Aaron Cole, Managing Editor
Articles
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Investors Wednesday heard enough good news from Tesla to ignore worries about the company's appetite for cash and hurried production pace to rally the stock to its biggest one-day gain in roughly 5...
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Study: Jump in electric vehicles may not stress California's power grid (Update)
Electric-car critics have said that more EVs on the road could stress already overburdened electric power grids past the breaking point. Now, a study released this week by a California nonprofit suggests that may not be true. San Francisco-based think tank Next 10 published reports this week that...
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States join to halt EPA's reversal on "glider" semi trucks
Sixteen states joined an effort this week to petition courts to review a rollback of an Obama-era regulation that capped the number of "glider" trucks, Transport Topics reported. Glider trucks are new bodies fitted with older diesel engines that predate emissions controls. Those trucks can emit up...
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Volvo's electrification push expanding to every corner of the market
When it launches its 2019 Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered next year, the Swedish automaker will nearly complete a startling turn toward electrification in less than a decade that began with a small-volume wagon in 2011 and will soon incorporate a full battery electric vehicle and every model in...
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2019 Honda Insight first drive mpg review: 55 mpg from hybrid sedan
Last week, we drove the new 2019 Honda Insight sedan and found Honda's newest compact hybrid roomy and comfortable. During our drive around Minneapolis, its exurbs, and into Wisconsin, we wanted to put to the test Honda's claims that its 1.5-liter inline-4 and 96-kw electric motor combination could...
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2019 Honda Insight video review
You could be forgiven for not remembering the two Honda vehicles that have worn an Insight badge before. The first was a quirky hatchback two-seater that struggled for acceptance with mainstream buyers. The second was a Prius-like Prius fighter, egg shape and all. This 2019 Honda Insight is the...
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Big bets on Byton, Ford "exploring" hybrids with its popular SUV, and Hyundai Ioniq is back; The Week in Reverse Aaron Cole
What's next for the 2019 Hyundai Ioniq?
What's next for Ford's Explorer?
And what's coming from electric-car startup Byton?
This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car...
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Software fix for 2016-17 Nissan Leafs may improve battery range
In March we told you about a study of a small group of 2016 and 2017 Nissan Leaf models equipped with the larger, 30-kwh battery pack that had abnormal battery degradation. That study concluded that nearly four out of five of the larger battery packs examined lost cell capacity three times faster...
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New Ford cab take stabs at fuel-efficient powertrains
If you're like us, you can remember seas of yellow Ford Crown Victorias dashing through cramped city streets, shuttling tourists and Carrie Bradshaws through New York City. If you're like us, you're also probably old. Ford on Thursday debuted two new taxis for fleet service next year with twists...
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Volkswagen Group fined $1.2B by German authorities for diesel scandal
The fallout from a global emissions cheating scandal keeps falling. This week, German authorities fined Volkswagen AG nearly $1.2 billion for selling more than 10 million cars with emissions-cheating software. The sum pales in comparison to the billions Volkswagen has paid in the U.S., which has...
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2019 Hyundai Ioniq preview
The 2019 Hyundai Ioniq returns this year as an inexpensive alternative for green car shoppers on a budget. Its lineup has fully matured now; the Ioniq is available as an affordable hybrid, a slightly more expensive plug-in hybrid, or a fully electric model available in limited areas. We say: green...
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Ford confirms new hybrid Explorer for police; is this how SUV buyers will embrace hybrids?
Police work may be ideal proving grounds to convince skeptical shoppers that hybrids can consistently perform when duty calls. Despite skepticism from some that electrification could add complexity and maintenance costs to large fleets, Ford confirmed Tuesday that its next-generation Police...
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Quantum computers could analyze and help build highly specialized electric vehicle batteries in the future, Volkswagen announced this week.
Using the highly complex computing tech, researchers...
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Daimler ordered to recall nearly 774,000 diesels in Europe for emissions software
Stop us if you've heard this before: A major automaker will recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles for software that turns off emissions controls under certain circumstances. This time, it's Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler under investigation. Germany's transportation minister met with...
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Porsche Mission E to be called Porsche Taycan
Porsche announced Friday that its long-running Mission E electric sedan will be called the Porsche Taycan when it starts production next year. The 2020 Porsche Taycan (pronounced "tie-con") takes its name from the horse on the Porsche crest, according to the automaker, which itself was taken from...
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Investigators: Autopilot sped up before fatal Tesla Model X crash
A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday said that a Tesla Model X traveling on Autopilot increased the vehicle's speed before it crashed into a highway barrier and killed its driver. The report of the March 23 crash that killed 38-year-old Walter Huang...
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Tesla Model Y coming in 2020; Roadster and Semi still on the way, says Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk told shareholders Tuesday that the last few months have been "hellacious" for building the Tesla Model 3, but that the automaker expects by the end of this month to build 5,000 of the mid-size luxury sedan each week and beyond. "It's insanely hard to stay alive," Musk added. The...
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FCA's five-year master plan, more EVs on the road, Tesla Model 3 "recommended": The Week in Reverse
Will the future for one of America's biggest automakers finally turn to electrified powertrains? What are some of the weirdest green cars ever proposed? Will BMWs act like the latest smartphones? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week...
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A Woburn, Massachusetts, company may be attracting big name attention for its solid-state technology that it says can withstand higher temperatures and offer higher capacity. For battery makers,...
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Elon Musk announces Tesla Model 3 AWD, performance Model 3 specs
It wasn't quite a message in a bottle, but Tesla boss Elon Musk tweeted Saturday night some specifications and a ballpark price for his company's long-awaited all-wheel-drive and performance versions of the Model 3. The all-wheel-drive Model 3 will add $5,000 to the base Model 3's price and offer...
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Shoppers in Canada may wait nearly a year to buy new Chevy Bolt EV
The new Chevy Bolt EV was a long time coming, but interested buyers in some parts of Canada may have to wait longer. Kent Wallace reported to us last week that Toronto-area dealerships were quoting shoppers an 8- to 12-month wait for the 238-mile electric car. A GM spokeswoman in Canada confirmed...
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Elio Motors says it will build production cars next year
Paul Elio told investors and media Friday in Shreveport, Louisiana, that his three-wheeled car would go on sale next year after several delays and questions about funding. "I believe this project has to happen," Elio said. Elio told media that his company had raised more than $110 million for a...
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Automakers may not want to roll back fuel-economy standards after all
Averting a showdown between 17 states and the federal government may take priority over industry-friendly fuel-economy targets. At least, that's what they're saying. Reports leading up to a May 11 meeting between leaders of America's automotive industry and President Donald Trump indicate that...
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Toyota may let mechanics repair faulty recall inverters on older Prius
Toyota may supply independent mechanics with parts and instructions for repairing, but not replacing, potentially faulty inverters on certain 2014 Prius models, Green Car Reports has learned. According to Automotive Career Development Center founder Craig Van Batenberg, Toyota for the first time...
Aaron Cole