Martin Padgett, Editorial Director
Articles
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I step on the brake with my left foot, press the accelerator to the mat with my right—then, slip off on the left. Motors whirl to life as they whorl out warp-speed forward thrust. Traffic...
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Porsche prices $80,450 Macan 4, $106,950 Macan Turbo EV SUVs
Sports-car, SUV maker hits mute on the “EV” tag, presses play for electric performance.
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Review: 2025 Volvo EX30 sets out for the sustainable horizon
We drive Volvo’s latest electric SUV to find out if its small carbon footprint offers a fair trade for a snug, spartan interior.
Martin Padgett -
Review: 2023 Mercedes EQE 350+ 4Matic SUV surfs the electric wave
Mercedes-Benz’s second BEV crossover brings its SUV lineup out of no-man’s land, but does the EQE SUV let it off the charging hook?
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Review: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq augurs in a new wave of electric luxury
We test drive Cadillac’s flagship SUV EV to see if the Blackwing brand can pivot to battery power without a misstep.
Martin Padgett -
Review: 2022 Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid feels at home with its range
With a charge time of less than two hours and 33 miles of electric range—then 35 mpg—the Tucson PHEV offers an attractive set of numbers.
Martin Padgett -
Driving a battery-powered commercial panel van may not sound exciting to you—but to Mercedes-Benz and the likes of Amazon and UPS, it promises to be a bellwether moment.
As the Mercedes...
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First drive review: 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS fuses electric-car wizardry with S-Class serenity
Acceleration and charging pull up short, but Mercedes’ EQS oozes with sophisticated interfaces and finishes.
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CES: Fisker Ocean gets a $37,499 price tag, but still no word on batteries or build site
Henrik Fisker wants to deliver a $30,000, 300-mile electric crossover (after tax credits), but hasn't said where the Ocean will be built or whose batteries will power it.
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Vision-T is the next Hyundai Tucson, with concept plug-in hybrid powertrain
Hyundai perhaps also hints with this concept that it's looking to offer plug-in hybrids on a wider range of models.
Martin Padgett -
Review: The 2020 Ford Escape SE Sport Hybrid makes perfect sense—for now
With the new 2020 Escape, Ford brings back its popular hybrid version—but should you wait for the plug-in yet to come?
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2020 Ford Escape Hybrid preview: Gas-electric now, plug-ins later
With its new pair of Escape Hybrids, Ford re-enters a gas-electric landscape—and puts down a marker on future battery-electric vehicles, too.
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2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring plug-in hybrid is a placeholder, not a game-changer Martin Padgett
Sometimes, in the long development cycle of new, greener vehicles, automakers hit an awkward stopping point. Pencils down—it’s time to turn in your work.
Sometimes that stopping point...
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Aston Martin may be first with 800-volt charging
Automakers look ahead to the day when fast-charging changes the electric-car landscape. Many have debated and some have announced 800-volt electric cars, especially Porsche, with forthcoming versions of its Taycan electric car. Prior to last weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Aston...
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Audi details battery for 2019 e-tron electric SUV
When the Audi e-tron battery-electric SUV goes on sale next year, its 432 battery cells will drink from a 150-kw charging firehose–a rate quicker than the Jaguar I-Pace or a Tesla Model S. The high-energy battery pack, detailed by Audi in Berlin on Wednesday, has an apt, caffeinated analogy...
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Mercedes-Benz takes the electric car plunge, but diesel is here to stay
Daimler AG executives said Tuesday that diesel power for Mercedes cars is here to stay, even as electric cars and electrified mobility spreads throughout its passenger and commercial vehicles, and even its global partnerships. Electrified vehicles include everything from 48-volt mild hybrids...
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2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV: Production Car Spied Before 2016 CES Reveal
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will appear in production-ready form at CES, a new report says.
Martin Padgett -
2016 Toyota Prius Preview Video
One of the most important new cars of the 2016 model year isn’t some 600-horsepower sports car, or a big crossover wagon. It’s the hybrid that started it all, or at least made hybrids what they are today. Recently in Las Vegas, and also at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show, Toyota gave the...
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If smaller is better, then you can’t really do much better than the Smart ForTwo. The Fortwo is the city car originally designed in partnership with Swatch, back in the 1990s.
This year...
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Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Carries Over, Eco Gets 32 MPG--But Where's That Plug-In?
The 2015 Hyundai Sonata is nearly entirely new--save for the steadily improving Hybrid edition. Hyundai says the Sonata Hybrid will stick with its existing gas-electric drivetrain and body style through the 2015 model year, while the rest of the range takes on a more subdued look and more refined...
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive Supercar: First Drive Video
It was a Mercedes-Benz icon before it became a performance flagship. Now it's a messenger for the future: the gullwing's going electric. The SLS AMG Electric Drive electric car is closing in on series production, converting the octane-addicted supercar to fit a greener vision of the future. We've...
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Green Car Reports To Name Best Car To Buy 2013
Electric cars, hybrids, plug-ins, diesels, CNG- and gasoline-powered vehicles--they can all be green cars, and all are a part of the growing movement to cleaner emissions and better fuel efficiency. Just one of them will be Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2013. On December 10, we'll announce the...
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2013 Lexus ES 300h Hybrid Bows At 2012 New York Auto Show
Toyota made a vow to build every one of its vehicle lines in hybrid form, and it's adding another model to the growing hybrid list at this year's 2012 New York Auto Show with the introduction of the 2013 Lexus ES 300h. The first Lexus ES hybrid seems to share much with the latest Toyota Camry...
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Aptera Shutting Down For Good
Aptera has just released a statement, saying it will shut down operations today. As recently as two years ago, the southern California-based Aptera had plans to introduce an electric car and to sell up to 10,000 copies a year. It had even hoped to received approval for some of the same federal...
Martin Padgett