Green Car News
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Continuing low gas prices are often blamed for the current popularity of crossover utilities and SUVs, along with any sales struggles green cars may experience. But would a sudden increase in gas prices cause shoppers to flock to more fuel-efficient vehicles? If so, how high would gas prices have to get in order for consumers to start changing their vehicle preferences? DON'T MISS: Calculated average new-car fuel economy in 3-year plateau The "magic number" is $3.00 a gallon, according to a new study by market-research firm MaritzCX (via Wards Auto). Once the price reaches that point...
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Faraday Future FF 91 electric car to cost almost $300,000?
At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, Faraday Future released a number of details about the FF 91, its first production electric car. It quoted a range of 378 miles, courtesy of a 130-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. It also cited a power output of 1,050 horsepower, enabling the FF 91 to...
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Nissan Leaf rumors, electric car price guide, RIP Empulse: Today's Car News
Today, we review what we know so far about the 2018 Nissan Leaf, our updated electric car price guide includes information on every available 2017 model, and the Empulse electric motorcycle is no more. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Looking for a new electric car? We have pricing and...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW Group plans 8 plug-in electric cars for China
As it works to recover from its diesel emission scandal, the Volkswagen Group is rapidly embracing electric cars. By 2025, the company hopes to be selling 1 million electric cars per year, and plans to launch 30 different electric models across multiple brands in the coming years. According to a...
Stephen Edelstein -
Rest of world: Trump may roll back emission rules, but we won't
With auto-industry lobbyists pushing to have the Trump Administration roll back current and future emission and fuel-economy rules, automakers clearly see the new U.S. regime as more friendly to the needs of business. And it's possible that indeed, the EPA's vehicle emission limits, the NHTSA's...
John Voelcker -
2018 Nissan Leaf: what we know so far about next electric car (updated)
The Nissan Leaf is by far the highest-volume electric car ever sold, with total sales now having passed 250,000 units. First launched in 2011, the Leaf got some updates for the 2013 model when production for North American sales moved from Oppama, Japan, to Smyrna, Tennessee. It got a battery...
John Voelcker -
The news on the renewable energy front continues to be good, with the costs of wind and solar generation falling steadily. By some measures, large-scale renewable energy is now cost-competitive (or close) with the most efficient natural-gas electric plants. Moreover, the amounts of clean generating capacity installed continue to rise, both in North America and the rest of the world. DON'T MISS: More solar energy was added in 2016 than natural gas or wind That's undoubtedly a good thing, but as a recent post from the Environmental Defense Fund pointed out almost two years ago, there's more to...
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French target Renault, Brits query Fiat, over diesel emissions
The past week has not been a particularly pleasant one for advocates of diesel cars. Volkswagen agreed to plead guilty to criminal counts related to its diesel-emissions cheating and pay $4.3 billion in fines, while U.S. prosecutors arrested one of the company's executives and indicted five more...
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric Car Price Guide: every 2017 all-electric car, with specs (updated)
It's a hot topic whenever anyone mentions electric cars: pricing. Many electric cars are more expensive than their regular counterparts, though in general they cost far less to run on a per-mile basis. But what do today's electric and plug-in cars actually cost? We've gathered the relevant data for...
Stephen Edelstein -
Chevy Bolt launch schedule, FCA diesel probe, VW diesel settlement: Today's Car News
Today, we have a state-by-state launch schedule for the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, the U.S. Justice Department launches a criminal probe of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles diesels, while Volkswagen settles its diesel-cheating case with the Justice Department. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Read...
Stephen Edelstein -
ChargePoint launches Express Plus modular fast-charging hardware
It's an interesting moment to contemplate the future of DC fast charging for electric cars right now. Electric cars with 200 miles or more of range are starting to hit the market, with half a dozen expected to be in showrooms three years hence. And international standards groups are working to...
John Voelcker -
VW settles diesel cheating cases: felony pleas, $4.3 billion fines
Last week, Volkswagen settled an array of criminal and civil charges over its 16-month-old diesel scandal with the U.S. Justice Department. The news of the settlement was quickly swamped by a variety of further stories, both on the regulatory and diesel fronts. Those included the arrest of one...
