What does E85 ethanol fuel tun out to be really, really good for?
And, where do you have to live to get a good clearance deal on a 2015 Chevy Volt, at least right now?
This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, April 24, 2015.
Friday, we mused about the sales prospects for the upcoming 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV. It's already sold out in the U.K.--will the same happen in North America?
On Thursday, we took a deep dive into GM's plug-in hybrid system, looking at how the company is using the same Voltec powertrain in three quite different cars.
Those are the 2016 Chevy Volt, the new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, and the Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid announced Monday at the Shanghai Auto Show.
GM expects to get significant economies of scale using the same components across many different cars--and we're betting there are more to come.
Wednesday, we reported on our drive in a new 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4-Door, the official name for a new five-door version of the classic three-door MINI hatchback.
Ours was the higher-performance Cooper S model, but we still managed more than 30 mpg over mostly highway driving.
That's about what we would have expected, but nowhere near the 40 mpg we got in the three-door standard MINI with its three-cylinder engine.
On Tuesday, we ran down a list of green cars at the Shanghai Auto Show. This year, that meant a whole lot of plug-in hybrids.
Monday, we kicked off the week by covering a story from an upcoming book on Tesla Motors that had a lot of our readers questioning its veracity.
CEO Elon Musk put together a deal to sell Tesla to Google, the writer says, when early Model S depositors didn't take delivery as quickly as planned.
But he was able to walk away from it after an all-out effort by all Tesla employees to persuade customers to take the cars--producing good financial results and boosting the stock price.
Over the weekend, we showed that while E85 ethanol may remain scarce as a vehicle fuel, it's sure good for drag-racing. One Hellcat driver is happy to show off.
And finally, we had a few Chevy Volt stories.
Chevrolet released trim levels and option packages for the 2016 Volt--though still no pricing.
And as production of the first-generation Volt winds down, there are some good deals on 2015 Volts.
At least, that is, if you're in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, or Vermont.
Regrettably, the rest of you seem to be out of luck. At least for this week.
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