Fuel Economy
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The tire maker Sumitomo has announced a tire concept that generates energy as it rolls down the road.
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Automakers rebuff EPA mpg rollbacks, cut side deal with California
Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, and Honda have presented a plan with California, to raise fuel economy toward a target of 50 mpg with a single national fleet.
Eric C. Evarts -
As EPA heads toward emissions rollback, Americans are driving more
U.S. vehicle miles traveled figures are up so far in 2019, which could put new scrutiny on the EPA's push to relax emissions and mpg rules.
Bengt Halvorson -
Justice Department investigating Ford emissions certifications
Ford confessed issues with its emissions certification process that may have resulted in more pollution than suggested by test results.
Aaron Cole -
2019 full-size pickup truck mpg champs: Ford vs. Chevy vs. Ram
With electric pickup trucks from Ford, GM, and others—including newcomers like Rivian—looking likely to arrive in the next few years, the truck field could be on the verge of a clean, quiet, tailpipe-emissions-free shakeup. That said, you wouldn’t know this segment as being poised...
Bengt Halvorson -
EPA says fuel economy rose in 2017, but it may be falling again
An EPA report released Wednesday shows that cars are getting better gas mileage in response to rising fuel economy standards. Yet a roaring economy and low gas prices have put Americans on a truck-buying spree, and the EPA is working to undermine those standards. According to its annual automotive...
Eric C. Evarts -
If the goal of the Green New Deal proposed by Democrats in Congress is to get people talking about a transition to renewable energy, then it looks to be gaining traction. The Senate generated controversy on both sides of the aisle by proposing to hold a token vote on the proposal. Studies have arrived on both sides and in the middle of the political spectrum assessing the feasibility of generating all the electricity in the U.S. from renewable energy. The tough questions for everyone surround how keep such an electrical grid affordable and reliable. It's not yet clear how much of a real...
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Toyota Corolla Hybrid rated 52 mpg: Why Toyota says it won't cannibalize Prius sales
Last week the U.S. EPA released final fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Toyota Corolla lineup. They include a confirmation of what Toyota had claimed when it introduced the lineup last fall: that the Corolla Hybrid will carry an EPA combined rating of more than 50 mpg. The 2020 Toyota Corolla...
Bengt Halvorson -
Shutdown has held up EPA certification, new vehicle introductions
Now that the government has reopened after a 35-day shutdown, EPA employees are going back to work facing a backlog. Toward the end of the shutdown last week, executives at all three major Detroit automakers expressed concern about certification delays that could affect new models they plan to...
Eric C. Evarts -
Chevy Silverado mpg: Turbo-4 lower than V-8 in gas mileage test
Until all cars can become electric, it makes sense to support making internal-combustion passenger cars as fuel-efficient as possible. It makes even more sense for popular, thirsty large pickups, where each mpg improvement can save a lot more gallons of gas. Unfortunately, some of the latest...
Eric C. Evarts -
GM battery layoffs, Trump and fuel economy, more fast chargers: Today's Car News
Electrify America gets plans approved to build more fast chargers in California. A new study shows what the Trump administration is missing about how fuel-economy standards affect vehicle affordability. And we have results from our last Twitter poll and a new poll for you to try. All this and more...
Eric C. Evarts -
Study finds what Trump is missing about fuel economy: Poor people don't buy new cars
Rising fuel economy standards make driving more affordable for low-income households, not less as the Trump administration argues, according to a new study by the Consumer Federation of America. In their proposal to freeze fuel-economy increases, the EPA and NHTSA argued that increasing fuel...
Eric C. Evarts -
Mazda has revealed its 2019 Mazda 3 compact car, in new-generation form, at the 2018 LA Auto Show. It’s not surprising, given the brand’s go-it-alone strategy this decade, that the new ‘3’ appears to take a different path than key global compact-car rivals in nearly every respect, ranging from design to driving traits to what’s under the hood. While that’s left the brand’s products very distinctive from the driver’s seat, it’s left the efficiency-focused automaker with a number of predicaments regarding how to meet impending zero-emission...
