Featured (was)
-
With the all-new 2016 Audi Q7 now launched at last week's Geneva Motor Show, and a diesel plug-in hybrid model to follow, luxury maker Audi can turn its attention to its next utility project. That would be a stylish all-electric crossover SUV that takes direct aim at the Tesla Model X, which is currently scheduled to start deliveries before the end of this year. DON'T MISS: Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche Electric Cars To Target Tesla Model S (Plug-In Hybrids Too) At the Geneva Show, Audi's chief of engineering, Ulrich Hackenberg, confirmed that the company was working on the all-electric SUV...
-
2015 BMW i8 Video Road Test
The BMW i8 is sleek and stunning, but it's no V-8-powered supercar. Is it the car that will give plug-in hybrids sex appeal? First, you need to know what makes the i8 go. This is no straightforward supercar: The i8 gets power in a complex way--it can be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or...
Joel Feder -
Tesla Road Trip, Accord Hybrid Supply, Geneva Show Cars: The Week In Reverse (Video)
Why does French maker Renault returning to North America with the Twizy electric car make very little sense to us? And how did our Tesla-driving author fare as he drove cross-country, without benefit of Superchargers along parts of his route? This is our video look back at the Week In...
John Voelcker -
Ford May Show A 200-Mile Electric Car This Year To Counter Chevy Bolt: UPDATE
The announcement that the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt electric car will go into production within 18 months seemingly sent shockwaves through the auto industry. GM's crosstown rival Ford, which has sold hybrids for more than 10 years but shown little love for battery-electric cars, now seems to feel the...
John Voelcker -
Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Feb: Cold-Weather Doldrums Continue: FINAL UPDATE
Winter is always a slower sales time for plug-in electric cars than the warmer months, and last month looks like it won't be any exception. Sales of most of the highest-selling battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models stayed roughly at levels similar to those of January. While a blockbuster...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Cross-Country Trip, Without (Many) Superchargers: Days 1-3
With our daughter off to college, my wife and I recently became empty-nesters. Suddenly, there was no more reason to endure the wretched winters in New York’s Hudson Valley. California, here we come: We rented a cottage for February and March in the small beach town of Carpinteria, an hour...
David Noland -
The Audi Q7 e-tron quattro diesel plug-in hybrid model was official unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show. The car's reveal followed last month's release of the first photos, details, and specifications of the all-new 2017 Audi Q7 line. Audi says the Q7 e-tron quattro is "the world's first plug-in hybrid with a six-cylinder diesel engine and quattro all-wheel drive." DON'T MISS: Audi To Add Plug-In Hybrid Models Of Next A6, A8 Sedans, Q7 SUV Volvo has offered a diesel plug-in hybrid model of its V60 wagon in Europe for a couple of years now, but it uses a 215-horsepower 2.4-liter...
-
2016 Volt Powertrain, Electric-Car Performance, Tesla Again At The Top: The Week In Reverse (Video)
Interested in the powertrain technology in the 2016 Volt? Or the performance potential in electric cars? Of course you are. This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, February 27, 2015. If you think pure electric...
Bengt Halvorson -
Is Tesla Model S P85D The World's Fastest Sedan? Top Speed Test Needed
Even 10 years ago, the idea of a “family sedan” that could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds was something between a rarity and a fantasy. Even more delusional was the thought of a stock family sedan that could exceed 200 mph. Those heady performance figures were...
George Parrott -
2016 Chevrolet Volt Powertrain: How It Works In Electric, Hybrid Modes
The new 2016 Chevrolet Volt is sleeker, has more electric range, higher gas mileage, a fifth seat, and should be both faster and quieter on the road. But while GM hasn't explicitly said so, it's no longer as much of a range-extended electric car (or "series hybrid"). The new 2016 Volt should be...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Battery Life, Volvo Plug-In Hybrid, Fossil-Fuel Girlfriend: The Week In Reverse (Video)
Why are fossil fuels like your girlfriend? And which carmaker will offer the world's very first seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV? This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, February 20, 2015. Friday, we wrote about one business...
John Voelcker -
2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Plug-In Hybrid 'Twin Engine': First Drive
By the end of this year, there will be several luxury SUV models offered in the U.S. with plug-in hybrid powertrains that let them run 12 to 20 miles on electricity alone. We've now driven one of them, the 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 "Twin Engine" model, which will go on sale this fall. And based on our...
