Which pair of European plug-in hybrids got bigger batteries and more rated range for 2018?

What were the big stories from this week's surprisingly news-packed Los Angeles auto show?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, December 1, 2017.

Friday, our Tesla-owning author David Noland weighed in with some thoughts on the new Tesla Roadster.

Two new small crossover utility vehicles debuted at the Los Angeles auto show, which we attended this past week: they're the Hyundai Kona and Nissan Kicks.

2018 Hyundai Kona and 2018 Nissan Kicks

2018 Hyundai Kona and 2018 Nissan Kicks

On Thursday, we wrote up our auto-show interview with a Porsche executive, in which he shared a remarkable prediction: Porsche expects half the cars it delivers in 2025 to have plugs.

The 2019 BMW i8 has a larger battery and a bit more rated range; it also debuted a second body style in LA, the very-long-awaited i8 Roadster with an open top.

Wednesday, we learned that the first of a range of new all-electric Volkswagens in the U.S. will be the ID Crozz compact crossover utility vehicle, which will go on sale in 2020.

The enthusiast magazine Motor Trend conducted an instrumented test of the Tesla Model 3, and got some independent data on how fast it is.

On Tuesday, we explained why sales of all new BMW i3 electric cars have been halted: All of them will be recalled to fix a very specific safety issue that affects only a small number of drivers  who don't wear seatbelts.

2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV

2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Since the new model-year electric cars are now arriving in Chevy dealers, we have a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV preview. (Not much has changed.) Meanwhile, our 2018 Nissan Leaf preview looks at what's known about the new electric car.

We kicked off the week on Monday with a recent Tesla Model 3 video review that compares the electric car to its larger, pricier Model S sibling.

Quietly, the Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV got a bigger battery for its third model year, 2018, giving it both higher electric range and better energy efficiency.

Over the weekend, we explained why the U.S. Postal Service is being urged to select an electrified vehicle for its next huge order of postal-delivery trucks.

Finally, GM will start commercial tests of self-driving Chevy Bolt EV electric cars in multiple cities during 2019.

NASA battery-powered airplane 'Greased Lightning'

NASA battery-powered airplane 'Greased Lightning'

It's a question we've now begun to hear, so we tried to answer it: Are electric airplanes actually a real thing?

And the rasp of the iconic 70-year-old Vespa scooter will be joined by a version that hums: an electric Vespa is on the way.

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.

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