Featured (was)
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has come under intense public scrutiny after a pair of hackers took control of a Jeep Cherokee remotely through its Uconnect infotainment system and disabled certain features, including its brakes and transmission. Publicity around that vulnerability quickly led the company to recall 1.4 million vehicles for a fix, under strong pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Now, it's Tesla's turn. DON'T MISS: FCA Recalls 1.4 Million Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Vehicles Over Hacking Concerns According to a report in Britain's Financial Times...
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Plug-In Electric Car Sales In July: Leaf Plummets, Volt Holds (FINAL UPDATE)
While May was a good month for sales of plug-in electric cars, the numbers sagged in June--and they appear to be doing the same for July. Last month's sales data has now arrived, and it looks like the lack of new and exciting plug-in vehicles, plus buyers' continuing infatuation with SUVs, have...
John Voelcker -
2016 Chevy Volt EPA Ratings: 53-Mile Electric Range, 42 MPG On Gas
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid has been rated by the EPA at 53 miles of electric range, a nice boost on Chevy's earlier promise of "at least 50 miles." The EPA also rates the 2016 Volt at 42 mpg combined when the engine is running, and 106 Miles Per Gallon Equivalent combined when operating...
John Voelcker -
Armored Plug-In Hybrid, Mazda Miata, Tesla Battery Life: The Week In Reverse (Video)
What's our new champion for the greenest sports car you can likely afford? And, who's built a plug-in hybrid with armor plating--and why? This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, July 31, 2015. Friday, we described the new...
John Voelcker -
BMW Mulls Large All-Electric SUV To Counter Tesla Model X: Report
Battery-electric vehicles with ranges of 150 to 200 miles and prices under $50,000 are now on the horizon from Chevrolet, Nissan, and Tesla, but details of BMW's entry into that segment are less visible. On the higher end, we know that German luxury makers Audi and Mercedes-Benz plan pricey...
John Voelcker -
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata: The Greenest New Sports Car You Can Buy?
The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is the newest generation of the world's most popular sports car. The iconic two-seater passed the British MGB more than a decade ago to become the highest-volume sports car in the world, and the latest iteration brings it into the current decade. In fact, we'd argue that...
John Voelcker -
Last month, my wife and I took my 2013 Tesla Model S on a day trip from our home in New York’s Hudson Valley to Brattleboro, Vermont, a distance of 180 miles. We picked up our daughter, charged the 85-kilowatt-hour battery up to 98 percent at the Brattleboro Supercharger, and returned home via a longer, more scenic route of 210 miles. To my surprise, the return trip took almost every electron the battery could muster. We pulled into the driveway with only 5 percent capacity remaining—roughly 15 miles of range. DON'T MISS: Life With Tesla Model S: Local Supercharger Joys &...
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CA Fuel-Cell Car Drivers Say Hydrogen Fuel Unavailable, Stations Don't Work (UPDATED)
While they enjoy driving their cars, early lessees of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in Southern California are complaining that they can't reliably fuel them at the handful of stations now supposedly operating in their region. The stations are frequently inoperative, they say, closed for days or...
John Voelcker -
Hydrogen Fueling Troubles, 3000-HP Electric Car, Nissan Leaf Lawsuit: The Week In Reverse (Video)
Why are 70 drivers of hydrogen-powered Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles so unhappy these days? And, who's planning to test an electric car with 3,000 horsepower? This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, July 24, 2015...
John Voelcker -
Next Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid To Have 30 To 35 Miles Of Range: Source
Cars with plugs have been on sale since December 2010, and a second generation will start arriving next year. But while long-range battery-electric cars--the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV and an all-new 2017 Nissan Leaf--grab attention, another vehicle on the way could be equally important. That's the...
John Voelcker -
Faraday Future: Startup Promises Long-Range Electric Car In 2017
Over cocktails, two former Lotus colleagues met up in Irvine, California, the mecca for car design. They realized they shared a common dream: to create a next-generation electric vehicle... With a photo of a drink on a bar napkin, so begins the creation myth for Faraday Future, the secretive...
John Voelcker -
Tesla 'Ludicrous' Mode, High-Mile Hybrid, Mirai Signups: The Week In Reverse (Video)
What do Tesla CEO Elon Musk and comedy legend Mel Brooks have in common? And, how many miles can you cover on the original battery pack of a Toyota Prius hybrid? This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, July 17, 2015...
