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A new picture by an early buyer of a Tesla Model 3 Performance shows the car's EPA rating of 116 MPGe. That's down 14 MPGe, or almost 11 percent from the base long-range Model 3's rating of 130 MPGe, owing to the battery's and bigger motors' higher output. The EPA does not yet list the rating on its own site, but the car has to have a legal rating to be sold in the U.S. The Model 3 Performance is rated at 271 horsepower, up from the standard Model 3's 258 hp. Some individual owners who have tested their cars on a dynamometer (a rolling treadmill for cars, also used for emissions testing), and...
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Tesla sales, rebates ending, oil studies, and dirty tricks: The Week in ReverseWhich brand's electric cars won't get a tax credit after next year? Which electric car is in extremely short supply? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending July 13, 2018. Friday, we listed the best deals on green cars for July...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla sells 200,000th car, starting phaseout of federal tax creditsTesla's vehicle purchase incentives web page on Thursday morning reported that the wind-down of incentives for buyers of its cars has begun. The change was first noted and reported by Jalopnik. Following the change, Tesla buyers will only be eligible to receive the full $7,500 federal tax credit...
Eric C. Evarts -
Oil prices could double by 2020, boosting electric car salesDespite short term peaks and valleys, and a recent agreement by OPEC to ease production restrictions, the overall trend in oil prices is on the rise. That's the conclusion of Bernstein research, an investment research company, which forecast last week that oil could hit $150 a barrel by 2020, just...
Eric C. Evarts -
Henrik Fisker is latest to claim solid-state battery breakthrough (Updated)In the race to build solid state batteries for electric cars, almost nobody is counting on Henrik Fisker and his latest electric-car venture, the EMotion, which debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Fisker, however, now says the car will launch in 2020 with his...
Eric C. Evarts -
Pruitt leaves poison pill at EPA for glider-truck emissions ruleIn his last act as EPA Administrator on Friday, Scott Pruitt vacated an Obama-era ruling that dramatically restricted sales of polluting "glider" trucks. Pruitt's earlier efforts to repeal the ruling were opposed by a broad, bipartisan coalition of environmentalists, public health advocates, truck...
Eric C. Evarts -
June wasn't a great month for green-car sales, and automakers are offering some bargains to keep them moving out the door. Green Car Reports partner site CarsDirect has listed several great green car deals among its July Fourth deals that continue through this weekend. For shoppers looking for a hybrid or even a plug-in hybrid, this could be a great time to buy. Several of these deals are set to expire July 9 or 10, but the car-buying experts at CarsDirect tell us that many of them may be extended through the rest of July. Here's a look at seven of the best deals in order of their discounts...
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Tesla Model 3 production, VW diesel deadline, EPA administrator, lithium troubles: The Week in ReverseWhose resignation changed the political landscape this week? What is holding up production of more lithium for electric car batteries? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending June 6, 2018. Friday, we heard from the lead...
Eric C. Evarts -
VW TDI owners face deadline to finalize claims (Updated)The VW diesel settlement is winding down. Owners of 2.0-liter 4-cylinder cars have to complete filing their settlement paperwork by Sept. 1 to be eligible for at least $5,100 in compensation from Volkswagen. All claims must be settled by Dec. 31, but they must be submitted by Sept. 1 to be...
Eric C. Evarts -
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Tesla Model 3 set June sales records for plug-in carsWith low gas prices and consumers thinking about summer road trips, June was not a banner month for plug-in car sales. Two models stood out with dramatic increases from previous months, while others lagged. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, had its best month yet, after seven months on the market...
Eric C. Evarts -
Wheeler replaces Pruitt as EPA chief, climate denial, fossil fuel support continue apaceFollowing an 18-month tenure filled with a cascade of scandals, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned Thursday. President Donald Trump acknowledged Pruitt's resignation in a tweet and announced that EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler will run the agency in the interim, starting Monday...
Eric C. Evarts -
Supplies may be less of a problem for lithium than financing, reportAs if to confirm one of the biggest concerns of electric-car doubters, lithium prices have tripled since 2015. Not to worry, say those who sell electric cars, the world has no shortage of raw lithium; new businesses just need to jump into the opportunity to open new mines to extract more of the...
