The Tesla Model 3 earns a spot on a respected U.S. shortlist for best occupant safety. The Ford Escape Hybrid is back at last, and we’ve driven it. Some new crash-test results arrive for the Chevy Bolt EV. And the federal government considers easing regulations on the sounds EVs need to make. This and more, here at Green Car Reports

Electric cars can among the best for occupant safety. Case in point: The Tesla Model 3 has been given top-tier crash-test ratings from the IIHS, and it’s earned a place on the insurance-funded group’s Top Safety Pick+ list. 

The Chevrolet Bolt EV now also has a complete set of crash tests from the IIHS, with new results announced this morning. But it narrowly missed the Top Safety Pick honor rolls because of what the safety organization found to be glare-prone headlights.

After some time driving the new 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, we found it to be an improvement on both the former C-Max Hybrid and the former Escape Hybrid. But we can’t help but wonder about the plug-in hybrid that arrives mere months later. 

You soon might have many more choices regarding the sounds your electric vehicle makes to the outside world when you’re in parking lots and low-speed intersections. Automaker groups say it’s a win-win, but NHTSA is putting the idea up for public comment. 

And yesterday the Trump administration started what will be a lengthy and heated legal battle over whether California has the authority to regulate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.

Mitsubishi has a penchant for bold concept cars, and it’s teased another concept combining electrification and all-wheel drive for the upcoming Tokyo auto show next month.  

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