John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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European countries continue to assess more aggressive policies that favor or mandate zero-emission vehicles to move away from fossil fuels for transportation.
Last year, a recommendation passed by...
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Tesla axes hundreds of employees for 'performance' with Model 3 lagging: reportWith the early months of Tesla Model 3 sales remaining at numbers lower than those promised by CEO Elon Musk, owners and advocates eagerly consume any news about electric-car maker Tesla to figure out what's happening. Musk reaffirmed that the Model 3 is in the predicted "production hell" these...
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Electric-car sales, buyer beware, renewable energy rules, electric Subaru future? Today's Car NewsToday, we've got sales reports from our northern neighbors, some speculation on electric Subarus, a caution on buying electric cars, and good news on renewable energy. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Plug-in electric car sales in Canada have reached 1 percent of the market, though it...
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If Toyota and Mazda make electric cars together, where's Subaru?At the end of September, Toyota and Mazda announced they would form a joint venture with parts maker Denso to design, test, and build components for a shared electric-car platform. Earlier interviews with Mazda indicate that the small Japanese maker will create its first all-electric model for...
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Don't be fooled: only some electric cars are sold nationwide, even nowAlmost seven years after modern electric cars entered the mass market, there are now more than two dozen battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models on sale in the U.S. But that impressive number shouldn't disguise a fundamental truth about those vehicles: only about half of them are widely...
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Cheaper electric Chevys, Range Rover plug-in hybrid, Nissan e-NV200 van, less ethanol? Today's Car NewsToday, our final electric-car sales update for last month, saving money on plug-in Chevys, a longer-range electric van that's still forbidden fruit, and more details on the upcoming plug-in hybrid Range Rover. All this and more on Green Car Reports. With the news last week that two German luxury...
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While U.S. buyers eagerly await the arrival of the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car at dealerships early next year, the company has updated another of its electric vehicles as well.
Unfortunately, it's...
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Plug-in electric car sales for Sep: Bolt EV hits new monthly high (final update)The world has changed since last month's report on U.S. sales of plug-in electric cars. China has officially said it is considering dates for ending sales of new vehicles with gasoline or diesel engines. Even if that date proves to be 15 or 20 years in the future, the country's government has...
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2019 Range Rover Sport P400e plug-in hybrid on sale in US in summer 2018: technical detailsSix years after Land Rover confirmed it would introduce a Range Rover plug-in hybrid, the luxury-SUV brand has now provided an official on-sale date. A 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid model will both go on sale in the United States in the summer of 2018, likely followed by a...
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Wireless charging or plugs for electric cars? Take our Twitter pollAsk an electric-car owner how long it takes to charge the car, and you may get an answer you didn't expect. "Oh, five or 10 seconds," is a common response from experienced drivers of plug-in vehicles—meaning the time it takes to plug in. Statistically, that happens most often at night, so the...
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Ford's future, EPA deadline, electric cars in NY and NJ, plug-in sales, energy lobbying: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got more electric-car sales reporting, Ford's plans for its future (light on product specifics), a deadline for telling the EPA what you think, and an unlikely coalition of energy lobbyists. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We updated our plug-in electric car sales report for...
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Which (non-Tesla) maker will sell most electric luxury cars by 2020? Poll resultsYes, yes, yes, we know: our readers and Twitter followers are largely very strong supporters of, and believers in, Tesla and its electric cars. Our challenge for last week's Twitter poll was that we get very, very few characters to post questions and a choice of four responses. So in asking which...
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Pity Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the man now running the cabinet department he couldn't remember that he wanted to eliminate altogether during a notorious 2011 presidential debate.
He has pulled off...
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Comment period ends tomorrow on EPA proposal to loosen emission limits on carsThe period for public comments on the EPA's proposed reconsideration of finalized rules to cut emissions of the climate-change gas carbon dioxide from light-duty vehicles will end on Thursday, October 5. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on August 10 it would reopen the Comment...
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Ford to cut engine funding by one third, invest in electrics, autonomyWhen Ford fired Mark Fields in May, it was widely seen as a rebuke to the CEO's inability to offer a convincing argument about how Ford would handle the future. Every car company is attempting to figure out that future, in which electrified vehicles, increasing autonomy, pervasive connectivity, and...
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Electric-car sales, EPA vs climate change, Bollinger B1 signups, VW badly needs batteries: Today's Car NewsToday, it's all about electric-car sales, and there's one car that continues to surge to new heights. Also, Tesla reported its (higher) global quarterly sales, VW is negotiating for battery cells, and the EPA under Trump will try to neuter a landmark Obama achievement. All this and more on Green...
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Tesla Q3-2017 deliveries: Model S, Model X strong; Model 3 misses goalThe quarterly delivery and production figures from Silicon Valley electric-car maker Tesla are eagerly followed when they emerge a few days after the end of a quarter. On Monday, Tesla said it had delivered 26,150 electric cars, its best quarterly total yet and 4.5 percent higher than the third...
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Bollinger B1 all-electric utility truck: 10,000 signups since launchThe Bollinger B1 electric utility truck, designed by a small startup company in upstate New York and unveiled in late July, appears to have hit something of a chord. The company said Monday it has now received more than 10,000 "pre-orders," or expressions of interest in the tough, all-electric...
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General Motors said on Monday it will unveil two new battery-electric vehicles within the next 18 months, and will offer 20 electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles globally by 2023.
The news came in...
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Outlander PHEV, Accord Hybrid first drives; VW diesel cost; Tesla energy analysis: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got two different first drives—one hybrid sedan, one plug-in hybrid SUV—plus a look at Tesla's numbers, bad news for VW on diesels, and startling news from Dubai. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, as always, we ran down last week's important...
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VW to spend $3 billion more on rising cost of diesel buybackThe Volkswagen diesel scandal no longer gets much U.S. media coverage. Engineer James Liang has been sentenced to 40 months in jail for his role, while executive Oliver Schmidt will be sentenced December 6. Buybacks and modifications are underway for more than half a million TDI diesel vehicles...
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Leaf vs Bolt EV, Outlander PHEV prices, China wants electric cars, will Tesla win? The Week in ReverseWhat did China do last week that rocked the automotive world and likely altered its future direction? Which upcoming electric car turned out to have more orders than anyone expected? (It's not a Tesla ....) This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for...
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China's huge EV sales rules, Tesla vs Germans, Pacifica Hybrid monster, diesels down: Today's Car NewsToday, China changes the world, a monster markets a minivan, AM radio may vanish, diesels drop for 2018, and we cast a sceptical eye on Tesla's chances of destroying all German luxury brands. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The biggest news of the week, and very possibly the year, is the...
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Will Tesla steamroller German luxury makers? Perhaps notIt has become an article of faith among some Tesla fans and owners that the company will inevitably rise to compete with and ultimately defeat the titans of the global auto industry. This belief is especially prevalent for the luxury sector, where three German carmakers dominate the global market...
John Voelcker