Eric C. Evarts -
In car terms, we're already getting rolling on model year 2019, and it's shaping up to be the year of the electric SUV. Until now, pure electric cars have consisted mostly of small hatchbacks or expensive luxury cars, with one ultra-expensive SUV, the Tesla Model X. With the rollout of the Jaguar I-Pace, consumers who want an electric car but need the practicality of an SUV have choices. Analysts have long said one of the main things electric cars need to make the transition from early adopters to mainstream cars is more choices. With at least four and as many as nine new electric SUVs coming...
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Tesla Model 3 production reaches 5,000 cars in last week of JuneTesla released critical production numbers for its Model 3 early Monday, showing that in the last week of June, it produced 5,031 Model 3s. CEO Elon Musk has said repeatedly that reaching production of 5,000 Tesla Model 3s a week is critical to the company's financial survival, and that he expected...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model 3 production still likely short of 5,000-per-week goal as June endsThe end of June has come and gone, and Tesla is planning to update investors, fans, and the media later this week with results of its efforts to ramp up Model 3 production to 5,000 cars a week. That number is crucial to the company's success and even its survival, CEO Elon Musk has said repeatedly...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model 3 orders open, 2019 Chevy Volt, dieselgate update, Volvo plans: The Week in ReverseWhich country plans to put a million electric cars on its roads by 2022? What mountain did an electric car climb this week? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending June 29, 2018. Friday, we reported that Tesla opened orders to all...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model 3 orders open to all US, Canada buyersTesla Model 3 reservation holders who have been patiently waiting for their turn to order their cars just got a chance to move up in line. The company invited all reservation holders in the United States and Canada to place their orders, according to a Bloomberg report. To place their orders...
Eric C. Evarts -
Supreme Court retirement could have impact on environmental protectionThe retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced on Wednesday could have dramatic and detrimental effects on environmental quality. Since the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in 2006, Kennedy has been a pivotal vote on the court, siding with the majority on at least two...
Eric C. Evarts -
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt left little to chance in trying to make the agency more friendly to the oil industry after he took office last year, according to new emails revealed in a report by Buzzfeed News. The Sierra Club obtained the emails through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared them with Buzzfeed, according to the report. The request revealed that Pruitt attended a meeting of the American Petroleum Institute in mid-March last year, and encouraged executives he met there to apply for jobs at the Agency. The emails show that Kevin Avery, manager of federal government...
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Battery-electric vehicle versus plug-in hybrid: why having both makes senseNot long ago, green car fans had only one choice: a hybrid vehicle like the Prius that gets all its energy from gasoline. Now there is a choice of several pure battery-electric vehicles that get all their energy from grid electricity, several plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that get their energy...
John Briggs -
Tesla sues saboteur who claims he is a whistleblowerOn Thursday, Tesla sued former employee Martin Tripp for stealing trade secrets and transferring several gigabytes of data to third parties, including pictures of the company's battery assembly line at the Gigafactory in Nevada, where he worked. The details of the suit point to a testy...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model 3 Performance awd built, 2019 Honda Insight, 2018 Kia Niro hybrid, another state joins California: The Week in ReverseWhich state added its name to the list of those following California's tighter emissions regulations? What hybrid car aced the battery of crash tests inflicted by the IIHS? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending June 22, 2018...
Eric C. Evarts -
Conservative poll says Americans resent electric-car tax creditsResults of a study released Tuesday by the American Energy Alliance found that most voters object to tax credits for electric cars. Tellingly, the poll also shows that the public generally supports electric cars themselves. Two-thirds said they are better for the environment than than gasoline...
Eric C. Evarts -
Colorado moves to follow California's low-emissions air-quality rulesChalk up one more state in California's column. Colorado has added its name to the list of 12 states that follow California's tighter emissions standards. Governor John Hickenlooper directed Colorado's Air Quality Control Commission to begin the legal process of bringing the state into the...
Eric C. Evarts