Green Car News
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Measuring the energy efficiency of a new vehicle is one thing, but ascertaining its overall environmental impact can be more complex. A debate still rages over the overall carbon footprint of electric cars compared to those powered by fossil fuels. But for the past 20 years, the the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has tried to come up with some concrete answers. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Ioniq Electric beats Prius Prime, BMW i3 on energy efficiency (Nov 2016) Every year, the ACEEE issues rankings of the environmental impact of new vehicles sold in the U.S. Today, it issued its 2017...
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Tesla updates maintenance plans; higher fees now include hardware updatesElectric cars may require significantly less maintenance than internal-combustion cars, but even they will break down eventually. So the Silicon Valley automaker offers maintenance plans, which allow owners to prepay for annual inspections and other routine work. Early in the life of the Model S...
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Nissan Leaf spy shots, 2017 Chevy Cruze Diesel mpg, carmakers & Trump: Today's Car NewsToday, we have spy shots of the 2018 Nissan Leaf, EPA fuel-economy ratings for the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel sedan, and analyses of automakers' claims that current EPA emissions rules will threaten jobs. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We have news from Tesla, Volkswagen, and Subaru in...
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel sedan rated at 37 mpg combinedWith the elimination of Volkswagen diesel models, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is one of the few remaining options for buyers seeking a mainstream-priced diesel car. The second-generation Cruze Diesel was confirmed last year, but the initial sedan variant is only just now going on sale. We now...
Stephen Edelstein -
Carmakers ask Trump to review EPA rules, use discredited job projectionJust days after the presidential election, an automaker lobbying group wrote Donald Trump asking him to change or delay an EPA decision that kept planned exhaust-emission standards through 2025. Now executives of 18 automakers have sent a second letter, asking the same thing—and echoing a...
John Voelcker -
2017 Hyundai Ioniq to have lifetime battery-failure warrantyHyundai is extending the lifetime battery warranty offered on previous electrified models to the 2017 Ioniq lineup as well. The warranty applies to all versions of Hyundai's first dedicated green car, including the Ioniq Hybrid, Ioniq Electric, and Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid. As with previous Hyundai...
Stephen Edelstein -
A prominent lobbying group believes environmental remediation funds from Volkswagen diesel settlements should be spent on new "clean" diesel vehicles. The settlement for 2.0-liter TDI cars approved last year requires VW to pay $2.7 billion into a trust, managed by a third party. Volkswagen agreed to put an additional $225 million into the trust under a separate settlement for 3.0-liter TDI vehicles. CHECK OUT: Road for electric trucks with trolley-like catenary opens in Sweden (Jul 2016) This money is to be used to mitigate the environmental impact of the excess emissions from its diesel...
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One third of new transit buses will be electric in 2020, all by 2030: Proterra CEOWhile electric cars continue to establish a beachhead in the consumer market, electric buses are making quick inroads with U.S. city transit authorities. Several companies already manufacture electric buses, which now operate in several cities around the country. But the CEO of electric-bus maker...
Stephen Edelstein -
GM releases second Chevy Bolt EV autonomous driving videoThe Chevrolet Bolt EV may very well turn out to be a game-changing electric car in more ways than one. With an EPA-rated 238-mile range and a base price of $37,495, the Bolt EV has the potential to appeal to a much broader range of customers than previous electric cars. At the same time, it's also...
Stephen Edelstein -
Big energy hugely underestimates electric cars, renewable powerMass adoption of electric cars and renewable energy could significantly decrease global consumption of fossil fuels. But does the established energy industry view these new developments as a threat? In a recent report, ExxonMobil said coal could continue to provide the majority of the world's...
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Nissan Leaf spy shots: our question on electric car updateIt's the long-missing member of the trio, the last of three affordable electric cars with 200-plus miles of range expected to go into production this year. But until now, we've heard almost nothing about the 2018 Nissan Leaf. All we knew was that the second generation of the world's highest-volume...
John Voelcker -
Model 3 start, VW diesel drama, Subaru first drive, Bolt EV owner impressions: The Week in ReverseWhat remarkable accusation did the Volkswagen board of directors make against its former CEO and scion of the family that founded the company? And what date does one rumor give for the start of pilot production of the eagerly awaited Tesla Model 3 electric car? This is our look back at the Week In...
