John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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Any automotive journalist has, by now, sat through many lengthy presentations from carmakers on Millennials and what they want.
Some are insightful, a few are cringeworthy, but the basic message...
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Battle over CAFE standards begins now: will they change for 2022-2025?Two weeks ago today, three federal and state agencies jointly released a "Technical Assessment Report" on how well automakers have done thus far in meeting corporate average fuel economy standards. It concluded that car companies may not quite reach the theoretical goal of an average 54.5 mpg (or...
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2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV to ship to dealers before end of yearGeneral Motors has always had an aggressive schedule for launching its 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, the industry's first mass-priced electric car with 200 miles or more of range. It was revealed as a concept just 18 months ago at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, with a production version unveiled at this...
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Tesla boosts Supercharger electric-car charging rate to 145 kwBy now, the Tesla Supercharger network has provided a superb case study showing the importance of a comprehensive nationwide network of DC fast-charging sites to make electric cars practical for long-distance trips. While the competing CHAdeMO and Combined Charging System (CCS) standards are...
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No VW buybacks yet, Tesla gigafactory opens, CA electric-car sales: Today's Car NewsLots and lots of Volkswagen news today, plus electric-car sales in California and the Tesla gigafactory too. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Some of Volkswagen's 30 upcoming electric-car models by 2025 will be built in North America, says its top executive here. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk...
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VW diesel deception known by highest execs, lawsuits sayEvery scandal comes down to a set of related questions: who knew what, and when did they know it? Thus far, in the VW diesel emission scandal, those questions remain unanswered. A report from an independent inquiry into the entire chain of events, commissioned by VW Group and conducted by law firm...
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Sales of plug-in electric cars are not evenly distributed across the U.S. by any means.
California, with its pioneering zero-emission vehicle sales requirements, has always occupied an outsize place...
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VW diesel plan gets preliminary approval, but buyback offers won't start yetAs expected, a federal district-court judge gave preliminary approval yesterday to a plan for Volkswagen to buy back or modify hundreds of thousands of 2.0-liter diesel vehicles sold from 2009 through 2015. The cars, sold by VW and Audi, contained "defeat device" software that kept their emissions...
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Tesla battery gigafactory opens as pace ramps up to ludicrousIf it's built out to the full size in the original plans, the Tesla gigafactory outside Reno, Nevada, will cover 10 million square feet. That's the equivalent of more than 260 U.S. football fields, which would make it one of the largest buildings in the world. Yesterday, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk...
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Tesla Autopilot do's and don'ts, VW diesel details, Audi electric cars: Today's Car NewsSome VW diesel update details, more electric cars from Audi, and continuing questions over whether retail buyers will get a crack at early Chevrolet Bolt EVs. All this and more on Green Car Reports. A new video shows what the Tesla Autopilot system does and doesn't do, and suggests how to use it...
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Two more electric cars to follow Audi e-tron SUV by 2020, maker saysWe know that Audi, along with BMW, is convinced that the luxury car market must include high-performance battery-electric vehicles. And we know that VW Group's luxury brand will launch a sporty and all-electric crossover utility vehicle, to be called simply the Audi e-tron, for 2018. What we hadn't...
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Updates to VW diesel cars: a few details, timing emerge on modificationsWith luck, owners of the 466,000 Volkswagen and Audi 2.0-liter diesel cars at the center of the VW emission cheating scandal now know that they will be offered a choice of what to do with their cars. Either they will be able to sell their cars back to the company for a set price, or they can have...
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The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will be the world's first mass-priced electric car with a range of 200 miles or more. That alone makes it a hugely important new market entry.
Going on sale in late 2016...
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VW diesel questions, Tesla Master Plan, Accord Hybrid drive, Prius passe? The Week in ReverseWhy did we decide that the Honda Accord Hybrid, our Best Car To Buy three years ago, faces new and tougher competition? And, what new types of electric vehicles is Tesla Motors promising to introduce now? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for...
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Next BMW 3-Series to include all-electric Tesla Model 3 rival: reportTesla rocked the German luxury makers a couple of years ago when it became clear that its all-electric Model S sedan was truly appealing to a wide swath of enthusiastic luxury-car buyers. With more than 125,000 sold since mid-2012, Tesla Motors has since launched the Model X electric crossover...
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VW diesel deal: what should I do? Take buyback? Wait for updates?It's a question that hundreds of thousands of VW 2.0-liter TDI diesel owners will be asking soon, if they haven't already: Should I take the buyback? Some have already made up their minds. They want their cars to go away, and will sell them back to the manufacturer that deceived them and lied to...
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Why VW killed its TDI diesels in the U.S.: future emission standardsHell hath no fury like a well-meaning government regulator who's been sneered at and condescended to by executives of one of the world's largest auto companies—only to learn the company has systematically lied to her and deliberately violated the laws she's charged with enforcing. After the...
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EPA: 2025 target of 54.5 mpg may not be met; SUVs, trucks, cheap gas to blameA pair of U.S. federal agencies said yesterday that while automakers had complied with the first five years of stricter fuel-efficiency laws, the industry seemed unlikely to meet 2025 targets for improving gas mileage. Rather than hitting the projected 54.5-mpg Corporate Average Fuel...
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The Honda Accord Hybrid was an impressive car when it launched as a 2014 model, but supply constraints frustrated buyers, and the hybrid mid-size sedan actually skipped the 2016 model year.
For...
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Prius Prime drive, more Tesla Autopilot, BMW electric sales, VW diesel fail: The Week in ReverseWhy are Consumer Reports and electric-car maker Tesla Motors at odds over Autopilot? And, how badly did the California Air Resources Board smack Volkswagen's rejected plan for updating its V-6 diesels? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the...
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Tesla says Autopilot not turned on in Model X crash NHTSA is investigating (update)With details about a fatal May 7 crash of a Tesla Model S operating on Autopilot continuing to garner news coverage, more crashes with Autopilot engaged appear to be surfacing. Most notably, the NHTSA has said it will investigate a crash on Friday, July 1, in which a Tesla Model X ran off the road...
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What does VW's diesel-pollution mitigation program actually do?Last month's settlement proposal to resolve the claims of more than 450,000 owners of VW and Audi 2.0-liter diesel cars contains quite a few separate requirements in its hundreds of pages. As well as buybacks of the affected cars and separate cash payments to owners, it requires Volkswagen to set...
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2017 Honda Clarity previewThe 2017 Honda Clarity is a mid-size four-door sedan that will ultimately be offered with three different powertrains. The Clarity Fuel Cell, the first version to launch, will be powered by electricity generated by an onboard fuel cell fed by compressed hydrogen. Then, next year, two more versions...
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Dodge Dart to die for good in SeptemberThe Dodge Dart four-door compact sedan was the first new vehicle created by the combined Fiat and Chrysler companies following the latter's 2009 bankruptcy and government-backed restructuring. Based on widened and lengthened underpinnings from a European Fiat model, it came together relatively...
John Voelcker