John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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As numerous political probes over the years have famously shown, once investigators dig into the circumstances around an alleged crime, anything can happen.
The September 2015 announcement by the EPA...
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Chevy Volt may be replaced in 2022 with plug-in hybrid crossover: CrossVolt at last?Small SUVs are all the rage, steadily eating into sales of passenger sedans and hatchbacks of pretty much every size. It's not just limited to North America, either: the trend is global, which is why several makers have jacked up perfectly standard front-wheel-drive hatchbacks and turned them into...
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Chevy Bolt EV plant shutdown extended, due to slow Sonic sales (updated)One of the biggest tests of an automaker's discipline is what it does when sales start to ebb and inventories of unsold cars swell. Does it keep the production lines churning, and dial up its incentives to keep new-vehicle deliveries flowing? Or does it prioritize profitability and suspend...
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Plug-in Mini, 2018 Leaf news, self-driving car rules, electric Hyundais and Kias: Today's Car NewsToday, more on the 2018 Nissan Leaf, more electric cars from Hyundai and Kia, a Bollinger backgrounder, and a drive report on the first volume plug-in Mini. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The 2018 Nissan Leaf will offer one-pedal driving, under the label "e-Pedal," according to a new...
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Why Robert Bollinger decided an electric utility truck was 'obvious'One week from today, in a pricey supercar club in Manhattan, journalists, electric-car advocates, and perhaps a few celebrities will gather for the unveiling of a new electric vehicle. It's not another fast, luxurious sedan or crossover utility vehicle. Instead, it's an electric utility truck...
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2018 Nissan Leaf to have e-Pedal: here's what that meansNo, the new 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car isn't going to have only a single pedal—despite at least one headline late yesterday claiming that. Honest. But the "e-Pedal" in the next generation of Nissan's highest-volume plug-in vehicle does offer some interesting new features. DON'T MISS...
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Tesla Model Y timing, Lucid vs Ford, hydrogen fuel cell service, VW electric-car price: Today's Car News John VoelckerToday, we take a long look at what's needed to service a hydrogen-powered car, ask what will happen to electric-car startup Lucid, and have some Tesla news to boot. All this and more on Green Car...
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How do you service a hydrogen fuel-cell car at a dealer?Over the past century, gasoline-powered vehicles have gotten simultaneously more complex and more reliable. Service intervals have lengthened, drivers no longer check a car's fluids daily or weekly, and many new-car owners will never once open the hood. Reliability data shows that some of them...
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When will Tesla Model Y crossover to go into production? Poll resultsThe Tesla Model 3, the first mass-market electric car from the Silicon Valley carmaker, is now nominally in production. Scaling up from a trickle of hand-assembled cars to 10,000 units a month is Job One to keep Tesla afloat by letting it sell cars to hundreds of thousands of hand-raisers globally...
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Bolt EV plant shutdown, best charging stations, clean air vs audio gear, BMW to Faraday: Today's Car NewsToday, we dig deeper into the reasons for a Chevy Bolt EV plant shutdown, look at why Audi may have cheated on diesel emissions, assess charging stations, and tell you why we think Formula E is important. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We analyzed the news that Chevy is extending its...
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Why all electric-car owners should follow Formula E racingIn North America and Europe, the old saying—"Win on Sunday, sell on Monday"—probably no longer applies. That is, winning races over the weekend probably does little if anything to boost sales of passenger cars and light trucks, certainly not the way it did in the U.S. in the 1950s and...
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Tough Audi decision alleged: diesel-emission gear or profitable high-end audio systems?Although it's not been in U.S. news much lately, the VW diesel scandal continues to unfold in Germany, as prosecutors continue their investigations over whether criminal acts were committed under German law. That doesn't mean U.S. investigations have finished, however. Last week's arrest in Germany...
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Equinox Diesel prices, Formula E electric-car racing, Renault Zoe, why China doesn't care: Today's Car News John VoelckerToday, we've got coverage from the weekend's Formula E race, some context on why China really doesn't care what non-Chinese automakers think, and the latest sales figures for Europe's best-selling...
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11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racingWe've just spent a packed, very hot weekend at the New York City ePrix, the first time the FIA Formula E electric-car racing series has come to the country's media capital. It was our first Formula E race, and like many who follow electric cars, we learned a lot. More than that, we got a better...
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Renault Zoe still dominates Europe electric-car sales; longer range boosts salesAsk a North American driver to name companies that make electric cars, and you'll probably hear Tesla, maybe Nissan, and perhaps Chevy or BMW or Toyota. Chinese drivers may be more likely to say BYD (and perhaps Tesla), but Europeans will likely name Renault. (And Tesla.) The Renault Zoe, now in...
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2018 Chevy Equinox Diesel pricing to start just above $31,000Every now and then, resourceful journalists dredge up automotive news before it emerges in a sanitized press release from the maker in question. So it is with the pricing on the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel, one of two diesel-powered compact crossover utility vehicles expected to hit the U.S...
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China electric-car rules 'impossible,' say carmakers; more deference to regulators needed?It may be human nature to avoid doing things that are for the long-term good but impose short-term costs. Exercising more, giving up smoking, or paying more for a car that is better for the environment all challenge many otherwise responsible citizens. And it's abundantly clear that the emergence...
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Several states want far cleaner diesel trucks; EPA to start rulemaking?Almost one-third of the heavy trucks on U.S. roads now use the most stringent emission-control systems, which radically reduce their emissions of nitrogen oxides, soot, and other pollutants. Commercial trucks log much higher annual mileage than passenger cars, especially the semi tractors that haul...
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Bolt EV sales, Lucid vs Tesla, 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid, cleaner diesel trucks: The Week in Reverse John VoelckerHow's the Chevy Bolt EV electric car doing in sales after six months in the market?
What was missing from President Trump's speech on U.S. energy policy?
This is our look back at the Week In...
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Good news on diesel trucks, 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid, Tesla to rule the world? Today's Car NewsToday, we've got news on an important new hybrid mid-size sedan, some good diesel news for a change, and a skeptical look at why one German analyst's enthusiasm for Tesla could be misplaced. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We published yesterday's green-car news roundup later than usual (in...
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2018 Honda Accord Hybrid: more trunk space, higher fuel economy promisedOver three sporadic model years, the hybrid version of the Honda Accord mid-size sedan has led a peripatetic life. The 2014 and 2015 Accord Hybrid was built in Marysville, Ohio, along with almost all the rest of the Accords sold in North America, its largest market. It skipped 2016 altogether, and...
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Another Bolt EV road trip, best green-car deals, BMW electric-car sales, child seats: Today's Car NewsToday, what lessons did a Chevy Bolt EV electric-car driver learn from his 1,300-mile road trip? Do you know what to do if your car seats are in a crash? And how many plug-in electric cars did BMW sell over six months? All this and more on Green Car Reports. You may recall some previous Chevy Bolt...
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Electric-car road trip: lessons learned in Chevy Bolt EV over 1,300 milesLaunched in December, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the first mass-priced electric car to go on sale with a rated range of more than 200 miles: 238 miles combined, according to the EPA. Most owners use their Bolt EVs for daily commuting and trips, just like any other car. But road trips are an...
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Tesla sales plateau revisited, Lucid Air assessed, German plug-in hybrids, retro rides: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got upcoming plug-in hybrids from German luxury makes, another look at Tesla's sales plateau, and an educated assessment of the Lucid Air all-electric luxury sedan. All this and more on Green Car Reports. After our piece a few days ago on Tesla's first-half sales, we took another look...
John Voelcker