synd-vehicle-history
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Chevrolet announced last week that its upcoming 2019 Silverado full-size pickup will offer a new turbo-4 in place of the base V-6 in some models. Like the V-8s in some of GM's large pickups, the new engine will have active cylinder management that cuts two of the four cylinders during light loads. Earlier this year, GM announced that two of its available V-8 engines, a 6.2- and 5.3-liter V-8, can cut up to seven of their eight cylinders in specific circumstances. The new 2.7-liter turbo-4 will be the first 4-cylinder engine in a modern full-sized pickup, and will be the base engine in...
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Electrify America expands fast-charging network to Simon mallsShop and charge. That's the plan behind Electrify America's new network of fast chargers being installed around the country. Electrify America, a division of Volkswagen set up to spend diesel settlement money on installing electric-car charging infrastructure around America, announced that its...
Eric C. Evarts -
Consumer Reports won't recommend Tesla Model 3 (Updated)Update: This article has been updated to reflect a Twitter response from Elon Musk, saying that if the company verifies the braking problem with the Model 3, the company will fix customers' cars, even if it requires a hardware repair. Consumer Reports, the consumer product testing magazine famed...
Eric C. Evarts -
Sweden builds life-size slot-car track for long-distance electric-car chargingLike so many things, Sweden is taking a different approach to charging electric cars for long trips. The country has built a 1.2-mile-long slot-car track into a road near Arlanda airport outside Stockholm to test a new approach to charging electric cars and trucks, according to a report in New...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla expands Supercharger network as Model 3 rolls outAs Tesla works to ramp up Model 3 output to two-three times the levels of its previous models, the company is apparently anticipating the need for more Superchargers to charge them. According to the crowdsourced website Supercharge.info, Tesla added 121 new Supercharging stations since the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Shell Airflow Starship semi truck leaves San Diego on record fuel-economy runTruck driver Bob Sliwa hit the road on Thursday night in his carbon-fiber-bodied, diesel-powered semi truck, as he attempts to set a fuel economy record for big rigs by the time he pulls into Jacksonville, Fla., next Wednesday. The endeavor, sponsored by Shell and the North American Council for...
Eric C. Evarts -
After a spate of crashes involving drivers using Tesla's Autopilot system, the press is awash in speculation about its effectiveness. Now the IIHS, which rates accident avoidance systems across many automakers, has given the Tesla Model 3 its highest rating of "Superior" in its front crash prevention tests. DON'T MISS: Report: Tesla rejected additional driver sensors for Autopilot The IIHS gives three ratings for forward collision avoidance systems: It verifies whether car has a forward collision warning system that meets the standards of the NHTSA, with an adequate alert to the driver when...
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Volvo ditches diesel, but will half its cars be electric by 2024?Volvo says it is going all-in on electric cars in an effort to turn the company into something of a Tesla alternative. To that end, the company has announced that half its cars will be battery electric models by 2024, according to a report in Road & Track earlier this year. It has also...
Eric C. Evarts -
Why aren't automakers advertising electric cars? Maybe they areSometimes you have to build a market when there's not one to cater to. How else would Ford have begun selling 300,000 Explorers a year when they were based on a rough-riding, antiquated (even then) Ranger pickup? Ford disseminated images in front of millions of American eyeballs of Explorers...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model 3 software updates revealedAs Tesla has been working to ramp up assembly of its more affordable Model 3 sedan, the company has also been adding features to existing examples with its over the air software updates. We spoke with Tesla to learn the extent of updates and found five updates that have been rolled out to existing...
Eric C. Evarts -
Shoppers in Canada may wait nearly a year to buy new Chevy Bolt EVThe new Chevy Bolt EV was a long time coming, but interested buyers in some parts of Canada may have to wait longer. Kent Wallace reported to us last week that Toronto-area dealerships were quoting shoppers an 8- to 12-month wait for the 238-mile electric car. A GM spokeswoman in Canada confirmed...
Aaron Cole -
Nissan begins offering rebuilt Leaf battery packsStarting this month, Nissan has begun offering rebuilt battery packs for the older Leafs, filling a gap for drivers of older cars whose packs have begun to run down. The company built a new facility in Japan to rebuild the packs, and will sell them for about $2,850 (based on the price in Japan)...
