Featured (was)
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Rumors of an electric Volkswagen Microbus concept persist.
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VW 3-liter diesel updates OKed, but buyback negotiations continue
VW Group announced yesterday it had reached a preliminary agreement with various regulators to resolve civil suits related to "defeat device" software in vehicles fitted with its 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engines. Those cars—a variety of SUVs and sedans sold by Audi, Porsche, and...
John Voelcker -
Electric car battery warranties compared
It's one of the most frequently asked questions by anyone hearing about a modern electric car: do I have to replace the battery? With 15 years of experience in mobile phones and more than that with laptop computers, most buyers know that lithium-ion batteries lose capacity over time. Replacing...
John Voelcker -
Woz got a Tesla, not a Chevy Bolt EV: Supercharging may be why
In September, Chevy scored quite a publicity coup for its Bolt EV long-range electric car. The car's chief engineer, Josh Tavel, took a pre-production 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV to show Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computers—universally known as "Woz." He's a big electric car fan, and had...
John Voelcker -
Bolt EV sales start, Trump meets Musk, Prius Prime gas mileage: The Week in Reverse
Which long-anticipated and long-range electric car went on sale this week (on schedule)? How many climate-science deniers can president-elect Trump choose to run big federal agencies? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on...
John Voelcker -
Lucid reveals design for its luxury Air sedan, a Tesla competitor
Lucid Motors' electric luxury sedan is called the Air.
Stephen Edelstein -
And now it's real. Just 23 months after GM CEO Mary Barra unveiled the Chevrolet Bolt concept at the Detroit Auto Show, the very first production versions of Chevy's 238-mile electric car to be sold were delivered this morning to eager San Francisco Bay Area buyers. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will be sold first in California and Oregon, and then roll out to selected dealers throughout the rest of the U.S. over the next six months. DON'T MISS: Chevrolet Bolt EV: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2017 The first sales took place 20 years and a few days after the first 40 GM EV1s were delivered...
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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: gas mileage, electric range review
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime turned out to be a better plug-in hybrid than we had expected when we drove it around sunny Ojai, California, on the press launch in October. It's a viable competitor to the second-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, though the Volt has an EPA-rated 53 miles of...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler to reveal new electric car at CES, maybe a minivan: report
With the introduction of the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV this month, the aging Fiat 500e three-door hatchback's 84 miles of range becomes woefully uncompetitive. So Fiat Chrysler Automobiles needs a new all-electric vehicle to comply with California zero-emission vehicle rules—despite its...
John Voelcker -
Trump's EPA head Pruitt: climate-science denier who sued the EPA many times
If there were any doubt that president-elect Donald Trump supports fossil fuels and does not believe in the scientific consensus of climate change, his pick to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should put it to rest. Yesterday, he named Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, a...
John Voelcker -
Modern electric cars at 20: from EV1 to Bolt EV, where are we now?
Twenty years ago today, the very first GM EV1 electric cars were delivered to 40 lessees in California in a blaze of publicity. Since then, plug-in electric vehicles have seen more than their share of ups and downs. That first EV1 was a high-tech two-seater created specifically to meet California's...
John Voelcker -
Audi e-tron vs Jaguar I-Pace vs Mercedes EQ: electric luxury SUVs compared
Audi, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz all plan to launch luxury electric SUVs in the next few years.
Stephen Edelstein -
Traditionally, the North American winter months have seen a slowdown in sales of plug-in electric cars—but the rule didn't seem to apply last month. Strong vehicle sales for November led analysts to suggest this could be another record year for U.S. sales, or at close. And several plug-in cars set new monthly records. Last month, sales of the Nissan Leaf electric car actually increased over last year's comparable number, while those of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid soared. DON'T MISS: Plug-in electric car sales for Oct: steady before Bolt EV, Prius Prime arrival While no Chevy Bolt...
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EPA keeps car-emission rules to 2025; what happens under Trump?
Two days ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a ruling that existing limits on tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide for 2022 through 2025 should remain in place. The EPA's carbon limits correspond exactly to NHTSA standards for corporate average fuel economy, and the EPA decision...
John Voelcker -
2017 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive: first drive of electric two-seat car
On a hot, muggy day in south Florida, nothing is more comforting than knowing that your well-cooled car will make it to its destination. When that car is a reboot of the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, the tiny battery-powered European city slicker—and you’re surrounded by a sea of drivers...
Jeff Jablansky -
Electric-car range, Prius Prime vs Volt, Hyundai beats Toyota, Tesla on T'au: The Week in Reverse
Which 2017 car set a new record for energy efficiency among passenger vehicles on sale this year? What is Tesla doing on a tiny island way out in the Pacific Ocean? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, November 25...
John Voelcker -
2017 Toyota Prius Prime vs 2017 Chevrolet Volt: plug-in hybrid video test
They're two high-volume plug-in hybrids, but they take different approaches to energy efficiency. The Toyota Prius Prime, new for 2017, is the plug-in version of the world's best-known, and best-selling, hybrid car. The 2017 Chevy Volt was new last year, a greatly improved version of the pioneering...
John Voelcker -
Why did Tesla take capabilities out of latest Model S + Model X?
Tesla may have taken capabilities out of the Model S and Model X because of a supplier switch.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric vehicles are hardly a new concept any more, but they've largely been the province of Nissan and Tesla. Add another nameplate to that battery-powered mix. The future of Jaguar arrives next year, in the shape of this gas-free SUV. Meet the Jaguar I-Pace concept. CHECK OUT: Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV concept breaks cover at LA Auto Show Let's get this out of the way first. The I-Pace concept shouldn't be a concept for too long. Jaguar promises its production electric SUV will arrive in some form around 2018. When it does, it will compete directly against other luxury automakers in a...
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Is Trump presidency the real market test for electric cars?
One week ago this morning, the U.S. and the world woke up to learn that Donald Trump would be the next president of the United States. The shockwaves of that election are still reverberating, and will do so for quite some time to come. Among the groups concerned are environmentalists, clean-energy...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: first drive of plug-in hybrid minivan
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid wraps a number of firsts into one innovative package. The Pacifica minivan, launched this year, has received positive reviews for its combination of stylish design, comfortable interior, easy-to-use infotainment, and capacious carrying capacity for up to eight...
John Voelcker -
Chevrolet Bolt EV: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2017
Each year, Green Car Reports chooses a new car, or a family of cars, as the best green car introduced in that model year. In 2011, our very first award, we picked the first-ever modern electric car to be sold in high volumes. Six years later, we've picked the spiritual successor to that car, one...
John Voelcker -
Tesla's own numbers show Autopilot has higher crash rate than human drivers
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Tesla’s claim that its Autopilot driver-assistance software is safer than a human driver. After a fatal Autopilot crash last May, the company said the death was the first in 130 million miles of Autopilot driving—and noted that, “among all...
David Noland -
2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid: video road test
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime is a new plug-in version of the fourth-generation Prius hybrid launched last year. It succeeds the previous Prius Plug-In Hybrid, but it's a much better—and considerably more electric—vehicle than that discontinued model. We've driven the new Prius Prime in...
John Voelcker