Green Car News
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That sound you hear isn’t the 2019 Honda Insight’s hybrid powertrain whirring along. It’s the undertaker coming for the vaunted Honda Civic nameplate. The 2019 Insight isn’t just a better hybrid, it’s a better compact car. I spent a week moseying around in an Insight Touring, a well-equipped $29,000 compact sedan with mid-size space for passengers and cargo that averaged about 45 mpg no matter how I drove it. READ THIS: 2019 Honda Insight first drive mpg review: 55 mpg from hybrid sedan With its soft leather trim, power-adjustable front seats, quality sound...
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Formula E develops new off-road Extreme E racing seriesFormula E, the first all-electric worldwide racing series, plans to expand beyond street racing to remote parts of the planet with a new series. Called Extreme E, the new series would use SUV-like race cars to tackle the wilds of lands such as the Arctic and the Himalayas. Formula E CEO and founder...
Eric C. Evarts -
Mercedes-Benz EQC, Byton M-Byte, Faraday's Future, fuel-economy demands: The Week in ReverseWhich company started testing new electric cars in China? What's different about a new travel trailer in Europe? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending August 31, 2018. Friday we learned that Chinese startup electric-carmaker...
Eric C. Evarts -
Dyson electric car track, Byton electric SUV testing, and Labor Day gas saving tips: Today's Car NewsDyson plans to invest in a new test track for its electric-car program. Chinese startup Byton begins testing its electric crossover SUV in the real world. We provide tips on how to save fuel on a Labor Day road trip. And did you know internal-combustion engines still waste up to 88 percent of the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Byton begins road testing its electric car in ChinaChinese electric-car startup automaker Byton has begun testing its upcoming M-Byte electric car in China, the company said Tuesday. The company introduced the car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, and gave reporters rides to demonstrate its self-driving and electronics...
Eric C. Evarts -
Dyson plans to build electric-car test track in BritainIn another step to show it's serious about building an electric car, Dyson, the British vacuum-cleaner maker, has laid out plans to build a test track in Britain. Reuters reported Thursday that Dyson plans to build a vehicle test track at a former World War II airfield in Wiltshire, England, to go...
Eric C. Evarts -
Conventional cars manage better fuel economy every year. According to the latest Department of Energy "Fact of the Week," though, their efficiency ranges from a-little-better-than-before to still-abysmal. This week, the DOE noted that of all the energy splashed into a conventional car's gas tank, only 12 to 30 percent actually goes to move the car down the road. Everything else is lost to engine inefficiencies, heat, or used to power accessories, the DOE says. DON'T MISS: Americans still want better fuel economy, survey says How much is lost depends partly on the car and partly on the type of...
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How to save gas on Labor Day tripsLabor Day is one of the biggest travel weekends for all year, as Americans close out the summer and enjoy a last excursion before heading back to school. That makes it one of the biggest weekends for gas sales too, though nobody wants to spend more than they need to on fuel. If you're making a trip...
Eric C. Evarts -
VW diesel settlement, California clean air, and fuel economy demands: Today's Car NewsCalifornia clean air regulators held a reportedly contentious meeting with Trump administration officials over the proposal to roll back fuel economy standards. A wide survey of Americans told researchers that they're dissatisfied with the fuel economy their cars get now, implying they might want...
Eric C. Evarts -
California meets with federal regulators over fuel-economy rollbackTrump administration officials met with California regulators Wednesday to discuss the EPA and NHTSA's proposal to freeze fuel economy and emissions standards from 2020 through 2026. The proposal would rescind scheduled increases planned under the Obama administration, which would have raised...
Eric C. Evarts -
Final deadline for VW TDI diesel settlementTwo more days. That's all the time owners of 2.0-liter diesel VWs have to file claims to receive a large financial settlement and to have their cars repaired to meet emissions standards. TDI owners have had plenty of notice to file paperwork to receive a financial settlement to replace or fix their...
Eric C. Evarts -
Americans still want better fuel economy, survey saysJust as the Trump administration moves to roll back fuel economy standards, a new survey shows that Americans are dissatisfied with the fuel economy their cars already get. The American Customer Satisfaction Index survey for cars was released Tuesday, and among the 10 attributes the survey studied...
