Green Car News
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Today, an electric car smashes a lap record, Toyota's CEO worries about passion, the EPA gets feedback on eliminating pollution regulations, and Tesla turns down Uber. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Toyota's CEO and namesake, Akio Toyoda, worries that electric cars will lack excitement, not to mention costing the company a lot to develop. A new video compares the electric and hybrid versions of the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq, using both on the same unplanned road trip in Canada. Tesla has parted ways with automation guru Klaus Grohmann. And the EPA received almost 30,000 comments on its...
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EPA gets 29,000 comments on proposed elimination of environmental rulesMuch of the news out of Washington, D.C., these days has to do with the possibility of political scandal. But the wheels of government keep turning, and significant changes are happening at numerous agencies charged with missions as diverse as collecting intelligence, supporting education, and...
John Voelcker -
Musk fires head of automation firm key to Tesla Model 3 factoryTesla and Klaus Grohmann have parted ways. Reuters reports Tesla CEO Elon Musk ousted Grohmann over the executives concerns over how his company's legacy clients, including Tesla rivals like Daimler and BMW, would be served in the future. Grohmann's company, Grohmann Engineering, specializes in...
Zach Bowman -
Hyundai Ioniqs: pitting hybrid vs electric on videoRoad trips have been a staple of automobile culture for decades, but with the rise of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure has thrown them a curve ball. Unlike gasoline-powered vehicles, which can refuel almost anywhere in a populated area, electric vehicles require a little more planning to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Shift to electric cars will cost money, may lack excitement: Toyota CEOEvery automaker is now working on one or many electric cars, but some are at the head of the pack and others lag behind. General Motors already sells the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV, and Volkswagen has firm plans for multiple electric cars by 2020 and as many as 30 by 2025. That leaves Toyota, the...
John Voelcker -
Mini E to return, Mercedes electric SUV driven, diesel NOx emissions bad, Karma redux: Today's Car NewsToday, two cars with plugs return—one luxury plug-in hybrid, and one all-electric minicar in a couple of years—plus grim news about diesel emissions, an ambitious electric motorcycle ride, a phone app for British electric-car drivers, and a scary IIHS video. All this and more on Green...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz has big plans for electric vehicles in the future, but its main nod to what those plans will bring thus far is the EQ Concept. Shown at the Paris Motor Show last year, the vehicle represents a conceptual version of the first of many electric vehicles to come from the Germany luxury marque. In fact, parent company Daimler has already divulged plans to bring what it says will be 10 different battery-electric electric vehicles to market combined by 2022. DON'T MISS: Mercedes-Benz electric cars to arrive sooner as urgency increases On deck is the EQ Concept, which previews the...
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Chargie app connects electric-car drivers, UK homeowners; 'AirBnB' for charging?The internet has transformed how many perceive property, allowing the rental of other peoples' personal vehicles, apartments, and other spaces when owners are not using them. Now, the idea is being applied to charging stations across the United Kingdom with the introduction of the Chargie...
Sean Szymkowski -
Real-world diesel emission study shows latest standards must be applied to heavy trucksWhen a major lobbying group issues a statement replying to an academic study the same day that study first hits the media, you know it's major. On Monday, the Diesel Technology Forum responded to an article in Nature with a statement that supported "improved real-world testing" of diesel emissions...
John Voelcker -
GM electric-car goals, EPA test worries, 5-minute battery recharge, Google vs Uber: Today's Car NewsToday, uncertainty over EPA emission testing, GM's electric-car goal, concern over the fate of more capable start-stop systems, and a 5-minute battery recharge? All this and more on Green Car Reports. Romania has doubled its electric-car purchase incentives; they're now more than $10,000 for a new...
John Voelcker -
Israeli firm StoreDot claims battery with 5-minute charging timeIt's one of the Holy Grails for battery researchers and electric-car advocates alike: a battery that could recharge in the same amount of time as it takes to stop for gasoline. Some of that can be provided by charging at higher rates, as Porsche's proposed 800-volt system for 15-minute fast...
John Voelcker -
Would weaker EPA rules kill advanced start-stop hybrid systems for U.S.?Today's political climate has made for fluid motion in regulations, and corporate average fuel economy targets haven't been left out. Suppliers and automakers have already begun investing heavily into vehicles to be sold in 2022 through 2025, which will include various fuel-saving and...
Sean Szymkowski -
Automotive innovation rolls out over many years, usually decades, and usually only a few companies lead. Others hang back, waiting to see if buyers will accept new features, new powertrains, and new types of vehicles. More than six years after modern electric cars hit the market in volume, many automakers are only now deciding on their strategies. DON'T MISS: Has GM really 'already lost' the electric-car race to Tesla? General Motors, however, is quite clear on its goal: it wants to be the first car company in the world to sell large numbers of electric cars profitably. That's the news...
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EPA's Ann Arbor test lab threatened; emission tests in the balanceThe 436 scientists who spend their days testing new vehicles and enforcing environmental rules at the National Fuel Emissions Lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan, face a very uncertain future. The lab sits in the crosshairs of President Trump's proposed budget, which eliminates 99 percent of its funding, as...
Zach Bowman -
Romania doubles electric-car subsidies, adds 'cash for clunkers' programIn recent years, governments have increasingly worked to encourage the sales of plug-in electric vehicles. Incentive programs for the purchase of a low-emission vehicle have been adopted across the world. The amounts granted and the mechanisms vary according to the individual program, but the goal...
John Voelcker -
Trump vs California, Honda Clarity explained, Tesla Roadster redux, VW diesel V-6 pact: Today's Car NewsToday, a Lotus powered by Tesla that recalls the legendary Roadster, another VW diesel settlement, a look at California's emission status and whether it'll stay that way, and why the Honda Clarity lineup emerged the way it did. All this and more on Green Car Reports. As always, the Renault Zoe...
John Voelcker -
Will Trump EPA target CA electric-car, emissions rules? Not yet, maybe; here's whyCalifornia began regulating vehicle emissions within its boundaries before the Environmental Protection Agency was even a gleam in President Richard Nixon's eye. Since that agency was founded in 1971 with an executive order by Nixon, the state has retained the right to set its own—more...
John Voelcker -
Assessing the Honda Clarity range: how electric cars fit in, and whyThe 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell is the only model of Honda's newest sedan presently on sale, though an all-electric version will arrive later this year. The hydrogen-powered mid-size sedan with a rated 366 miles of range is the one that's gotten by far the most publicity from Honda, as its...
John Voelcker -
The Volkswagen diesel cheating saga has closed another chapter as a U.S. judge approved a proposed settlement for V-6 powered vehicles, the final major U.S. piece of the entire scandal. In total, Volkswagen will pay $1.22 billion, both in settlements to owners and to cover the cost of modifying or buying back 88,500 3.0-liter V-6 TDI powered vehicles in the United States, reports Reuters. The 3.0-liter diesel V-6 engines are found in Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche vehicles. DON'T MISS: VW pleads guilty to felonies in diesel emission scandal Owners and lessees will receive monetary compensation...
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European electric and plug-in hybrid sales for Jan-Mar 2017The first quarter of 2017 is now behind us, which means we get to take a peek at the European plug-in electric vehicle sale numbers. The year-to-date numbers show a significant growth in sales for most electric models, according to the recent European Alternative Fuels Observatory report. The...
John Voelcker -
Two-Bolt EV family, Ioniq Hybrid driven, VW vs Tesla, EPA firings: The Week in ReverseWhy did we test a $71,000 luxury sedan with an EPA rating of just 25 mpg? What did a top Volkswagen executive say that riled up Tesla fans? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, May 12, 2017. Friday, we wrote about...
John Voelcker -
Electric-car cash in California, cheap Bolt EV ad, VW diesel deceit details, burning BMWs: Today's Car NewsToday, we're heartened by a cheesy ad, we've got details on the Volkswagen diesel deception, California hopes to improve its electric-car incentives, and some owners say their BMWs are spontaneously combusting. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Electric cars are slowly moving into the...
John Voelcker -
2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: gas mileage reviewThe 2017 Hyundai Ioniq comes in two versions: a nationally distributed hybrid-electric version, and an all-electric model that will be sold mostly in California and a handful of other states. There'll also be a plug-in hybrid version coming for 2018. We liked the Ioniq Hybrid when we first drove it...
John Voelcker -
Russia falls further behind in renewable energy as oil keeps Putin in powerIt's difficult to invest in renewable, alternative sources of energy when state-run oil pays the bills. And it's even harder for renewable energy when gasoline is all but free, courtesy of the same state. Now The Financial Times has taken a look at Russia's growing lag in embracing renewable energy...
Sean Szymkowski