Green Car News
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While many drivers generally understand the concept of an electric car, understanding generally stops there. It's a car, and you plug it in to get power to run it. That's fine as far as it goes. Beyond that, things get hazy pretty quickly, we've found. DON'T MISS: Plug-in hybrid problem: buyers don't understand them at all We've stopped counting the number of times novices have suggested that an electric car's battery "runs its engine," for example. (The correct term is actually a motor.) As for how an induction motor actually works—magnetic fields spinning a shaft—forget about...
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States have battle plan if Trump rolls back fuel-economy, emission rulesThe Trump Administration has had a challenging start on numerous fronts, but its work to slash emission rules and eliminate regulations continues. The EPA administrator, climate-science denier Scott Pruitt, has said he isn't "currently" planning to target California's ability to set its own...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes to show all-electric hatchback concept this fall, countering Audi: reportGerman luxury carmakers often follow each other's product plans in something close to lockstep. Let one maker—BMW, say—introduce a new category of vehicle—sport utility "coupes," say—and soon Mercedes-Benz and Audi will have their own too. And the premium brands appear to be...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai targets 1,400 units a year of next-gen fuel-cell vehicle: reportIt's public knowledge that Hyundai plans to replace its aging Tucson Fuel Cell utility vehicle with an all-new hydrogen-powered vehicle, and that it has big plans for the future. The Korean automaker showcased the FE Fuel Cell concept in March to provide a glimpse of what to expect when the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla gets new Autopilot head after just five monthsTesla's most recent Autopilot software head has left the company after just five months on the job. Chris Lattner, who had previously worked at Apple for more than a decade, joined Tesla in January as head software engineer overseeing development of the electric cars' Autopilot active-safety...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla Autopilot video, 2018 Camry Hybrid, electric-car prices, Model 3 numbers: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got a pair of Tesla stories, a lot about the new 2018 Toyota Camry lineup (hybrid included), and some good news about electric-car prices. All this and more on Green Car Reports. How many Tesla Model 3s do you think the company can deliver by December 31? We polled our Twitter...
John Voelcker -
The 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient version of all-new range of Toyota's popular mid-size sedan, its best-selling vehicle in the U.S. until very recently. The new Camry Hybrid is based on some of the same underpinnings as the 2016 Prius, and uses that car's updated hybrid system and choice of two batteries. In a car we judged to be more stylish than any previous hybrid Camry, the results are impressive. DON'T MISS: 2018 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid first drive (full range) It's the first mid-size sedan ever rated by the EPA at more than 50 mpg combined: the 2018 Camry LE...
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Electric cars will cost less to buy than regular cars by 2025: analysisStudies have shown that electric vehicles have a number of strikes against them in the minds on consumers who don't know much about them. Range anxiety, the lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure—or even awareness that it exists—and high purchase prices all play a part in the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Is the latest Tesla Autopilot 'smooth as silk' as Musk claims? Video shows resultsTesla CEO Elon Musk promised that the latest iteration of Autopilot would be the most refined variation of the software yet. In fact, the Tesla chief recently tweeted that the new Autopilot algorithm would be "smooth as silk." One owner, James Hansbert, recorded his experience after receiving the...
Sean Szymkowski -
How many Tesla Model 3s will be delivered by Dec 31? Poll resultsWith photos of Tesla Model 3 test cars now popping up regularly, it seems likely that some number of Tesla's lower-priced all-electric sedan will roll off the production lines within the next few months. The big question is when the company will start delivering them beyond the board members...
John Voelcker -
NTSB on Tesla crash, electric VW Microbus, Ioniq demand, diesel ban: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got news on last summer's Tesla Autopilot crash that killed a driver, high demand for the Hyundai Ioniq, all-wheel-drive fuel economy, and a new, all-electric VW Microbus (but not for a few years). All this and more on Green Car Reports. Volkswagen has confirmed the all-electric VW ID...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV rated a Top Safety Pick by IIHSThe Chevrolet Bolt EV has just been awarded a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This makes it the first electric car from the 2017 model year to receive an IIHS award. In order to qualify as an IIHS Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest score of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
"I want a fuel-efficient car, but I live in a snowy area, and won't buy one without all-wheel drive; what's the best?" It's a question we hear often. Whether or not you agree that AWD is a must-have in wintry climes, the selection of cars with high fuel economy and AWD is limited. DON'T MISS: 2014 BMW 328d xDrive: 40-MPG Diesel Sport Wagon Reviewed Fuel prices may be cheap at the moment, but six years of steadily rising corporate average fuel economy rules have had an effect on EPA ratings for 2017 vehicles. For many years, the Subaru Impreza compact sedan and hatchback had the highest EPA...
