plug-in cars
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Even though the Tesla Model S has retained its same basic shape since it went on sale in 2012, what's going on under the hood has been anything but stagnant. The automaker's over-the-air updates for the electric car have put the old guard on notice: People expect their cars to act like the computers and phones sitting on their desks and in their pockets. That means updates and new features—constantly. Mostly, Tesla has done that. With the major exception of a hardware changeover in early 2017, Tesla owners have had new features unlocked or refined, new interfaces implemented, and safety...
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Plug-in electric car sales for April: Leaf sales lag, spendy Porsches take off
The landscape for plug-in electric and hybrid cars appears to be little changed.
Aaron Cole -
Outlanders Inbound: Plug-in Electric Car Sales In Canada, March 2018
Altogether, Canadians bought 2,157 plug-in cars in Canada in April, 40 percent off March's pace of 3,563 sales, but 50 percent more than January, and a couple hundred more than February.
Matthew Klippenstein -
Some Chevrolet Bolt EVs get new battery pack for sudden loss of power: here's why
It's every electric car owner's nightmare: the car indicates that remaining range has suddenly plummeted to zero, the battery pack stops providing current, and the car won't run. For some 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV drivers, that scenario has happened in real life. The problem has resulted in a program...
John Voelcker -
Some Tesla Model 3 cars haunted by "phantom touch" and "vampire draw" (updated)
At this point, the variable build quality of early Tesla Model 3 electric cars has been well documented. One of the main issues is the "phantom touch" on the car's all-important central display. The phantom touch is what Green Car Reports reader Jeff Southern of Atlanta suffered in his car before...
Eric C. Evarts -
Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, VW e-Golf compared to Renault Zoe: what UK test reveals
British magazine Auto Express has conducted a full, head-to-head comparison test of the new Leaf with its most direct competitors: the Volkswagen eGolf, BMW i3s, and the European Renault Zoe
Eric C. Evarts -
Electric cars have the great advantage that their batteries can be recharged anywhere there's electricity. It may not be particularly fast, though modern plug-in vehicles get at least 60 miles overnight, and often double or triple that. But a century ago, drivers of gasoline cars had just as much range anxiety as electric-car drivers—especially if they wanted to take long road trips. DON'T MISS: Ford Model T: what was its fuel economy, really? Today's global network of gasoline and diesel filling stations has developed over 100 years, but it didn't exist at the turn of the 20th century...
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2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid: weekend drive review
For several years, the Chevrolet Volt was the sole plug-in hybrid with electric range notably above 20 miles—though it became clear Chevy never figured out how to market its virtues to the public at large. Now it has a strong competitor in the form of the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, a...
John Voelcker -
Electric-car buyers want same things as all car buyers, research shows
Cheaper batteries alone won't get consumers to abandon their internal combustion cars for any type of electric car. Purchase incentives and charging boost plug-in hybrids. But what buyers really seem to want is fuel cells.
Matthew Klippenstein -
When will Tesla Model 3 all-wheel-drive, lower-range models be available?
Musk says the problem is that adding additional configurations with all-wheel drive would make production so much more complicated that it would jeopardize the company's ability to build up Model 3 production to levels that would bring in the revenue the company needs to stay afloat.
Eric C. Evarts -
Audi, BMW, Mercedes large electric luxury sedans to aim above Tesla Model S?
The Tesla Model S occupies an interesting position among "luxury" sedans and hatchbacks. It's far from the best-equipped vehicle compared to mid-size and full-size competitors from Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz, but that doesn't seem to matter to its 200,000 or so buyers to date. The good...
John Voelcker -
Energy Dept stops tracking green energy, electric-car progress; NRDC picks up slack
There's a lot of good data to be found in public reports from national labs and other government research papers, but it's not always easy to find or easy to parse. For years, federal Department of Energy collected and published that information—but it has eliminated that effort under the...
Eric C. Evarts -
General Motors has consistently declined to fund public charging stations that increase the utility and long-distance potential of the electric cars it sells. The company said firmly two years ago it had no intention of spending money on a charging network, a stance that distinguished GM from BMW, Nissan, and Volkswagen, not to mention Tesla. On Thursday, GM announced that it would partner with national charging network EVgo to set up DC fast-charging sites for drivers of its Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. But only certain drivers. CHECK OUT: GM Won't Fund CCS Fast-Charging Sites For Chevy...
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Tesla Model Y production to start Nov 2019 (also, Musk doesn't have time to shower): reports
Amidst nine months of "production hell" for the Tesla Model 3 electric car, the company's next vehicle has somewhat fallen off the radar. According to a report Wednesday by Reuters, Tesla has now put out requests to suppliers for initial bids on parts for the Tesla Model Y, its high-volume...
Eric C. Evarts -
Buick to launch new electric, plug-in hybrid models in China; what about US?
For 15 years now, Buick has been a far more important brand in China than it is in North America: four out of five Buicks sold globally are purchased by Chinese buyers. The brand has a wider range and variety of vehicles in that country, along with numerous models U.S. buyers never lay eyes on. So...
John Voelcker -
Your predictions for electric-car growth: Twitter poll results
Predictions range all over the map on when electric-car sales are going to take off, depending on whether you're talking to a Wall Street bull or bear, what happens to gas prices, and even who's in office. With that in mind, we thought we'd ask our Twitter followers with an interest in electric...
Eric C. Evarts -
Which Honda Clarity would you buy: electric, plug-in hybrid, or fuel cell? Take our Twitter poll
The Clarity sedan will encompass three models: a battery electric with 114-mile range, a 42-mile plug-in hybrid, and a fuel-cell vehicle
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla founder, Chinese company launch SF Motors electric cars
SF Motors revealed its first two electric cars, to be produced next year at the Hummer factory in South Bend Indiana
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla's most direct competitor announced it would refund all deposits it has taken.
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Driving a converted electric car from Holland to Australia, relying on gifts
What do you do when the year you planned for your round-the-world trip in an electric car turns into two—and you still haven't reached your destination? If you're taking such an ambitious trip, it helps to have a name as whimsical as Wiebe Wakker. He's the Dutchman undertaking this adventure...
Eric C. Evarts -
2018 Nissan Leaf electric car: Is there a fast-charging problem?
Nissan Leaf owners have found that the car's electronic controls dial back charging speeds with each successive fast charge on any given trip.
Eric C. Evarts -
2018 Hyundai Ioniq Electric "Unlimited" subscription more limited this year
While global demand for the Hyundai Ioniq Electric appears to be strong, supplies have remained limited. The battery-electric compact hatchback, rated at 124 miles of range by the EPA, forgoes the "weird styling" of contenders like the previous Nissan Leaf. In the U.S., however, the all-electric...
John Voelcker -
Smart to go all-electric worldwide by 2020: Daimler CEO
The U.S. sales history of the Smart two-seat minicar started with a bang in 2008, when gasoline prices soared, and has waned since then. A complete redesign of the little ForTwo in the 2016 model year, with the Cabrio soft-top following for 2017, didn't do much for sales. That led parent company...
John Voelcker -
Electric I-Pace may lead Jaguar design, style into the future
In January 2007, Jaguar dropped a bombshell, in the form of the C-XF concept sedan it unveiled at that year's Detroit auto show. The sleek, fastback shape, simple rectangular grille with recessed mesh, and swept-back cat's-eye headlights yanked Jaguar design out of its fusty retro-traditional...
John Voelcker