Eric C. Evarts -
A new report on pollution, economic growth, and renewable energy in California sheds new light on the link between emissions regulations and economic growth ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco next month. The report released Thursday shows that even as the state implemented stricter emissions standards than other states and most countries, its economy continued to grow faster. The report, the 10th edition of the California Green Innovation Index, was produced by Next10, a non-profit research and education firm, and Beacon Economics, a California economic research and...
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2019 Chevy Cruze's upcoming CVT rated at 33 mpg combined (Updated)Fuel economy estimates posted to the EPA's website for the redesigned 2019 Chevrolet Cruze show some changes—plus a big surprise. The latest ratings reveal that the EPA has certified a gas-fueled Cruze with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that boosts city fuel economy...
Eric C. Evarts -
Faraday Future's first car, Nissan Leaf sedan, and electric camping trailers: Today's Car NewsFaraday Future built its first pre-production car at the company's California factory. Nissan introduced the Leaf-based Sylphy electric sedan for China. A German company reveals an electric RV camping trailer. And the results are in from one of our latest Twitter polls. All of this and more on...
Sean Szymkowski -
German RV maker builds electric camping trailerElectric cars are great for efficiency. They're less adept at pulling heavy loads at highway speeds and the extra power needed to pull a trailer can quickly drain batteries. That means more charging, more travel time, and less vacation time. Now German RV maker Dethleffs has a solution for those...
Eric C. Evarts -
How much would you spend on an electric car? Twitter poll resultsWith a flood of electric cars about to enter the market and tax credits beginning to expire for some established brands the question of how much buyers are willing to spend for an electric car seems worth revisiting. Since the $35,000 Model 3 hasn't yet materialized, Teslas start at about $50,000...
Eric C. Evarts -
Nissan Leaf sedan: Company builds Sylphy, first electric car for ChinaNissan on Monday announced it had started production in China of a Nissan Leaf-based sedan called the Sylphy. The company first introduced the car at the Beijing auto show in April. China, the world's largest market for electric cars, also leans heavily toward sedans. The Sylphy stretches the...
Eric C. Evarts -
The Faraday Future factory is up and running. It produced its first complete pre-production electric car on Tuesday, after building its first production body late last month. A company memo leaked to Green Car Reports reveals that Faraday plans a party to celebrate the milestone at its assembly plant in California's Central Valley on Tuesday. The Faraday Future FF91 crossover SUV is intended to be an ultra-luxury electric competitor to Tesla with a range of 385 miles and a price tag over $300,000—think an electric Rolls Royce. “It is inspirational for us at FF to see all the parts...
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Tesla lawsuit dismissed, faster-charging batteries, and classics turned electric cars: Today's Car NewsA judge dismisses a lawsuit against Tesla over Model 3 production delays. Researchers from Penn State develop faster-charging lithium-ion batteries. We ask if classic cars should be converted to electric power in a new Twitter poll. And Aston Martin says it could be first with 800-volt charging...
Sean Szymkowski -
Aston Martin may be first with 800-volt chargingAutomakers look ahead to the day when fast-charging changes the electric-car landscape. Many have debated and some have announced 800-volt electric cars, especially Porsche, with forthcoming versions of its Taycan electric car. Prior to last weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Aston...
Martin Padgett -
Penn State researchers develop faster-charging lithium battery cellResearchers at Pennsylvania State University claim they may have found the "Goldilocks" battery for electric cars, according to a report in ChargedEVs. One of the biggest challenges for electric-car batteries has been that the batteries have to be charged slowly. If they're charged too quickly too...
Eric C. Evarts -
Judge dismisses lawsuit against Tesla over Model 3 production delaysAmid a topsy-turvy month of mostly bad news for Tesla, the company got one major reprieve on Monday. According to a Reuters report, a federal court in San Francisco has dismissed a lawsuit from shareholders over delays in Model 3 production. The suit against Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, claimed...
Eric C. Evarts -
Should classic cars be converted to electric power? Twitter pollThe latest trend in classic cars is converting them to electric power. Jaguar announced last Thursday that it will convert its ultimate classic, the 1960s E-type, to electric power. It will build the cars at its classic center in England, and is taking orders. Jaguar says its electric powertrain is...
Eric C. Evarts