Green Car News
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The last 12 to 18 months have seen a slew of global automakers promising rafts of new plug-in electric vehicles on sale by deadlines set several years into the future. Working to move past its worldwide diesel-emission scandal, for instance, VW Group has promised 30 battery-electric models on sale by 2025—the majority of them likely in China. Last month, BMW joined the list with its own pledge. DON'T MISS: BMW partners with Solid Power to develop solid-state cells for electric cars The maker of "ultimate driving machines" said it will have a combined total of 25 different...
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Inline-6 turbodiesel in 2019 Chevy Silverado pickup to be built in MichiganThe forthcoming diesel-powered 2019 Chevrolet Silverado will, without a doubt, thump with the Heartbeat of America. During the new truck's launch at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, GM product chief Mark Reuss hinted at a future announcement regarding the next-generation...
Mark Stevenson -
What maker offers electric cars, plus solar panels and energy storage, beside Tesla?While Tesla may be the automaker most known for marketing home-solar equipment, it's actually not the only player on the block. Japanese automaker Nissan previously offered home-energy storage solutions in Europe, dubbed Nissan xStorage, that utilized cells recycled from Nissan Leaf batteries...
Mark Stevenson -
What percent of US full-size pickup trucks will plug in by 2025? Take our Twitter pollThe big announcements at this year's Detroit auto show, now open to the public, were pickup trucks, one from each of the three U.S. automakers. The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and 2019 Ram 1500 full-size pickups made their debut, each its company's highest-volume single nameplate. So did the 2019 Ford...
John Voelcker -
More charging for CA, electric-car competition, Blink sells shares, Byton first-ride video: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got a startling proposal from Blink, more concerns over China trouncing the U.S. in electric cars, info from India on its future ban on new cars with engines, and a video showing what a 49-inch display in a car looks like. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, as we...
John Voelcker -
Byton electric SUV promised for 2019 at $45,000 after CES debut: first-ride videoIt's rare that automakers let journalists or potential buyers drive or even ride in development prototypes. It's not unknown: Chevrolet did it with development versions of both its 2011 Volt range-extended electric car and the more recent 2017 Bolt EV battery-electric model. But it's a good way for...
John Voelcker -
Finding a charging station will soon get a lot easier—at least in California. America's largest electric-vehicle market will see a significant boost in the number of available charging stations in the state following an investment by its largest electricity producer. Electricity provider Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), based in San Francisco, announced last week it would roll out some 7,500 charging stations between now and 2020. DON'T MISS: Number of electric cars California needs to cut 2030 emissions unclear: 4 million or 7 million? The utility aims to install Level 2 charging...
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Will US auto industry simply succumb to China over electric cars?For a century, the U.S. auto industry was the world's largest. That ended in 2009, when China's sales of 13.5 million new vehicles surpassed a recession-slammed U.S. total of 10.4 million. Last year, U.S. drivers bought 17.5 million new vehicles—against more than 30 million sales in China...
John Voelcker -
How Silicon Valley startup boosted MPG in 2019 Chevy Silverado pickup truckIt looks like GM's investment arm, GM Ventures, has borne some real-world, fuel-saving fruit. Sophisticated engine-control algorithms under the hood of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup truck, which make the truck's V-8 engines more efficient, came from work done by a company in which...
Mark Stevenson -
Partnerships, incentives to get India to 2030 fossil-fuel vehicle banAfter announcing it would ban the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles by 2030, the world's second-most populous country plans to support that goal through private and corporate partnerships and government incentives. India's decision to end fossil-fuel sales in the country comes with unique challenges...
Mark Stevenson -
Bentley Bentayga plug-in hybrid SUV to debut in March at Geneva auto showUnlike rival Rolls-Royce, which may go directly to an all-electric model in future, Bentley has set its sights on plug-in hybrids first—and the Bentayga luxury SUV will be the first one from the brand. The plug-in versions of the Bentley Bentayga is expected to debut in March at the Geneva...
Sean Szymkowski -
Detroit auto show, 2019 pickups, Fisker EMotion, Honda Insight, Tesla history: The Week in ReverseWhat tricks and technologies did Chevy engineers use to boost the fuel economy of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup truck? Which state will likely counter any proposed weakening of corporate average fuel-economy standards by the Trump administration? This is our look back at the Week In...
