John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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While corporate average fuel-economy standards through 2021 remain in place in the U.S., automakers are preparing their case to argue for delays in further tightening.
Meanwhile, China is turning the...
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The day without coal: Britain's first one since 1882The Industrial Revolution that started around 1750 in England was powered largely by coal. With Watt's invention of the steam engine and the emergence of railways in the mid-nineteenth century, the carbon-dense fuel was central to the change from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. Last...
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Tesla recall, Shanghai electric concepts, diesel VWs return, Model S changes : The Week in ReverseWhich makers showed plug-in electric concepts in Shanghai that were conspicuously absent from the New York auto show? What caused Tesla to recall more than 50,000 of its electric cars? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on...
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Tesla recall, high electric-car interest, future Genesis, Shanghai concepts: Today's Car NewsToday, a Tesla recall, more cars with plugs from Shanghai, disarray on climate policy under Trump, and depressing data on distracted driving. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla will recall 53,000 Model S and Model X electric cars to replace a potentially defective gear that could cause...
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U.S. exit from Paris Climate Agreement unclear; Trump team clashes on policyAs the Trump Administration nears its 100th day, it seems fair to say that it is still emitting mixed messages on multiple issues, from foreign policy to climate change. On that latter, it's important to reiterate that the president and many of his appointed agency and department heads deny the...
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Tesla recalls 53,000 Model S, Model X electric cars for parking-brake issueTesla has issued a voluntarily recall for roughly 53,000 of its Model S and Model X electric cars to address an issue in which the parking brake might stick in the engaged position. The recall was first reported yesterday by CNBC. The vehicles affected were built between February and October of...
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In designing, testing, and producing the Nissan Leaf, the first modern electric car sold in volume, Nissan made a design decision that some other companies didn't.
It chose not to build an active...
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Audi, Chevy, and more in Shanghai, Toyota electric car, Nissan Leaf battery advice: Today's Car NewsToday, it's almost all about China and the Shanghai auto show, including live photos and details of electric and plug-in hybrid concept cars—and why China is making Toyota very, very unhappy. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We've got more from the very green Shanghai auto show...
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Why Toyota's 'agonizing' U-turn toward electric cars? Because China says soLarge auto companies are likely aircraft carriers: it takes a long time for them to change direction, and far longer yet to get them aligned on a new course. To various degrees, the world's carmakers have started to produce and sell vehicles that plug-in, whether for some or all of their travels...
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Chevrolet FNR-X plug-in hybrid crossover concept debuts in Shanghai: live photosAfter being teased last week, the Chevrolet FNR-X Concept crossover made its debut yesterday at the Shanghai auto show. The new shape, which sports a plug-in hybrid powertrain, is intended to showcase the design talents of Chevy's Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai It's the second...
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2018 (?) Honda CR-V Hybrid all but confirmed for U.S. sale after Shanghai debutIt's one of the more frequently asked questions on consumer car sites: why aren't there any hybrid crossover utility vehicles? The Ford Escape Hybrid reigned alone in that segment from 2004 through 2012. Then Ford simply walked away from the segment, replacing it with the underwhelming C-Max Hybrid...
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Hybrid Honda CR-V, VW diesel discounts, hydrogen heavy hauler, Model X updates: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got more from the influential Shanghai auto show, more Tesla updates, the end of debate over climate science, and a huge heavy-duty hydrogen vehicle. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Following yesterday's update on 2017 Tesla Model S price and feature changes, today we updated...
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Toyota 'Project Portal' hydrogen fuel-cell heavy-duty semi tractor as proof of concept John VoelckerThe challenges of building fueling infrastructure for passenger cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells are well known by now.
Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai now lease low volumes of fuel-cell vehicles in...
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Is the science of climate change open to debate? Poll resultsIt's mixed news these days for those concerned about continuing manmade climate change. On the one hand, global carbon emissions were flat for the third year in a row, increasing numbers of global corporations have lined up to support climate-change reduction efforts, and electric power is getting...
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VW diesels back, Shanghai show news, Model S prices, electric-car fast charging: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got three separate Volkswagen stories: one on a new all-electric concept car, one on the return of (a few) VW TDI diesels, and one on its Electrify America plan. Plus, more Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan changes! All this and more on Green Car Reports. As we've noted before, this...
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VW Electrify America plan for electric-car charging across U.S. releasedTwo billion dollars is a lot of money. When VW Group of America agreed to fund a $2 billion project to spread zero-emission vehicle infrastructure across the U.S. as part of its settlements in the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal, that immediately changed the playing field for electric-car fast...
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Trump DoE to critique renewables against coal for grid reliabilityIt is widely accepted in the energy industry that U.S. coal production will fall as a percentage of the total electric grid mix. That has little to do with its high carbon footprint per kilowatt-hour generated; it is largely due to far greater supplies of much cheaper fracked natural gas. It is...
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2017 Tesla Model S pricing, feature changes: breaking them down in detailAs its owners know, although much of the car-buying world doesn't, Tesla doesn't believe in the idea of model years. Rather than updating its electric cars each autumn, to correspond to a new model year, it simply changes them when it feels the updates are ready. This can lead to some confusion...
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If you're a diehard diesel fan, you now have one last chance to buy a brand-new Volkswagen TDI diesel car.
Well, almost brand-new, anyhow: the cars in question are 2015 models, and about 11,000 of...
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Volkswagen ID Crozz concept for all-electric crossover debuts at Shanghai auto showThe Chinese government wants more plug-in electric cars sold in the country—and quickly. The Shanghai auto show this week demonstrates that multiple global automakers are stepping up to the plate, both with production cars and concepts. The Volkswagen ID Crozz Concept shows what a future...
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Electric jet, Cadillac plug-in hybrid, European diesel sales, another Audi e-tron: Today's Car NewsToday, we've got another preview from the important Shanghai auto show, some Eurodiesel news, a first drive of a plug-in hybrid Cadillac, and the audacious idea of an electric airplane All this and more on Green Car Reports. A new electric-jet startup has some important backers: Boeing and JetBlue...
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2017 Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid sedan reviewed by LA TimesWhile the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the Chevy Malibu Hybrid rack up four-figure sales in most months, the third vehicle to use elements of that same drivetrain remains all but invisible in the U.S. That's the 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid, a version of the CT6 large luxury sedan from...
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Europe diesel sales sag slightly, continuing trend since 2012Despite efforts by Chevrolet to step into the void left by Volkswagen, sales of diesel passenger vehicles in the U.S. may have been permanently crippled by the VW diesel emission scandal. In Europe, however, diesel has been entrenched for decades as roughly 50 percent of the market. Even before the...
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All-electric Audi e-tron Sportback concept teased for Shanghai auto showThe Shanghai auto show is shaping up to be a showcase for all the green cars and concepts that were absent from last week's New York auto show. Among them is a concept for a "four-door coupe" version of the Audi e-tron all-electric SUV that'll go into production sometime next year. The Audi e-Tron...
John Voelcker