Green Car News
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In addition to automakers and policymakers, battery-electric cars can count on support from a variety of advocacy groups. But grassroots support for hydrogen fuel-cell cars hasn't germinated to quite the same extent. So, in the absence of a large cadre of individual consumers to act as advocates, a mix of automakers, infrastructure companies, and oil companies have now committed to fund the promotion of fuel cells. DON'T MISS: GM, Honda set up joint fuel-cell manufacturing plant, 2020 production goal Earlier this month, 13 companies—most currently involved in fuel cells to some...
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Tesla Model 3 preview
The Tesla Model 3 electric car is undoubtedly one of the most highly-anticipated new-car launches in recent memory. Unveiled in prototype form last April after a drawn-out teaser campaign, the Model 3 quickly generated an unprecedented response from the public. As of last August, around 400,000...
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model 3 production, VW diesel probe expands, FCA diesel updates: Today's Car News
Today, we look at how many Model 3 electric cars Tesla can realistically build in a year, a German Volkswagen diesel probe expands to include former CEO Martin Winterkorn, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne believes a dispute with the EPA over diesel-engine software will be...
Stephen Edelstein -
GM, Honda set up joint fuel-cell manufacturing plant, 2020 production goal
Battery-electric cars are being delivered in volume today, but planned hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles from major automakers are on a more gradual timeframe. This morning, General Motors and Honda jointly announced that the two companies would establish a joint venture to produce hydrogen fuel-cell...
John Voelcker -
Starship electric sidewalk-delivery robot a hit at DC Auto Show
What would you do if a small, knee-high box on wheels with a flag topping its tall antenna whirred toward you electrically on a sidewalk at 4 miles per hour? It turns out three-quarters of the pedestrians in several cities who've seen one didn't stop or even stare as it avoided them and continued...
John Voelcker -
McKinsey suggests ways automakers could kick-start electric-car demand
Despite steady increases over the past few years, electric cars still represent only a tiny fraction of new-car sales. There are no shortage of theories as to why that is the case. Some electric-car advocates blame manufacturers for not adequately promoting the vehicles, while many within the...
Stephen Edelstein -
The winds of change are blowing harder in the U.K. The price of energy generated by offshore wind farms has been falling steadily, and ahead of schedule too. Costs have fallen 32 percent since 2012, bringing them below a target of £100 per megawatt-hour previously set by the U.K. government and utilities. DON'T MISS: When lauding renewables, look at utilization, not just capacity Wind energy wasn't expected to reach that threshold until 2020, according to the annual Cost Reduction Monitoring Framework report issued by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapault advocacy group. Set in 2012...
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How many Tesla Model 3 electric cars can company build this year?
It's one of the most fascinating sets of questions in the auto industry. How quickly can Tesla Motors put its Model 3 electric car into production? And when? How many cars can it build this year? How many can it deliver to paying customers? At a promised starting price of $35,000, the Model 3 is...
John Voelcker -
2017 Ram, Jeep diesels should be certified by EPA shortly, company says
Fiat Chrysler may have a plan to address EPA complaints regarding software in its 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6, according to comments by CEO Sergio Marchionne. The EPA announced earlier this month that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had failed to disclose eight separate software routines that affect the...
Stephen Edelstein -
Hawaii, utility offer $10,000 Nissan Leaf rebate; hope for carbon-free transport
Islands can be excellent places to promote clean energy. Because they are typically disconnected from both mainland grid infrastructure and sources of fossil fuels, it is easier for alternative sources of energy to gain a foothold. In fact, the cost of importing coal or oil to fuel power plants or...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW diesel probe finally reaches to top; former CEO Winterkorn investigated by German prosecutors
German prosecutors have extended a probe into Volkswagen's use of "defeat device" software in diesel cars to former CEO Martin Winterkorn. Winterkorn, who resigned shortly after the existence of VW "defeat device" software was revealed by the EPA, has said he had no knowledge of the...
Stephen Edelstein -
Comparing electric cars, fast charging grows, Tesla Autopilot, home hydrogen: The Week in Reverse
When will Tesla's Autopilot restore its previous capabilities and add new features that take it closer to self-driving? And how is Hyundai suggesting electric-car buyers should assess models that compete with its new Ioniq Electric? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at...
