Eric C. Evarts, Contributor

Eric Evarts has been bringing topical insight to readers on energy, the environment, technology, transportation, business, and consumer affairs for 25 years. He has spent most of that time in bustling newsrooms at The Christian Science Monitor and Consumer Reports, but his articles have appeared widely at outlets such as the journal Nature Outlook, cars.com, US News & World Report, AAA, and TheWirecutter.com and Alternet. He can tell readers how to get the best deal and avoid buying a lemon, whether it’s a used car or a bad mortgage. Along the way, he has driven more than 1,500 new cars of all types, but the most interesting ones are those that promise to reduce national dependence on oil, and those that improve the environment. Well, OK, compared to some old jalopy they might replace.

Articles

Which Tesla Model 3 would you buy? Twitter poll results Eric C. Evarts March 13, 2019

Now that Tesla has finally released the $35,000 Model 3 that got hundreds of thousands of buyers interested in the brand, we wondered how many people might follow through and buy it.

Along with the...
Karma plans to relaunch with three new models at Shanghai auto show
Karma, the company that started as the new maker of the Fisker plug-in hybrid (and once Tesla-fighter) of the same name—now called Revero—plans a new birth, four years after buying the company out of bankruptcy. At next month's Shanghai auto show, the company plans a product revival led...
Eric C. Evarts March 13, 2019

VW boosts electric car plans with more models, 22 million EVs in 10 years
VW has been busy putting logistics in place to build as many as 15 million examples of 50 new electric models (across its portfolio of brands) by 2028. At its annual conference at its headquarters in Wolfsburg Tuesday, the company upped that commitment to 22 million cars among 70 new electric...
Eric C. Evarts March 13, 2019
2020 Trump budget would pull plug on electric vehicle tax credit
In his budget aimed at cutting $126 billion or 5 percent from non-defense federal spending, President Trump proposes to eliminate the plug-in vehicle tax credit that gives electric-car buyers up to $7,500 back on their federal taxes. Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow says he expects ending the...
Eric C. Evarts March 12, 2019
Future Fiat 500e, Sono Sion solar, Twitter poll: Today's Car News
Tesla opened its reservation bank for the quick and giant Semi. Sono revealed the production version of its Sion solar-assisted electric cars. A Fiat Chrysler executive confirmed that the company will offer a longer-range replacement for the Fiat 500e electric car next year. And our latest Twitter...
Eric C. Evarts March 12, 2019
Do Tesla stores still matter? Take our Twitter poll
Last week, Tesla announced it would close all its stores. This week, it said it would keep most of them open. Lots of people have speculated about the causes and effects of both moves, from rent owed, to state statutes, to the logistics of test drives. Our question is, what do potential...
Eric C. Evarts March 12, 2019
Production Sono Sion solar-assisted car makes appearance Eric C. Evarts March 12, 2019

Concept cars are relatively easy to build—particularly concepts of cars that may exist only on paper or as clay and foil design studies.

That has given rise to a host of new concepts launched...

Tesla stores, plug-in Jeeps, EPA fuel-economy, Colorado charging: Today's Car News
Tesla reversed its decision to go online only, and is keeping many stores open. Fiat Chrysler announced two new plug-in Jeeps for Europe. An annual EPA report shows rising fuel-economy standards are working—just as the EPA plans to gut them. And a new program aims to get Colorado ready for...
Eric C. Evarts March 11, 2019
Tesla will raise prices on all but $35k Model 3, keep more stores open
Tesla's announcement late February that it will close stores and move entirely to online sales has already been cause for a minor uproar, as news emerged about mammoth lease obligations it may need to keep. Those lease obligations potentially add up to $1.6 billion currently and $1.1 billion until...
Eric C. Evarts March 11, 2019
Jeep announces two more plug-in hybrids, for Europe
Last week, Fiat Chrysler announced plans, along with a $4.5 billion investment, to expand its lineup of plug-in hybrids, including plans to build two new plug-in hybrid Jeeps in the U.S., including the Grand Cherokee and new versions of the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer planned to roll out in...
Eric C. Evarts March 11, 2019
Colorado to launch smart-charging pilot program as it prepares for EVs
As it prepares to launch an electric-car mandate in coming years, Colorado is working to learn how electric cars can help it move to a more renewable energy grid. The non-profit Platte River Power Authority announced last month that it is teaming up with eMotorWerks, which sells home smart...
Eric C. Evarts March 11, 2019
EPA says fuel economy rose in 2017, but it may be falling again
An EPA report released Wednesday shows that cars are getting better gas mileage in response to rising fuel economy standards. Yet a roaring economy and low gas prices have put Americans on a truck-buying spree, and the EPA is working to undermine those standards. According to its annual automotive...
Eric C. Evarts March 11, 2019

Plug-in cars and concepts at Geneva, Tesla Model Y and Superchargers: The Week in Reverse Eric C. Evarts March 9, 2019

Which new electric car may be able to recharge 240 miles in less than five minutes?

