2017
-
Cars that run entirely or partly on electricity from a battery pack have no tailpipe emissions, but to judge their overall impact, you have to look at lifetime wells-to-wheels emissions. That includes emissions associated with extracting, refining, and burning the fuel used to make the electricity that recharges them, as well as the same for any gasoline they burn if they're plug-in hybrids. At today's Detroit Auto Show, Fiat Chrysler released calculations on the lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions of its 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid plug-in minivan. DON'T MISS: Mercedes B-Class Electric Car...
-
2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car wins North American Car of the Year award
Media days at the Detroit Auto Show always open with the announcement of the year's North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, and this year is no exception. But green-car enthusiasts had a special reason to follow this year's awards, now broken into three categories: car, truck, and utility...
John Voelcker -
2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4: gas mileage review
The Mitsubishi Mirage is the underdog of small cars: slow, loud, and archaic, but scrappy. And it's been a much bigger sales success than Mitsubishi expected, given the small numbers of minicars and subcompacts sold in the U.S. these days. For 2017, Mitsubishi added a four-door sedan model dubbed...
John Voelcker -
Woz is getting a Chevy Bolt EV after all; it arrives today
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak bought a Chevrolet Bolt EV to use as his "main car."
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Kia Niro hybrid: first drive report
According to its maker, the 2017 Kia Niro is the first "crossover hybrid vehicle" sold in the U.S.—but what does that really mean? We drove150 miles in two different versions of the top-of-the-line Niro Touring model two weeks ago, and concluded that the Niro represents an interesting package...
John Voelcker -
First 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedans delivered in California
The first six 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedans were delivered to customers in California this week.
Stephen Edelstein -
In September, Chevy scored quite a publicity coup for its Bolt EV long-range electric car. The car's chief engineer, Josh Tavel, took a pre-production 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV to show Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computers—universally known as "Woz." He's a big electric car fan, and had driven a Tesla Model S since he picked one up his first one in October 2013. DON'T MISS: Apple's Woz likes Chevy Bolt EV better than Tesla Model 3, he says Woz seemed quite impressed after Tavel gave him a ride. "I expect to be switching cars soon," he wrote on Facebook, posting a photo of himself...
-
Electric Chevy Bolt EV will be GM's first autonomous car
Prototype autonomous versions of the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car will test on public roads in Michigan.
Stephen Edelstein -
Chevy Bolt EV will offer AeroVironment charging station
AeroVironment charging stations will be sold through Chevrolet dealers for the Bolt EV.
Stephen Edelstein -
Far more Chevy Bolt EVs likely to be sold than compliance requires
General Motors only needs to sell a relatively small number of Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars to satisfy California's zero-emission vehicle mandate.
Stephen Edelstein -
First 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric cars sold today, in California
And now it's real. Just 23 months after GM CEO Mary Barra unveiled the Chevrolet Bolt concept at the Detroit Auto Show, the very first production versions of Chevy's 238-mile electric car to be sold were delivered this morning to eager San Francisco Bay Area buyers. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV 10 to 40 percent battery-capacity loss: possible, but unlikely?
When's the last time you sat down and read large parts of an owner's manual for a car? If it's been a few years—or a few decades—you may be surprised how frustrating they are if you're actually searching for specific information. By and large, their indexes are atrocious (often using...
John Voelcker -
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime turned out to be a better plug-in hybrid than we had expected when we drove it around sunny Ojai, California, on the press launch in October. It's a viable competitor to the second-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, though the Volt has an EPA-rated 53 miles of electric range to the Prime's 25 miles. Now we've had a chance to test the Prius Prime in real-world use and less temperate climes, and its virtues largely held up. DON'T MISS: 2017 Toyota Prius Prime: first drive of new plug-in hybrid We covered 279 miles on our usual test route, consisting of about...
-
Chevrolet Cruze Diesel prices released, from $24,670 up (update)
The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel sedan will start at $24,670 when it goes on sale next year.
Stephen Edelstein -
Thinking of buying a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV? Read the owner's manual!
General Motors issued the owner's manual for the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car.
Stephen Edelstein -
GM loses $9K on each Chevy Bolt EV to become major player in electric cars: report
General Motors will lose up to $9,000 on each Chevrolet Bolt EV it sells, reports say.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid plug-in minivan: 33 miles of range, 84 MPGe EPA ratings
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is rated at 33 miles of electric range, and 84 MPGe.
Stephen Edelstein -
On a hot, muggy day in south Florida, nothing is more comforting than knowing that your well-cooled car will make it to its destination. When that car is a reboot of the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, the tiny battery-powered European city slicker—and you’re surrounded by a sea of drivers who couldn't care less about keeping to a speed limit or staying in their lanes—you want to hope that you can make it. The forthcoming new-generation Electric Drive coupe and convertible proves that there is again room for an electric version in the revamped lineup of Fortwo city-sized...
-
CA dealer offers Fiat 500e electric car at $49 a month, $0 down in Black Friday weekend deal
While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles refuses to say how many electric Fiat 500e cars it's sold over the past several years, there are likely more than many people think. We know the number is at least 7,000 from recall notices, for instance. And FCA is continuing with aggressive efforts to sell the...
John Voelcker -
2017 Ford Focus Electric preview
The 2017 Ford Focus Electric has been one of last electric cars remaining in the current model year for which we haven't had information. Now Ford has released a few specifications, and a photo of a 2017 Focus Electric window sticker sent by a reader fills in more of the gaps. The good news: after...
John Voelcker -
2017 Toyota Prius Prime vs 2017 Chevrolet Volt: plug-in hybrid video test
They're two high-volume plug-in hybrids, but they take different approaches to energy efficiency. The Toyota Prius Prime, new for 2017, is the plug-in version of the world's best-known, and best-selling, hybrid car. The 2017 Chevy Volt was new last year, a greatly improved version of the pioneering...
John Voelcker -
VW Dresden 'glass house' factory to build e-Golf electric car
The "Transparent Factory" that previously built the Volkswagen Phaeton luxury sedan will now build the e-Golf electric car.
Stephen Edelstein -
Hyundai Ioniq Electric: how maker plans to market 124-mile electric car
Hyundai will use some novel promotions to market its Ioniq Electric plug-in car.
Stephen Edelstein