Eric C. Evarts, Contributor
Articles
-
Solar cars are like sunny days—always waiting for tomorrow.
Now the dawn may be breaking on that tomorrow with the small, crowd-funded Sono Sion solar car in Germany.
The company has raised...
-
Elon Musk announces he's considering taking Tesla private (Updated)Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday he is considering taking the electric car company private. The executive posted on Twitter, "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420 a share." Tesla's stock bounced 7.3 percent Tuesday immediately after the news. Trading was halted for well over an hour on...
Eric C. Evarts -
Refreshed Land Rover lineup to include new plug-in hybridLand Rover and its sister company Jaguar each are planning new lineups by 2024 and 2025 respectively. We've heard a lot about Jaguar's plans to launch a gas, hybrid, and electric version of everything it sells by 2025. Land Rover's plans have been more opaque. Now British car magazine Autocar...
Eric C. Evarts -
Which modern electric car will be the first classic? Twitter poll resultsElectric cars are changing the automotive landscape, technologically and culturally. Those factors are what often make things classic, whether it's in music, architecture, or automobiles. Various people have weighed in recently on which of today's green cars will become tomorrow's classics, from...
Eric C. Evarts -
The 7 best plug-in cars for students going back to schoolToday's environmentally conscious students are thinking more about the environment in the choices they make. They still need to get around, but they may be less likely to accept the price of doing so in a car with a tailpipe spewing pollution and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Many may need...
Eric C. Evarts -
Nissan gets new batteries, Tesla lawsuit, Canadian sales, Twitter poll: Today's Car NewsNissan announced Friday that it sold its in-house battery division in a business deal that has been a long time in the making. Electric car sales drop off in Canada after purchase incentives were canceled in Ontario. We look at how Tesla's lawsuit in Michigan could open its ability to sell cars...
Eric C. Evarts -
How often do you encounter a public electric-car charger that is out of order? Take our Twitter poll Eric C. EvartsSpreading electric car chargers will do little good if they don't work.
Studies repeatedly show that one of the most important things needed to spread adoption of electric cars is to install more...
-
Nissan sells its battery business, 225-mile Leaf e-Plus to get LG Chem batteriesWhen it comes to electric-car batteries, Nissan is no longer going its own way. The company that launched the first modern, mass-market all-electric car has sold its electric-car battery subsidiary, Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) to Envision Group, a Chinese renewable energy company...
Eric C. Evarts -
The first Volt from GM was also a plug-in hybrid, but it was built in 1980Chevrolet's Volt wasn't the original, or even the first Volt from GM. Electric Auto Corporation receives that distinction for their car built in 1980, at the height of America's second gas crisis. It built the Silver Volt, a plug-in hybrid based on a contemporary Buick station wagon—16 years...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla updates, EPA plans, Porsche specs, and Faraday Future progress: The Week in ReverseWhat cars were Tesla Model 3 buyers most likely to trade in? Which company just announced the largest diesel emissions recall in history? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Aug. 3, 2018. Friday, we learned that Teslas will...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model S and X reportedly to get minimalist Model 3 interiorApparently the problem with the Tesla Model S and Model X was that they're too normal. They have a separate instrument cluster—a digital one—behind the steering wheel and a few solid controls. Tesla must think that's too much. The company is designing a new interior for them that looks...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla will roll out new Autopilot later this monthTesla announced Wednesday that it would release a complete update to its Autopilot system later this month, including new self-driving capabilities. The new version, which Tesla owners and fans have long-awaited, will update the system with faster hardware as well as new optical software that CEO...
Eric C. Evarts -
President Donald Trump and federal officials on Thursday formally proposed scaling back Obama-era regulations for fuel economy and cited safety concerns that lighter, more fuel-efficient cars would...
-
What Tesla Model 3 buyers trade in says something about themBuyers driving home Tesla Model 3s are moving up. In its second-quarter earnings call Wednesday, Tesla executives revealed the top five cars they have taken in on trade for new Model 3s and the results were unexpected. Rather than other entry-level luxury sedans that form the Model 3s competition...
Eric C. Evarts -
Cummins issues diesel emissions recall larger than VW'sDiesel-engine giant Cummins agreed this week to the largest diesel recall in the history of the EPA, according to a Reuters report. The recall affects about 500,000 medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines in vehicles produced between 2010 and 2015. The engines were installed in everything from big...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla cuts losses on Model 3 sales, Musk promises profits next quarterAs it ramps up production of the Tesla Model 3, Tesla announced Wednesday that it reduced its financial losses in the second quarter—barely. The result is significant, because Tesla is racing against the clock to keep from running out of money before it can build enough of its new, more...
Eric C. Evarts -
EPA could base emissions, mpg rollback on tired safety argumentIn the latest draft of new fuel economy and emissions standards obtained by the Associated Press, the Trump administration argues that reducing mileage standards will improve safety. It's an argument that dates back to the beginning of fuel economy standards in the 1970s, and one that ignores...
Eric C. Evarts -
Mercedes-Benz EQS caught in spy shotsFor decades, Mercedes-Benz sold only two passenger cars. Now, the automaker is promising 10 different electric cars. Although the Mercedes has not revealed plans for all of them, spy photographers have recently captured a large electric sedan from Mercedes-Benz testing at Mercedes's headquarters in...
Eric C. Evarts -
Toyota is going big on fuel cells.
Its latest effort expands on the Mirai sedan by converting semitrucks to hydrogen fuel-cell power.
The company has been testing a fuel-cell powered semi for more...
-
Faraday Future reveals first production FF91 bodyAfter two years in the development wilderness, Faraday Future is marching forward toward producing its first ultra-luxury electric SUV. The company announced Monday that it built its first "body-in-white" of the FF91, the basic body structure of its upcoming first production car. Faraday Future...
Eric C. Evarts -
Porsche Taycan specs trickle out ahead of debut next yearPorsche this week teased us with a few specs of its upcoming Taycan electric sedan ahead of the car's 2019 debut. The Taycan, the production name for Porsche's Mission E concept car, is designed to compete with the Tesla Model S. To compete with Performance versions of the Model S, the Taycan will...
Eric C. Evarts -
Is there anything you wish your electric car could do that it can't? Twitter poll resultsElectric cars are becoming more capable, but they still can't do everything, our Twitter followers suggest. Last week, a study showed that the biggest factor in spreading electric-car adoption in the U.S. is a broader selection. Teslas outsell most other electric cars not only because of their...
Eric C. Evarts -
Slow-selling Infiniti Q70 Hybrid quietly axed for 2019The Infiniti Q70 Hybrid won't make it to 2019, the automaker announced last week. Infiniti dropped the full-size, electrified luxury sedan from the lineup after 2018. The car debuted in 2011 as the M37 Hybrid, but sales of the hybrid version always paled in comparison to the gas V-6 and V-8...
Eric C. Evarts -
Which modern electric car will be the first classic? Take our Twitter pollSpeculating which cars may be future classics is not only a fun game, it also can help buyers decide which modern cars may represent the best value. Future classics depreciate less over a long time, which we're sure buyers can appreciate. The demand for those cars also stays high, which dries up...
Eric C. Evarts