John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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Sooner or later, it can happen in a romance: the two parties decide they're just not that into one another.
The state of California dumped hybrid-electric vehicles on July 1, 2011, when it ended the...
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Tesla adds two Model S 60 versions starting at $66K, still 200 miles or moreThe Tesla Model S electric car has been offered in several versions over its five model years to date, with faster and longer-range variants getting the most attention. Today the Silicon Valley carmaker announced two new, less expensive versions of the Model S that start at $66,000. Both will offer...
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Is Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SUV hurting Prius V wagon sales?The 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is the sole mass-market crossover SUV that offers a hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive. That was a market pioneered by the Ford Escape Hybrid, in 2004, and one that Ford walked away from for 2013. It turns out that there seems to be a market for compact crossovers...
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2016 Tesla Model X first drive reviewWhen you want to buy a Tesla electric car, and you've got four kids, there's only one choice on the market. That's the 2016 Tesla Model X six- or seven-seat SUV, and courtesy of an owner in just that situation, we've finally been able to spend a few hours driving the luxury crossover. Unlike other...
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2017 Ford Escape quick drive reviewThe Ford Escape has been a hugely popular small crossover SUV since its 2001 debut, and after a quick drive in the updated 2017 model, we're reminded why. While it's not the most capacious entry in the segment, the driving experience is more rewarded and the interior quality remains top-notch even...
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Tesla refutes owner claims of Model X 'sudden acceleration' before crashIt started with a post two days ago on the owners' forum on the Tesla Motors website. In it, an owner with the user name "Puzant" claimed that a five-day-old Tesla Model X electric SUV had accelerated out of control while parking. Yesterday, Tesla denied that claim, and issued a statement saying...
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It looks like a BMW, offers relatively sporty roadholding for an SUV, and delivers a quiet, solid ride.
The 2016 BMW X1 is so cleverly proportioned, in fact, that many buyers will never noticed that...
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Tesla Model X door-control software to be updated, Musk saysGiven Elon Musk's habit of revealing snippets of information when he talks, electric-car advocates, owners, and industry analysts pore over any live event at which the Tesla Motors CEO presents. On June 1, the Silicon Valley carmaker held its annual shareholder meeting, which clocked in at a...
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BMW electric SUV, Tesla demands, VW batteries, maxi Mini: The Week in ReverseWhich notorious disaster site has been proposed as a hydrogen production site for fuel-cell vehicles? And, what does electric-car maker Tesla Motors demand that its owners clubs must do? 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 Model 3 owners will pay to use Superchargers, cost TBDIn the beginning, the use of Tesla's nascent network of Supercharger DC fast-charging sites wasn't going to be free. Not for owners of the less-expensive Model S 40 and 60 versions, at least: if they wanted to use the Supercharger network, they paid a $2,500 fee up front. But demand for the...
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Will Apple sell electric-car charging stations?The question of whether Apple is working on an actual electric car, or just software of some kind for future cars, continues to be a topic of hot debate in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, said in January that it was "an open secret" that Apple is making an electric...
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BMW i5 electric crossover SUV in 2019: latest rumor-mill roundupThe next electric BMW has been the subject of intense interest and discussion for many months. Now, we think we've pieced together a rough idea of the car, its timing, its configuration, and its technology. The BMW i5 electric crossover SUV (with optional range extender) will likely be unveiled at...
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The all-electric range of every type of plug-in car has risen since their introduction in 2011, and will continue to increase with further boosts in battery energy density.
This means that not only...
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2011 Nissan Leaf electric car crosses 150,000 miles of commuting (updated)Many drivers with a 130-mile round-trip each day to work and back might deem the 73-mile EPA-rated range of a 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car far too little to qualify for the commute. Not Steve Marsh, though. The Washington resident continues to rack up miles in his early Leaf. He crossed 100,000...
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Tesla's secret software, VW diesel progress, Chevy Jolt EV, Nissan batteries: The Week in Reverse
Which completely fictional electric car caused a stir on the Interwebs over the last few weeks? And, what secret software are some Tesla cars running in real-world driving to help the company refine its future self-driving capabilities? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here...
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China mulls congestion charge, quotas in Beijing for emission, traffic woesSince the 1950s, California has been a global leader in efforts to limit and then eliminate emissions from motor vehicles. But with hazardous and choking air pollution in its major cities, not to mention traffic jams to rival any in the world, China may prove to be the Golden State's...
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VW diesel settlement: progress being made on details, judge saysThe Federal judge overseeing negotiations toward a U.S. settlement of the Volkswagen diesel-emission cheating scandal said Tuesday that good progress was being made toward reaching a final resolution by June 21. The Environmental Protection Agency and Volkswagen are on track to file a final...
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Mercedes-Benz electric cars: more details of 4 models for 2020 emergeAll three German luxury car makers now have plans to launch battery-electric vehicles before 2020 to counter the unlikely success of California's Tesla Motors. Whether their electric cars are sedans, SUVs, or both, they will likely be sized and priced to compete with the Tesla Model S and Model X...
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First, there was the Volt. Then came the Bolt, later renamed the Bolt EV.
Now, there's the Jolt EV, the third Chevrolet electrical car.
At least, that's what appeared on a website a few weeks...
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Tesla Model 3 targets: 100K in 2017, 400K in 2018, say skeptical suppliersTesla Motors' audacious goal of building half a million cars a year by the end of 2018 will require boosting its production by a factor of 10 over just two and a half years. And it will require nothing less than a reorientation of the entire company toward manufacturing, even as vehicle development...
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BMW electric-car lawsuit, Tesla Model 3 deposits, RIP Cadillac ELR: The Week in ReverseWhich long-challenged luxury electric car was finally, quietly euthanized by its maker? And, what kind of new vehicle has inventor Nikola Tesla given his name to now? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, May 20, 2016. Friday...
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Gasoline demand rises in U.S., China, and India; more growth expectedGasoline prices, which fell below $2 a gallon in many parts of the United States over the winter, have been slowly rising again. And given the supply-and-demand equations in the global oil industry, that means that demand has risen as supplies have stayed steady or fallen. So even though Saudi...
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BMW i3 REx electric-car lawsuit: range-extender power loss allegedThe BMW i3 is the only electric car in the world sold with an optional range-extending engine to increase driving capability beyond the range provided by the battery. The "REx" option adds a small, 34-horsepower 650cc two-cylinder engine, derived from one used in BMW motorcycles, that powers a...
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Tesla Model 3 reservations: 373K after duplicates, speculators removedThe hundreds of thousands of $1,000 deposits placed for the Tesla Model 3 electric cars by potential buyers around the world came as an eye-opening shock to the auto industry. More than 100,000 such deposits were placed during the day that preceded the car's unveiling on the evening of March 31...
John Voelcker