Featured (was)
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As electric-car range moves above the 100-mile mark in EPA ratings, one of the more interesting models to watch will be the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric. That car uses essentially the same 28-kilowatt-hour battery pack as the low-volume Kia Soul EV, a blocky tall wagon that's rated at 93 miles. Can the slimmer, sleeker Ioniq Electric match or beat the latest 2016 Nissan Leaf, rated at 107 miles? DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, Electric: more notes from Geneva Motor Show According to Hyundai engineer Kim Choong, the answer is yes: the Ioniq electric car is expected to achieve a U.S...
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VW diesel emissions scandal: what you need to know in 10 questions (updated)
Friday, March 18th, will mark six months since the news that Volkswagen deliberately circumvented U.S. EPA emissions laws on so-called "clean diesel" models sold from 2009 through 2015. That news hit the automotive world like a bombshell, and led to consequences for VW Group that are still...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model 3 mania starts with tweet, owner contest (1 day only)
Two weeks from tomorrow, Tesla Motors will unveil a prototype for the Model 3 electric car at its design studio in Hawthorne, California. Yesterday evening, the company kicked off the countdown to the presentation with a single tweet showing a Model S, a Model X, and a dark silhouette clearly...
John Voelcker -
Will next Toyota Prius 'marvel' be plug-in hybrid at NY debut?
Taillight shapes are a big deal for Toyota these days, as the ornate styling of the 2016 Prius hybrid has demonstrated. Now the company has released a teaser photo of illuminated taillights on what it calls "the next mechanical marvel in the Prius lineup." That car will debut on Wednesday, March...
John Voelcker -
BMW i5 to have range extender, use carbon-fiber body: product chief
Among the three German luxury brands, BMW was first out of the gate to build and sell a battery-electric car in volume. Its unusual and technically advanced i3 small hatchback, offered with an optional two-cylinder range-extending engine, makes up the bulk of its "i" sub-brand sales, joined by the...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S electric-car racing series to launch next year
Some car fans don't connect with racing series because their purpose-built, open-wheel race cars bear no resemblance to anything they see on the street. And perhaps the same could be said of today's Formula E circuit of electric-car races across the globe. But how about a race series exclusively...
John Voelcker -
Perhaps no car company today is as good at the extended tease as California electric-car maker Tesla Motors. Whether it's tweets from CEO Elon Musk, fervent fan speculation on few facts, or mainstream-media coverage based on incomplete knowledge and misunderstanding, the tiny carmaker gets huge media attention. Now, a comment tweeted to Musk by a software hacker may have revealed the company's next high-end performance version of its Model S electric luxury sport sedan. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model S: From Insane to Ludicrous to slice 1/4-mile times (with video) As laid out on electric-car site...
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Prius V power plus Pontiac pony car equals...Firebird Hybrid!
What would be your ultimate Toyota Prius hybrid? Maybe a convertible version? One that brings fond memories of bygone performance to middle-aged friends and neighbors? An Ohio man is now in the process of building what might become the ultimate Toyota Prius—at least for muscle car...
Andrew Ganz -
Plug-In electric car sales for Feb: winter doldrums continue
As in previous years, the dog days of January and February were not kind to electric-car sales this year. Both 2014 and 2015 saw the lowest number of plug-in cars sold in their first two months, and 2016 appears to be following that pattern. While February sales were slightly up on those in...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Volt: what GM is doing differently this time
By virtually all accounts, the second-generation Chevrolet Volt is a handsome, enjoyable, efficient, and comfortable plug-in hybrid hatchback. This site named it our Best Car To Buy for 2016, and it's won plaudits from reviewers across the spectrum. But as we wrote last summer, "We worry most about...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai Ioniq: most important car at the Geneva Motor Show?
The Geneva Motor Show is stuffed with cars, both European volume cars we don't see in North America and a huge number of pricey and high-performance supercars and customs. So despite the fact that it was a global debut, the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq didn't seem to get the buzz it might have if it had been...
