Green
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In a blog post on Thursday, Tesla announced that drivers will no longer have to approve lane changes when the car's Navigate on Autopilot system is engaged. It's a small step, but also a pretty big leap toward self-driving cars. Navigate on Autopilot is Tesla's "on-ramp to off-ramp" self-driving system, which allows its cars that have the feature to drive themselves on limited access highways and navigate interchanges, on-ramps, and off-ramps by themselves—as long as the driver keeps a hand on the wheel periodically and the car has a destination set in the navigation system. MUST READ...
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Faraday Future joint venture to create electric MPV based on FF91
Last month the troubled electric car hopeful Faraday Future was given (another) new lease on life, via a new joint venture with The9, a Chinese online game company, that will produce a new model for the Chinese market based on Faraday’s nearly mothballed FF91. It’s now a lot clearer...
Bengt Halvorson -
Lucid Motors gets real as Saudi funding comes through
The Lucid Air could soon make it to production, and shape up to be the closest rival to the Tesla Model S.
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla sales; Audi e-tron, Ford SUV range; pickup mpg; sporty Nio: Today's Car News
Tesla announced its production and delivery numbers so far for 2019—and they aren't very promising. Audi released long-awaited final range ratings for its upcoming e-tron quattro electric SUV. lFord also reveals the European range rating for its upcoming Mach E—or whatever they call...
Eric C. Evarts -
Ford electric SUV could meet 300-mile target, and then some
Ford has been teasing—even promising—a new Mustang inspired high-performance electric SUV, perhaps called Mach E or Mach 1, that it says will have a 300-mile range. Now the company has announced that the model has earned a 370-mile range rating in the generous European WLTP driving...
Eric C. Evarts -
Nio teases sleek ET7 coupe, to include next-generation power system
Nio, one of a handful of Chinese electric carmakers aiming to be Tesla competitors, just teased its next mass-market car, expected to debut at the Shanghai auto show later this month. Its latest car looks set to be a four-door luxury fast-back, perhaps similar to shadows of a car known as the EVE...
Eric C. Evarts -
Toyota plans to open its hybrid patents through 2030. Volkswagen introduces the ID Roomzz for the Shanghai auto show. Pumped hydro could deliver more energy storage than batteries. And readers weigh in on what new niche electrics they'd like to see on VW's new ID EV platform. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Toyota is following in Tesla's footsteps. In an effort to boost its hybrid technology, the will make its hybrid patent library available to other automakers for free through 2030. The Volkswagen ID Roomzz will be a full-sized electric SUV for China that is scheduled to debut at the...
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Which classic VW kit would you like to see revived as an EV? Twitter poll results
Volkswagen is planning up to 70 new electric cars based on its upcoming affordability-focused mass-market MEB platform. But the company itself may not build them all. At the Geneva auto show last month, VW said it was seeking other partners to use the platform to develop lower-volume special...
Eric C. Evarts -
Pumped hydro could deliver 100 percent renewable electricity
Researchers find that there are many more sites conducive to pumped hydro for encouraging renewable sources.
Eric C. Evarts -
Volkswagen ID Roomzz full-size electric SUV to bow in Shanghai
Last month, Volkswagen announced that it will expand its upcoming electric-car lineup from 50 new models by 2023 to 70 new models by 2028. But it gave no indication what many of those new models will be. On Tuesday, the brand revealed the sixth new member of its upcoming ID electric family: The VW...
Eric C. Evarts -
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Byton M-Byte, Lightning Strike: Today's Car News
The Ford Escape Hybrid will make a comeback for 2020—with a plug-in hybrid, too. Chinese Tesla rival Byton reveals the M-byte testing in winter. The Lightning Strike electric motorcycle is out. And our latest Twitter poll asks what kind of electric-car racing matters most. All this and more...
Eric C. Evarts -
2020 Ford Escape revealed: Hybrid returns teasing nearly 40 mpg, plug-in hybrid version with 30 electric miles
The 2020 Ford Escape hybrid will manage up to 550 miles of range, according to the automaker and eventually offer a plug-in hybrid variant.
Bengt Halvorson -
Increasingly, electric cars are taking to race tracks of all kinds to prove themselves not only to their own drivers and other competitors, but also to fans. Volkswagen set a new record climbing Pikes Peak with its electric ID R that didn't lose power to the thin air at the top. Formula E, which aims to bring racing to the people in the stands, operates in 12 inner cities around the world because its cars have no exhaust, and now uses a single car and battery to complete between 30 and 60 miles. Amateur electric-car racers have been taking to drag strips—often in the Teslas they drive...
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Lightning Strikes twice with second, affordable electric motorcycle
All-electric sportbike pushes to 150 mph or 150 city miles of range and is a little more subtle, but is positioned for affordability.
Eric C. Evarts -
Byton M-Byte electric SUV tackles cold-weather testing, nears production
Byton aims to start selling electric cars in the U.S. next year. If these testing photos are any indication, it's working hard to get there.
Bengt Halvorson -
Chinese fuel-cell cars, lithium-ion battery growth, EPA and health: Today's Car News
A Chinese hydrogen company introduces its own line of fuel-cell cars. A Texas startup plans to make motors more efficient. A report shows more battery production coming online. And without science boards the EPA questions some fundamental links. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Chinese...
Eric C. Evarts -
Lithium battery production set to grow 50 percent a year
Battery makers are working quickly to meet growing demand for new lithium-ion battery cells from automakers.
Eric C. Evarts -
New electric motor could eliminate transmissions
Design can vary the ratio of torque to horsepower through a higher ratio of rotors to coils.
Eric C. Evarts -
Grove Hydrogen Automotive Co. will focus on fuel-cell cars, starting with a four-door SUV, and plans to launch in China later this year
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EPA panel questions health effects of air pollution
Recommendations could dramatically limit what studies are used to determine safe limits on air pollution, and question the link with mortality.
Eric C. Evarts -
Chevrolet tax credits, Tesla delays, Nissan Leaf Plus range drive: The Week in Reverse
Which new electric car didn't give us any range surprises in a recent test drive? What new features have been enabled on some Teslas? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending March 29, 2019. After this weekend, electric cars from...
Eric C. Evarts -
Chevy Bolt EV deals, Ram eTorque, in-wheel motors, wind and solar costs: Today's Car News
Ram's new eTorque does more than most mild-hybrid start/stop systems. Chevrolet is making no big sales push at the end of the quarter, despite the expiration of full tax credits for its vehicles. In-wheel motors for EVs may be making their way to the mainstream. And renewable electricity may have...
Eric C. Evarts -
No deal for Chevrolet Volt, Chevy Bolt EV buyers in final days of tax credit
Consumers have less than three days to buy a plug-in Chevy Volt or Bolt EV from GM and still qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax. And yet Chevrolet isn't making any final push to clear out inventories of either car. Nor does GM have any plans to cut prices after the tax cut expires on Monday...
Eric C. Evarts -
Hybrid or not, 2019 Ram 1500 eTorque does some smart things with 48V tech
As more mainstream vehicles, like the 2019 Ram 1500 lineup, get increasing levels of electrification, but stop short of becoming fully electric or even full-fledged hybrids, it can be easy to get lost in semantics. Generally speaking, the term “mild hybrid” means some energy can be...
Bengt Halvorson