rapidly.
“I came down, woke up my wife, and we looked around, we could not get out of the house. We saw more and more water coming in,” he said. “All of a sudden, the water was flooding the garage, basement, my car — everything. The water swept it all away, including my dog. Flood took it downstream.”
Andja Milesic, another resident of Fojnica, also said she was caught by surprise in the middle of the night.
“When I woke up, my bedroom floor was already soaked. I walked into the hallway — water was everywhere — the living room, everywhere,” she said. “It was horrible.”
Darko Juka, a spokesman for the local administration, said at least 14 people had died in and around the southern town of Jablanica. Officials later said two more bodies have been found.
“Those are the ones who have been discovered by rescuers,” he said. “We still don’t know the final death toll.”
“I don’t remember such a crisis since the war,” Juka said referring to the 1992-95 war in Bosnia that left the country in ruins. “The scale of this chaotic situation is harrowing.”
Defense Minister Zukan Helez told N1 regional television that troops have been engaged to help and that the casualties were reported.
Helez said that “hour after hour we are receiving news about new victims. … Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are.”
A pregnant woman lost her baby after she was rescued from the floods and transferred to a hospital in the regional center of Mostar. Authorities said doctors were fighting for her life as well. Separately, a child was successfully rescued and hospitalized, local officials said.
Rescue services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and mobile phones lost their signal.
The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible because roads and trainlines were closed.
“The police informed us that the railroad is also blocked,” the state rescue service said in a statement. “You can’t get in or out of Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones are working, but mobile phones have no signal.”
It urged people not to venture out on the flooded streets.
Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air holds more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried-out land has hampered the absorption of floodwaters.
Drone footage broadcast on Bosnian media showed villages and towns completely submerged under water, while videos on social networks showed dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.
One of the busiest roads linking Sarajevo with the Adriatic coast via Jablanica was swept into a river, together with a railway line in a huge landslide, according to photos.
“Many people are endangered because of big waters and landslides. There is information about victims and many injured and missing persons,” said the civic protection service.
Authorities urged people to stay on the upper floors of their homes. Reports said surging waters swept away domestic animals and cars as the water swiftly filled up lower floors of buildings.
The heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighboring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital of Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.
Heavy winds have hampered traffic along the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea, and flash floods caused by heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.
Floods caused by torrential rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.
In 2014, floodwaters triggered more than 3,000 landslides across the Balkans, laying waste to entire towns and villages and disturbing land mines leftover from the region’s 1990s war, along with warning signs that marked the unexploded weapons.