Eric C. Evarts -
Subaru announced Friday that its long-awaited Crosstrek Hybrid, a plug-in model, will go on sale as a 2019. Last month, Car and Driver reported that Subaru filed the trademark name Evoltis with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, leading to speculation that the name could be applied to the expected plug-in hybrid version of the Crosstrek. Subaru gave no further specs for the Crosstrek plug-in hybrid, such as battery size, range, or power, and the company did not confirm the name Evoltis for the model. READ THIS: Report: Subaru may use Evoltis name for new plug-in hybrid coming next year The...
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Automakers play high-stakes CARB game to earn zero emissions vehicle creditsEditor's note: Green Car Reports covers a lot of electric cars—and there are a lot more to cover these days, thanks to California's complex requirements that major automakers produce zero emissions vehicles for sale. For fans of clean cars—as well as opponents—it's difficult to...
John Briggs -
Elio Motors says it will build production cars next yearPaul Elio told investors and media Friday in Shreveport, Louisiana, that his three-wheeled car would go on sale next year after several delays and questions about funding. "I believe this project has to happen," Elio said. Elio told media that his company had raised more than $110 million for a...
Aaron Cole -
Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for May 2018We found some great deals on green cars and hybrids this month as automakers look toward changing over their stock to sell new models. Several new electric models, including the 2017 and 2018 Nissan Leaf, 2018 Chevy Bolt EV, and other upcoming models have more range than older models. If you've...
Eric C. Evarts -
2018 Chevy Bolts recalled to update battery software, prevent shutdownsA voluntary software recall on the 2017 Chevy Bolt EV has been extended to 2018 models, a General Motors spokesman told Green Car Reports on Thursday. Last month, we reported that some owners of early 2017 Chevy Bolt EVs had failed batteries and would receive new batteries from GM. The fix also...
Eric C. Evarts -
2018 Honda Clarity Electric hits dealerships in California and Oregon with $199 lease dealThe 2018 Honda Clarity Electric car rolled into California and Oregon dealerships this week, but nobody can buy it. It's only available for lease for $199 a month for 36 months with $1,499 due at signing. That figure reflects the $7,500 federal tax credit, which Honda finance will keep as part of...
Eric C. Evarts -
At its annual meeting Wednesday, Audi announced an ambitious plan to build 20 new electrified cars by 2025, most of them battery electrics,. The company says it will invest $47.6 billion (40 billion euros) into these electrified cars, a new app platform for its cars, a new fleet of autonomous vehicles to be launched in 2021, and into creating sustainable factories. Audi said the investment represents about two years of revenue for the company. As a first step, the company announced that it will reveal the production version of its new e-tron electric SUV on Aug. 30. It is reported to have a...
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NTSB launches investigation into another Tesla crash after it caught fire and killed two teens in FloridaThe National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday that it is investigating a crash involving a Tesla that killed two teens and injured a third in Florida. A gray 2014 Model S reportedly ran off the road Tuesday and struck a concrete wall before catching on fire and killing the two teens...
Eric C. Evarts -
CFA study shows better gas mileage standards offset cost of modern safety techCars that get good gas mileage aren't unsafe. In fact, gas savings have more than paid for safety improvements in modern cars, as well as for the technology needed to make the gains in fuel economy.
Eric C. Evarts -
EPA rates 2018 Jeep Wrangler turbo-4 gas mileage; plug-in, diesel to come laterThe new 2018 Wrangler is a big deal for Jeep, and in its redesign the company didn't leave its fuel economy stuck in the mud. In addition to the fuel-swilling V-6, the new Wrangler will be available with a more efficient turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and the EPA has just revealed exactly how...
Joel Feder -
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn: 188 miles is enough for electric cars; now prices must be cutAt about 188 miles, the range of today's electric cars is enough. It's the price that needs to come down. So says Carlos Ghosn, an electric-car pioneer among CEOs of mainstream automakers. Ghosn made the statement at a Nissan event in Hong Kong, according to Nikkei Asian Review. The speech revealed...
Eric C. Evarts -
Japanese automakers team up to solidify next-gen batteriesFacing competition from American scientists, Japanese automakers are teaming up to develop solid-state lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, according to a Nikkei report. Some engineers see solid state batteries as the holy grail for cars because they are safer and have higher energy density...
Eric C. Evarts