Featured (was)
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Just 16 months passed from when Tesla first showed its Model 3—and we got our first ride in a Model 3 prototype with its VP of engineering Doug Field—to when it made the first batch of deliveries. And it was certainly not our intent to wait nearly another 16 months before considering it for our Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy award. But last year, while the Model 3 was officially on sale and in production, we couldn’t track one down in time to make the cut. Tesla reported 220 Model 3 deliveries by October 1, 2017. And while we knew there were a few early...
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Robyn Denholm appointed new Tesla board chairwomanTesla's board has promoted from within to fill the role of chairman, replacing Elon Musk, who agreed to step down in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Robyn Denholm, one of the two independent directors appointed to Tesla's board in 2014 will be its new chairwoman, the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Harley-Davidson Livewire electric motorcycle to go into productionBack in 2014, Harley-Davidson made a lot of noise about its silent electric Livewire motorcycle concept. But the company's been mum ever since about whether it ever planned to build it—until now. At the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday, the company finally announced...
Eric C. Evarts -
Finalist for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019: Jaguar I-PaceThe Jaguar I-Pace is a front-runner—the first fully electric, longer-range vehicle from a long-established luxury brand. But it’s not a “Tesla-fighter” as the I-Pace has often been called. More accurately it exists not to conquest Tesla drivers but to keep...
Bengt Halvorson -
Finalist for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019: Hyundai Kona ElectricIn our quest to find Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy, the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric is shaping up to be the “no drama” candidate. By now, we’ve had four distinct experiences with this small, fully electric crossover—or tall hatchback, depending on how you see it...
Bengt Halvorson -
One of these 3 cars will be Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2019Despite a long list of green-car debuts anticipated over the next couple of years, this year hasn't exactly brought a bevy of new electric models. As we wait for the market to blossom with new entries in coming years, we have three strong contenders for this year's top position—our Best Car...
Bengt Halvorson -
GPS navigation and Autopilot—two great driving aids that go great together. Tesla has offered both features for a long time, and is now rolling out software that combines them, so drivers can set a destination in their cars' navigation system and it will automatically take action to merge and exit highways, and change lanes to expedite the trip. To be clear, this isn't fully autonomous self-driving. Rather, it's the first implementation of a small sub-set of features that Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk promised during the company's July earnings call as "On-ramp to off-ramp"...
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GM creates a global e-bike, looks for branding help with contestGeneral Motors is already shaping up to be second only to Tesla in blasting past the 200,000-vehicle ceiling for the federal EV tax credit; and it has plans to produce 20 new fully electric vehicles by 2023. Part of that EV-savvy strategy, apparently—or a parallel one, perhaps—involves...
Bengt Halvorson -
California stands firm, Honda joins GM, SEC investigates Tesla: The Week in ReverseWhich automakers are now openly opposing the EPA’s proposed fuel-economy rollback? And which automaker teased an 800-volt electric car good for the drag races? This is Green Car Reports’ look back at the Week in Reverse, for the week ending Nov. 2, 2018. Friday we updated a piece about...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla receives SEC subpoena about Model 3 production numbersTesla acknowledged in a quarterly regulatory filing on Thursday that it has received a subpoena from the SEC asking about the company's forecasts the company made in 2017 for Model 3 production. Some investors have said they were misled by statements that the company would begin full production of...
Eric C. Evarts -
California girds for battle with EPA over fuel economyLast Friday, California released a 400-page repudiation of the Trump administration's plan to freeze fuel economy standards and revoke California's statutory right to set its own limits on vehicle emissions. The report comes in response to the EPA and NHTSA's proposed Safer Affordable Fuel...
Eric C. Evarts -
Broken bottles may be good for roads and the environmentCars could soon provide a solution to one of the world's biggest environmental problems, not just contribute to them. Cars, or at least the roads they drive on, could provide a much needed outlet for tons of recycled plastics that currently have no place else to go. According to the EPA, the U.S...
