Camilla Dominovsky

European automakers have been facing increasingly stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers.

The fastest-growing automaker in Europe last year was China's BYD.

Camilla Dominovsky, NPR News.

In December, for the first time ever, more pure electric vehicles were sold than traditional gasoline-only vehicles across the entire EU.

Now, hybrid vehicles were more popular than either traditional gas or pure electric, but plug-in vehicles are rising rapidly.

Sales of pure electric vehicles were up more than 50% year over year, while hybrids rose just 6%.

And old-fashioned gas and diesel sales dropped 20%.

European automakers have been facing increasingly stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers.

The fastest growing automaker in Europe last year was China's BYD.

Camilla Dominovsky, NPR News.

More than 40% of the nation's electricity comes from burning natural gas.

And during extreme cold snaps, natural gas production and transportation can both be disrupted, right as demand for the fuel spikes.

Power plants can be shut down by cold, too.

Karen Panetta of IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, also says that ice on power lines combined with high winds and falling branches create a, quote, perfect storm ripe for an outage.

Utilities in the storm's path have been trying to prepare by trimming trees and positioning teams of workers to respond to downed lines.

Camila Dominovsky, NPR News.

Gasoline prices are down about 10 percent from a year ago.

Market forces drive prices, but cheaper crude has been a major focus for President Trump.

The cost of electricity, on the other hand, is rising.

Charles Hua founded Powerlines, a consumer education nonprofit.