Green Car News
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Two adjacent European countries are stepping up efforts to improve their public electric-car charging infrastructure. Initiatives in Germany and Austria should see major improvements to charging networks in a short period of time, as both countries aggressively promote electric cars in an effort to reduce emissions. Austria hopes to unify what is already a considerable number of public charging stations into a unified network. DON'T MISS: Germany may miss 2020 emission targets, government report shows (Dec 2016) Germany is focusing on simply increasing the number of stations, an effort that...
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2018 Nissan Leaf spy shots, BMW electric-car confidence, Honda charging experiment: Today's Car NewsToday, we have more spy shots of the 2018 Nissan Leaf, BMW's CEO expresses an optimistic opinion about the future of electric cars, and Honda experiments with an unorthodox charging system. All this and more on Green Car Reports. New billboards in California not only advertise the Toyota Mirai...
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Nissan Leaf: more spy shots of electric car's second generationThe more camouflaged spy shots that emerge of a car being tested on public roads, the closer it likely is to being introduced. After seven years of the first-generation Nissan Leaf electric car, a redesign is due—some might say overdue. Now we have a second set of spy shots of the 2018 Leaf...
John Voelcker -
Which electric car will sell best during 2018? Poll resultsNext year should be a record year for sales of plug-in electric cars. A new crop of affordable electric cars with 200 miles of range or more will be available, joining this year's Chevrolet Bolt EV, including the next-generation Nissan Leaf and the mass-market Tesla Model 3. So our thoughts...
John Voelcker -
Honda researches high-power electric-car charging, at highway speedsEven with recent efforts to expand it, electric-car charging infrastructure is nowhere near rivaling the ubiquity of gas stations. But what if electric cars didn't need to stop to charge? That's essentially what a new Honda research project aims to investigate. DON'T MISS: Honda Clarity EV electric...
Stephen Edelstein -
Toyota Mirai billboards scrub nitrogen oxides while touting hydrogen fuel-cell sedanIf green cars can reduce emissions, why shouldn't their advertising do the same? That's the theory behind a series of billboards in relevant California markets that advertise the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan. But these billboards will do more than try to attract the eyes of potential...
Stephen Edelstein -
Among German luxury brands, BMW was the first to show significant interest in electric cars. It launched its "i" sub-brand in Europe in 2013, and its plans have evolved to include adding all-electric powertrains to models within the main BMW brand in future. That is part of an effort to grow sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids significantly this year. DON'T MISS: 2018 BMW i3 preview (including battery rumors) These ambitious plans are buoyed by optimistic views among the company's executives, it seems. "Soon, range will no longer be a differentiating factor" among electric cars, BMW...
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Renault Zoe electric-car owners can double their range by upgrading leased batteriesWhen the updated 2017 Renault Zoe was unveiled last fall at the Paris auto show, it became one of the few electric cars whose range effectively doubled over its model life. Launched in 2012 with a 22-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, the five-door subcompact hatchback had an effective range of 60...
John Voelcker -
Electric Aston Martin Rapide, CARB reaffirms emissions standards, E15 battle: Today's Car NewsToday, the Aston Martin Rapide is expected to go all-electric in 2018, the California Air Resources Board reaffirms 2025 emissions standards, and state and federal bills look to ban E15 ethanol fuel. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Catch up on last week's major news with our Week in Reverse...
Stephen Edelstein -
Trump Administration goal: undo every climate-change effortIt was clear well before November's election that candidate Donald Trump did not believe in the accepted science of climate change. He referred to it using an excremental epithet, and also claimed that it was a Chinese hoax created to hurt the U.S. Scientists around the world and the majority of...
John Voelcker -
GM confirms Chevy Volt to be sold as Buick Velite 5 in ChinaIn the 20 years since General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC reintroduced the Buick brand to China, more than 8 million Buicks have been sold in what is now the world's largest car market. That's because the last Chinese emperor drove a Buick in the 1930s, and the brand retained a huge cachet...
John Voelcker -
California reaffirms state emission, electric-car rules for 2025The California Air Resources Board voted Friday to confirm its stricter emissions standards for 2025, setting up a potential clash with the Trump Administration. The CARB vote reaffirms a decision by the EPA in the waning days of the Obama Administration to lock in emissions standards for vehicles...
