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

BREAKING: GM Boosts 2011 Chevrolet Volt Production 50 Percent John Voelcker July 30, 2010

There's no better time to make a public announcement than when you have the President of the United States with you.

Today,President Barack Obama visited the Detroit-Hamtramck plant where GM is...
Tesla Founder Eberhard Leading VW Efforts in Silicon Valley
Many global automakers have research outposts in Silicon Valley. BMW's is one floor of an unremarkable office building in downtown Palo Alto, while Volkswagen's much larger Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) occupies a whole building in an office park nestled in the foothills above Stanford...
John Voelcker July 30, 2010

Cities Want High-Mileage Hybrid Taxis; Judge Says It's Illegal
If you've been to New York City lately, you may have noticed an increasing number of hybrid taxis on the roads: mostly Ford Escape Hybrid SUVs, but also Toyota Camry Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid sedans, and a scattering of others too. It's part of a long-term plan to green the fleet of 14,000...
John Voelcker July 29, 2010
2011 Chevy Volt: Official GM Propaganda On Why It's Better
Forgive us our weariness, please. It's only Thursday, but the barrage of news about the two upcoming electric cars that will go on sale for the 2011 model year is wearing us down. Nonetheless, we have manfully pulled ourselves together to bring you the video at the bottom of this piece, in which...
John Voelcker July 29, 2010
Porsche 918 Spyder, World's Fastest, Priciest Hybrid, OKed For Production
Toss everything you thought you knew about hybrid-electric vehicles out the window. Porsche has just green-lighted production of a car that will shake preconceptions about hybrids to their roots. The Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, first shown as a concept at this spring's Geneva Motor Show...
John Voelcker July 28, 2010
Senate Energy Bill: $$$ for Natural-Gas Vehicles, EVs Get Less
If there's even a chance for the U.S. Congress to pass an energy bill this year, it's going to be a long and tortuous slog. But the first cut at legislation, introduced yesterday, offers $4 billion for infrastructure and subsidies for natural-gas vehicles (NGVs), but just a tenth of that for the...
John Voelcker July 28, 2010
2011 Chevy Volt: No $5K Rebate, HOV-Lane Access For CA Buyers John Voelcker July 28, 2010

Now we know: The first two plug-in cars from major manufacturers will go head-to-head on warranties and lease prices: $350 a month for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, $349 for the 2011 Nissan Leaf.

Now the...

Coulomb Brings Its EV Charging Stations To The Home
Coulomb Technologies, one of the most successful companies rolling out rapid roadside charging stations for the new generation of plug-in vehicles debuting this year, announced today that it has adapted its technology for use in the home. Interestingly, residential chargers are where many of...
John Voelcker July 28, 2010
Next Toyota Prius To Be Built in U.S.--But Not Until 2016
The convoluted twists and turns of possible Prius production in the U.S. have taken another unexpected bend. A Toyota executive has now told Reuters that the company intends to build the quintessential hybrid in the States, but not until its next generation is launched. That would be in 2016, since...
John Voelcker July 27, 2010
Chevy Volt Price Announced
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt has been in gestation so long, we've wondered if it ever would become a reality. Now the reality is here. GM announced the price for the 2011 Volt at Plug-In 2010, a conference being held this week in San Jose. The Volt's MSRP will be $41,000, which includes a $720...
John Voelcker July 27, 2010
Sounds For Silent EVs, More Data, Same Result: Not Needed?
When we wrote about the debate over whether silent electric vehicles should have noise legislated into them, we obviously hit a nerve. Now EV enthusiast Mark Larsen has added further data to his original analysis of 1994-2008 traffic death figures from the Fatality Reporting System maintained by...
John Voelcker July 27, 2010
GM To Build All-Electric Cars Again: A Very Few, Just For Tests
The big news in green cars today will be the noon release of pricing and ordering information for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM's upcoming range-extended compact electric car. But GM had more noteworthy news today, all the way from the other side of the world. General Motors, the company pilloried...
John Voelcker July 27, 2010

2011 Ford Explorer: Building Better Gas Mileage Into An SUV John Voelcker July 26, 2010

If you're one of the 50 million Americans reached by Ford's marketing today, you'll know by now that the company launched a new 2011 Explorer sport utility.

