Green
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Electric-car sales are growing. Total car sales around the world are shrinking. Put the two together, and the conclusion from many analysts is that sales of cars powered by internal combustion engines around the world have already peaked. From 2019 onward, they're likely to do nothing but shrink, according to several automotive analysts interviewed in the Financial Times (subscription required) for a piece published late last month. DON'T MISS: Leading the way: Tesla trounces luxury competitors in year-end sales tally The FT quotes several analytics firms forecasting that global auto sales...
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2019 Nissan Leaf Plus, 2020 Mini Cooper S E, more fuel-cell semis: Today's Car News
Mini plans to revive its electric hatchback as a sporty electric model for the 60th anniversary of the original. New charging agreements aim to make charging easier and greener. And Toyota will build 10 more hydrogen fuel-cell powered semi-trucks for Los Angeles. All this and more on Green Car...
Eric C. Evarts -
Toyota and Kenworth to build 10 fuel-cell semis for LA port duty
The word "drayage" isn't commonly used, even among green-car fans, but it's used by the shipping and logistics industries to refer to the transport of goods over short distances. Drayage turns out to be the sweet spot for early efforts to put zero-emission heavy trucks on the road, including a...
John Voelcker -
eMotorWerks lays groundwork for vehicle-to-grid charging
At first glance, a new business agreement between home charger manufacturer eMotorWerks and utility software provider LO3 Energy sounds strictly like the stuff of dull business contract lawyers. Dig a little deeper, though, and it could be the kernel of the next generation electrical system, long...
Eric C. Evarts -
2020 Mini Cooper S E: Speedy electric hatchback due for Mini's 60th birthday
As one of the pioneers of electric cars, Mini isn't content to build a more efficient, emissions-free version of its basic hatchback when it develops its first production electric car. Instead, it hopes to reimagine the electric car as a life-sized slot car that takes advantage of the electric...
Eric C. Evarts -
One-step Plug&Charge coming to (Electrify) America
It's easy to plug in an electric car. What trips up many new electric-car drivers is paying to charge. At some charging stations, drivers pay by the kilowatt-hour. At others, they pay for the time they park their car in the space, or pay a base rate for parking plus a smaller amount for the charge...
Eric C. Evarts -
With final sales reports out from the whole auto industry, we built some context around Tesla's end-of-the-year sales numbers. The Model 3 is setting the pace among luxury cars. Volkswagen buys wireless tech from Volvo. Harley-Davidson announces pricing and a date for buyers interested in purchasing its LiveWire electric motorcycle. And our readers are sanguine about falling electric-car tax credits in our latest Twitter poll. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Tesla Model 3 outsold every direct competitor and most competing brands in the fourth quarter. Annual numbers reflect the...
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What effect will lower tax credits on Tesla and GM plug-ins have? Twitter poll results
For a bunch of electric-car owning acolytes, our readers are surprisingly sanguine about the reduction and eventual expiration of plug-in tax credits on electric-car sales. We've reported extensively on the expiring tax credits, which will affect models from Tesla and GM in 2019. When Congress set...
Eric C. Evarts -
Leading the way: Tesla trounces luxury competitors in year-end sales tally
Now that Tesla has released its final sales numbers for the end of last year, we finally have a yardstick to measure the company’s sales success. In the third quarter, Tesla made a point of noting that, with the Model 3 approaching full production, it became the fifth...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volkswagen buys wireless car service from Volvo
In automotive electronics news that doesn't come from this week's CES, Volkswagen announced late last month that it is buying wireless automotive technology from Volvo. The technology is expected to enable VW's upcoming We car sharing program as well as to allow drivers to control some vehicle...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla factory and screen interface, Byton back at CES: Today's Car News
Patent filings show new features that may be coming to updated Model S and Model X cars later this year. Chinese startup automaker Byton makes another appearance at CES. And our latest Twitter poll asks readers which electric pickup they think may hit the roads first. All this and more on Green Car...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla breaks ground on China factory for Model 3 and Model Y
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter Sunday night that the company would break ground on its new Chinese factory on Monday. Musk said the plant, known as Gigafactory 3, will produce up to 500,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for China and other nearby markets when it is completed in 2020...
