Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
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The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the first mass-priced electric car to offer a range of more than 200 miles, something previously offered only by pricey Tesla luxury cars. Initially put on sale last December in California, the 238-mile Bolt EV is slowly rolling out across the country and will be on sale in every state by September. How many Chevy sells remains to be seen, as the same challenges in creating suitable marketing messages and overcoming dealership challenges remains. DON'T MISS: 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car: new owner's first impressions But increasing numbers of...
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Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, Apr 2017: plus ça change...
The Volt remains the undisputed king of the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market. In April, the Chevy Volt enjoyed its 13th consecutive month as Canada's best-selling plug in electric vehicle, and its 46th month overall. While overshadowed by other vehicles in its home U.S. market, the Volt's...
Matthew Klippenstein -
VW to Tesla: 'Anything you can do, we can do better'
With a new book imminent that gives new details on its diesel-emission cheating scandal, Volkswagen Group continues to struggle for positive corporate PR. Yet the company publicly appears to be confident that it has weathered the worst of that storm. Moreover, while its first high-volume electric...
John Voelcker -
2017 Volkswagen e-Golf: first drive of updated 125-mile electric car
The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf, the only battery-electric car sold by VW in the U.S., got a large range boost for its third year on the market. While the current model year is winding to a close, 2017 e-Golfs are just now reaching dealers in the handful of states where the compact electric car is...
John Voelcker -
Life with Tesla Model S: out with the old, in with the new
Over the first three years of driving my 2013 Tesla Model S, there wasn't a single time when I looked at another car and said, “You know, I’d really rather be driving that car than this one.” Not once. The Tesla’s combination of performance, style, economy, technology, plus...
David Noland -
Plug-in electric car sales for Apr: Bolt EV back over 1,000 (updated)
With four-figure sales for both its all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV and the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, GM probably led April's plug-in electric car sales. The "probably" comes because Tesla refuses to release its deliveries broken down either by month or by country, meaning there's no data to...
John Voelcker -
To dig its teeth into California's crowded electric vehicle market, its Korean maker has rolled out an "Unlimited+" lease program for the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric. The plan mimics a subscription service, and adds unlimited mileage allowance, vehicle-charging reimbursement, and a cohesive maintenance plan to the standard lease terms, according to CarsDirect. While most of the program is pretty cut and dried, there are a few catches that potential lessees should be aware of. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Ioniq electric car offered on 'Ioniq Unlimited' subscription model Unlimited+ could be considered...
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Plug-in electric car sales to double in 2018: predictions
Despite a slower-than-expected start, plug-in electric cars are gaining momentum on the North American market. Not only are sales rising, so is consumer interest: according to a survey by AAA, shoppers’ interest in electric and plug-in hybrid cars is now neck to neck with that of pickup...
Green Car Reports -
Tesla Autopilot gets automatic braking just as Consumer Reports downgrades safety rating (updated)
Six months ago, Tesla abruptly announced that it had upgraded its electric cars with a new package of sensors for the Autopilot driver-assist system, known as "Hardware 2." The equipment was being fitted to all new Tesla Model S and Model X electric cars then in production—but there was a...
John Voelcker -
Elon Musk teased Tesla's electric semi truck at a TED talk
It's no secret Tesla CEO Elon Musk is an ambitious man, but he continues to fuel the hype surrounding the company by recently teasing the first Tesla semi truck. In typical Tesla fashion, the semi truck will be all electric. Its goal is to showcase the possibilities of electric range over diesel...
Sean Szymkowski -
Manufacturing expert says Tesla Model 3 plan to skip beta testing is risky
Tesla is taking a major gamble regarding the production of its upcoming Model 3 sedan in skipping prototype tooling and jumping straight to permanent production tooling, says a noted auto-manufacturing expert. "He's pushing the envelope to see how much time and cost he can take out of the process,"...
Sean Szymkowski -
Nissan's plans: reignite electric-car sales, boost lagging Mitsubishi
The Nissan Leaf has been a fading light in the electric car market, but after a few years in the dark, it will soon get a chance to shine once more. Despite a battery capacity increase in 2016 and a quarter of a million in sales since its 2010 launch, the Leaf has been in dire need of a proper trip...