John Voelcker -
One of the things electric-car owners worry about is long-term battery degradation. It’s a well-established fact that lithium-ion batteries gradually lose capacity as they undergo numerous charge/discharge cycles. We owners understand that our range will gradually decline over the life of the car. The critical question is how much. DON'T MISS: 2014 Tesla Model S P85D: First Drive Of All-Electric AWD Performance Sedan My 2013 Tesla Model S, when new, had an EPA range of 265 miles. But six or eight years down the road, with 100,000-plus miles on the odometer, there’s no way to know...
-
Adorable, Helpful Fossil Fuels Are Your Loving Girlfriend--Don't Betray Her: Video
The Soviets used to call it agitprop--various forms of media and art with an explicitly political message--but now it's paid for by large corporations, to backstop their lobbying efforts. The latest example is a truly delicious little Valentine-theme video that explains how wonderful and lovable...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Trade-In, Kia AWD Hybrid, Fiat 500X Spy Shots: The Week In Reverse (Video)
Why did our Tesla-owning author trade in his perfectly good Model S electric car? And which carmaker's executive all but confirmed our theory about some spy shots we ran? This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, February 13...
John Voelcker -
Tesla To Offer Batteries To Consumers For Home Energy Storage
It was just a couple of sentences during Wednesday's 2014 earnings call by Tesla Motors executives. But in it, CEO Elon Musk apparently revealed a new line of business for the company: selling or leasing lithium-ion battery packs for home energy storage. DON'T MISS: In 10 Years, Electric Cars Make...
John Voelcker -
Kia Trail'ster e-AWD Soul Hybrid Concept Unveiled At Chicago Auto Show
At the very first automaker press conference of the Chicago Auto Show, Kia pulled the wraps off its Trail'ster Concept: an all-wheel-drive hybrid versions of its Soul that uses an electric motor to power the rear wheels. Bolder styling cues, a ride height more than 2 inches higher, and a fully...
John Voelcker -
Why I Had To Trade My Tesla Model S For A Brand-New P85D
Last October, Tesla announced an all-wheel-drive version of the Model S electric car, with up to a mind-boggling 691 horsepower, and said deliveries would start as early as December—only a two month wait. The performance specifications of the new P85D version promised supercar numbers on the...
George Parrott -
Electric-car fans and Tesla owners alike are eagerly awaiting the debut of the Tesla Model X electric SUV, now scheduled to go into production roughly six months from now. Like every Tesla, the Model X has been delayed a number of times--but there's been little speculation about the reasons for the delays. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model X Caught On Video In Acceleration, Cornering Tests Green Car Reports asked Tesla Motors to spell out what had led to the delays, and whether the car was still on track for a Q3 launch. "We continue to develop Model X and prepare for production," wrote Khobi Brooklyn...
-
Breaking: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt 200-Mile Electric Car To Start Production In Oct 2016
The Chevrolet Bolt, a subcompact electric car with 200 miles of range, is to go into production earlier than expected, just 20 months from now. According to a breaking news story early this morning, the Bolt will start production in October 2016--possibly as a 2017 model. DON'T MISS: Chevrolet Bolt...
John Voelcker -
FINAL UPDATE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Jan: Winter Slump Sets In
Last year's U.S. sales of plug-in electric cars were the highest on record, but now the traditional winter sales slump has set in with a bang. Electric car sales usually dip during the coldest months, and last January was the lowest sales month of the year--but this January's results apparently...
John Voelcker -
Kia Trail'ster Concept In Chicago: New 'DE' Dedicated Hybrid SUV? (UPDATED)
Kia has now issued another teaser photo of the "rugged runabout" crossover utility vehicle concept it will unveil next week at the Chicago Auto Show, and it now has a name: the Kia Trail'ster Concept. The photo shows the rear of the vehicle on a dirt road, with an upswept black bumper shield and...
John Voelcker -
Tesla P85D Highlights Why EPA Range Ratings Are Inconsistent & Confusing For Electric Cars
There’s been a lot of confusion recently about the official EPA-certified ranges of certain electric cars. That all-important number goes on the window sticker, and is typically used for advertising and marketing purposes. In November, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced, with great fanfare...
David Noland -
FINAL UPDATE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales Continue Rise In 2014, To 118,500
Plug-in electric car sales during 2014 rose above the 100,000 level, to total roughly 118,500. Last year's total represents a 27-percent gain over calendar year 2013. It's the third annual increase in full-year sales in the U.S. since modern electric cars first went on sale in December 2010; the...
John Voelcker