Stephen Edelstein -
Many luxury automakers are planning new electric cars, both to meet future emissions standards and as a response to the success of Tesla. So far, though, no established automaker has discussed directly replacing an internal-combustion model with an all-electric one. But that may be exactly what Aston Martin is planning to do with its sleek, elegant Rapide sedan. DON'T MISS: All-Electric Aston Martin RapidE: Now THIS Is A Tesla Competitor! (Video) (Oct 2015) Since its launch in 2010, the Rapide has been offered only with a V-12 engine, but that incarnation will be axed in 2018, Aston CEO Andy...
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E15 gasoline faces stronger headwinds as more states move to ban itWhile political control in Washington has changed, the debate over a mandate to blend specific volumes of ethanol into the U.S. fuel supply has not. Since its passage in 2007 as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act, the ethanol-mandating Renewable Fuel Standard has attracted...
Stephen Edelstein -
All-electric personal watercraft launch for quieter lake journeysNot all electric vehicles have wheels. Electric boats have actually been around for quite awhile, and now a California startup is trying to expand use of electric powertrains to another type of watercraft. Free Form Factory is partnering with Zero Motorcycles to use the motorcycle company's...
Stephen Edelstein -
Bolt EV pros and cons, hybrid sedans, Model 3 video, oil industry ignores electric cars: The Week in ReverseWho posted a video of an important future electric car with more than 200 miles of range? What alarming bill is quietly advancing in the U.S. House of Representatives? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, March 24...
John Voelcker -
Model 3 video, California electric cars, NY rebates, one-pedal driving: Today's Car NewsToday, we look at an update on the Tesla Model 3, explain what one-pedal driving is, and insert some reality over how much fuel-economy rules will actually cost. All this and more on Green Car Reports. New York state finally released details of its new electric-car incentive program, and turns out...
John Voelcker -
California conundrum: 2018 Leaf, Bolt EV, or Mirai fuel-cell car?California is very different from the rest of the United States. All by itself, it's the sixth largest economy in the world. One eighth of all Americans live there. It's home to Silicon Valley, as well as much of the global entertainment industry, and it produces a large proportion of the nation's...
John Voelcker -
The news earlier this week that the Tesla Model 3 would skip its usual "beta" development phase came as a shock to the industry and even to Tesla fans. With no reported sitings to date of Model 3 development versions on the roads, that seemed a startling and risky thing for Tesla to do. Especially since the 200-plus-mile Model 3, starting at $35,000, is the car that has to catapult Tesla into far higher volume production—and make it profitable. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model 3: beta phase to be skipped, will go straight to production? This morning Tesla CEO Elon Musk released a 6-second video...
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What IS 'one-pedal driving' in an electric car?One-pedal driving is rather like the experience of owning an electric car: it can be hard to appreciate until you've spend time doing it. The phrase "one-pedal driving" refers to the ability of some electric cars to be driven almost entirely with the accelerator pedal alone. It's a feature much...
John Voelcker -
Costs to meet fuel-economy standards even lower than EPA says: analysisThe auto industry tends to oppose, viscerally and viciously, all attempts to regulate any aspect of its products or business operations for any reason. With President Trump in the White House, the industry has succeeded in getting the comment period reopened for the EPA emission standards finalized...
John Voelcker -
NY $2,000 electric-car rebate falls to $500 if it's over $60K; sorry, TeslaNew York State is known for a lack of transparency, backroom dealings, and little public input into the deliberations that lead to legislation produced by its state legislature. So it wasn't too surprising that after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an electric-car incentive program in April 2016...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars in winter, Chrysler diesel woes, why Opel is gone, fast charging: Today's Car NewsToday, we look at winter driving in electric cars, why the oil industry doesn't care about plugs, and Fiat Chrysler is in more hot water over its diesel engines in Europe. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Faster charging for electric cars, modeled by Tesla in its Supercharger network, is...
John Voelcker -
Driving electric cars in winter: tips from experienced ownerOne of the challenges of electric cars is persuading potential buyers that they can do virtually everything that most other vehicles can. For those who live in wintry climates, that includes dealing with snow, slush, road salt, ice, and variable traction. Given the recent major snowstorms that hit...
John Voelcker