Green Car Reports -
The low, sleek Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan had a stunning design but numerous problems, and Tesla mopped the floor with it. Now designer Henrik Fisker is ready for a rematch, this time with an all-electric sedan promising 400 miles of range (and unusual doors). The Fisker EMotion is slated for an August 17 debut, when its curvaceous exterior is to be shown for the first time in the metal. DON'T MISS: Fisker EMotion 400-mile luxury electric car: new teaser photo released Observant readers will note the reveal date falls during Monterey Car Week, meaning Fisker could use the...
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Tesla Model S battery life: what the data show so far
Perhaps the biggest question in buyers' minds over electric cars is how long the batteries will last. Most new-car buyers have mobile phones whose batteries have only lasted a couple of years, perhaps less. Even as electric-car battery packs are warranted against outright failure for eight or 10...
John Voelcker -
Future Volvo electric car to be built in China
Finally joining the bandwagon, Swedish manufacturer Volvo has confirmed that it will introduce its first all-electric vehicle to the market in 2019. The announcement was made last week at the 2017 Shanghai auto show. That proved to be an appropriate stage, as the Chinese-owned maker plans on having...
Green Car Reports -
Is Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell fervor foolish, or foresighted? (with charts)
Toyota's staunch, unswerving support for hydrogen fuel cells has astonished and aggravated many in the electric vehicle community. For some of them, the technology is at best an inferior solution—and at worst is fossil fuel-friendly vaporware, a Judas in Jesus's clothing, if you will. With...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Honda to launch electric car in China next year too, joining Toyota, reluctantly
While corporate average fuel-economy standards through 2021 remain in place in the U.S., automakers are preparing their case to argue for delays in further tightening. Meanwhile, China is turning the policy screws on automakers operating in the country, telling them they must sell more electric...
John Voelcker -
Life with Tesla Model S: replacing the drive unit (aka 'the funny noise')
Back in 2014, Tesla had a spate of problems with the drive units in early-production versions of its Model S electric sedan. (The drive unit is essentially the car’s power train: electric motor, inverter, and gear box.) High-profile multiple failures occurred in long-term test cars driven by...
David Noland -
Tesla has made an unexpected success out of its pioneering luxury electric vehicles, which offer a healthy dose of performance for good measure. Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand, while taking a couple pages from Lexus for its launch strategy, may be following a similar path to Tesla for a future sport coupe. The Australian outlet Drive reports a V-8 engine has been axed in favor of an electrified powertrain for the Genesis coupe, due to arrive by the end of 2020. DON'T MISS: Germans are coming for Tesla, German paper says, so now it's 'interesting' “As much as I like to drive V-8s, I...
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Tesla recalls 53,000 Model S, Model X electric cars for parking-brake issue
Tesla has issued a voluntarily recall for roughly 53,000 of its Model S and Model X electric cars to address an issue in which the parking brake might stick in the engaged position. The recall was first reported yesterday by CNBC. The vehicles affected were built between February and October of...
John Voelcker -
2017 Tesla Model X electric-car pricing, feature changes
Tesla has released updated pricing and features for its 2017 Tesla Model X all-electric crossover utility vehicle, including lower prices for both the 75D and 90D models. Like the changes released at the same time to the Model S sedan, the new lineup increases the distance between the two lower-end...
Zach Bowman -
2017 Tesla Model S pricing, feature changes: breaking them down in detail
As its owners know, although much of the car-buying world doesn't, Tesla doesn't believe in the idea of model years. Rather than updating its electric cars each autumn, to correspond to a new model year, it simply changes them when it feels the updates are ready. This can lead to some confusion...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen ID Crozz concept for all-electric crossover debuts at Shanghai auto show
The Chinese government wants more plug-in electric cars sold in the country—and quickly. The Shanghai auto show this week demonstrates that multiple global automakers are stepping up to the plate, both with production cars and concepts. The Volkswagen ID Crozz Concept shows what a future...
John Voelcker -
All-electric Audi e-tron Sportback concept teased for Shanghai auto show
The Shanghai auto show is shaping up to be a showcase for all the green cars and concepts that were absent from last week's New York auto show. Among them is a concept for a "four-door coupe" version of the Audi e-tron all-electric SUV that'll go into production sometime next year. The Audi e-Tron...
John Voelcker