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Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Colorado cleans up, why not a Tesla Model 3 or plug-in: Today's Car News
The 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid gets better fuel economy than any other SUV without a plug. We take a look at the benefits of short-range plug-in hybrids. Our readers weigh in on why they haven't yet bought a Tesla Model 3. And Colorado joins up with California emissions standards. All this and more on...
Eric C. Evarts -
Toyota Corolla hybrid will join Prius next year
The redesigned 2020 Toyota Corolla sedan will soon spawn a hybrid variant, the first gasoline-electric version of the automaker's popular compact car. Toyota made the announcement Thursday as it unveiled the Corolla sedan at simultaneous events in California and China, underscoring the model's...
Andrew Ganz -
Elaborate engine: Variable-compression Infiniti yields small efficiency gains
Turbocharging has mostly not lived up to its billing of being the savior of internal-combustion engine technology. Earlier this decade, facing increasing fuel economy requirements, automakers rushed to boost fuel economy by adding turbochargers to lots of small engines. The problem is, many of them...
Eric C. Evarts -
GM wants Trump administration to consider national electric-vehicle mandate
The term “hail Mary” might be appropriate for what General Motors, led by chief executive officer Mary Barra, is attempting at this stage of the federal government’s dialog on fuel efficiency and electric vehicles. GM is launching an effort to propose a 50-state solution for...
Bengt Halvorson -
BMW says 85 percent of cars will still have engines in 2030
Once a leader in electric cars, BMW now says it expects 85 percent of its cars still to have internal combustion engines by 2030. Speaking to Australian reporters for GoAuto at the Paris auto show earlier in October, BMW board member for development Klaus Froehlich said, “A very optimistic...
Eric C. Evarts -
One of the best ways to get people to buy green cars is the same way automakers get consumers to buy any car—by making deals. Looking at October sales, among plug in cars other than Teslas, the bestsellers were those that offer the best deals from month to month. This month, many of the same models offer the best deals. The list is compiled by our partners at CarsDirect and reflects a recent change to include only cars that are widely available, rather than focusing on rock-bottom prices on cars that most buyers won't be able to find in dealer stock. Electric cars The best deal on an...
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Trump fuel-economy proposal writes off rising global temperatures
It's not that the Trump administration doesn't believe in climate change. It just doesn't want to do anything about it. In a 500-page draft environmental impact statement concerning the EPA's and NHTSA's joint proposal to roll back fuel-economy and emissions regulations, the NHTSA reports that it...
Eric C. Evarts -
Elio Motors to buy engines, abandons building its own
Elio Motors, which has been struggling since 2009 to build its own ultra-cheap, small, fuel-efficient, three-wheeled car, announced Thursday that it will source an engine from a major automaker. Previously, the company planned to build its own 3-cylinder engine with up to 55 horsepower for its...
Eric C. Evarts -
2019 Honda Insight review update: Putting the Civic on notice
That sound you hear isn’t the 2019 Honda Insight’s hybrid powertrain whirring along. It’s the undertaker coming for the vaunted Honda Civic nameplate. The 2019 Insight isn’t just a better hybrid, it’s a better compact car. I spent a week moseying around in an Insight...
Andrew Ganz -
How to save gas on Labor Day trips
Labor Day is one of the biggest travel weekends for all year, as Americans close out the summer and enjoy a last excursion before heading back to school. That makes it one of the biggest weekends for gas sales too, though nobody wants to spend more than they need to on fuel. If you're making a trip...
Eric C. Evarts -
VW diesel settlement, California clean air, and fuel economy demands: Today's Car News
California clean air regulators held a reportedly contentious meeting with Trump administration officials over the proposal to roll back fuel economy standards. A wide survey of Americans told researchers that they're dissatisfied with the fuel economy their cars get now, implying they might want...
Eric C. Evarts