Los Angeles
-
As Washington DC waffles on developing a Green New Deal—or works to torpedo it altogether—LA's environmentalist mayor, Eric Garcetti, signed off on a local Green New Deal for the city on Monday. “Politicians don’t need to look across the aisle to find the answers—they need to look across the country,” he said, in announcing the plan. LA's plan calls for building out public transportation networks, including bike and scooter sharing to get Angelinos out of their cars; for making all homes and offices "emissions free;" stopping the flow of waste to landfills...
-
LAPD's unused electric cars gather dust sitting in garage, but why?
Anyone who remembers the epic, metallic-tasting, technicolor smog in the Los Angeles Basin found into the 1990s understands why air quality matters there. While the worst of the uncontrolled tailpipe emissions have now been greatly reduced, and the air is cleaner, the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide...
John Voelcker -
Los Angeles Metro orders 100 electric buses
As part of its bid to go green, America's second-largest bus system has placed an order for up to 100 New Flyer Xcelsior Charge all-electric buses. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has ordered 35 buses and has the option to purchase an additional 65. DON'T...
Andrew Ganz -
GM's Maven car-sharing adds Chevy Bolt EV electric cars (in LA)
With the 238-mile Chevy Bolt EV electric car now in its third month of sales and rolling out to additional states every month, the industry is focused on its sales numbers. Retail buyers have asked to what degree GM's plans to dedicate a number of the early Bolt EVs to its Maven car-sharing service...
John Voelcker -
Four large West Coast cities unite to buy 24,000 electric cars
When it comes to policy efforts aimed at promoting electric cars, the focus is usually on private passenger vehicles. But to cut carbon emissions in a meaningful way, policymakers will have to look at other types of vehicles as well. That includes the thousands of cars and light trucks in the...
Stephen Edelstein -
BlueLA expands French electric-car sharing service to California
Bolloré Group will operate an electric-car sharing service in Los Angeles.
Stephen Edelstein -
The LAPD will buy 100 BMW i3 electric cars after testing one for a few months.
-
Chevy Bolt EV, 107-Mile Nissan Leaf Face Off At LA Drive Electric Week (UPDATE On Leaf Pricing)
We're now in the middle of National Drive Electric Week, the largest ever, with events planned for almost 200 cities. But yesterday Los Angeles managed to pull off a double-header: Its event brought together the first production versions of the new 107-mile 2016 Nissan Leaf and a running prototype...
John Voelcker -
LAPD Gets Tesla Model S, BMW i3 Electric Cars As Police Cruisers
The LAPD is getting BMW i3 and Tesla Model S loaner vehicles, and will soon lease 100 battery-electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Los Angeles Gets State Grant To Test Electric-Car Sharing Program
Los Angeles will start an electric-car sharing pilot program in working-class neighborhoods.
Stephen Edelstein -
United Airlines To Start Using Biofuel On Passenger Flights
United Airlines will use biofuel on certain flights in California.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Chevrolet Volt: Celebrities Come Out For LA Launch Party
By this point, the 2016 Chevrolet Volt launch at this week's Detroit Auto Show may feel like old news to followers of GM's plug-in hybrid compact hatchback. The evening of the same day that GM CEO Mary Barra showed the 2016 Volt, it was revealed to a different crowd as well: Los Angeles...
John Voelcker -
Four groups are suing over a Los Angeles-area smog-reduction plan they say isn't strict enough.
-
Another Hydrogen Fueling Station Opens In LA, With Fuel-Cell Cars On The Way
Another hydrogen fueling station opened in southern California yesterday, this one at California State University, Los Angeles. The university's Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility is a part of its program in sustainable energy and transportation technology, and is the largest hydrogen station...
John Voelcker -
LA Apartment Building Offers Free Electric-Car Charging, For Life
A new apartment building is equipped with 20 240-Volt Level 2 charging stations.
Stephen Edelstein -
Honda Film: Controlling Air Pollution A 'Never-Ending Race'
The latest film in Honda's Environmental Short Film series focuses on the company's response to 1970s California air pollution.
Stephen Edelstein -
Half Of All Electric Cars Are Sold In 5 Cities; Can You Name Them?
Different vehicles appeal to different markets. More than half of all Chevrolet Suburban extra-long full-size sport utility vehicles, for instance, are sold in the state of Texas. So where do plug-in electric cars tend to cluster? Not surprisingly, in progressive regions with activist governments...
John Voelcker -
LA Metro Chooses Electric Buses From Chinese Company BYD
You might think that the 25 electric buses to be purchased by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority would be roundly applauded. That's not necessarily the case. LA Metro announced yesterday afternoon that it would spend $30 million to buy up to 25 of the battery-electric buses made...
John Voelcker -
Despite major reductions in air-pollution levels, the Los Angeles basin still has the worst smog problem in the nation. While you might debate over what exactly is the longer-term solution for reducing that smog, vehicles with internal-combustion engines are still contributing to problem. And it's one geographic case where plugging in makes a lot of sense. Now, Los Angeles is getting a mayor who has a history of championing electric cars. Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti, who is just 42, was still in his 20s when he was one of the first to drive a General Motors EV1, as well as one of the last to...
-
What 2013 Looked Like For Greener Cars, Back In 1988
The rate at which technology develops makes predicting the future incredibly difficult, but people get it right sometimes. They get it wrong sometimes too, and you'd have found a mixture of both in the April 3, 1988 issue of the Los Angeles Times Magazine, which peered 25 years into the future--to...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Doesn't Seek Hybrid Taxi Sales--Cabbies Just Love Them Anyway
Taken a taxi anywhere recently? Nowadays, there's a pretty good chance that if you have, it's been a hybrid--low running costs and great reliability records are starting to make them popular with drivers, as gas prices creep ever upwards. Toyota's Prius and Camry Hybrids are becoming a familiar...
Antony Ingram -
LAX To Drop Free Parking For Electric Cars In March
Been enjoying the perk of free electric car parking at Los Angeles International Airport? Try not to get used to it then, as from March 1, 2013, you'll have to pay just like everybody else. Los Angeles World Airports has confirmed, via Carstations, that LAX will no longer be providing free parking...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Tesla Model S Drives From L.A. To Las Vegas On A Single Charge
The MotorTrend editorial team must have spent more time behind the wheel of the 2012 Tesla Model S than any other automotive journalists to date. Not only did MotorTrend get to borrow the personal 2012 Tesla Model S Signature Sport belonging to Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a few days to test the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
It’s Official: Greener Cars Have Helped Improve LA’s Air Quality
Given the length of time the U.S. Government is taking to set new gas mileage standards for 2025, you’d be forgiven for thinking the only benefit from driving a high gas-mileage car is the savings you make at the pump. You’d be wrong. Driving high gas mileage cars equates to lower...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield