Green Car News

  • Volkswagen TDI 'clean diesel' television ad screencap

    It's getting close to two years since Volkswagen admitted it had installed "defeat device" software on hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. The fact that VW carried out the deception is a well-documented story, covering how the software worked, how the company cheated, and more. But what went on behind the scenes leading up to Volkswagen's admission of guilt is a less well-known tale. DON'T MISS: VW, Audi TDI Diesel Cars Had 'Defeat Device' That Violated EPA Rules, 500K Cars Recalled (Sep 2015) A new book, titled Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal, aims to...

  • Image from 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric-car ad by Ourisman Chevrolet, Rockville, Maryland
    Low-budget Chevy Bolt EV dealer ad normalizes electric cars

    Ah, local car-dealer ads on television. You've likely seen them, usually during the local ad minute on national shows, often late at night or in the cheaper slots. They're mostly formulaic, but each one mixes several elements for its own unique blend of attention-grabbing pitch. DON'T MISS: This...

  • Brand new Porsche 918 Spyder for sale with Weissach package
    Electric cars go to D.C., green-car deals, Tesla vs dealers (again), EPA court ruling: Today's Car News

    Today, a rare Porsche plug-in hybrid surfaces, we've got the month's green-car deals, Tesla is battling car-dealer lobbyists (again!), and advocates take electric cars to Washington, D.C. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Ten years ago last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA not...

  • Senator Rob Portman drives Chevrolet Bolt EV
    Advocacy group takes electric cars to Capitol Hill to inform lawmakers

    The best way to change perceptions about electric cars is to put novices in the driver's seat—quite literally in this sense. The advocacy group Plug In America went to Capitol Hill recently, with a barrage of plug-in electric and pure battery electric vehicles, in an effort to educate...

  • Tesla Store Los Angeles [photo: Misha Bruk / MBH Architects]
    Tesla faces battle over direct sales to buyers in Connecticut

    Another month, another Tesla battle with auto-dealer lobbyists in another state—or so it seems in the company's ongoing battle to sell electric cars online directly to buyers. This time, the action is in Connecticut, where on Monday the legislature's finance committee approved a bill letting...

  • 2016 Nissan Leaf SL and 2016 Toyota Prius Three, Hudson Valley, NY, Dec 2015
    Buyers in Trump-voting states reject green cars, which surge in Western states

    If you're a journalist, it's almost impossible to ignore political news these days. So if readers can resolutely avoid national and local coverage of politics, consider yourselves lucky. That said, sometimes a new political angle can make a dry story on car-buyer data more interesting than...

  • 2017 Ford C-Max

    It's time to take a look at the best deals on hybrid, electric, and fuel-efficient cars for the month of May, and as new-vehicle sales slow, there are plenty of deals to be had. As always, Cars Direct has compiled the best deals for the month, using deals available in Southern California unless stated otherwise. For full details, check their list. Without further ado, our summary of interesting deals: Hybrids Ford is currently running a relatively inexpensive lease for the C-Max hybrid. For 36 months, the C-Max can be leased for $169 per month with $1,999 due at signing. Yearly mileage for...

  • Chrome exhaust pipe
    Ruling that EPA must regulate carbon emissions: now 10 years old

    Anniversaries often provide an opportunity to reflect on important past events, review what has happened since, and reflect upon the future. April 2 of this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts vs EPA in which the EPA was forced to regulate carbon emissions...

  • Faraday Future FF 91 video
    Two-Bolt EV family, RAV4 prices, diesel not dead, EPA shenanigans: Today's Car News

    Today, some updates to add detail to popular articles, lower prices on some Toyota RAV4 crossovers, why diesel is far from dead, and an Oregon family whose only vehicles are a pair of Chevy Bolt EV electric cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Our longest article today was by an Oregon...

  • Mercedes-Benz GLC F-Cell prototype
    Mercedes denies CEO said it will turn away from hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (updated)

    Large global automakers customarily pursue research into multiple types of technologies and future powertrains at the same time. Sometimes they pan out, sometimes they don't. German automakers have only really come around to devoting their efforts to plug-in electric cars in the last five or six...

  • Natural gas flaring from oil well [licensed under Creative Commons from Flickr user Sirdle]
    EPA science advisers axed; execs from regulated industries to replace them (updated)

    While much of the nation's capital is preoccupied with the unpredictable Trump administration and its possible ties to Russia, the fate of the Environmental Protection Agency generates less news coverage. That's not to say there hasn't been news. Administrator Scott Pruitt is proceeding swiftly...

  • 2017 BMW i3
    Which carmakers show CA 2025 zero-emission vehicle rules already within reach? (updated)

    The sales growth of electric cars has made strides in recent years, and California's Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate has much to do with that. The program adopted by the California Air Resources Board 20 years ago, and much modified since, requires carmakers to earn a certain number of zero-emission...

