Electric Cars
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday ordered the Autopilot Buddy's maker to pull it off the market in the U.S. Green Car Reports reported last week that the device tricked Tesla's Autopilot system into eliminating safety warnings. Roadshow originally reported on the device, which is a small weight that attaches on one side of the steering wheel to mimic the weight of a driver's hands on the wheel. The NHTSA order was reported by the Detroit News. "A product intended to circumvent motor vehicle safety and driver attentiveness is unacceptable," said NHTSA Deputy...
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First Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD built; Musk claims company was "sabotaged"After laying off 9 percent of its workforce last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent a company-wide email in which he claimed an employee had committed "extensive and damaging sabotage" against the company. The news comes on the heels of another Musk tweet that congratulated employees for building the...
Eric C. Evarts -
What does a "green car" mean to you? Twitter poll resultsOur readers are nothing if not consistent. When we asked our Twitter followers last week to choose what they consider a "green car," a solid majority said nothing but a pure electric car qualifies. Under a picture of a gas-guzzling Dodge Challenger SRT8, literally painted green and parked in a spot...
Eric C. Evarts -
Audi arrest, Tesla Model S fire, charging labels, and our Twitter poll: Today's Car NewsGerman authorities arrested the head of Audi over diesel cheating scandal. A Tesla caught fire in L.A. Chargeway labels are coming to help make charging easier. And what's the longest trip you've taken in your electric car? All this and more on Green Car Reports. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was...
Eric C. Evarts -
What's the longest trip you've taken in your electric car? Take our Twitter pollLong road trips consistently has been a concern for electric-car owners. With barely 80 miles of range, and a sparse network of public charging stations—much less fast-charging stations—long trips in early electric cars was a challenge. Now, with longer range cars and more public fast...
Eric C. Evarts -
Audi CEO arrested in Germany over diesel scandalVW's diesel scandal is far from over. In the latest move on the political chessboard, German authorities arrested the head of VW's luxury division Audi at his home Monday morning according to a Reuters report. German authorities cited concerns that Stadler could obstruct their ongoing investigation...
Eric C. Evarts -
A Tesla fire in Los Angeles last week is drawing attention again to the safety of the cars' lithium-ion batteries. British television and stage director Michael Morris drove his Tesla Model S on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood when a couple in another car flagged him down and told him to pull over, according to a Tweet by his wife, actress Mary McCormack. McCormack captured and shared a video with flames shooting from beneath the Tesla. Morris exited the car before it was engulfed in flames, and no injuries were reported. @Tesla This is what happened to my husband and his car today...
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Big bets on Byton, Ford "exploring" hybrids with its popular SUV, and Hyundai Ioniq is back; The Week in ReverseWhat's next for the 2019 Hyundai Ioniq? What's next for Ford's Explorer? And what's coming from electric-car startup Byton? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending June 17, 2018. The 2019 Hyundai Ioniq is back this year with...
Aaron Cole -
Kia to build electric cars in India by late 2019Kia will spend $1 billion on a new assembly plant in southern India to build an electric car for that market by late 2019. The move comes just over a decade before India intends to ban the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles. Just what form an Indian-market electric Kia will take remains unknown...
Andrew Ganz -
Software fix for 2016-17 Nissan Leafs may improve battery rangeIn March we told you about a study of a small group of 2016 and 2017 Nissan Leaf models equipped with the larger, 30-kwh battery pack that had abnormal battery degradation. That study concluded that nearly four out of five of the larger battery packs examined lost cell capacity three times faster...
Aaron Cole -
Follow-up: In the end, I bought a Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybridIn an article last fall, I reached out to the GCR readers for a suggestion for what plug-in vehicle I should buy to complement my 84-mile range 2015 Nissan LEAF. The new vehicle, my wife’s car, had to handle a 16-mile daily commute, occasional 300-mile trips to Vermont (a place of few DC fast...
John Briggs -
2019 Hyundai Ioniq previewThe 2019 Hyundai Ioniq returns this year as an inexpensive alternative for green car shoppers on a budget. Its lineup has fully matured now; the Ioniq is available as an affordable hybrid, a slightly more expensive plug-in hybrid, or a fully electric model available in limited areas. We say: green...
