John Voelcker, Contributor

John was the first Editor of Green Car Reports, run by Internet Brands Automotive Group. He served for more than nine years, starting in 2009. He reported for and edited the site, and provided news coverage and new-car reviews to sister sites The Car Connection and Motor Authority. Now, Voelcker contributes to the site while he chases rare British cars out of obscurity. John has covered advanced auto technologies and energy policy for numerous print, online, and radio outlets, including Wired, Popular Science, Tech Review, IEEE Spectrum, and HybridCars.com. In 2015, he was named one of 60 jurors for the North American Car & Truck of the Years Awards. Voelcker has driven electric and hybrid cars from almost two dozen automakers, and hundreds of other vehicles as well. He has held editorial jobs at many magazines, including This Old House, Metropolis, Psychology Today, Exposure, Mother Earth News, Budget Living, and IEEE Spectrum. John received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and splits his time between the Catskill Mountains and New York City. He still has hopes of one day becoming an international man of mystery.

Articles

GMC Hummer EV electric truck: First details emerge before Super Bowl ad John Voelcker January 30, 2020

Three days before a Super Bowl ad that will introduce its first all-electric truck to the world, General Motors on Thursday released a few early details of the upcoming GMC Hummer EV.

The truck will...
GM’s electric-vehicle future: President Mark Reuss offers some hints
The future of General Motors involves many more electric cars, and in a few brief answers GM president Mark Reuss gave us some more hints about what, when, and even why.
John Voelcker January 29, 2020

GM names Hamtramck as first US plant to build only electric cars
The automaker will spend $2.2 billion to produce electric-only vehicles at the plant that once made the Chevy Volt.
John Voelcker January 27, 2020
Toyota vs. electric cars: Smart strategy, or Innovator’s Dilemma?
Over the years, Toyota's caution to focus on hybrids and fuel cells over electric cars has been replaced by recalcitrance.
John Voelcker December 5, 2019
How many Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs will Ford build? We’ve got numbers
Based on numbers from executives and production forecasts, Ford could make the Mach-E at far more than compliance-car numbers.
John Voelcker November 29, 2019
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E preview: Electric SUV targeting 300-mile range
The fully electric Mach-E gives Ford a jump with a non-compliance EV that helps keep the Mustang name relevant.
John Voelcker November 20, 2019
Five things we didn’t expect in the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV John Voelcker November 20, 2019

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E is likely the car that will dominate coverage of the LA auto show, which opens to the public on Friday. Quite a lot of information about Ford’s new electric SUV...

We rode in the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E: Here’s what it felt like
The Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV doesn't reach dealerships until fall 2020, but a small ride-along told us a bit more about this upcoming all-electric vehicle.
John Voelcker November 18, 2019
Seven China-connected electric-car companies: Headed for boom or bust?
Dozens of automakers have been vying for the grand scale of the Chinese car market, some with ties to the U.S. Which ones are for real?
John Voelcker October 25, 2019
2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV: How GM’s only electric car stacks up after 3 years
It might be another three years—or more—before the vehicles on GM's BEV platform arrive. Where does that leave the Bolt EV?
John Voelcker October 15, 2019
2020 Porsche Taycan electric car: Seven things we didn't expect
The production car developed from Mission E follows through on many of the specs Porsche has teased all along, albeit with a few peculiar choices.
John Voelcker September 4, 2019
2020 Porsche Taycan preview: Fast, electric, expensive
Porsche unlocks all the secrets of its new all-electric Taycan battery vehicle.
John Voelcker September 4, 2019

1,000-mile electric car unveiled: Aptera returns 10 years later John Voelcker August 28, 2019

What's the minimum necessary range for an electric car?

The world's auto industry seems to have settled on 200-plus miles for North America and 250 kilometers (160 miles) or more for European and...
VW diesel mitigation: PIRG rates state plans, lacks reality check on EVs
The Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal has fallen out of the news, but VW Group recently boosted its allowance for the total costs to 30 billion euros ($33 billion). In the U.S., VW has bought back hundreds of thousands of TDI diesel vehicles and is paying two distinct 10-figure penalties. The...
John Voelcker June 3, 2019
Busting 7 of the most common myths about electric cars
Reader receives some misleading information about electric cars, batteries, and manufacturing. We respond with facts and reason.
John Voelcker May 1, 2019
Step aside, Boomers: New electric-car buyers in Northeast may be Millennials
A new survey of Northeastern drivers suggests the demographics of future electric-car buyers in that region may evolve from the Baby Boomers who’ve bought most of them so far to Millennial buyers who see them as an inevitable part of a tech-focused lifestyle. Released Thursday at the New York...
John Voelcker April 18, 2019
Genesis Mint Concept: luxury urban electric two-seater debuts in New York
Genesis is the newest brand trying to take a piece of a global luxury-vehicle market still dominated by German makers. Last night, in New York City, the Korean brand revealed its first-ever electric car concept. Unusually these days, the Genesis Mint Concept isn’t a crossover utility vehicle...
John Voelcker April 17, 2019
10 lessons from the short life of the Chevy Volt, 2011-2019
On February 15, GM ended production of the innovative Chevrolet Volt with little fanfare. Over two generations and nine model years, the company sold more than 150,000 of the compact plug-in hybrid hatchbacks. In automotive time, nine model years isn’t that long. The best brand names live for...
John Voelcker March 28, 2019

2019 Nissan Leaf Plus vs. 2011 Nissan Leaf: 5 takeaways over 8 years John Voelcker February 28, 2019

When a completely new vehicle is introduced, it's generally around for five to seven years before an entirely redesigned generation of that vehicle is launched.

By that measure, the 2019 Nissan Leaf...
First drive review: The 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus delivers more power, 226-mile range at last
At the moment, there are more Nissan Leafs on the world’s roads than any other electric car in history—closing in on 400,000. As of Jan 1, Nissan had delivered 380,000 Leafs globally, 130,000 of them in the United States. Nissan is entirely aware that honor may not last long. It all...
John Voelcker February 25, 2019
Long-range Cadillac SUV to lead GM's next electric-car push, in 3 years
On Sunday night, General Motors showed renderings of a future long-range, all-electric SUV to be offered roughly three years hence by its Cadillac luxury brand. The look at the brand's first battery-electric vehicle came as part of the 2019 Detroit auto-show debut for the 2020 Cadillac XT6, a...
John Voelcker January 14, 2019
2019 CES: Quiet year for green-car and self-driving news
As always, the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show held this week in Las Vegas was massive. Hundreds of thousands of attendees, workers, and support staff converged at multiple venues to show off their latest wares, meet with clients, partners, and the media and try to break through the news clutter...
John Voelcker January 13, 2019
Toyota and Kenworth to build 10 fuel-cell semis for LA port duty
The word "drayage" isn't commonly used, even among green-car fans, but it's used by the shipping and logistics industries to refer to the transport of goods over short distances. Drayage turns out to be the sweet spot for early efforts to put zero-emission heavy trucks on the road, including a...
John Voelcker January 9, 2019
Toyota's newest self-driving test car is a Lexus LS luxury sedan
If you're going to develop a self-driving test vehicle, why not make it one that passengers would enjoy riding in? Perhaps that's the logic behind Toyota's choice of its new Lexus LS large luxury sedan as the basis for the P4, its latest automated-driving test vehicle—unveiled yesterday by...
John Voelcker January 4, 2019