  • Diesel fuel pump

    The fallout from the Volkswagen diesel scandal has cost the fuel plenty of not-so-great headlines, but the idea that diesel will soon die off entirely for passenger vehicles simply isn't true. A report in The Car Connection compiled the proof to show diesel is far from its deathbed. There remain more diesel vehicles on sale today than there have been in recent years. The likely resurgence of diesel can be credited to automakers sorting out how to meet upcoming Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements, which call for an average of 54.5 mpg from new cars and trucks (or about 38 mpg on window...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars outside dealership    [photo: Patrick Reid]
    This family has two Chevy Bolt EV electric cars, uses no gas at all

    The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the first mass-priced electric car to offer a range of more than 200 miles, something previously offered only by pricey Tesla luxury cars. Initially put on sale last December in California, the 238-mile Bolt EV is slowly rolling out across the country and will be on...

  • 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport
    Electric-car charging fraud, Mercedes MPG, 2017 Rogue Sport, EPA axes science: Today's Car News

    Today, a transmission dies, a smaller crossover appears, Oregon wants to give car salespeople money, and the fossil-fuel industry may soon apparently run the EPA. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The case has faded into history, but the CEO of failed electric-car charging provider 350 Green...

  • 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic, Finger Lakes region, NY, April 2017
    2017 Mercedes-Benz E300: gas mileage review

    The Mercedes-Benz E-Class luxury sedan is hardly viewed as green, even if it'll soon have a plug-in hybrid version offered in small numbers. But driving the most recent generation provides a nice case study of the improvement in gas mileage over three decades of updates to the core product that...

  • Kongsberg Maritime autonomous boat concept
    If autonomous electric cars are coming, why not ships too?

    Vehicle engineering and development focuses heavily on passenger cars and light trucks, but what about other forms of transportation? In an effort to cut congestion on its roads, the country of Norway is experimenting with the idea of autonomous, electric ships to replace large semi trucks, reports...

  • Electric Avenue charging stations in Portland, Oregon [photo: Portland General Electric]
    Oregon mulls bonuses for salespeople who sell electric cars

    The Beaver State, otherwise known as Oregon, may implement an intriguing solution to spur higher sales of electric vehicles. A new piece of legislation introduced in the state senate calls for a $1 million fund to provide $250 bonuses to salespeople each time they sell an electric vehicle...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf does 520 Miles in 2 days

    The former CEO of electric-car charging network 350 Green pleaded guilty last week to fraudulently obtaining federal grants intended to be used for installation of public charging stations, notably in the Chicago area. The original 2011 announcement of the grants came with large fan-fare, but the company never remotely delivered on what was promised. Timothy Mason may get up to 5 years in prison; his former co-CEO, Mariana Gerzanych, who cooperated with the FBI, has been ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and complete 200 hours of community service. DON'T MISS: Electric-Car Charging Station...

  • Scene from 2017 Karma Revero television spot
    VW vs Tesla, electric cars in China, Karma configurator, are lighter cars safer? Today's Car News

    Today, a new configurator, a flawed study, compact crossover gas mileage, and a remarkable claim by a large carmaker. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Saturday, we published our usual Week in Reverse roundup of top stories from last week. Yesterday, we highlighted new laws in Fremont...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Volt
    Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, Apr 2017: plus ça change...

    The Volt remains the undisputed king of the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market. In April, the Chevy Volt enjoyed its 13th consecutive month as Canada's best-selling plug in electric vehicle, and its 46th month overall. While overshadowed by other vehicles in its home U.S. market, the Volt's...

  • 2017 Hyundai Elantra IIHS crash test
    Lighter, more fuel-efficient cars are safer, study says, ignoring safety rules

    It was one of several common tropes used 10 years ago against proposed regulations to boost average fuel economy. "More efficient cars will have to be lighter-weight, and they'll be unsafe because in accidents, they'll crumple up like Kleenex." Logical conclusion: if you require higher fuel economy...

  • BYD e6 electric taxi in service in Shenzhen, China
    China has licensed 9 electric-car plants, more than U.S. has today

    Quick trivia question: how many plants are there in the United States currently building electric cars? To be generous, we'll allow both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models. Any idea? The answer turns out to be four. DON'T MISS: Shanghai auto show: China plugs into electric cars in a big way...

  • 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Feb 2016
    What's the lowest acceptable gas mileage for a compact SUV? Poll results

    We've driven a lot of compact crossover utility vehicles in recent months. It's a hot category in the new-car market, with all light trucks getting better fuel economy than in past years—and gasoline prices continuing below $3 per gallon in most of the U.S. So we wondered what readers felt...

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