Which country plans to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles altogether by 2040?
What caused Tesla to slam the respected Insurance Institute for Highway Safety?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, July 7, 2017.
Friday, we penned a polite note to our valued colleagues in the media to point out that "electrified" does not mean "electric," and we explained why it's important that they learn the difference. Fast.
That's because a story about Volvo's plans to electrify future models was widely misreported as Volvo moving entirely to electric cars. [sigh]
Meanwhile, shoppers for electric cars in Oregon will find it cheaper very soon: the state has passed a $2,500 electric-car purchase rebate as part of a large transportation funding bill.
On Thursday, the world's media covered the news that France has said it will ban all gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040, part of a pledge to make the whole country carbon-neutral by 2050.
Tesla sometimes bites back when it doesn't like news stories: that's what it did when the IIHS gave the six-year-old Model S one less-than-perfect rating on a crash test.
Wednesday, we reported on Tesla's second-quarter financial results, which included deliveries of about 22,000 electric cars, fewer than in the preceding quarter.
Chalk this one up to hazardous unanticipated consequence? The 'Eco' setting in new cars may pose a hazard to occupants at risk of carbon-dioxide buildup in sealed cabins.
Tuesday was the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., but we kicked off the week on Monday by noting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had tweeted that Tesla Model 3 deliveries would start at the end of this month.
We also explained how better electric motors could lengthen the range of electric cars—even aside from larger and less costly battery packs.
Over the weekend, we wrote that the Aston Martin RapidE electric luxury sedan would be delayed a year as Chinese partner Le Eco departs the scene.
The previous week had been "Energy Week" for President Donald Trump; he mentioned "clean, beautiful coal" eight times in his speech, while he discussed renewable energy ... not once.
At the same time, the EPA under Trump will embark on a so-called "critique" of settled climate science. (EPA head Scott Pruitt denies the scientific consensus on human contributions to global warming.)
Big, low-efficiency, diesel-powered heavy trucks are a crucial part of the world's vehicle emissions, and without reducing their carbon output, changes to passenger models can only go so far.
GM and the U.S. Army are developing a Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 fuel-cell test truck; we wrote about taking our first ride in one on a closed course.
Those were our main stories this week; we'll see you again next week. Until then, this has been the Green Car Reports Week in Reverse update.
________________________________________________
