Stephen Edelstein, Contributing Writer
Articles
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The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car gets a number of notable updates this year, including considerably increased range and a more powerful electric motor.
Unveiled at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto...
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How to curb climate change yourself: drive a more efficient carGiven the current political landscape in Washington, it's not unreasonable to worry about the future of U.S. efforts to combat climate change. The Trump Administration has embarked on an explicit mission to undo all Obama Administration efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Climate-science deniers in...
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Natural-gas plants cut carbon, but methane emissions can be 100 times higher than expectedWhile renewable energy gets significant press as an alternative to coal in electricity generation, it isn't the main factor in decreasing the use of that carbon-intensive fuel. Thanks to its generally lower cost, natural gas is quickly displacing other fuels in the nation's power plants. In...
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Germany, Austria electric-car charging networks improve, fast
Two adjacent European countries are stepping up efforts to improve their public electric-car charging infrastructure. Initiatives in Germany and Austria should see major improvements to charging networks in a short period of time, as both countries aggressively promote electric cars in an effort to...
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2018 Nissan Leaf spy shots, BMW electric-car confidence, Honda charging experiment: Today's Car NewsToday, we have more spy shots of the 2018 Nissan Leaf, BMW's CEO expresses an optimistic opinion about the future of electric cars, and Honda experiments with an unorthodox charging system. All this and more on Green Car Reports. New billboards in California not only advertise the Toyota Mirai...
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Honda researches high-power electric-car charging, at highway speedsEven with recent efforts to expand it, electric-car charging infrastructure is nowhere near rivaling the ubiquity of gas stations. But what if electric cars didn't need to stop to charge? That's essentially what a new Honda research project aims to investigate. DON'T MISS: Honda Clarity EV electric...
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Toyota Mirai billboards scrub nitrogen oxides while touting hydrogen fuel-cell sedan Stephen EdelsteinIf green cars can reduce emissions, why shouldn't their advertising do the same?
That's the theory behind a series of billboards in relevant California markets that advertise the Toyota Mirai...
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Soon, 'electric-car range will no longer be a factor,' BMW chief saysAmong German luxury brands, BMW was the first to show significant interest in electric cars. It launched its "i" sub-brand in Europe in 2013, and its plans have evolved to include adding all-electric powertrains to models within the main BMW brand in future. That is part of an effort to grow sales...
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Electric Aston Martin Rapide, CARB reaffirms emissions standards, E15 battle: Today's Car NewsToday, the Aston Martin Rapide is expected to go all-electric in 2018, the California Air Resources Board reaffirms 2025 emissions standards, and state and federal bills look to ban E15 ethanol fuel. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Catch up on last week's major news with our Week in Reverse...
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California reaffirms state emission, electric-car rules for 2025The California Air Resources Board voted Friday to confirm its stricter emissions standards for 2025, setting up a potential clash with the Trump Administration. The CARB vote reaffirms a decision by the EPA in the waning days of the Obama Administration to lock in emissions standards for vehicles...
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Aston Martin Rapide luxury sedan to go all-electric; cheerio, V-12!Many luxury automakers are planning new electric cars, both to meet future emissions standards and as a response to the success of Tesla. So far, though, no established automaker has discussed directly replacing an internal-combustion model with an all-electric one. But that may be exactly what...
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E15 gasoline faces stronger headwinds as more states move to ban itWhile political control in Washington has changed, the debate over a mandate to blend specific volumes of ethanol into the U.S. fuel supply has not. Since its passage in 2007 as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act, the ethanol-mandating Renewable Fuel Standard has attracted...
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Not all electric vehicles have wheels.
Electric boats have actually been around for quite awhile, and now a California startup is trying to expand use of electric powertrains to another type of...
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Europe's emission limits, small cars far from global mainstream: is this why GM sold Opel?At the 2017 Geneva auto show, General Motors announced the sale of its entire European operations—comprising factories and the Opel and Vauxhall brands—to PSA Peugeot Citroën. German Opel and its British Vauxhall sibling have represented GM's main presence in Europe for decades...
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French prosecutors to investigate Fiat Chrysler for 'aggravated cheating' on diesel emissionsFiat Chrysler Automobiles continues to be dogged by allegations that it cheated on various diesel-emissions tests. In the U.S., the company faces two lawsuits alleging that diesel vehicles use "defeat device" software to circumvent emissions tests in a similar manner to Volkswagen's cheating TDI...
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Faster electric-car fast charging: test site in Fremont, VW plans 300 kw-plusCharging infrastructure projects for electric cars have mostly focused on expanding the number of charging sites available to the public over the last six years. But now significant effort is also being put into increasing the power those public charging stations can provide. This is due to...
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Fuel-economy rules & jobs, Tesla quality issues, high-volume VW electric car: Today's Car NewsToday, we look at why looser fuel-economy rules won't create more jobs, why Tesla owners love their electric cars despite significant documented quality issues, and when the first high-volume Volkswagen electric car will arrive. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The first high-volume...
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Tesla electric cars have many notable and pioneering qualities. Faultless reliability has not necessarily been one of them.
Since the Model S launched in 2012, multiple quality issues have been...
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Ignore politicians: lower fuel-economy rules don't create jobs, analyst saysA common refrain among critics of current and future fuel-economy standards is that the need to comply with them produces job cuts in the auto industry. It's a theme picked up by President Donald Trump during a much-publicized visit to Detroit last week. In the hometown of the Big Three U.S...
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First high-volume VW electric car must arrive by 2020, CEO says, mostly for ChinaAs it tries to put the ongoing diesel-emissions scandal behind it, VW Group is focusing its future on electric cars. The Volkswagen brand within the sprawling German company has developed an electric-car specific platform called MEB, and has shown multiple concepts based on it. Those include the ID...
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Chevrolet Bolt EV pricing, Tesla Model 3 update, hybrid mid-size sedans: Today's Car NewsToday, Chevrolet Bolt EV pricing fluctuates, the Tesla Model 3 may skip one of Tesla's prototype phases, and we look at 2017-model hybrid mid-size sedans. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Looking for a hybrid mid-size sedan? Here are all of the 2017 models, plus one due for 2018. A bill that...
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Chevy Bolt EV pricing across U.S.: some discounts, some markups on electric carWith a base price of $37,495 and an EPA-rated range of 238 miles, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has no real direct competition at the moment. All other electric cars in its price bracket offer substantially lower ranges, while the 200-mile luxury electric cars sold by Tesla now start at $75,000. Just...
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Bill making it harder for scientists to sit on EPA Science Board advancesSince the election of Donald Trump, considerable attention has focused on how a candidate who campaigned on promoting fossil fuels would treat the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies charged with regulating those industries. But potential changes to the EPA do not come solely...
Stephen Edelstein