John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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Tesla Autopilot video, 2018 Camry Hybrid, electric-car prices, Model 3 numbers: Today's Car News John VoelckerToday, we've got a pair of Tesla stories, a lot about the new 2018 Toyota Camry lineup (hybrid included), and some good news about electric-car prices. All this and more on Green Car Reports.
How...
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2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid first driveThe 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient version of all-new range of Toyota's popular mid-size sedan, its best-selling vehicle in the U.S. until very recently. The new Camry Hybrid is based on some of the same underpinnings as the 2016 Prius, and uses that car's updated hybrid system...
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How many Tesla Model 3s will be delivered by Dec 31? Poll resultsWith photos of Tesla Model 3 test cars now popping up regularly, it seems likely that some number of Tesla's lower-priced all-electric sedan will roll off the production lines within the next few months. The big question is when the company will start delivering them beyond the board members...
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NTSB on Tesla crash, electric VW Microbus, Ioniq demand, diesel ban: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got news on last summer's Tesla Autopilot crash that killed a driver, high demand for the Hyundai Ioniq, all-wheel-drive fuel economy, and a new, all-electric VW Microbus (but not for a few years). All this and more on Green Car Reports. Volkswagen has confirmed the all-electric VW ID...
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What AWD vehicle has the highest fuel economy?"I want a fuel-efficient car, but I live in a snowy area, and won't buy one without all-wheel drive; what's the best?" It's a question we hear often. Whether or not you agree that AWD is a must-have in wintry climes, the selection of cars with high fuel economy and AWD is limited. DON'T MISS: 2014...
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Demand for Hyundai Ioniq hybrid, electric models higher than expected, company saysThe issue first came to light in a question from a reader. It boiled down to this: "What's going on with the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, and why can't I get one at my local dealer in California?" The e-mail even included a link to a Korean business-news article, which is unusual for reader queries...
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Working to redirect attention from its diesel-emission scandal—soon to wind down in the U.S. but ongoing in Europe—Volkswagen Group has talked a lot about its future electric-car plans.
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Bolt EV ad, EPA vs California, U.S. Senate electric cars, China emissions advice: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got news on this year's electric Bolt EV (an ad!), the Senate's former electric cars (more than a century ago), a stand-down by EPA head and climate-denier Scott Pruitt, and California partnering with China on zero-emission vehicles. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the...
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Trump EPA backs away from attacking California emission waiverSometime between March 1 and 7, a specific page vanished from the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Amidst coverage of the removal of the word "science" from the mission statement of the EPA's Science and Technology Office, it went largely unnoticed. First posted in December...
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Yes, ads for the Chevy Bolt EV electric car do actually exist; here's oneThe 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV isn't yet available in all states, but it's been on sale in California for six months now. While Chevy has said all along it will market the 238-mile electric car in a very targeted way, specifically trying to reach people similar to existing owners, it may have expanded...
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The US Senate once had its own electric cars: two Studebakers that ran undergroundOne advantage of electric cars is that unlike gasoline or steam cars, they have no emissions. More than a century ago, that was why the U.S. Capitol acquired two custom-built electric cars, nicknamed "Tommy" and "Peggy." They were built by Studebaker, an early and hallowed U.S. car brand that...
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2018 Leaf, used Tesla prices, Ram diesel worries, Bolt EV road trip: The Week in ReverseWhy did a Chevy Bolt EV buyer have to drive his car more than 800 miles just to pick up his electric car? Which state seems to be trolling Tesla, again, by locking its cars out of a special purchase incentive? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car...
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Used Tesla prices, Pacifica Hybrid recall, electric mail vans, solar energy jobs: Today's Car News John VoelckerToday, electric postal vans, jobs in renewable energy, better used Tesla prices, and a plug-in hybrid minivan recall. All this and more on Green Car Reports.
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Solar jobs have grown 20 percent a year since 2012; coal, not so muchHere's a little quiz on a topic much discussed over the past couple of years: jobs. How many people work in the U.S. coal industry? Not just miners, but office staff, too. And, how many people work for solar-energy companies in the U.S.? DON'T MISS: Clean energy provides far more U.S. jobs than...
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Deutsche Post and Ford to build Transit-based electric vanDeutsche Post, the German mail service, has long hoped to replace its fleet of 30,000 internal-combustion delivery vans with electric vehicles. In 2014, it bought the company Street Scooter, which has since built thousands of small car-sized electric delivery vans. Now Deutsche Post has announced...
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Michigan vs electric cars, Bolt EV road trip, Honda Clarity pricing, C-Max efficiency: Today's Car NewsToday, we have another Bolt EV road trip, scratch our heads at Michigan, look at electric-car lease pricing, and consider a type of hybrid we may never see in North America. All this and more on Green Car Reports. You still can't buy a Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in much of the Midwest, so one...
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Does Michigan hate electric cars? Buyers, drivers challenged by myriad factorsAs Kermit the Frog sang, sometimes it's not easy being green. That appears to be particularly the case in Michigan, home to the three largest U.S. automakers. The Great Lakes State is a global hub of automotive technology, the bulk of it centered around internal-combustion engines. CHECK OUT...
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Nissan Gripz Concept uses Note e-Power series-hybrid systemThe series-hybrid powertrain, in which motive power is provided exclusively by one or more electric motors that run on electricity produced by a combustion engine, has been popular in trains and boats for many decades. In cars, it's been confined to the BMW i3 REx and the Fisker Karma (now Karma...
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How badly do you want a new, affordable, long-range electric car?
Badly enough to drive it more than 800 miles without a unified fast-charging infrastructure?
That's exactly what Bill Massmann, a...
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Jaguar I-Pace imminent, coal subsidies, Texas vs Tesla, self-driving Bolt EVs: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got electric cars that drive themselves, electric luxury SUVs that will arrive sooner than you think, a small crossover that'll offer an electric version, and yet another Tesla battle with a state legislature. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Hyundai Kona small crossover...
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Texas restores $2,500 electric-car purchase rebate, except for Teslas
Ah, Texas, the state that was formerly a nation and continues to do things slightly differently. Its politics is bare-knuckle, its hats are big, and so are its ranches. It also generates more renewable wind energy than any other state in the union. Its auto-dealer lobbyists, however, are equally...
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Ohio bill would grant permanent subsidies to coal-fired power plantsIt's now widely acknowledged that the energy and electricity-generation landscape is changing rapidly. The U.S. has vastly increased its oil and gas production, driving down prices of fossil fuels globally. At the same time, ever-cheaper renewable energy—not only solar, but surprisingly...
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Self-driving Chevy Bolt EV electric test cars to be deployedIt's widely acknowledged that most, if not all, of the autonomous vehicles expected to reach our roads in volume will be electric cars. Without the complexity of a combustion engine and transmission that must be electromechanically controlled, the task of automating the driving of a vehicle is...
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Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV being built now; Europe launch this year, U.S. in 2018?While Audi and Mercedes-Benz have trumpeted the electric crossover utility vehicles they will offer in 2018 and 2019, a smaller competitor is keeping pace with the German giants. The British brand Jaguar won praise for the design of its I-Pace electric SUV on its debut at last November's Los...
John Voelcker