Green Car News

  • Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open  [photo: David Noland]

    Tesla continues to make sweeping changes as it prepares for the launch of the Model 3, its first mass-market electric car. The company has announced a significant expansion of its global network of Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. Executives believe, it said, that charging should be “convenient, abundant, and reliable” for all current and future owners. DON’T MISS: Used Tesla Model S values stay higher than expected Today, Tesla provides roughly 5,400 Supercharger charging slots in 840 sites around the world. That figure is to increase to more than 10,000 by the end...

  • 2017 Borgward BX5
    Used Tesla prices, electric VTOL jet, more fast charging, China's EV role: Today's Car News

    Today, we've got the results of another poll (this one on China), good news for Tesla owners, a jet without engines, and some possibly good news about the EPA. All this and more on Green Car Reports. While values of used electric cars like the Nissan Leaf have plummeted, the prices of used Tesla...

  • BYD e6 electric taxi in service in Shenzhen, China
    How likely is it China will outpace the U.S. in electric-car adoption? Poll results

    China is the biggest new-car market in the world, and has been since 2010. The world's largest country also has some of the smoggiest cities on the planet, and that's a source of increasing public agitation. So at national, state, and local levels, a variety of Chinese government entities are using...

  • EPA administrator Scott Pruitt  [photo from 2014]
    Pruitt won't kill EPA 'endangerment' finding on climate change

    The current EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, does not accept the scientific consensus on human contribution to climate change, though he has given some contradictory statements on that matter. His views correspond closely to those of his boss, President Donald Trump, who notoriously compared the...

  • Lilium Jet VTOL concept
    Lilium all-electric vertical takeoff and landing jet: first flight video

    The promise of flying cars has been around for decades, and companies continues to show off their interpretations of what the public may expect in the future. Lilium is one of many companies promising a world of efficient, speedy, and personal air transportation—and now the project has...

  • Nissan EVgo I-95 Charge ARC
    Nissan, EVgo add Boston-to-DC fast chargers; BMW adds charging to national parks

    Nissan is making it easier for electric-car owners to travel between the Boston area and Washington, D.C. The automaker has partnered with EVgo to add a network of nine charging sites along Interstate 95, with a total of 50 stations, each equipped with two fast-charge plugs. Dubbed the "I-95 Fast...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S

    A new report from Autolist says the Tesla Model S is faring well as a used car when compared to other luxury models. On average, the electric car sells in around 87 days, which is about 5 percent faster than competitors. The report compared the Model S to the Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, BMW 6 Series, Mercedes-Benz CLS and Lexus LS 460. CHECK OUT: 2017 Tesla Model S pricing, feature changes; breaking them down in detail While those models aren't electric vehicles, they are often cross-shopped against the Model S in both size and price. The Model S is also doing well when it comes to actual...

  • Buick Velite 5, for sale in China, at 2017 Shanghai auto show   [photo: Ronan Glon]
    China's Buick Velite 5 is a Volt with a nose job

    China is hugely important to General Motors, as it is to virtually any global automaker. It's the largest market in the country and, recently, it has put in place an increasing set of requirements that more vehicles sold there be fully or partially electric. It also happens to be by far the largest...

  • 2016 Toyota Mirai  -  Quick Drive  -  Portland, July 2015  [photo: Doug Berger]
    Is Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell fervor foolish, or foresighted? (with charts)

    Toyota's staunch, unswerving support for hydrogen fuel cells has astonished and aggravated many in the electric vehicle community. For some of them, the technology is at best an inferior solution—and at worst is fossil fuel-friendly vaporware, a Judas in Jesus's clothing, if you will. With...

  • 2017 Honda Clarity Electric debuts at 2017 New York auto show
    Honda to launch electric car in China next year too, joining Toyota, reluctantly

    While corporate average fuel-economy standards through 2021 remain in place in the U.S., automakers are preparing their case to argue for delays in further tightening. Meanwhile, China is turning the policy screws on automakers operating in the country, telling them they must sell more electric...

  • Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)
    The day without coal: Britain's first one since 1882

    The Industrial Revolution that started around 1750 in England was powered largely by coal. With Watt's invention of the steam engine and the emergence of railways in the mid-nineteenth century, the carbon-dense fuel was central to the change from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. Last...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S owned by David Noland, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2015
    Life with Tesla Model S: replacing the drive unit (aka 'the funny noise')

    Back in 2014, Tesla had a spate of problems with the drive units in early-production versions of its Model S electric sedan. (The drive unit is essentially the car’s power train: electric motor, inverter, and gear box.) High-profile multiple failures occurred in long-term test cars driven by...