High Gear has covered the 2011 Ford...
2011 Ford Explorer Burns Less Gas Using Hybrid Tech Tricks
According to Ford, the main reason that car buyers don't choose traditional sport utility vehicles is gas mileage. So for the new 2011 Ford Explorer, Ford is pulling out all the stops to improve fuel efficiency anywhere it can. Its signature engine is the 237-horsepower, direct-injected and...
John Voelcker July 26, 2010
Over 600 Chevy Dealers In Launch Regions To Offer 2011 Volt
Three weeks ago, Chevrolet unveiled two new launch markets for its 2011 Volt electric car and described some of the things dealers would need to do in order to be granted the privilege of selling GM's most advanced and most eagerly awaited car in decades. Now it appears that pretty much every Chevy...
John Voelcker July 23, 2010
Coming to Prince Charles's Garden Party? Better Drive An EV
While his subjects love him--he is, after all, their future King--HRH Prince Charles is known to be grimly insistent on promoting certain of his pet causes. One is "traditional" British architecture. Recently, another has become the greening of transportation. To that end, the Prince will bring a...
John Voelcker July 23, 2010
GM Greens Its Auto ACs With Greenhouse-Gas-Friendly Coolant
Among the many substances emitted by autos back in the "good old days" were the refrigerant gases that would leak from older auto air conditioners. Freon, also known as R-12, was replaced starting in the early 1990s with R-134a, which did less damage to the ozone layer. Now concern has expanded to...
John Voelcker July 23, 2010
Sounds For Silent EVs: Solving a Problem That May Not Exist
It's a wonderful TV news flash: Blind people in peril from killer electric cars! News at 11. The fear is that electric vehicles are so silent that blind people can't hear them coming, so new draft safety regulations may now require electric vehicles to emit sounds. There's just one problem...
John Voelcker July 23, 2010

GM Hybrid Technology: Good Enough To Steal For Chinese Makers? John Voelcker July 22, 2010

GM sells only about 10,000 Two-Mode Hybrids a year, but if nothing else, its system is technically sophisticated.

Sophisticated enough, in fact, that a former General Motors employee and her husband...
Testing World's Fastest Hybrid Racer: Long 'Still Charged Up'
What's it like driving the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, the world's fastest hybrid vehicle? Ask driver Patrick Long, and he'll tell you he's "still pretty charged up (forgive the pun)" after returning to the States following two weeks of testing the car on the Lausitzring circuit outside Berlin. We...
John Voelcker July 21, 2010
Will EV Range Extenders Give Rise to a Rotary Renaissance?
Four months from now, the world's first extended-range electric vehicle will start showing up at dealers. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt will introduce car buyers to the idea of a range-extending combustion engine that turns a generator to power the car electrically. But the generator in an E-REV can be...
John Voelcker July 21, 2010
Leno Wants It Known: He Likes the 2011 Chevy Volt, Really Likes It
OK, file this one in the Tempests & Teapots folder: A "visibly annoyed" Jay Leno has now defended Chevrolet's 2011 Volt electric car. He wants it known that he likes the car. Really, he does. The comic claims he was quoted out of context by Detroit News reporter Robert Snell, who wrote that...
John Voelcker July 21, 2010
Detroit Dinosaur Thinks Kilowatts Are a Buzzkill, World Laughs
As any parent will tell you, progress takes time. Evolution often takes a much longer time yet. So rather than pounding our head on the wall when we read idiotic editorials, perhaps we should take a deep breath and calmly reflect that those who can't adapt to change will eventually die out. What...
John Voelcker July 20, 2010
Honda To Launch Plug-In Hybrid Car in 2013, A Year After Toyota
It's been a time of turmoil for Honda lately, with the company doubling down on hybrids and pulling back on its clean-diesel efforts. Now, according to a Reuters report, the company will introduce both a plug-in hybrid and a fully electric car for the 2013 model year. The electric car will be...
John Voelcker July 19, 2010