John Voelcker -
Today, we've got an interesting mix of stories, from a debate over how many electric cars California needs to the source of funds for an engine promised to deliver 37 mpg in a full-size Ford F-150 pickup. Also, your Tesla primer (it's not what you may think) and the Chevy Bolt EV after a year. All this and more on Green Car Reports. California will need 4 million plug-in electric cars on its roads just 12 years hence to meet its emission goals—or, is it actually 7 million? It's pretty remarkable when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the powerful business lobbying group, suggests raising...
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Achates engine in Ford F-150 pickup targets 37 mpg, with Saudi oil company backingOne year ago at the Detroit auto show, a company called Achates Power unveiled models of a new kind of internal-combustion engine. With opposed pistons in the middle and crankshafts at either end, it was sufficiently different to startle most visitors who paid attention. That engine came with some...
John Voelcker -
What you need to know about electric-car namesake Nikola TeslaThis month marks the 75th year since the death of famed inventor and and electrical innovator Nikola Tesla, a man whose life is as interesting as his technical achievements. Tesla, a Serbian who was born in what's now Croatia, brought the world numerous innovations in electricity that, to this day...
Mark Stevenson -
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car: owners' impressions after a yearCalifornians got the chance to buy Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars before everyone else, and the compact hatchback has sold well in the state, aided by its 238-mile rated range. Last February, readers John and Mimi Porter of San Diego shared their first impressions of the new silver Bolt EV they...
John Voelcker -
Kia Sorento Diesel crossover utility vehicle confirmed by companyWith Volkswagen having left a gaping void in the North American market for diesel vehicles, other automakers are taking a chance at exploiting the fuel for their own market-share gains. The latest entrant is Kia, which—for the first time in its 24-year U.S. history—will have a...
Mark Stevenson -
Gas tax should rise 25 cents to fund road repair: US Chamber of CommerceIt's an unusual thing, to say the least, when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce publicly suggests a major tax increase. In general, the pro-business lobbying group advocates for tax cuts, reducing or eliminating regulations, and free-market policies that allow companies to operate however they choose...
John Voelcker -
One of California's largest electricity producers recently published a white paper that analyzed how the state will achieve its 2030 greenhouse-gas targets—and it called into question targets set forth by California regulators. Specifically, Southern California Edison (SCE) said the targeted 4 million electric vehicles isn't nearly enough to achieve the states goals for 2030. That number, it suggested, is closer to 7 million electric vehicles. DON'T MISS: How California and China plan to push for millions of zero-emission vehicles According to ChargedEVs, which reported Tuesday on the...
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Ferrari, Infiniti embrace EVs; Mazda takes the top EPA slot; Ford has more EVs to come: Today's Car NewsToday, we look at details about Fisker, learn more about luxury brands coming around to electrification, and Mazda takes home another win from the EPA's calculators. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Automotive designer Henrik Fisker is back with a new car company bearing his name but just...
Aaron Cole -
Fisker EMotion: here's why we're skeptical about Fisker's latest electric carAfter the rise and fall of Henrik Fisker's former automotive venture, a number of analysts and enthusiasts are skeptical about his newest company—Fisker, Inc.—and its first creation, the EMotion electric sedan. It's not hard to see why. The second company bearing the Fisker name has...
Mark Stevenson -
Mazda tops EPA fuel-efficiency rankings for fifth year in a rowPick-ups and SUVs are rapidly taking over the American automotive landscape, but there's at least one measure in which it benefits an automaker to sell fewer of those vehicles. In the Environmental Protection Agency's latest "Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel...
Mark Stevenson -
Ferrari, Infiniti: Even laggards, skeptics come round to electric carsBack in 2013, Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo proclaimed, "I don’t believe in the electric cars"—all but solidifying the automaker's position for the future. Even as recently as 2016, current Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne called the possibility of an electric Ferrari "an...
Mark Stevenson -
Pickup truck tech, revised CAFE rules, China EV sales, 'historic' opportunity for carmakers: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got data from China on plug-in vehicle sales, an intriguing hint on pickup powertrains, a date for revised CAFE rules, and an affirmation of electric cars by an unexpected executive. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The 2019 Ram 1500 full-size pickup truck will offer a 48-volt...
John Voelcker