Fuel Efficiency
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A wide range of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, starting with the 2020 Sonata, will be soon be getting engines with a next-generation valve system.
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Automakers lay out mpg concerns for Trump: Talk to California, please–Update
Automakers (17 of them) wrote a letter to President Trump asking for California to be included in his single national standard for revamping fuel economy rules.
Bengt Halvorson -
No puncture, no pressure: GM could offer airless Michelin tire in 2024 EV
Michelin has introduced a prototype airless tire that will soon be tested on a Chevrolet Bolt EV fleet in Michigan.
Bengt Halvorson -
California braces for Trump mpg rules with extreme options—like a ban on tailpipes?
If the federal government revokes California's waiver allowing it the authority to regulate emissions, the state's agency is making clear it will find a way to keep the polluters out.
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla Model S and X get big range boost, and Standard Range versions return
Tesla has replaced the induction motor at the front of its Model S and Model X with a permanent-magnet motor, as used at the rear axle of the Model 3.
Bengt Halvorson -
2019 full-size pickup truck mpg champs: Ford vs. Chevy vs. Ram
With electric pickup trucks from Ford, GM, and others—including newcomers like Rivian—looking likely to arrive in the next few years, the truck field could be on the verge of a clean, quiet, tailpipe-emissions-free shakeup. That said, you wouldn’t know this segment as being poised...
Bengt Halvorson -
If more power, a 226-mile range, and a $39,405 base price—before considering the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit you can still get—collectively seems like the sweet spot for the Leaf, you probably have GM to thank. Nissan has admitted that it never planned to push the Leaf above a 40-kwh battery pack and beyond a rated range of 150 miles. But with the introduction of the Chevrolet Bolt EV in 2015, it stepped up its plans for the second-generation Leaf, which made its debut last year. By shoehorning a new 62-kwh pack into the 2019 Leaf Plus, Nissan now has an electric car that...
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Forecast: In 2030, gasoline will still power 7 out of 10 new U.S. vehicles
Given the daily churn of electric-car announcements, major manufacturing investments, and battery supply-chain news, it could be a little hard to understand one reality-check projection: that even in 2030, a solid majority of vehicles sold could still burn fossil fuel. Last week, LMC Automotive, a...
Bengt Halvorson -
EPA says fuel economy rose in 2017, but it may be falling again
An EPA report released Wednesday shows that cars are getting better gas mileage in response to rising fuel economy standards. Yet a roaring economy and low gas prices have put Americans on a truck-buying spree, and the EPA is working to undermine those standards. According to its annual automotive...
Eric C. Evarts -
2020 Kia Soul EV rated for 243 miles, improved efficiency
In just one model year, Kia has more than doubled the rated driving range for the Soul EV. The 2020 Kia Soul EV, which is expected to reach dealerships this spring, will go 243 miles on a charge—four more miles than the Kia Niro EV—according to the EPA, in ratings that were released...
Bengt Halvorson -
Mileage or money? Fiat Chrysler pays for missing fuel economy targets
It turns out there's more than one way for automakers to meet fuel-economy targets. One is to develop and sell more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. The other—as demonstrated over the years by quite a few automakers—is to pay fuel economy fines to the U.S. Treasury as a course of doing...
Eric C. Evarts -
Toyota Corolla Hybrid rated 52 mpg: Why Toyota says it won't cannibalize Prius sales
Last week the U.S. EPA released final fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Toyota Corolla lineup. They include a confirmation of what Toyota had claimed when it introduced the lineup last fall: that the Corolla Hybrid will carry an EPA combined rating of more than 50 mpg. The 2020 Toyota Corolla...
Bengt Halvorson -
Ten years ago this week, in February 2009, Green Car Reports published its first story—one packed with insight regarding the Chevrolet Volt, which was then still nearly two years away. Despite all that could have happened to the Volt in GM’s bankruptcy, it arrived on time and was everything we expected. But many things haven’t gone as planned—or have been surprising, or jaw-droppingly scandalous—and they have made our role so challenging and fulfilling over the years. In early 2009, the only all-electric fully fleshed passenger car was the Tesla Roadster...
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Mazda rotary range-extended EV and diesel engine both coming, but no US hybrids for now
A look under the hood of Mazda’s future includes a patchwork of “what if” possibilities and a series of juggled timelines. Mazda is in a tough spot right now with regulators and in finding its place across many global markets. Part of the issue is that Mazda is considered an...
Bengt Halvorson -
Nissan e-Power hybrids for the US will aim for performance, not just mpg
Considering how much of a commitment Nissan has made to electric vehicles over nearly a decade—mass-producing them on three continents—the lack of any parallel commitment to plug-in hybrid models, or even hybrids, has been baffling. Nissan finally remedied that in 2016, with the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Former Porsche CEO backing company with TDI-like emissions claim
Former Porsche AG CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, who waged a failed takeover of the Volkswagen Group ten years ago, is reportedly one of the backers of a new venture that, at face value, is making claims that sound very much like those made of what was then the favored tech for VW and Audi: TDI diesel...
Bengt Halvorson -
2019 Mazda 3 sedan and hatch aim for an X factor–and that’s not electric
Mazda has revealed its 2019 Mazda 3 compact car, in new-generation form, at the 2018 LA Auto Show. It’s not surprising, given the brand’s go-it-alone strategy this decade, that the new ‘3’ appears to take a different path than key global compact-car rivals in nearly every...
Bengt Halvorson -
2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: At 39 mpg, the highest-mileage SUV without a charge port
Yesterday, when we brought you our 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid first drive review, we missed one very important point. At 39 mpg, the RAV4 Hybrid is now the highest-mileage sport-utility vehicle (as the EPA lists them) without a charge port. All the more impressive is that it’s not a low...
Bengt Halvorson -
As solar cells get more efficient, powerful panels can fit on smaller areas. For those looking to use renewable energy for transportation, that means solar panels can now move from home rooftops used to power car chargers to cars themselves. In Korea on Wednesday, Hyundai and Kia revealed some production-bound examples of that concept—including a solar roof that can boost vehicle efficiency no matter what type of propulsion is on board. DON’T MISS: Hyundai-Kia: eight electric cars by 2022, dedicated EV platform Hyundai aims to roll out the technology in three different...
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Sources: GM manufacturing revamp could signal faster lane-change to EVs
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...
Bengt Halvorson -
Honda joins GM, others in heated opposition to Trump's EPA fuel-economy freeze
Honda joined General Motors on Friday and called on the EPA to abandon its proposed fuel-economy rollback, asking federal officials to negotiate with states like California to offer a single, comprehensive update to federal fuel-economy standards. Honda filed its comment Friday, the last day for...
Aaron Cole -
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 -
GM wants Trump administration to consider national electric-vehicle mandate
The 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 -
Tesla Model 3 range-efficiency edge is a serious market strength
Although Tesla may still sometimes be finding its way in terms of how to build cars themselves, it retains a distinct advantage over pretty much every other automaker in one respect: superb power management. Buried in the company’s third-quarter 2018 financial results—hailing a...
Bengt Halvorson