Eric C. Evarts -
If electric cars are going to take over from internal combustion machines, they will need to be offered in the most popular types of vehicles—and that means pickups. Electric-car fans seem to be clamoring for electric pickups, and some startup automakers—along with Tesla—are starting to respond. READ THIS: Rivian R1T all-electric pickup revealed: 400-mile range, 160-kw DC fast charging At November's LA auto show, Michigan-based startup Rivian showed a concept version of its R1T electric pickup, which it says it plans to sell starting in 2021. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the...
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Patent shows new Tesla "windows" operating system
Tesla is known for having the Apple of car user interfaces on its big center displays. A recent patent filing shows Tesla may not be finished up dating the system, either for the Model 3 or the Model S or X. The latest filing, last month, shows the company may expand the number of windows Tesla...
Eric C. Evarts -
Byton brings its big-screen electric SUV back to CES, a step closer to production
The China-based electric vehicle maker Byton brought a close-to-production prototype version of its M-Byte SUV to the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show this week. The debut of the vehicle, still headed for a starting price of around $45,000 and an available driving range of up to 325 miles, marks...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla updates, Hyundai Nexo, Polestar, VW fast charging: The Week in Reverse
Which new fuel-cell car just went to its first customer in California? What emissions rule did the EPA loosen this week? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Jan. 4, 2018. In this short New Year's week, the news seemed like it...
Eric C. Evarts -
Here are the electric-car models on the way for 2019
Regular readers of Green Car Reports know we have been saying for a year now that 2019 is the year of the electric SUV. Now the year is finally here, and we thought we'd give our readers a peek at what we know about all the upcoming models. Most are SUVs, with a couple of hatchbacks thrown in. In...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volvo Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 range, self-driving Lexus: Today's Car News
Tesla bumps up the range of its Mid Range Model 3, slightly and announces it will start delivering Model 3s to China in March. Volvo teases a look at its first electric model, the Polestar 2. Faraday Future flutters its eyes open, looking for its future, as it agrees to a mutual cease-fire...
Eric C. Evarts -
Like a prizefighter listening to counts of "eight" and "nine," Chinese electric-car startup Faraday Future, has started groaning, sputtering, and trying to stand. The company, which sputtered to a start building prototype electric luxury cars last year, then was abruptly knocked out when its new Chinese financial backer withheld funds in a contract dispute, has reached a new agreement with its benefactor, with each side agreeing to retire lawsuits against each other, and Faraday receiving the green light to seek new investment. The company controls a leased factory in California and has...
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Tesla Model 3 price, Hyundai Nexo, used electrics, poll: Today's Car News
For the first time, values on used electric cars have begun to recover. Hyundai delivered its first hydrogen fuel-cell Nexo to a customer in Southern California. And our readers tell us what their electric priorities are for 2019. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla Model 3 buyers look to...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model 3 Mid Range misses $35,000 target by $9,000 even after price cut
To offset lower tax credits for its cars that started New Year's Day, Tesla dropped prices by $2,000 for every model on Wednesday. That doesn't quite make up for the $3,750 drop in federal tax credits, and it still doesn't get the company to its stated goal of selling the Model 3 for as low as...
Eric C. Evarts -
What are your hopes for plug-in cars in 2019? Twitter poll results
When we asked our readers what they most hope for in the new year in the electric-car world last week our readers put a priority on making electric cars more affordable and easier to drive everywhere over having more new models to choose from. In our Twitter poll last week, we asked our followers...
Eric C. Evarts -
What effect will lower tax credits on Tesla and GM plug-ins have in the new year? Take our Twitter poll
The wind-down of federal tax credits on plug-in vehicles begins to hit in 2019. Tax credits for Tesla buyers were already reduced to $3,750 on Tuesday. The same reduction is scheduled to hit GM's plug-in models, the Chevy Volt and Bolt EV on April 1. The reduction in the credits is likely to have...
Eric C. Evarts -
Trump relaxes coal emissions standards (again) over holiday week
For the second time in a month, the Trump administration has rolled back emissions restrictions on coal-fired power plants. Early in December, the EPA announced a new proposal that would undo carbon-dioxide limits on coal plants, overturning one of President Obama's signature climate change...
Eric C. Evarts