John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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Are there many different ways to reduce the carbon associated with road vehicles?
Or are electric vehicles the best and only viable way to proceed?
That's the debate at the heart of two different...
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Electric-car battery costs: Tesla $190 per kwh for pack, GM $145 for cellsLithium-ion cells and the battery packs that hold them are the single most costly part of modern electric cars. And how fast their costs will fall remains the defining factor in making those cars affordable for the mass market. GM made waves last fall when product chief Mark Reuss said the company...
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Tesla fan commercial: electric car rescue from post-apocalyptic landscapeWhen fans of a particular electric car start creating their own unofficial commercials for the car, it usually means one of two things. Either the existing ads are inconsistent, irritating, and miss the point (first-generation Chevy Volt marketing, ahem), or the auteur is so enamored of the car...
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Hyundai to launch all-electric SUV in 2018 with 200-mile rangeCarmakers need to launch more plug-in electric vehicles to meet global regulations on emission reduction and energy efficiency. And small to mid-size SUVs are the fastest-growing segment in auto markets around the world. Now we learn that Hyundai is planning to launch a dedicated all-electric SUV...
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All-wheel-drive hybrid cars, SUVs: why are there so few?Fifty years ago, a now-forgotten British luxury coupe called the Jensen FF went into production, offering the first modern all-wheel drive system on any passenger car in the world. Four-wheel drive had been offered only on a few specialized truck models to that point, but the traction and braking...
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Updated 2016 Tesla Model S 90D now rated at 303 miles highway rangeIf 200-mile electric cars are the new black, then what does that make 300-mile electric cars? With the launch of the Chevy Bolt EV less than a year away, and 400,000 reservations for Tesla Model 3 cars to be delivered sometime in 2018 or later, clearly 200 miles is the new benchmark for range below...
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Among battery electric cars on sale in the U.S., only three vehicles have sold more than 10,000 copies since 2010: the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, and BMW i3.
But four new or updated models coming...
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VW diesel agreement, 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid, Chevy Bolt EV: The Week in ReverseWhat do we know about the diesel-cheating settlement reached between Volkswagen and the EPA—and what's left to find out? And, which company's consultants will now be driving black-and-white Toyota hybrids? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the...
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VW diesel agreement: what we know (and don't know) in 5 questionsYesterday's news that Volkswagen and the U.S. EPA had reached agreement on a deal to address VW's diesel-emission cheating scandal brought as much confusion as clarity. The carmaker and the regulator said they had agreed on the general outline of a deal to offer owners a choice of either...
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Ford says 'no thanks' to 200-mile electric car race, for nowElectric cars with 200 miles of range will be the next big step in expanding the global market for plug-in vehicles. Leading the charge will be GM, with the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV that will go on sale in less than a year. That car will be followed at some point by the next-generation 2018 Nissan...
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VW settlement with EPA announced over diesel emission scandal (updated)Volkswagen and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said today that they had reached an agreement on a plan to address hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles sold over six years deliberately designed to violate U.S. emission laws. The agreement, released at 8 am California time this morning...
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2018 Honda Clarity electric versions: first details, including 40-plus-mile range for plug-in hybridThe 2017 Honda Clarity will arrive in showrooms late this year with a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain, one of three hydrogen-powered vehicles that will be sold in limited numbers in specific California regions that have hydrogen fueling stations up and running. But Honda has much larger plans for the...
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European fix for VW diesels complies with law, but real-world emissions still too high John VoelckerUpdates to the millions of Volkswagen TDI diesel cars that turned out not to meet European emission regulations were supposed to be well underway by now.
German authorities had signed off on the...
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Bob Lutz called 2017 Chevy Bolt EV a 'compliance car'; is it?Electric-car advocates are often passionate, with memories long enough to remember GM's 2004 destruction of its pioneering fleet of EV1 electric cars. Since then, the company has built and sold two generations of the Chevrolet Volt, with the launch of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV imminent within a...
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2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited gas mileage reviewThe 2017 Hyundai Elantra small four-door is an all-new version of a car that came from humble roots to being a major player in the highly competitive compact sedan market. The last version, launched for 2011, blended eye-grabbing design and a features-for-money equation that brought it into the...
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Electric car predictions: panel video from NY Auto ShowEvery so often, Green Car Reports is asked to take part in panels and industry events discussing the future of advanced auto technologies—particularly electric cars. Two weeks ago, at the New York Auto Show, site editor John Voelcker joined electric-car advocate Chelsea Sexton and Salim Morsy...
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Tesla Model S update, Model 3 futures, diesel deadline, coal dying: The Week in ReverseWhich pillar of North American industry is now almost entirely in bankruptcy? And, what Tesla electric car was replaced before it even entered production? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, April 15, 2016. Friday, after...
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Tesla Model 3 demand startled everyone, even Musk; now what?To say that the auto industry has been startled by the volume of deposits on the Tesla Model 3 would be an understatement. The number of potential buyers worldwide who have sent Tesla Motors $1,000 to reserve a place in line to buy the car is now approaching 400,000, said longtime executive...
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With a restyled Model S released yesterday and more than 300,000 reservations globally for its $35,000 Model 3 coming in 2018, Tesla Motors has had a busy, busy month.
Almost overlooked in all the...
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2016 Tesla Model S gets styling update, 48-amp charger, new interior options, $1,500 price increase (updated)
The Tesla Model S electric car, which went into production in June 2012, is getting its first styling updates in almost four years. The Silicon Valley carmaker said that Model S luxury sedans produced starting today in its Fremont, California, assembly plant will have a new front-end design...
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Can VW, agencies meet April 21 diesel-fix deadline? EPA head not sure
Nine days remain until the deadline imposed by a judge for Volkswagen and two regulatory agencies to agree on the outline of a plan to modify vehicles affected by the diesel-emission scandal. That deadline was already postponed once, but whether VW, the EPA, and the powerful California Air...
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Reusing electric-car batteries: great idea, lots of practical challengesIn theory, it's a wonderful concept: once their tenure in an electric car is over, lithium-ion battery packs with as much as 70 percent of their energy capacity remaining can be sold and reused. In practice, however—especially at scale—the idea turns out to have some practical...
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Tesla Model X recall to replace third-row seat backs after European safety testTesla Motors will recall 2,700 Model X electric crossover utility vehicles to replace seat backs in the third row after a recliner unexpectedly slipped during seat-strength tests. The vehicles in question were built prior to March 26, and are all located in the U.S. Tesla said in a letter e-mailed...
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Chrysler throws in towel on sedans: 200, Dart to die for SUVs, trucks (updated)Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is the only U.S. maker to release five-year business plans to the media--and offer updates when things change. That's just what it did yesterday, when it updated its plan for 2014 through 2018. The biggest shocker of the day was the company's announcement that it would...
John Voelcker