What is the bestselling electric car in the world, and what milestone did it pass this week?

This is our look back...
BMW X3 plug-in, 400,000 Leafs, Audi e-tron Sportback, Fiat EV: Today's Car News
BMW and Audi are rounding out their lineups with new plug-in and electric SUVs. Customizable Fiat Centoventi concept could show a replacement for the 500e. And the Nissan Leaf retains its global EV sales lead with 400,000 cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports. BMW announced that it will sell...
Eric C. Evarts March 8, 2019
Audi e-tron Sportback electric SUV edges closer to production form
We've seen and driven the upcoming Audi e-tron quattro electric SUV, and this week got a look at the more affordable Q4 e-tron as well as four new plug-in hybrids coming from Audi. In between, the brand is also scheduled to release a fastback version of the e-tron Quattro SUV, called the e-tron...
Eric C. Evarts March 8, 2019
Nissan Leaf crosses 400,000 cumulative global sales
With Tesla looming in its rearview mirrors, the little Nissan Leaf is chuffing ahead in the global electric-car sales race. The company that built the original modern electric car announced on Tuesday that it sold its 400,000th copy of the Leaf worldwide, just as the longer-range Leaf Plus version...
Eric C. Evarts March 8, 2019
BMW X3 xDrive 30e builds out plug-in hybrid lineup
BMW has recently announced that it will upgrade two mainstays of its plug-in hybrid lineup in the U.S. with the new 2020 X5 xDrive 45e and an updated 530e for 2019. In between, BMW now says it will launch a new plug-in hybrid version of its bestselling model, the X3 for the 2020 model year. The...
Eric C. Evarts March 8, 2019
Tesla Superchargers, Nissan IMQ SUV concept, Mitsubishi Engelberg: Today's Car News
Nissan gave a peek at a future SUV—only with gas-hybrid power, this time. Tesla turned on its first 1,000-mph version 3 Supercharger on Wednesday. The Mitsubishi Engelberg plug-in hybrid concept may preview a replacement for the Outlander plug-in hybrid. And a Japanese judge released former...
Eric C. Evarts March 7, 2019

No more rumble: Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle arrives in August, costs more than $30,000 Eric C. Evarts March 7, 2019

Update, 3/7/19: Harley-Davidson announced a longer range estimate for the LiveWire at the Geneva auto show in March, which this story has been updated to reflect. A chief electric motorcycle...
Honda Tomo updates Urban EV concept for active lifestyles, and the Geneva show
The Tomo, a design-school update on the Honda Urban EV concept, with more rounded curves, is being displayed at the 2019 Geneva auto show. The new concept embraces time away from the big city a little more. It took form via a partnership with design students at the school of fashion and design in...
Eric C. Evarts March 7, 2019
Nissan IMQ small SUV skips electric for hybrid power
After revealing a planned all-electric SUV last year in Tokyo and an electric sedan in Detroit this year, Nissan's debut at the Geneva auto show was a surprise: Its latest IM concept car, the IMQ small SUV isn't an electric car or even a plug-in hybrid. Nissan has been promising a small electric...
Eric C. Evarts March 7, 2019
Mitsubishi Engelberg SUV concept may preview Outlander PHEV replacement
The Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer concept unveiled at the Geneva auto show on Tuesday looks a lot like the preview of a replacement for Mitsubishi's bestselling model, the Outlander. The Engelberg Tourer concept is a plug-in hybrid SUV similar in function if not in size to the Outlander PHEV, which...
Eric C. Evarts March 7, 2019
Japanese judge releases former Nissan chairman Ghosn on bail
In an unusual move in Japan, former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn was released on bail Wednesday after 108 days in jail, according to a report in Automotive News. Ghosn, who is known as the father of the Nissan Leaf for his work championing the car's production, was arrested in November on charges...
Eric C. Evarts March 7, 2019
Audi Q4 e-tron, Honda electrifies Europe, Polestar and tariffs: Today's Car News
Audi reveals its third electric SUV in Geneva. Honda announces plans to electrify its European lineup. A startup automaker with Porsche connections plans to introduce an electric car with even faster charging than Porsche. Plans for Volvo's Polestar brand could be in flux due to trade tariffs. And...
Eric C. Evarts March 6, 2019