John Voelcker, Contributing Editor

John Voelcker is an accomplished automotive journalist with a diverse background in the industry. As a cofounder of Tempting Fate Tours, he has delved into the world of adventurous car experiences, providing enthusiasts with unforgettable journeys for a year and a half. With a passion for automotive journalism, Voelcker's expertise extends to his tenure as a Contributing Editor at Internet Brands. During his stint, he has contributed valuable insights and engaging content to one of the most respected automotive publications in the industry. Previously, Voelcker served as the inaugural Editor of Green Car Reports under the Internet Brands Automotive Group. For over nine years, starting in 2009, he played a vital role in reporting, editing, and providing news coverage and new-car reviews. His contributions also extended to sister sites, including The Car Connection and Motor Authority, solidifying his reputation as a trusted source in the automotive community. In addition to his editorial work, Voelcker has actively covered advanced auto technologies and energy policy for a multitude of esteemed publications. Wired, Popular Science, Tech Review, IEEE Spectrum, and HybridCars.com are among the platforms that have featured his articles. Recognized for his expertise, he was appointed as one of the jurors for the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards in 2015. With a wealth of experience behind the wheel, Voelcker has driven electric and hybrid cars from dozens of automakers, along with countless other vehicles. His firsthand experiences provide a valuable perspective in his automotive reporting. Voelcker's editorial journey has taken him through various notable magazines, including This Old House, Metropolis, Psychology Today, Exposure, Mother Earth News, Budget Living, and IEEE Spectrum. His diverse background showcases his versatility and ability to cover a wide range of topics. Voelcker holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University, which adds a unique analytical lens to his automotive reporting. Splitting his time between the picturesque Catskill Mountains and vibrant New York City, he finds inspiration in both the tranquility of nature and the dynamic urban environment.

Articles

FINAL UPDATE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Aug: All-Time Leaf High, Volt Best In 12 Months John Voelcker September 4, 2014

The best-selling electric car in the world, the Nissan Leaf, logged its best-ever U.S. sales in August, selling a record 3,186 units.

This marks its 18th consecutive month of year-over-year sales...
2014 MINI Cooper: Gas Mileage Review With 3-Cyl Engine + Manual
The 2014 MINI Cooper hardtop is the first entire, top-to-bottom redesign of the iconic British minicar. In its base form, with a new 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual gearbox, it runs a bit more than $20,000 and is rated at 34 mpg combined. But it's longer, wider...
John Voelcker September 4, 2014

Electric-Car Battery Use: Already Higher Than Hybrids' Total?
You see a lot in the press these days about the low sales of plug-in electric cars. While deliveries have risen every year--and have outpaced hybrid sales at the same point after launch--electric cars clearly remain only a tiny piece of the global car market today. But those low sales nonetheless...
John Voelcker September 4, 2014
Tesla Gigafactory Going To Nevada, Apparently (First One, Anyhow)
A press conference to be held this afternoon may answer one of the major questions for the future of electric-car maker Tesla Motors: Where will it locate its gigafactory? The answer appears to be Nevada. The office of state governor Brian Sandoval said he would make a "major economic development...
John Voelcker September 4, 2014
Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra Pickups To Get 8-Speed Automatic To Boost MPG
One of the factors making higher gas mileage possible across pretty much any vehicle on sale these days is multispeed transmissions. At the dawn of this century, four-speed automatics were the standard; now it's six speeds--and eight-speed automatics are coming on strong. Future models of the...
John Voelcker September 2, 2014
CA Clean-Air Initiative: Cash In A Clunker, Buy An Electric Car
California has been a world pioneer for decades in reducing vehicle emissions, including its 20-year effort to get significant numbers of zero-emission vehicles on the roads. It's also had intermittent programs to encourage the trade-in of older cars that qualify as "gross emitters" for newer and...
John Voelcker September 2, 2014
Electric-Car Charging Station Prices Fall: 30 Amps For $500 (Through Sep 30) John Voelcker September 2, 2014

When plug-in electric cars came on the market less than four years ago, the first 240-Volt home charging stations carried four-figure price tags.

Now a handful of models cost less than $500--and a...

Will The 2016 Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Sedan Target The Tesla Model S?
Imagine a smooth, quiet, comfortable largish sedan that emits nothing, with a range of 250 miles or more--one that pegs its driver as a person in the vanguard of advanced technology vehicles. The Tesla Model S electric car, you say? No, no, no: That would be Toyota's upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell...
John Voelcker August 28, 2014
BYD's Rising Electric-Car Sales Swamped By Falling Gas Models
Chinese automaker BYD was the first car company in the world to put a plug-in hybrid passenger car into production, a couple of years before the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car hit the road. Despite several hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric product lines, however, the vast...
John Voelcker August 28, 2014
2018 Nissan Leaf Renderings: How Conservative Will Design Be?
It's long been acknowledged that the current Nissan Leaf electric car is a radical and distinctive design, just as the landmark 2004 Toyota Prius hybrid was. But some portion of potential buyers, who may be amenable to the benefits of driving a battery-electric vehicle, won't consider the Leaf...
John Voelcker August 27, 2014
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Ad Shows Driver...Not Plugging In (Video)
Toyota has been quite upfront about its belief that plug-in electric cars are not the technology of the future. (It says hydrogen fuel-cell cars are.) And now this belief has appeared in the advertising for its Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. That car is the third or fourth best-selling car with a...
John Voelcker August 27, 2014
Will California Pioneer A World Beyond Cars This Century?
It's almost inconceivable, the idea of a world without personally-owned automobiles. But that's the startling vision proposed by noted researcher Tom Turrentine and colleagues, in a recent paper published online in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, entitled "California: Beyond cars?" (PDF)...
John Voelcker August 26, 2014

