Green Car News
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The promoter of racing's wackiest series wants to include EVs. A new report from the International Energy Agency shows greenhouse gas emissions set new records in 2018. And our latest Twitter poll shows which upcoming electric SUV our readers most want to buy. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Racing is meant to improve the breed. Usually, that breed is automotive technology. But maybe it can include the human culture as well. The wacky 24 Hours of LeMons series plans to include electric race cars, and it could help bridge the cultural divide between EV and internal combustion car fans...
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Which electric SUV would you buy? Twitter poll resultsOur readers are nothing if not Tesla fans. After Tesla introduced its more-affordable SUV, the Model Y, earlier this month, we revisited the question of which electric SUV on the market our readers would be most interested in buying. It was one of the most popular polls we've posted in months, with...
Eric C. Evarts -
Researchers learn how to better predict battery degradationSome electric-car owners go to great lengths to preserve the battery life in their electric cars. Others just plug them in every time they're finished driving and charge them up to full. Maybe, according to new research announced earlier this week, the durability of batteries can be determined...
Eric C. Evarts -
Global warming emissions hit record level in 2018, IEA reportsThe International Energy Agency reported on Tuesday that global warming emissions reached a record level in 2018, despite efforts in the U.S., Europe, and China to reduce emissions with more sales of electric cars and cleaner power. Greenhouse gas emissions increased faster in 2018 than during any...
Eric C. Evarts -
Could grassroots racing bridge the electric-car culture clash?The daily news cycle already provides plenty of fodder for taking sides for or against electric cars. In the real world it’s just not that polarizing. Most people who decide to embrace electric vehicles probably understand that EVs do anything but preclude driving enjoyment; and many want to...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla upgrades, Nissan Leaf Plus drive, more Volvo plug-ins: Today's Car NewsThe first features of Tesla's Full Self-Driving Capability are starting to show up in customers cars. The Nissan Leaf Plus goes long on range, light on charging worries. Volvo underestimated the demand for its plug-in hybrids and is gearing up to produce more. All this and more on Green Car...
Eric C. Evarts -
When Volkswagen introduced the ID Buggy concept at the Geneva auto show earlier this month, it also presented an interesting proposition: The company suggested that it would like to sell the Buggy's modular electric underpinnings to other automakers to build their own electric models. That follows in part the origins of the Meyers Manx dune buggy, which was a fiberglass body kit created in the 1960 by designer Bruce Meyers to fit onto existing Volkswagen Beetle floorpans. The big difference is, Meyers and his customers sourced used floorpans, often from junkyards for their creations, rather...
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Tesla starts Hardware 3 rollout: Enhanced Summon, red-light warningsLike Teslas rolling through parking lots on their own, the self-driving future is inching closer. This week, Tesla owners began to experience new features of the company's long-promised next update to its self-driving system, including Enhanced Summon, which is one of the first features of Tesla's...
Eric C. Evarts -
Volvo to boost plug-in hybrid production to 25 percent of fleetWhile other automakers are moving away from plug-in hybrids to electric powertrains, Volvo is finding unexpected success with its lineup of plug-in hybrids. At a recent roundtable with journalists in Sweden, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said the company is disappointed that it underestimated demand...
Eric C. Evarts -
2019 Nissan Leaf Plus: Drive review of long-range electric carIf 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...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla service, Faraday Future lifeline, EV sales, Canoo: Today's Car NewsIn an effort to speed up wait times at its service centers, Tesla is eliminating regular annual service visits for its cars. Canada is planning on launching its first nationwide tax credit for electric cars. A new report estimates that by 2030, almost 70 percent of new cars sold in the U.S. may...
Eric C. Evarts -
Faraday Future gets new money from gaming company to build in China, and the USThe shame of Faraday Future's financial struggles is that it has what looks to be a viable new electric car, not just on paper, but ready to roll on the road—in prototype form—that may never actually make it to market. On Sunday, the company revealed a new joint venture with a...