John Voelcker -
In the waning months of 2016, no dramatic changes occurred in European plug-in electric car sales. The established players remained on top of the sales charts, in virtually the same sequence seen in previous months. The Renault Zoe was again the best-selling electric car in Europe between January and November, the most recent month with available data. DON'T MISS: Plug-in electric car sales in Dec: 2016 best year yet, Bolt EV launches, Model S record (update) Renault's electric hatchback racked up 18,471 sales during that period, according to the running tally of electric-car and plug-in...
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All 2017 BMW diesels certified by EPA, production now starting
This might not seem to be the most convenient moment to restart production of a gaggle of diesel cars. The Volkswagen diesel scandal continues to unfold, and last week the EPA accused Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) of failing to reveal eight separate software routines that altered the behavior of...
Stephen Edelstein -
When can I buy a Chevy Bolt EV electric car? See state-by-state schedule
Last month, the first Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars were sold in California's Silicon Valley. Electric-car advocates and buyers across the U.S. now want to know when they too can expect to take delivery of their 238-mile electric hatchbacks. And as numerous comments and e-mails from readers...
John Voelcker -
Mazda to launch homogeneous-charge compression engine next year
The differences between gasoline and diesel engines lie not only in their fuels, but in how those fuels are ignited. Gasoline engines use spark plugs, while diesels simply use compression. But it is possible to ignite gasoline in an internal-combustion engine with compression, as in a diesel. DON'T...
Stephen Edelstein -
How high a hill could recharge a coasting Tesla electric car completely?
One of the benefits of electric cars is that slowing down becomes a useful activity. Regenerative braking recovers energy normally lost as friction heat, as it does when the accelerator pedal is not pushed and the car is coasting. In some cars, regeneration is aggressive enough to allow "one-pedal...
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford F-150 pickup to get V-6 diesel engine in spring 2018 (updated)
Formerly the domain of heavy-duty pickups, diesel engines are slowly creeping into smaller trucks. Ram arguably started the most recent trend with the 1500's 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6. General Motors sells diesel-powered Chevrolet Colorados and GMC Canyons. Now, the Ford F-150 is getting in on the...
Brandon Turkus -
While modern electric cars have only been available in large numbers for a few years, electric trains have been commonplace for some time. As with electric cars, the source of the electricity used to power these trains impacts their overall carbon footprint. The cleaner an energy source, the cleaner the vehicles it powers. DON'T MISS: Alstom hydrogen fuel-cell train to be tested in Germany (Oct 2016) In that respect, The Netherlands may be setting the standard. As of January 1, all electric passenger trains on the Dutch rail network have been run on wind energy, according to a statement from...
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Justice Department launches criminal probe of FCA diesels: report
It's been a busy week for U.S. agencies as they release information on their final actions before a new administration takes office. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly opened a criminal probe into the actions of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles over the emission certification of its...
John Voelcker -
Electric VW bus, diesel arrest, Bolt EV award, 2018 Camry Hybrid: The Week in Reverse
Which U.S. automaker may have its own diesel emission problem (though it's different to those bedeviling VW)? And what all-new version of an extremely popular hybrid sedan broke cover at this week's Detroit Auto Show? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car...
John Voelcker -
VW execs indicted, EPA accuses FCA, Tesla 'Ludicrous Plus' mode: Today's Car News
Today, the U.S. Justice Department indicts Volkswagen executives in connection to the diesel scandal, details on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's claims that Ram and Jeep diesel vehicles used "defeat devices," and Tesla releases "Ludicrous Plus" mode for its P100D performance models. All...
Stephen Edelstein -
EPA finalizes emission rules through 2025; no change from existing levels
Seven days before the advent of a new presidential administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has locked in planned auto-emission standards through 2025. The emission limits tie directly to fuel-efficiency rules issued by the NHTSA, effectively requiring those rules to stay the same...
John Voelcker -
Tesla releases Supercharger electric-car fast-charge prices
Tesla announced in November that it would end free unlimited use of its Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. Now that the cutoff point for that perk has arrived, the company is offering more details on Supercharger pricing. The new rates take effect for buyers who ordered a Tesla electric car...
Stephen Edelstein