John Voelcker -
Today, we have an updated plug-in hybrid price guide, the debut of the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback, and an update on Elio Motors and its "84 mpg" three-wheeled vehicle. All this and more on Green Car Reports. What would Nikola Tesla think of the Tesla Model S? This amateur fan video imagines what an encounter between Tesla and his namesake car would be like. Elio Motors now says its three-wheeled vehicle won't start production until 2018. But recently-uncovered documents indicate the company may not survive until then. Looking for a plug-in hybrid? We have prices and specs for every...
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China's BYD built more plug-in cars than any other maker last yearTime for a quick quiz: which carmaker sold more plug-in electric vehicles last year—both battery electrics and plug-in hybrids—than any other? If you're a reader in North America or Europe who managed to miss our headline, odds are you may answer "Tesla" or "Nissan," based on media...
John Voelcker -
What White House faces if it tries to roll back fuel-economy standardsDonald Trump won the U.S. Electoral College and swept into the White House on a varied platform that included significant promises to cut regulation and reduce government involvement in a wide variety of spheres. The day after his election, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers sent him a letter...
John Voelcker -
Electric-car charging station safety: what you need to knowLike any consumer product, it's important to consider safety when buying a charging station for an electric car. While plugging the vehicle into a station is straightforward, the large amount of current carried over the cord from the power source to the car makes caution worthwhile. Even...
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback unveiled at Chicago auto showOver the last 10 years, the Hyundai Elantra has emerged into the top tier of compact sedans, joining longstanding leaders like the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen Jetta as well as more recent contenders like the Chevrolet Cruze and Subaru Impreza. The last-generation Elantra...
John Voelcker -
Plug-in hybrid price guide: every 2017 model, with specsThe number of plug-in hybrid cars has expanded greatly over the past few years. If you've had trouble keeping track of all of these new plug-in cars, fear not. A couple of weeks ago, we gathered the relevant data for every battery-electric car on sale today, and presented it to you in one place...
Stephen Edelstein -
Elio Motors continues to drag its feet regarding the start of production for its three-wheeled, two-seat, "84-mpg" vehicle, but it may now be running out of time. The company previously said it had received 55,000 reservations for the car, representing potential sales of $300 million. Last year, it raised $17 million through small-investor crowdfunding. DON'T MISS: Will 3-wheeled so-called 'autocycles' break out this year? We're skeptical But so far, Elio has only built a handful of prototype cars. Now the company says it will push the start of series production back to 2018, according to a...
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Nikola Tesla drives Tesla Model S: amateur fan video imaginesAs an auto company that exclusively produces electric cars, Tesla Motors has a very appropriate name. It is, of course, named after Nikola Tesla, a famed engineer who pioneered technologies related to electricity. So what might Nikola Tesla think of his namesake? DON'T MISS: Pilot production of...
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model 3 pilot production, VW vs Piech, electric-car battery prices: Today's Car NewsToday, we look at a report regarding the start of Tesla Model 3 pilot production, conflict between Volkswagen's board of directors and ex-CEO Ferdinand Piëch, and forecasts of decreasing electric-car battery prices. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Pilot production of the Tesla Model 3...
Stephen Edelstein -
Honda Clarity Fuel Cell marketing theme: thinking about tomorrowA 40-year-old Fleetwood Mac song, floating childrens' heads, and hydrogen molecules all kick off the marketing campaign for the 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell hydrogen-powered vehicle. Like most marketing for hydrogen vehicles, the video ad above will likely be targeted only to California drivers...
John Voelcker -
California goal: eliminate gasoline, diesel light vehicles altogetherWhat if gasoline and diesel cars and light trucks were simply eliminated altogether from the new vehicles sold in a state? Residents of one state in the U.S. may, eventually, find out. California already leads the nation in promoting zero-emission vehicles, but the Golden State may soon take that...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW Board vs ex-CEO Piech: rancor erupts over diesel cheating liesStatements from the boards of directors of automakers are generally dry, dispassionate, and formal. So the language of a terse item issued yesterday by the board of Volkswagen Group was remarkable in its directness. Not to mention its inferences about the company's former CEO Ferdinand Piech, who...
John Voelcker