Eric C. Evarts -
Less than a week after speaking out in favor of a national electric vehicle mandate, and in the shadow of Tesla reporting a profitable quarter, General Motors might be on the verge of announcing a radical change to its plans for future electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the U.S. The automaker is anticipated to make a major business announcement concerning electric vehicles, mobility, and how its technology business evolves—with a potential spinoff of Cruise Automation and/or Maven—on Wednesday with its third-quarter financial report, according to multiple sources. Such moves...
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Volkswagen XL1 eco halo already a sound investment?It’s been less than five years since Volkswagen produced its limited run of just 250 XL1 plug-in diesel hybrid coupes, of which only 200 were sold to retail buyers. The Volkswagen XL1 has all the makings of an instant collectible, with its combination of low production volume, advanced...
Bengt Halvorson -
Dyson’s electric-vehicle gamble, Musk’s redemption, GM’s 50-state mandate: The Week in ReverseWhich automaker managed to turn a profit, without ever making a model with an internal-combustion engine? And which automaker asked specifically for a national electric-vehicle mandate? This is Green Car Reports’ look back at the Week in Reverse, for the week ending October 26, 2018. We ended...
Bengt Halvorson -
GM wants Trump administration to consider national electric-vehicle mandateThe term “hail Mary” might be appropriate for what General Motors, led by chief executive officer Mary Barra, is attempting at this stage of the federal government’s dialog on fuel efficiency and electric vehicles. GM is launching an effort to propose a 50-state solution for...
Bengt Halvorson -
Wireless charging could widen efficiency edge over cords, suggests DOE labResearchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory last week announced they've managed to transfer 120 kw of power at an efficiency of 97 percent—more efficiently than any currently available physical charging connection. A version of the 20-kw wireless charging...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla reports profit, explains $46k Model 3 Mid Range model, hints about leasingTesla’s quarterly earnings call today was shaping up to be, at long last, an earnings call. Tesla reported a net income of $312 million for the third quarter of 2018. The all-electric vehicle maker made money. It also claimed that, given its financial results—and some creative...
Bengt Halvorson -
UPDATE: Tesla originally rolled out the Model 3 Mid Range at a base price of $45,000 on 10/18. Less than six days later it's raised the price $1,000, and we've adjusted the numbers in this piece to reflect that. “We made a slight adjustment to our pricing for Model 3 following the introduction of the Mid Range Battery last week," said a Tesla spokesperson. "We will honor the lower pricing for all in-progress orders.” Those who’ve waited faithfully for the more affordable $35,000 version of the Tesla Model 3 to be built could finally get what they’ve been wanting...
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GM confirms it will reach EV tax credit ceiling this year—then phaseout beginsBeginning next April, buyers of General Motors’ electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids won’t be getting the same break on their purchase as those who buy those vehicles from any other brand. Any other brand but Tesla, that is. GM has confirmed to Green Car Reports that it will reach...
Bengt Halvorson -
Report: Battery production could offset emissions gains from electric carsA new report shows that emissions from producing large battery packs for electric cars could cancel out improvements from their low emissions for years. The report comes from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which is usually optimistic about electric cars. In May, the analytic arm of the finance...
Eric C. Evarts -
Deadline for comments on EPA fuel-economy rollback is TuesdayReaders who want to make their voices heard in objection to (or support of) the EPA proposal to freeze fuel economy standards have until tomorrow to get their comments in. The EPA proposed in early August to undo Obama-era rules requiring cars to reach increasingly stringent fuel-economy targets...
Eric C. Evarts -
MA updates signs to allow electric-vehicle parking: reader success storyBureaucracies have some funny ways of saying they were wrong and you were right. Even if they can't tell you they made a mistake, it's nice to see them fix a problem they created. The latest bureaucracy to demonstrate this is Massport, which operates the parking garages at Boston's Logan...
John Briggs -
Tesla Model 3 shuffle, Jaguar I-Pace delivery, and Hyundai first drives: The Week in ReverseWill Tesla see a groundswell of interest in its new, $45k Model 3 Mid Range, and is it doing the right thing in (perhaps temporarily) dropping the Full Self-Driving option from the configurator? And how might Nissan price its upcoming longer-range version of the Leaf electric car? This is Green Car...
Bengt Halvorson