Electric Cars
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As the first mass-priced electric car with more than 200 miles of range to hit the market, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has attracted a great deal of attention. It's won numerous awards, including the Green Car Reports 2017 Best Car To Buy title, and received rave reviews from a wide variety of media outlets. But what do actual owners think? DON'T MISS: Chevrolet Bolt EV: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2017 While Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, Science Guy Bill Nye, and probably other celebrities have now taken delivery of their Bolt EVs, we wanted to hear from regular owners. Enter John and...
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Ontario, BC update electric-car incentives for Canadian buyersTwo Canadian provinces are now offering more generous incentives to electric-car buyers. Ontario is eliminating certain price caps in its electric-car incentive program, while a British Columbia not-for-profit is boosting its "cash-for-clunkers"-style program. Ontario announced its updated...
Stephen Edelstein -
Which oil companies invest in renewables, electric-car services?If electric cars are adopted by mass-market buyers in years to come, that will lead over time to notably lower oil consumption. So what are oil companies doing to prepare for that possible outcome? Some continue to doubt whether electric cars will constitute a serious threat to their business in...
Stephen Edelstein -
Strong demand for Opel Ampera-e in Norway moves up launch dateJust as the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car is launching in North America, its European cousin is beginning deliveries across the Atlantic. In Europe, General Motors markets the U.S.-built Bolt EV as virtually identical Opel Ampera-e under its German Opel brand. An example of what is known in...
Stephen Edelstein -
Shell fuel stations in U.K., Netherlands to add electric-car chargingElectric cars are often touted as a way to avoid gas stations. But electric-car drivers in certain European countries will soon be going to them to charge. That's because a pair of European oil companies plan to add electric-car charging at certain fuel stations. CHECK OUT: Electric-Car Charging...
Stephen Edelstein -
Science Guy Bill Nye buys Chevy Bolt EV, his seventh electric carBill Nye, better known as "The Science Guy" on the popular PBS children's series that bears his name, loves electric cars. He drove one of only a few hundred original GM EV1 two-seat electric cars almost 20 years ago. Three weeks ago, he took delivery of a brand-new "Kinetic Blue" 2017 Chevrolet...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars are simply nicer and calmer to drive than conventional cars, and as their prices fall, that may be what will lure mass-market buyers over time. But they have undeniable benefit of lowering wells-to-wheels carbon emissions per mile driven, and they can also be powered entirely on renewable energy. Which makes them good for drivers and the environment at the same time. DON'T MISS: Once Again: Electric Cars Have Lower Lifetime Carbon Emissions Calculating the wells-to-wheels carbon emissions of transport has emerged into policy circles as analysts consider various combinations of...
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Real-world data more important than faith in boosting electric cars"Big data" is often discussed as a useful tool for everyone from policymakers to corporate marketing departments. But could it also be used to help increase electric-car adoption? Last November, the Obama administration held the first-ever "Electric Vehicle Datathon" with that very goal in mind...
Stephen Edelstein -
Audi tells its dealers to get with the (electric-car) programAs many electric-car buyers will tell you, franchised auto dealers can pose a large and tedious impediment to actually buying the plug-in car you want. From salespeople with no knowledge of the cars to test vehicles that haven't been recharged and have little battery range left, the hurdles are...
John Voelcker -
Exxon says coal will endure; other analyses beg to differRenewable energy sources may eventually render fossil fuels irrelevant in energy generation, but when will the switch between the two energy sources occur? It's a question that fosters much debate among policymakers, environmental advocates, and financial analysts. For its part, ExxonMobil believes...
Stephen Edelstein -
What the Tesla logo means: CEO Elon Musk explainsAn automaker's logo can and perhaps should be as recognizable as its cars, if not more. That makes logo design a very important task. Tesla's logo is certainly not anonymous, but it turns out there's more to it than may be immediately apparent. DON'T MISS: Why Faraday Future's luxury electric car...
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW i3, Tesla Model S electric cars miss top IIHS safety ratingsTwo of the most prominent electric cars have missed out on the highest award given for vehicle safety by the influential IIHS: Top Safety Pick+. Funded by the insurance industry, the IIHS—which operates independently of the federal government—says that neither the BMW i3 nor the Tesla...
Andrew Ganz -
While the auto industry at large waited to see if January sales continued as strong as last year's record-breaking total, electric-car fans waited for a different number. That was the number of Chevrolet Bolt EVs sold last month, the car's first full month on sale, albeit in a small number of states. Those states, most prominently California, have the most advanced plug-in electric car markets, however. DON'T MISS: 2016 plug-in electric car sales: best year yet, Bolt EV launches, Model S record When GM released its sales results this morning, the number turned out to be 1,162 deliveries. That...
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How important is fast-charging to sell electric cars? Poll resultsThose unfamiliar with electric cars often don't know that several different types of battery charging exist. Overnight recharging at home can be done either with 120-volt household current or, for longer-range cars, with a 240-volt charging station installed by the car owner. Then there's DC fast...
John Voelcker -
First Chevy Bolt EV electric car delivered to Canadian buyerFollowing its launch last month in California's Silicon Valley, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is now rolling out in other regions of North America. Just last week, the first Chevrolet Bolt EV to be sold in Canada was delivered to its buyer. It proved to be a somewhat drawn-out process overseen by a...
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model 3 previewThe Tesla Model 3 electric car is undoubtedly one of the most highly-anticipated new-car launches in recent memory. Unveiled in prototype form last April after a drawn-out teaser campaign, the Model 3 quickly generated an unprecedented response from the public. As of last August, around 400,000...
Stephen Edelstein -
McKinsey suggests ways automakers could kick-start electric-car demandDespite steady increases over the past few years, electric cars still represent only a tiny fraction of new-car sales. There are no shortage of theories as to why that is the case. Some electric-car advocates blame manufacturers for not adequately promoting the vehicles, while many within the...
Stephen Edelstein -
How many Tesla Model 3 electric cars can company build this year?It's one of the most fascinating sets of questions in the auto industry. How quickly can Tesla Motors put its Model 3 electric car into production? And when? How many cars can it build this year? How many can it deliver to paying customers? At a promised starting price of $35,000, the Model 3 is...
John Voelcker -
Islands can be excellent places to promote clean energy. Because they are typically disconnected from both mainland grid infrastructure and sources of fossil fuels, it is easier for alternative sources of energy to gain a foothold. In fact, the cost of importing coal or oil to fuel power plants or vehicles can make fossil fuels vastly more expensive for populations who are cut off from the mainland. DON'T MISS: Tesla, SolarCity, and Ta'u: sun, storage batteries, clean energy (video) (Nov 2016) Islands also tend to have limited, smaller road networks, which make even electric cars with shorter...
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Electric-car MPGe as important as range, Hyundai Ioniq maker suggestsAlong with price, the top-line statistic cited for any battery-electric car is its rated range. Until last month, the only electric cars that exceeded 200 miles in that metric were made by Tesla Motors. Now, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has a 238-mile EPA rating for range—and that's usually the...
John Voelcker -
NEVS gets production nod for electric-car plant in ChinaSince it bought the assets of bankrupt automaker Saab in 2012, Chinese-backed consortium National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) has been working toward mass production of electric cars. But despite ambitious plans for a multi-model lineup of electric cars, the company has made relatively little...
Stephen Edelstein -
Schwarzenegger's hydrogen Hummer gives way to electric G-WagenArnold Schwarzenegger has always had rather unusual taste in vehicles. The movie star and former California governor previously drove a hydrogen-fueled Hummer H2, symbolizing both his love for militaristic vehicles and a general concern for the environment. Now, the "Governator" has another SUV...
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric Nissan Leaf hearse: greenest way to travel the last mileThey may be painted the customary black, but why shouldn't hearses be green? Most people take their final journeys in hearses based on large luxury sedans, usually Cadillac or Lincoln models in the U.S. But a U.K. funeral home has teamed with an aftermarket company to create a more efficient and...
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric Ford Transit van conversion shown by Inventev at Detroit Auto ShowWhen an automaker doesn't offer a vehicle for a specific market segment, sometimes the aftermarket will fill in the gap. In the U.S., all-electric commercial vans are one of those gaps. Such vehicles are available in other markets, but so far, not on sale from major makers in North America. DON'T...
Stephen Edelstein