  • 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2017 Geneva auto show

    Five years after the first Subaru Crosstrek hit the streets, the small Japanese automaker with a cult-like following has significantly updated its unexpectedly successful small crossover utility vehicle. The 2018 Subaru Crosstrek will hit the streets later this year wearing a new exterior and an updated interior, although the mechanicals are nearly identical to the previous model. Outward appearances haven't changed dramatically for the new Subaru Crosstrek. ALSO SEE: All-electric Subaru crossover utility vehicle coming in 2021: Japanese report It's still the same tall-riding hatchback, but...

  • Chevrolet FNR-X Concept for plug-in hybrid crossover, 2017 Shanghai auto show   [photo: Ronan Glon]
    Tesla recall, Shanghai electric concepts, diesel VWs return, Model S changes : The Week in Reverse

    Which makers showed plug-in electric concepts in Shanghai that were conspicuously absent from the New York auto show? What caused Tesla to recall more than 50,000 of its electric cars? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on...

  • Distracted driving
    Tesla recall, high electric-car interest, future Genesis, Shanghai concepts: Today's Car News

    Today, a Tesla recall, more cars with plugs from Shanghai, disarray on climate policy under Trump, and depressing data on distracted driving. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla will recall 53,000 Model S and Model X electric cars to replace a potentially defective gear that could cause...

  • 2017 Toyota Prius Prime
    AAA says interest in electric cars rivals pickups: so where are the sales?

    Although fuel prices remain relatively cheap in most areas of the United States, it seems that interest in electric vehicles may be growing. According to a new survey from AAA, interest in electric vehicles among American consumers now rivals that for full-size pickup trucks. However, if that's the...

  • Donald J. Trump in November 2016       [photo: The Trump Organization]
    U.S. exit from Paris Climate Agreement unclear; Trump team clashes on policy

    As the Trump Administration nears its 100th day, it seems fair to say that it is still emitting mixed messages on multiple issues, from foreign policy to climate change. On that latter, it's important to reiterate that the president and many of his appointed agency and department heads deny the...

  • Hyundai Vision G (HCD-16) concept
    Genesis to offer high-end electric luxury coupe; so long, V-8

    Tesla has made an unexpected success out of its pioneering luxury electric vehicles, which offer a healthy dose of performance for good measure. Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand, while taking a couple pages from Lexus for its launch strategy, may be following a similar path to Tesla for a future...

  • Jeep Yuntu concept, 2017 Shanghai auto show    [photo: Ronan Glon]

    The Jeep Yunto Concept made its debut Wednesday at the Shanghai auto show, and it appears to be a plug-in hybrid. The automaker has been tight-lipped about the concept's drivetrain, but the vehicle on display in China clearly shows "PHEV" badges on the front doors. No surprise there, as the Chinese government is currently pushing alternative fuel vehicles in a bid to reduce fuel consumption and emissions while also tackling the country's air pollution problem. DON'T MISS: 2018 (?) Honda CR-V Hybrid all but confirmed for U.S. sale after Shanghai debut Jeep hasn't said if or when the Yunto will...

  • 2016 Tesla Model S
    Tesla recalls 53,000 Model S, Model X electric cars for parking-brake issue

    Tesla has issued a voluntarily recall for roughly 53,000 of its Model S and Model X electric cars to address an issue in which the parking brake might stick in the engaged position. The recall was first reported yesterday by CNBC. The vehicles affected were built between February and October of...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car after battery-pack replacement  [by owner Tim Jacobsen, Concord, CA]
    How to negotiate for a new Nissan Leaf battery pack: electric-car owner advises

    In designing, testing, and producing the Nissan Leaf, the first modern electric car sold in volume, Nissan made a design decision that some other companies didn't. It chose not to build an active thermal-conditioning system (otherwise known as cooling) into its battery pack. Instead, it relies on...

  • Hybrid Kinetic K750 concept by Pininfarina, 2017 Shanghai auto show
    Audi, Chevy, and more in Shanghai, Toyota electric car, Nissan Leaf battery advice: Today's Car News

    Today, it's almost all about China and the Shanghai auto show, including live photos and details of electric and plug-in hybrid concept cars—and why China is making Toyota very, very unhappy. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We've got more from the very green Shanghai auto show...

  • 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV, Newport Beach, California, July 2012
    Why Toyota's 'agonizing' U-turn toward electric cars? Because China says so

    Large auto companies are likely aircraft carriers: it takes a long time for them to change direction, and far longer yet to get them aligned on a new course. To various degrees, the world's carmakers have started to produce and sell vehicles that plug-in, whether for some or all of their travels...

  • 2017 Nissan Leaf
    Ending tax credits would kill electric-car market, Edmunds says

    The electric-car market may be in for a serious downturn when current federal tax incentives end, assuming the Trump administration declines to extend them, according to a new analysis. In 2010, the government began offering tax credits of $2,500 to $7,500 to the first 200,000 U.S. buyers of...

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