Bengt Halvorson, Senior Editor
Articles
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Henrik Fisker has been sketching out big plans—well beyond cars—for the solid-state battery technology being developed by a Fisker Inc. team. And now it appears that the heavy-equipment...
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Hyundai unplugs its electric-car subscription planHyundai’s “Unlimited+” electric-car subscription plan, which was only offered in Southern California but originally destined for wider rollout, won’t be coming back at all on the 2019 Hyundai Ioniq Electric, the automaker confirmed last week. When the program was first...
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Volkswagen XL1 eco halo already a sound investment?It’s been less than five years since Volkswagen produced its limited run of just 250 XL1 plug-in diesel hybrid coupes, of which only 200 were sold to retail buyers. The Volkswagen XL1 has all the makings of an instant collectible, with its combination of low production volume, advanced...
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Dyson’s electric-vehicle gamble, Musk’s redemption, GM’s 50-state mandate: The Week in ReverseWhich automaker managed to turn a profit, without ever making a model with an internal-combustion engine? And which automaker asked specifically for a national electric-vehicle mandate? This is Green Car Reports’ look back at the Week in Reverse, for the week ending October 26, 2018. We ended...
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GM wants Trump administration to consider national electric-vehicle mandateThe term “hail Mary” might be appropriate for what General Motors, led by chief executive officer Mary Barra, is attempting at this stage of the federal government’s dialog on fuel efficiency and electric vehicles. GM is launching an effort to propose a 50-state solution for...
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Wireless charging, Model S reliability, Tesla leadership: Today’s Car NewsWireless charging shows its efficiency potential. The Tesla Model S loses its spot on a respected consumer publication’s top list. And who should succeed Musk? All this and more on Green Car Reports. A U.S. Department of Energy lab may have reached a new power-and-efficiency threshold for...
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As part of an SEC settlement, Tesla needs to find a new chairman to replace Elon Musk, as he steps aside from that post but stays on as chief executive officer.
That new chairman is to be an...
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Wireless charging could widen efficiency edge over cords, suggests DOE labResearchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory last week announced they've managed to transfer 120 kw of power at an efficiency of 97 percent—more efficiently than any currently available physical charging connection. A version of the 20-kw wireless charging...
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Tesla Model S loses spot on Consumer Reports’ recommended listThe Tesla Model S has slipped back off Consumer Reports recommended list, due to a dip in reliability, as the consumer organization assesses it. Suspension problems are to blame, reported CR. In 2017 Tesla made its air suspension standard on the Model S, and all versions were dual-motor (all-wheel...
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BMW recalling 44,000 diesel vehicles for fire riskBMW has announced an expanded recall effort over the possibility of fire in recent-model-year vehicles equipped with a diesel engine. The issue, which now potentially affects 1.6 million vehicles worldwide, concerns an issue in which coolant (glycol) leakage from the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)...
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Tesla’s profit, Volvo’s mobile charging investment, researchers’ "mass-less" batteries: Today’s Car NewsVolvo invests in mobile charging. Vehicle bodies might double as batteries in the future. And yes, the day has finally come for Tesla. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla yesterday reported a profit. With some creative number-crunching, it also claimed to have the best-selling car in the...
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Volvo goes off the grid, invests in mobile-charging experts FreewireVolvo Cars has announced an investment in Freewire Technologies, a company that emphasizes mobile charging solutions. Freewire earlier this year attracted a $5 million investment from the petro-giant BP, which will result in Freewire’s fast-charging systems being installed at some BP stations...
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Automakers seem to be in agreement that the ‘skateboard’ location for heavy battery packs—low and wide beneath the passenger floor—is the ideal layout for electric vehicles.
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Tesla Model 3 range-efficiency edge is a serious market strengthAlthough Tesla may still sometimes be finding its way in terms of how to build cars themselves, it retains a distinct advantage over pretty much every other automaker in one respect: superb power management. Buried in the company’s third-quarter 2018 financial results—hailing a...
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Tesla reports profit, explains $46k Model 3 Mid Range model, hints about leasingTesla’s quarterly earnings call today was shaping up to be, at long last, an earnings call. Tesla reported a net income of $312 million for the third quarter of 2018. The all-electric vehicle maker made money. It also claimed that, given its financial results—and some creative...
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Tesla price hike, Dyson factory plan, GM tax-credit sunset: Today's Car NewsGM is next, after Tesla, in hitting the 200,000 ceiling for the EV tax credit. The EPA dismisses some more groups of scientists. And electric-vehicle hopeful Dyson is soon starting a factory, as Faraday Future's struggles continue. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Less than six days after...
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Uber to bank London surcharge toward electric vehicles for its driversUber announced Tuesday that it will levy a surcharge for its ride-hailing passengers in London. The goal: to get 20,000 drivers to go all-electric by the end of 2021, on the way to make every car using its ride-hailing app an electric vehicle in the smog- and congestion-prone city by 2025. The...
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Lower-cost Tesla Model 3: Does 260 miles, $46K before incentives split the difference? [Updated]UPDATE: Tesla originally rolled out the Model 3 Mid Range at a base price of $45,000 on 10/18. Less than six days later it's raised the price $1,000, and we've adjusted the numbers in this piece to reflect that. “We made a slight adjustment to our pricing for Model 3 following the...
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Beginning next April, buyers of General Motors’ electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids won’t be getting the same break on their purchase as those who buy those vehicles from any other...
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Dyson plans to build its electric car in SingaporeDyson, the British maker of premium vacuum cleaners, aims to enter the electric-car arena—and it’s chosen Singapore as the global assembly site. The company confirmed that its board has ratified the decision for the company itself to construct what it calls a “purpose-built...
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Tesla teardown redux, smaller fast chargers, dirty battery manufacturing: Today's Car NewsA much-publicized Tesla teardown from earlier in the year reveals some lessons and missed opportunities. Battery manufacturing happens to be in places with dirty power sources. And DC fast chargers have the potential to downsize. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The teardown (disassembly)...
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Tesla Model 3 teardown underscores missed opportunitiesLast year employee parking lots overflowed at Tesla’s Fremont, California, plant. By comparing the headcount of Tesla's factory at present versus historically, it’s easy to grasp why the facility has seemed so crowded. At its heyday, Toyota and GM needed 4,400 people at Fremont. Tesla...
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EPA deadline, BMW electric reality check, Mustang hybrid tease: Today's Car NewsIf you have a strong position regarding the EPA's proposal to freeze fuel economy standards at 2020 levels through 2026, speak out. Tomorrow is the deadline for making public comments that are part of the legal record. A zinc-air battery project is backed by a big name and claims to have achieved...
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Zinc air battery project claims $100/kwh cost, could be headed to vehiclesUntil now, solid-state lithium-ion cells have been the likely path forward for battery technology, potentially finding their way into some production vehicles by 2025. But one other battery possibility is increasingly looking viable for the near future: zinc-air. The firm NantEnergy has made some...
Bengt Halvorson