John Voelcker -
The Tesla Model S luxury electric sedan will get an upgrade of its highest-capacity battery pack, from 85 to 90 kilowatt-hours, as well as a new optional high-performance mode called "Ludicrous" mode. The news was announced today by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk during a press conference (and followed one hour later by an update on the rocketry efforts of SpaceX, which he also runs). Musk called the upgrade "pretty awesome," as is his wont. DON'T MISS: How Elon Musk Controls Tesla Motors While Owning Only 27 Percent In "Ludicrous" mode in both P85D and new P90D variants--it's above "Insane"...
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Consumer Reports: Used Nissan Leafs Can Be A Good Value
Used Nissan Leaf prices are very low right now, Consumer Reports says.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model S Outsold Nissan Leaf In U.S. During Q1: Report
It's one of the great frustrations for journalists in reporting on electric cars: Tesla Motors refuses to release its monthly deliveries of cars, unlike every other legitimate automaker. The company now gives a global sales total every quarter, but that doesn't help in adding accurate U.S. sales...
John Voelcker -
Elio Motors Raises $22 Million From Small Investors, Still Needs $130 Million More
As one website put it--in a piece tagged to lure Tesla Motors fans--Elio Motors is "the other automotive startup" to which those fans should presumably pay attention. But even Tesla CEO Elon Musk hasn't proposed "crowdsourcing" his product-development funds. Given that Elio now seems to have raised...
John Voelcker -
Craving Teslas, BMW On Hydrogen, Old-Car Gas Mileage Myths: The Week In Reverse (Video)
What do Russia and Texas turn out to have in common? And, how many electric cars did China build, just in June alone--and why isn't it quite as major as it sounds? This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, July 10, 2015...
John Voelcker -
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE550e Plug-In Hybrid: Quick Drive
Until quite recently, luxury SUVs and plugging in didn’t really go together. Yet with the introduction of the 2015 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid, the upcoming 2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e, and soon the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE550e Plug-In Hybrid, this corner of the market has entirely changed. All three...
Bengt Halvorson -
New cars and trucks are selling at a blistering pace in the U.S. right now, adding to a seventh consecutive year of volume growth for the industry. But with half the year gone, sales of plug-in electric cars are in something of a holding pattern despite a surge last month, pending the launch of two key products. Those are the 2016 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, with its 50-mile electric range and gasoline engine, and an updated 2016 Nissan Leaf thought to have a range of 100-plus miles. Until those cars arrive in volume on dealer lots, plug-in sales are growing--but not as much as they have in...
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Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid 'No Longer Available,' Infiniti QX60 Twin Vanishes Too: UPDATED
Four months ago, we inquired about the fate of the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid. That version of the popular seven-seat family SUV, with a 2.5-liter four and a mild-hybrid system replacing the usual 3.5-liter V-6, had launched as a 2014 model. We weren't impressed with the car, either in prototype form...
John Voelcker -
2016 Nissan Leaf Range To Top 100 Miles, August Launch Possible: Report
Rumors of a longer-range battery for the 2016 Nissan Leaf have been percolating for a while now. Nissan has steadfastly declined to answer questions about the next model year of the world's most successful electric car, but at least one report now suggests that a revised Leaf is imminent. DON'T...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Battery Gigafactory 'Slightly Ahead Of Schedule': State Officials
The Tesla Gigafactory will open next year, Nevada officials say.
Stephen Edelstein -
GM Targets Tesla With 200-Mile Bolt EV Mantra: 'For Regular People, Not Elites'
If we heard it once, we heard it a dozen times this week. The upcoming Chevrolet Bolt EV 200-mile electric car is "for regular people, not for the elites." You'd almost think that General Motors had adopted the "1 Percent" meme that appears to be the lasting legacy of Occupy Wall Street. DON'T...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Leaf With 250-Mile Range: Ghosn Shows R&D Car, Video At Annual Meeting
While Chevrolet beats the drum for the Bolt EV 200-mile electric car it will likely launch before the end of next year, Nissan has been relatively quiet about its plans to upgrade the Leaf's current 84-mile range to compete. But at yesterday's annual meeting, a relatively conventional-looking Leaf...
John Voelcker