John Voelcker -
How I got a new 2015 Nissan Leaf electric car for $16K net: indecision
Sometimes my liberal environmentalist side fights with my fiscally conservative side, and my decision-making suffers as a result. I’ve wanted an electric car for the past 30 years. But in the 1980s, they were conversions with lead-acid batteries that were both expensive and impractical. Later...
John Briggs -
One of the more daunting perceived obstacles to driving a plug-in electric car seems to be the need for a home charging station. While plug-in hybrids can be recharged overnight using their 120-Volt charging cords, battery-electric drivers should really have access to a 240-Volt Level 2 charging station. Those will recharge the full battery pack in anything from 4 to 9 hours, depending on the specific car. DON'T MISS: Installing An Electric-Car Charging Station: This Old House Shows You How Many owners will want to retrofit a charging station into an existing garage, but to lay out the...
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Colorado Megachurch Goes Electric: BMW i3, Charging Stations, And More
Electric cars and organized religion aren't necessarily seen as fellow travelers, but one megachurch is bridging the two in pursuit of its mission. The Resurrection Fellowship Church in Loveland, Colorado, has installed a charging station in its parking lot--and its pastor, Jonathan Wiggins, has...
John Voelcker -
Highest Gas Mileage For The Least Money: We Rate 10 Top Cars
Here's how to get the cheapest gas mileage.
Stephen Edelstein -
Koch Brothers Go To War Against Electric Cars, Elon Musk Sighs
The Koch Brothers of Texas have long been bêtes noires to the progressive side of the political spectrum. Now, it appears, the dynamic duo are taking on what they perceive as a threat to their fossil-fuel interests: electric cars. And Elon Musk, CEO of highly visible electric-car maker Tesla...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Radio Flyer: Ludicrous Mode For Junior
Radio Flyer builds a mini Tesla Model S for kids.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model X Vs Tesla Model S: Ludicrous Drag-Strip Faceoff (Video)
Watch a Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S face off on a drag strip.
Stephen Edelstein -
The 2017 Kia Niro "hybrid utility vehicle" revealed this morning at the Chicago Auto Show marks the South Korean brand's ambitious entry into dedicated hybrids. While dedicated hybrids have traditionally been hatchbacks--think Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, even the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt--none have yet been designed as crossover utility vehicles. Even better, Kia promises that there's a Niro plug-in hybrid version coming after the conventional hybrid launches late this year. DON'T MISS: 2017 Kia Optima Hybrids: Details On 27-Mile Plug-In Hybrid Given that the larger, heavier Kia Optima...
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Old Vs New: 2016 Tesla Model S 90D Compared To Original Version
In a week or so, my 2013 Tesla Model S, now fitted with an 85-kilowatt-hour battery, will wind up its third year of residence in my driveway. It just finished its third cross-country trip, from my home in New York’s Hudson Valley to a winter getaway in Carpinteria, California, and the...
David Noland -
2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: Gas Mileage Review
The 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is the first mass-market crossover utility with a hybrid powertrain since the demise of the Ford Escape Hybrid in 2012. Granted, there's the luxury Lexus NX hybrid (using some of the same underpinninngs), and the low-volume Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, with a mild-hybrid...
John Voelcker -
Will Tighter CAFE Rules Bring More Trucks, Fewer Small Cars?
The entire auto industry was startled when Fiat Chrysler said two weeks ago it would end production of its Dodge Dart compact car and its Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan. The company intends to use the plant capacity freed up to build more light trucks, meaning its popular crossover utilities and...
John Voelcker -
Valentine Extravaganza: Red Roses In Maroon Tesla Model S (With Disclaimers)
A flower retailer comes up with a creative use for Tesla's "Summon" feature.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric-Car Trends, Tesla Model 3, GM Vs LG, VW Diesels (Again): The Week In Reverse
Which large factory hasn't quite lived up to its projections for jobs or investment as yet? And, what do we see as the biggest electric-car trends between now and 2020? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, February 5, 2016...
John Voelcker