Aaron Cole -
Just months after debuting its first concept vehicle, Chinese electric-car startup Byton on Tuesday took the wraps off a second model that it says previews a production-intent self-driving electric sedan with a lightweight, aerodynamic body. The Byton K-Byte concept that the automaker showed off ahead of the 2018 CES Asia shares its underpinnings with the M-Byte crossover that bowed in January in Las Vegas. Byton hasn't detailed the K-Byte's electric motor or its batteries. Its first concept, now known as the M-Byte crossover, is designed for 71- and 95-kilowatt-hour batteries, which the...
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Automakers make plea to 9 state governors to help boost electric, zero-emissions car salesSeeking to kick-start electric car sales outside of California, the lobbying group that represents a dozen automakers said Monday that it sent letters to nine state governors urging them to help spur zero-emissions vehicle demand. In the letters, the automakers urge the state governors to boost...
Andrew Ganz -
Volkswagen quantum computers, Daimler diesel recall, and Tesla tax credits: Today's Car NewsVolkswagen wants to use quantum computers to develop tailor-made electric-car batteries. Daimler has recalled hundreds of thousands of diesel cars in Europe. The results are in from our latest Twitter poll asking what electric car readers would buy when Tesla's tax credits begin to sunset. And the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Quantum computers could make specialized batteries for Volkswagen EVsQuantum computers could analyze and help build highly specialized electric vehicle batteries in the future, Volkswagen announced this week. Using the highly complex computing tech, researchers simulated industrially relevant molecules in EV batteries that could help shape the next generation of...
Aaron Cole -
When Tesla's tax credits expire, which electric car would you buy? Twitter poll resultsLast week, we reported that the federal tax credits for electric-car buyers are about to expire. Once any automaker sells 200,000 electric cars, the credits available to its buyers begin to wind down. Since Tesla has been selling electric cars longer than any other automaker (at least since the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Chinese electric-car builder Byton says it raised $500 millionA $500 million infusion from investors including an automaker and a major battery supplier could help Chinese electric-car startup Byton put its cars on the road by the end of next year, the company said Monday. Byton said that its big investors—Chinese state-owned automaker FAW Group...
Andrew Ganz -
Undeterred by major automakers that build electric cars by the millions, tinkerers and apostles aren't finished coming up with new ideas on their own. Whether sharing their knowledge with community, or just a sense of unflagging camaraderie, 160 such teams ranging from solo shade-tree mechanics to major corporations to visiting tourists in rented Nissan Leaf and BMW i3s took to the roads in Switzerland to participate in the largest electric-vehicle rally in the world. The teams will spend 8 days circumnavigating the mountainous country in the WAVE (World Advanced Vehicle Expedition) Trophy...
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Tesla Model 3 refunds, CO2 to fuel, less harmful batteries, awards, records, and deals: The Week in ReverseWhat is the next big innovation in electric car charging? What element is a major battery manufacturer trying to remove from its electric car batteries? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending June 8, 2018. Friday, we learned the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Porsche Mission E to be called Porsche TaycanPorsche announced Friday that its long-running Mission E electric sedan will be called the Porsche Taycan when it starts production next year. The 2020 Porsche Taycan (pronounced "tie-con") takes its name from the horse on the Porsche crest, according to the automaker, which itself was taken from...
Aaron Cole -
Waymo purchase of Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids may limit consumer access to federal rebateWaymo, the self-driving car unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet, put in an order for 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans last week to put into test fleets around the country. Riders will be able to summon the vans as taxis and be whisked to their destination complete with a "driver" who...
Eric C. Evarts -
More support for electric cars than knowledge or interest, Northeastern study findsA survey of car buyers has found a surprisingly high level of support for electric cars–but also found limited knowledge, which may be holding some buyers back. The survey was weighted toward drivers in the Northeast, and was sponsored by five Northeastern states. The survey did not directly...
Eric C. Evarts -
Kia Niro EV specs revealed at latest Korean car showThe Kia Niro EV made its first appearance at the Busan auto show this week and Kia confirmed the car will offer a battery with up to 236 miles of range. The company showed a concept version of the car at the Consumer Electronics Show in January with wildly updated head and tail lights and trim...
Eric C. Evarts