John Voelcker -
Today, Hyundai claims the energy efficiency of battery-electric cars is taking on greater importance, Arnold Schwarzenegger takes delivery of an electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and a U.K. company markets Nissan Leaf hearses. All this and more on Green Car Reports. This electric Nissan Leaf hearse may be the greenest may to travel the last mile. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently took delivery of an electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV, built by Austrian firm Kreisel Electric. National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) now has a permit to build an electric-car factory in China. The company owns the...
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Trump EPA: climate science still live, gag order remains, grants unfrozen (updated)
Following the removal of all mentions of climate change from the White House website, the new administration has apparently trained its sights on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA and a handful of other government agencies are now reportedly under gag orders: employees are forbidden...
John Voelcker -
Electric-car MPGe as important as range, Hyundai Ioniq maker suggests
Along with price, the top-line statistic cited for any battery-electric car is its rated range. Until last month, the only electric cars that exceeded 200 miles in that metric were made by Tesla Motors. Now, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has a 238-mile EPA rating for range—and that's usually the...
John Voelcker -
World to have 5,000 hydrogen fueling stations by 2032: study
To achieve mass adoption, fueling infrastructure for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will have to be hugely expanded. It's a problem similar to that faced by battery-electric cars, but charging stations are far cheaper and easier to install—and can rely on existing grid infrastructure for their...
Stephen Edelstein -
NEVS gets production nod for electric-car plant in China
Since it bought the assets of bankrupt automaker Saab in 2012, Chinese-backed consortium National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) has been working toward mass production of electric cars. But despite ambitious plans for a multi-model lineup of electric cars, the company has made relatively little...
Stephen Edelstein -
Schwarzenegger's hydrogen Hummer gives way to electric G-Wagen
Arnold Schwarzenegger has always had rather unusual taste in vehicles. The movie star and former California governor previously drove a hydrogen-fueled Hummer H2, symbolizing both his love for militaristic vehicles and a general concern for the environment. Now, the "Governator" has another SUV...
Stephen Edelstein -
They may be painted the customary black, but why shouldn't hearses be green? Most people take their final journeys in hearses based on large luxury sedans, usually Cadillac or Lincoln models in the U.S. But a U.K. funeral home has teamed with an aftermarket company to create a more efficient and eco-friendly alternative. DON'T MISS: Autonomous Electric Hearse: Designer's Concept For The Last Mile (Sep 2015) Leverton & Sons offers patrons what it calls the "Eco-Hearse," which is a converted Nissan Leaf electric car. While not the only unusual Leaf conversion out there, the hearse is...
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Electric-car ignorance, 2017 Kia Niro pricing, VW dealer settlement: Today's Car News
Today, a new survey indicates more than half of car buyers know very little about electric cars, the 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid is priced from $23,800, and a settlement between Volkswagen and its U.S. dealers addressing the diesel scandal is approved. All this and more on Green Car Reports. More than...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW dealers settle too; average payout almost $2 million each
A settlement between Volkswagen and its U.S. franchised dealers over the diesel-emissions scandal has been approved by a federal judge. First announced last August, the settlement calls for VW dealers to compensated for the alleged loss in value of their franchises related to fallout from the...
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric Ford Transit van conversion shown by Inventev at Detroit Auto Show
When an automaker doesn't offer a vehicle for a specific market segment, sometimes the aftermarket will fill in the gap. In the U.S., all-electric commercial vans are one of those gaps. Such vehicles are available in other markets, but so far, not on sale from major makers in North America. DON'T...
Stephen Edelstein -
Where do bought-back VW diesels go? Dead NFL stadiums, among other places
When news of its diesel-emissions cheating broke last September, Volkswagen issued a stop-sale order for affected TDI diesel cars. Now that a settlement for 2.0-liter TDI models has been approved, the automaker is also beginning to buy back cars with illegal "defeat device" software from customers...
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW expands electric-car ChargeNow by EVgo program to 33 states
Two days ago, BMW and Nissan announced the latest expansion of their jointly funded DC fast-charging sites for electric cars, which is operated by the EVgo charging network. Those sites now cover more than 50 metropolitan areas in 33 states. This morning, BMW announced that its ChargeNow by EVgo...
John Voelcker