Fisker Karma Owners Can Soon Buy Spare Parts, Wanxiang Says John Voelcker August 26, 2014

Owners of the 2012 Fisker Karma range-extended electric luxury car got some good news last week: The company that now owns the carmaker has promised that supplies of spare parts will soon become...
2015 Kia Soul EV: Animals, Electrons, Maroon 5 (Video)
Well, it's about time: An electric-car maker is using straight-out sex appeal to market a new electric car. Even if it is, errrmmmm, rodent sex appeal. A new video posted last Wednesday uses Kia's now-familiar supersized hamsters to market the new 2015 Kia Soul EV. DON'T MISS: 2015 Kia Soul EV...
John Voelcker August 26, 2014
Ford, Hyundai Dedicated Hybrids To Target 2016 Toyota Prius?
It's been a quiet period for hybrid news lately, with the 2016 Toyota Prius launch delayed and still more than a year away. But further down the road, it appears that both Hyundai and Ford now plan to offer dedicated hybrids--vehicles designed specifically around a hybrid powertrain that offer no...
John Voelcker August 25, 2014
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf Price To Start At $36,265, Top Trim Level Only
The 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car will be priced from $36,265, VW announced this morning. And the first battery-electric car ever offered in the U.S. by Volkswagen will be offered only in the very top Golf trim level, the SEL Premium model. The 2015 e-Golf goes on sale in November at selected...
John Voelcker August 25, 2014
GM's 200-Mile Electric Sonic EV For 2017: What We Know So Far: UPDATED
The arrival of a moderately-priced battery electric car with a rated range of 200 miles will change the entire market for plug-in vehicles. When that will happen, and from which maker, remains open--though the likely suspects are Nissan, Tesla, and General Motors, with BMW as a long-shot outsider...
John Voelcker August 24, 2014
GM 200-Mile Electric Car, Accord Hybrid Shortages, Volt Vs BMW i3 REx, : The Week In Reverse (VIDEO)
Why is Honda's Accord Hybrid still in such short supply? And how much do we really know about GM's mythical 200-mile electric car? This is the Week In Reverse for Friday, August 22, 2014, right here at Green Car Reports. Friday, we published a comprehensive driving comparison of the two main...
John Voelcker August 23, 2014

Tesla Model S: The Electric Car For 'Mistresses', Apparently John Voelcker August 22, 2014

Most buyers of expensive luxury sedans are men, and most Tesla Model S electric car drivers seem to be men too.

There are notable exceptions, of course, including NASCAR ARCA-series racer and...
Battery Maker LG Chem: Biggest Electric-Car Winner Of All?
Let's say your company builds a crucial, high-volume component for advanced-technology vehicles. Suppose it emerged this week that you've now got contracts to supply two of the world's three biggest automakers. That would put you in a good spot, wouldn't it? First GM, now VW Group Yesterday, LG...
John Voelcker August 21, 2014
Prototype Electric Saab 9-3 EV Revealed By Struggling Owner NEVS
After Saab Automobiles vanished from the U.S. market three years ago, the bankrupt remains of the Swedish brand and its factory in Trollhattan were bought by a Chinese company. Its goal was to recast Saab as a maker of electric vehicles, and this week Swedish engineers presented a prototype of a...
John Voelcker August 21, 2014
Why Green Car Reports Writes About Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars
It would seem pretty obvious that a site called Green Car Reports would cover zero-emission vehicles that will soon go on sale from major global automakers. But cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells turn out to be as controversial as plug-in electric cars, albeit for different reasons--and among...
John Voelcker August 20, 2014
First 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive Sold Last Month
Last month, 41 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive hatchbacks were delivered to their owners, marking the first month of sales for the first battery-electric vehicle from the German luxury maker. The official first buyer, Kim Price, lives south of Los Angeles in Mission Viego; she's been a...
John Voelcker August 20, 2014
Four-Seat Volkswagen 'XL2' Diesel Plug-In Hybrid Coming?
For a two-seat car priced at more than $100,000, not sold in North America, and with just 250 built, the Volkswagen XL1 gets an extraordinary amount of attention. That's due to the hugely high fuel-economy ratings for the tiny carbon-fiber vehicle powered by a diesel plug-in hybrid system. It's...
John Voelcker August 20, 2014