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Tesla driver killed in Autopilot crash ignored repeated warnings, NTSB saysThe National Transportation Safety Board has published its first findings after investigating a fatal highway crash in 2016 involving a Tesla Model S and a tractor trailer. The crash occurred on last summer after 40-year-old Joshua Brown was driving with Tesla's Autopilot engaged. The system failed...
Sean Szymkowski -
Demand for Hyundai Ioniq hybrid, electric models higher than expected, company saysThe issue first came to light in a question from a reader. It boiled down to this: "What's going on with the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, and why can't I get one at my local dealer in California?" The e-mail even included a link to a Korean business-news article, which is unusual for reader queries...
John Voelcker -
Even BMW's hometown may ban older diesel carsDiesel-powered vehicles are facing a tough road ahead as more European cities move to ban older, dirtier, oil-burning cars. Diesel has long been the preferred fuel of European drivers thanks to its efficiency and lower carbon dioxide levels. However, mounting research has shown diesel-powered cars...
Sean Szymkowski -
All-electric VW ID Buzz Microbus confirmed for productionWorking to redirect attention from its diesel-emission scandal—soon to wind down in the U.S. but ongoing in Europe—Volkswagen Group has talked a lot about its future electric-car plans. It will launch three high-volume battery-electric vehicles on a common architecture over the next...
John Voelcker -
Bolt EV ad, EPA vs California, U.S. Senate electric cars, China emissions advice: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got news on this year's electric Bolt EV (an ad!), the Senate's former electric cars (more than a century ago), a stand-down by EPA head and climate-denier Scott Pruitt, and California partnering with China on zero-emission vehicles. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the...
John Voelcker -
Sometime between March 1 and 7, a specific page vanished from the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Amidst coverage of the removal of the word "science" from the mission statement of the EPA's Science and Technology Office, it went largely unnoticed. First posted in December 2008, and modified several times over the next eight years, the page highlighted a key aspect of the EPA's work to cut vehicular carbon emissions. DON'T MISS: Will Trump EPA target CA emissions rules? Not yet, maybe; here's why Restored some weeks later with references to climate change changed or...
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How California and China plan to push for millions of zero-emission vehiclesCalifornia has long been the nation's leader in zero-emission vehicles, with initiatives dating more than two decades. Now the Golden State is partnering with China, the world's largest car market, to accelerate that country's zero-emission goals. The state announced a new initiative with China, in...
Sean Szymkowski -
European electric and plug-in hybrid sales for Jan-April 2017Electric vehicle sales are holding steady in Europe; the latest sales data shows popular battery electric vehicles remain popular. Plug-in hybrids continue to hold their own as well, according to data aggregated from numerous individual national markets. The Renault Zoe, in particular, continues to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Yes, ads for the Chevy Bolt EV electric car do actually exist; here's oneThe 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV isn't yet available in all states, but it's been on sale in California for six months now. While Chevy has said all along it will market the 238-mile electric car in a very targeted way, specifically trying to reach people similar to existing owners, it may have expanded...
John Voelcker -
The US Senate once had its own electric cars: two Studebakers that ran undergroundOne advantage of electric cars is that unlike gasoline or steam cars, they have no emissions. More than a century ago, that was why the U.S. Capitol acquired two custom-built electric cars, nicknamed "Tommy" and "Peggy." They were built by Studebaker, an early and hallowed U.S. car brand that...
John Voelcker -
2018 Leaf, used Tesla prices, Ram diesel worries, Bolt EV road trip: The Week in ReverseWhy did a Chevy Bolt EV buyer have to drive his car more than 800 miles just to pick up his electric car? Which state seems to be trolling Tesla, again, by locking its cars out of a special purchase incentive? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car...
John Voelcker