Eric C. Evarts, Contributor
Articles
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Undeterred by major automakers that build electric cars by the millions, tinkerers and apostles aren't finished coming up with new ideas on their own.
Whether sharing their knowledge with community,...
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Tesla Model 3 refunds, CO2 to fuel, less harmful batteries, awards, records, and deals: The Week in ReverseWhat is the next big innovation in electric car charging? What element is a major battery manufacturer trying to remove from its electric car batteries? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending June 8, 2018. Friday, we learned the...
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Waymo purchase of Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids may limit consumer access to federal rebateWaymo, the self-driving car unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet, put in an order for 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans last week to put into test fleets around the country. Riders will be able to summon the vans as taxis and be whisked to their destination complete with a "driver" who...
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More support for electric cars than knowledge or interest, Northeastern study findsA survey of car buyers has found a surprisingly high level of support for electric cars–but also found limited knowledge, which may be holding some buyers back. The survey was weighted toward drivers in the Northeast, and was sponsored by five Northeastern states. The survey did not directly...
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Scientists find affordable way to recapture CO2 and burn itScientists at Harvard have developed a new method of scrubbing carbon from the atmosphere, and turning it into hydrocarbon fuels that could be burned in airplanes or even cars. The process has been demonstrated at a small scale and combines common technologies from the pulp and petroleum industries...
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Kia Niro EV specs revealed at latest Korean car showThe Kia Niro EV made its first appearance at the Busan auto show this week and Kia confirmed the car will offer a battery with up to 236 miles of range. The company showed a concept version of the car at the Consumer Electronics Show in January with wildly updated head and tail lights and trim...
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Tesla Mode X crash report, Honda-GM pair up, plug-in deals, more electric trucks: Today's Car News Eric C. EvartsA report from the National Transportation Safety Board reveals details of a fatal Tesla Model X crash in California. Is Autopilot to blame? Honda and GM are expanding their partnership to share...
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GM, Honda partner on next-generation electric-car batteriesGeneral Motors and Honda have announced a partnership to develop smaller, lighter batteries to be used in the next generation of electric cars from both companies. The battery agreement specifies that the companies will collaborate using GM's next-generation battery technology. Honda will buy...
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Electric trucks coming from Daimler, Freightliner, Volvo, and othersIt's not even on the road yet and the Tesla Semi is getting some new competition. German Automaker Daimler, which owns Freightliner, Fuso, and other truck brands, announced that it would deliver its first 30 electric trucks to customers in North America for testing later this year. Last month...
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Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for June 2018June is proving to be a great month for those who want to buy a car that plugs in, with some electric cars offering rebates as high as $16,400, or zero-percent financing along with a hefty cash rebate. The cars look a lot like the ones that had the best deals last month, but we'll go through them...
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Plug-in electric-car sales for May: Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius Prime leadAfter a slow month in April, sales of the Nissan Leaf came roaring back in May. Nissan sold 1,576 Leafs in May, up from 1,171 the month before. The Leaf also had a record month in Canada, selling 906 units north of the border. It is worth noting that this achievement was accomplished with the...
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Chargeway pilot program to post labels to help electric-car drivers sort out charging levelsCharging has been a key obstacle to electric carbuyers, and it may not just be the number of public stations available. With three different "levels" of charging, and multiple charging speeds and connector types within each of those, it can be confusing for the average driver to know what type of...
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The streamlined Shell Starship Airflow semi truck has made it to Florida on its cross-country fuel-economy record run, and the results have been tabulated: The truck posted 28.4 percent better fuel...
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Nature study shows it's cheaper to reduce global warming than to adapt to itOne of the main objections that critics of global warming mitigation measures often cite is that they cost too much. A new study in the journal Nature takes issue with that conclusion. Several studies since 1991 have concluded that it is cheaper to develop new technologies to mitigate climate...
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Panasonic works to develop cobalt-free electric-car batteriesOne of the most widespread concerns about electric cars centers around the availability and cost of cobalt. Cobalt is an element used in lithium-ion batteries to build stability and increase safety. While the signature element in modern electric-car batteries, lithium, is mined in only a few...
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Twitter poll results: More electric cars get charged at work than at public chargers
Electric-car charging is going through a growth spurt. Volkswagen is spending big money through Electrify America to set up high-speed charging stations, as a result of the settlement terms of the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal. Northeastern states are banding together to coordinate a...
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After Tesla's federal tax credits expire, which electric car would you buy?Last week, we reported that Tesla is close to reaching the end of its allocation of federal tax credits for those who buy its cars. The credits amount to a $7,500 discount for most buyers. The credits were passed after the 2007 federal Energy Independence and Security Act to promote the sale of...
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Study shows 23 percent cancellations on Tesla Model 3 depositsTesla has staked a lot on the number of reservation deposits it has received for the Model 3. When the company first opened reservations for the car two years ago, it said that more than 400,000 people had put down a $1,000 deposit for what Tesla billed as a $35,000 car. That number eventually rose...
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After a three-year hiatus, Texas has reinstated purchase rebates for plug-in electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles.
Texans who buy electric cars after Sept. 1 can get a $2,500 rebate from the...
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2018 Toyota Prius Prime, Tesla Model 3 take awards for lowest environmental and social impactRating cars isn't just about acceleration times—or at least it shouldn't be. Unlike other car rating organizations, the Automotive Science Group rates cars according to their life-cycle CO2 emissions, based on a combination of their fuel economy and weight, as a proxy for the materials...
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Even Wackier! Most bizarre green cars ever proposed, Part IILast week we listed seven of the most bizarre "green" cars (and some not-so-green) of the 20th century, most of which were rolled out in response to depression, war recovery, or out-of-control gas prices. This week, we'll look at seven more from the 21st century, which seems to have had a...
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Report: Trump EPA plans to cancel California emissions waiverThe EPA is planning to cancel the special waiver that California has relied on since 1970 to set its own emissions standards, according to a Bloomberg report. As part of its plan to reverse a program to steadily tighten fuel economy standards that it coordinates with California and the National...
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Washington State electric car credits expire, agencies miss mandatesOn the same day that Washington State's electric-car tax exemptions expired on June 1, an advocacy organization issued a report that said state agencies have done very little to meet a deadline to buy electric cars. The state passed a law in 2007 requiring that all public agencies meet 100 percent...
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Jeep Grand Commander EV leads FCA electrification pushAn all-electric Jeep may clamber to life as soon as 2021—at least in China. The Jeep Grand Commander will arrive in 2021 with an all-electric powertrain, according to a sweeping presentation by Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne in Italy Friday. The company didn't reveal any more details...
Eric C. Evarts