John Voelcker, Contributor
Articles
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Battery life of 2018 Nissan Leaf vs 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric cars: what manuals suggest John Voelcker
It's one of the major questions for any electric-car buyer: How long will the battery pack last?
And what would it cost to replace it if I do need a new one sometime down the road?
Now a new video...
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2018 Honda Accord Hybrid sedan to go on sale Friday, March 23
While mid-size sedans are losing the U.S. sales battle to crossover utility vehicles, they still sell hundreds of thousands of units each year. An entirely redesigned Honda Accord launched for 2018 just a few months after a redesigned version of its U.S. arch-rival the Toyota Camry, but the Accord...
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Ford's electric future, Model 3 parts, VW battery buy, Accord Hybrid MPG: The Week in Reverse
Which CEO actually admitted that underestimating electric cars was probably unwise? What did Ford reveal about its plans, finally, for new hybrid and plug-in electric cars? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, March...
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Ford's future hybrids, 300-mile electric SUV, Audi Sport e-tron GT, favorite EV poll: Today's Car News
Today, it's largely about a big Ford event yesterday that discussed future products, including hybrids and electric cars. We've also got poll results ranking electric cars and a new luxury electric Audi for the early 2020s. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We covered Ford's planned new...
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Ford's future hybrid, electric-car lineup: 5 things to know
The "Ford Uncovered Future Product Forum" held Thursday for journalists was a break in recent tradition for Detroit's second-largest automaker. The abrupt firing of CEO Mark Fields last May was an indication that Ford's board of directors wasn't happy with progress in preparing the company for a...
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Audi e-tron GT electric "super sedan" to challenge Tesla Model S
First came the Tesla Model S, followed by the Model X. Then Audi, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz rolled out their plans for single long-range electric luxury models to compete with Tesla. Now, the Germans are teasing their plans for further electric cars aimed at Tesla, with the Audi Sport e-tron GT the...
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Many times our polls deal with weighty issues—climate change, renewable energy, the effects of denying science—or survey expectations for the future.
But sometimes we just do a "Pick...
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Ford hybrid plans, Tesla Model 3 quality, VW profit hit, Chinese electric cars fight smog: Today's Car News
Today, we've got the first of a few articles from a Ford press event on its future lineup. Also, more info on Tesla Model 3 quality problems, why electric cars are key to China's battle against smog, and another Twitter poll. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Now that utility vehicles and...
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Tesla employees say Model 3 parts need substantial rework after production
Electric-car maker Tesla is known for troubled launches, at least for the four products it's offered since the first Roadster in 2008. But the launch of the Tesla Model 3, its lower-priced electric sedan, may be the most challenging yet—and it may be the Tesla with the highest expectations...
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Cutting carbon, meeting real-life emission tests, new electric cars to hurt profits, VW says
Well, that's awkward. At its annual media briefing on Wednesday, Volkswagen Group executives said the costs of meeting new emission tests in the EU, lowering carbon emissions globally, and launching multiple new electric models would eat into the company's profits. With the company's diesels in...
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Why the future of electric cars depends on China's war on pollution
Roughly half of everyone alive in the U.S. today has never experienced really bad smog. Those over, say, age 45—big-city residents and Angelenos especially—may recall hazy days in which the sun was barely visible, and air that actually tasted metallic. It's a memorable experience, and...
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In what segments will electric cars do best by 2025? Take our Twitter poll
Over the last several years, U.S. sales of utility vehicles, from small crossovers to hulking truck-based SUVs, have surged. Meanwhile, passenger cars—sedans, hatchbacks, the occasional wagon—have stagnated and in many cases, fallen sharply. Several factors have driven this shift. DON'T...
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German electric cars, VW battery buys, Pruitt's EPA vs California, future Escape Hybrid? Today's Car News John Voelcker
Today, we've got electric-car news from VW Group, war brewing between the EPA and California, the reason Germany electric-car sales are rising rapidly, and some thoughts on why Ford might bring back...
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Will 2021 Ford Escape bring back hybrid model (or plug-in hybrid)?
Tomorrow, Ford is hosting journalists at an unusual event called "Ford Uncovered," at which it may discuss some of its future products for 2020 and beyond. Key among the questions that attendees will undoubtedly ask will be those about the company's strategy for electrified vehicles. While Ford was...
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Electric car sales in Germany finally start to soar: Tesla leads
It's starting to look like China will lead the world in adoption of plug-in electric cars, but which carmaking nations will follow it? While electric cars were launched simultaneously in Japan and the United States, Europe lagged somewhat behind. Now, however, Germany—home to the largest...
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Pruitt won't let California set emission standards; EPA not looking at post-2025 rules
Now, it's war, in the words of California's lead emission regulator. In what Bloomberg News called a "wide-ranging interview" with EPA chief Scott Pruitt, he indicated the agency does not intend to let California set the agenda for national emission limits on vehicles. Bringing California into line...
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VW Group has nailed down $25 billion of batteries for electric cars, it said today
For a company that has only two battery-electric models in production, both several years old, VW Group spends a great deal of time talking about electric cars. The company has plans to launch 30 new electric vehicles by 2025, and has released four Volkswagen ID concepts, the first of which will...
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Plug-in hybrid truck costs, where dirty diesels go to rest, emissions from what now? Today's Car News
Today, we visited the place where old, non-compliant VW diesels go to rest, we have some surprisingly good news on auto emissions, and the cost of plug-in delivery trucks is clearly coming down. All this and more on Green Car Reports. UPS announced that 50 Workhorse plug-in hybrid trucks it is...
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The first major emission controls on motor vehicles were introduced in 1975 with the advent of the catalytic converter.
Today's cars emit less than 1 percent of the three "criteria" pollutants that...
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UPS says 50 Workhorse plug-in hybrid trucks cost no more than regular delivery vans
For almost a decade, commercial-fleet managers have acknowledged that electric truck are much cheaper to run per mile than the diesel equivalents they now use. But justifying the purchase of electric trucks has been a challenge because their upfront costs have been considerably higher. That may now...
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2019 VW Jetta gas mileage, India's electric cars, Accord Hybrid MPG, Smart EQ: Today's Car News
Today, we're still cleaning up our list of stories from last week's Geneva auto show, including an electric-car admission and a disappointing debut, along with fuel-economy ratings for the 2019 VW Jetta sedan and this year's new Honda Accord Hybrid. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the...
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Underestimating electric cars was a mistake (in China), says FCA's Marchionne
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has large challenges, even nine years after it was formed when the Italian company Fiat took over the bankrupt U.S. maker Chrysler. While its Jeep and Ram truck brands are doing well, it sells only three passenger cars in North America above the subcompact category, all of...
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2018 Honda Accord Hybrid rated by EPA at 47 mpg combined
The EPA has now released the fuel-efficiency ratings for the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid, and they came in 1 mpg below the combined number the company had hoped to reach. At a drive event last fall, Honda said it hoped the redesigned Accord Hybrid could manage the same fuel-efficiency ratings as last...
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India plan for converting to electric cars by 2030 may get trimmed, a lot
Two years ago, the government of India proposed a remarkable and ambitious goal: make every new vehicle coming onto its roads electric by 2030. The plan was largely a response to some of the world's highest levels of hazardous air pollution in its cities, higher in many cases than the legendary...
John Voelcker