Eric C. Evarts -
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 consulting firm with a strong reputation for its market forecasts, rounded up some of its current estimates. It anticipates that in the U.S. non-hybrid internal combustion vehicles will still make up 69 percent of the new-car market in 2030. DON’T MISS: Electric cars "not going to work," Trump...
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Canada plans its first nationwide EV tax creditJust as President Trump is threatening to eliminate the plug-in vehicle tax credit in the U.S. through his latest budget proposal, Canada is planning to implement its first nationwide tax credit for buyers of electric cars—one that may not apply to Tesla vehicles. Last summer, Tesla sales...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla eliminates annual service, keeps some periodic maintenanceElectric cars are supposed to be more reliable than internal combustion models. Certainly, they have a lot fewer moving parts and need a lot less lubrication. Yet Tesla, like most corner auto dealerships, has made money selling extended service plans for annual maintenance on its cars, sometimes...
Eric C. Evarts -
Bugatti Baby, meet the baby Bugatti electricLike other marquee luxury brands, Bugatti is dipping its toes into the electric waters, reviving one of its classic models, but with a twist. To celebrate the storied brand's 110th birthday, instead of shoehorning a battery pack into a classic car, or creating a wild new electric concept with lines...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla comparisons, Jaguar I-Pace and Chevy Bolt EV drives: The Week in ReverseWhich self-driving system didn't rank well in the latest study? What car has given us range anxiety at least once? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending March 22, 2019. This week ended with lots of announcements from automakers...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Autopilot ranking, GM EV investment, VW battery pact, Faraday fire sale: Today's Car NewsA new study is not kind to Tesla's Autopilot. GM announces a new electric Chevrolet to sell alongside the Bolt EV—but it wouldn't say what. Volkswagen forms an alliance to develop European batteries for EVs. And Faraday Future hosts a fire sale. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Facing...
Eric C. Evarts -
General Motors announced on Friday that it will build a second electric car for Chevrolet, alongside the Chevy Bolt EV. The new model is widely expected to be a somewhat larger crossover SUV, though GM would not confirm that at this point. MUST READ: Long-range Cadillac SUV to lead GM's next electric-car push, in 3 years It will share the Bolt's underpinnings, rather than be based on GM's new BEV3 platform, which is expected to go into production with a Cadillac badge sometime after 2021. In January, the company announced that Cadillac will become its lead electric vehicle brand in an effort...
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Electric car battery research pact seeks to keep German auto prowessFor the past 50 years, the German auto industry has enjoyed quite the roll of growth and success in the U.S., built largely on its expertise with one specific technology: the internal combustion engine. But now the importance of that advantage is fading, with electric cars on the rise and the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Faraday Future posts "For Sale" signs, as Evergrande backer announces first EVFaraday Future has been selling like crazy lately. Only, not its cars. The company announced last week that it is seeking a buyer for its original factory site in Las Vegas, where it announced at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show that it would build its future FF91 and FF81. It also announced then...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Autopilot ranks next-to-last in study of self-driving systemsTesla, its owners and fans, and its CEO Elon Musk crow a lot about the capabilities of its Autopilot self-driving system. In independent comparisons, though, other autonomous driving systems keep coming out ahead. The latest is from Navigant Research, an automotive consulting firm, and the results...
Eric C. Evarts -
Jaguar I-Pace range, electric BMWs, Ford factories, Fisker batteries: Today's Car NewsBMW plans to have 10 plug-in models by next year. Ford announces where it plans to build a wider array of upcoming electric cars. Fisker postpones plans for solid-state batteries. And we assess why the Jaguar I-Pace has made us more anxious than other EVs. All this and more on Green Car Reports. At...
Eric C. Evarts -
2019 Jaguar I-Pace electric car range: Why the short circuit?It’s not unusual for fuel gauges on gasoline cars to be inaccurate. Often they can hug "Full" so long you might suspect it’s malfunctioning—only to then swing rapidly toward the halfway mark and below. Usually these idiosyncrasies are no big deal. When the low-fuel light and chime...
Bengt Halvorson