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Which non-automotive company just made a big bet on electric vehicles? What car just got safer for dogs? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Feb. 15, 2019. This week's headlines had a lot to say about new (and potential) investments and deals involving electric cars, and official range and fuel-economy ratings for upcoming hybrid and electric models. After rumors of tie ups between startup electric truck-maker Rivian and alternately GM and Amazon, word came at the end of the week, that Amazon will invest most of $700...
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Prime time: Amazon invests in electric-truck hopeful Rivian
Rivian on Friday announced that Amazon will invest in the company, as it pushes ahead to bring its lineup of electric pickups and SUVs to market. Although the amount of Amazon’s investment wasn't disclosed, Rivian said that the Seattle-based technology, goods, and services giant led a $700...
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Kia Soul EV rated for 243 miles, improved efficiency
In just one model year, Kia has more than doubled the rated driving range for the Soul EV. The 2020 Kia Soul EV, which is expected to reach dealerships this spring, will go 243 miles on a charge—four more miles than the Kia Niro EV—according to the EPA, in ratings that were released...
Bengt Halvorson -
Dogs are cool, especially in Teslas with new Dog Mode
Judging from recent news reports, it's all too easy to focus on the limitations on electric cars—range, recharge speeds, and most recently, their cold weather performance. Some things, though, electric cars can do that others can't. Take Tesla's new Dog Mode, announced by CEO Elon Musk on...
Eric C. Evarts -
An old tradition, auto shows, could give electric cars a boost
Last summer, Volkswagen Group chairman Dr. Herbert Diess said that he doesn’t believe new-car shows will exist (in their present form) a decade from now, and that “motor shows are dead.” You might think Volkswagen of America didn't get the memo. This year it's investing more of...
Bengt Halvorson -
Report: Rivian in talks with GM and Amazon
General Motors and Amazon could soon invest between $1 billion and $2 billion into Michigan-based electric vehicle hopeful Rivian, according to a report from Reuters. If the reported talks result in a deal, the two companies could end up with minority stakes in Rivian, as it pushes to get its fully...
Bengt Halvorson -
Last week the U.S. EPA released final fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Toyota Corolla lineup. They include a confirmation of what Toyota had claimed when it introduced the lineup last fall: that the Corolla Hybrid will carry an EPA combined rating of more than 50 mpg. The 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is rated at 52 mpg combined (53 mpg city, 52 highway). Among vehicles without a charge port, it matches the combined mileage for both the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. However it’s still a bit behind the high-mileage Prius Eco (56 mpg combined), and the Hyundai Ioniq (58 mpg combined...
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Purdue scientists test flow battery for EVs, claim 300-mile range
According to scientists at Purdue University, the best way to charge electric car batteries may be to take them to a gas station, and have them serviced at an instant oil-change shop. The two scientists have been testing a new type of flow battery in golf carts, and say the battery now develops...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla Model 3 could charge faster in Europe, charging network results suggest
Deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 in Europe have just started. So too have some accounts of the most significant difference included in European-market versions of the electric sedan: their CCS Combo DC fast charging port. One of those first accounts has come from the European charging network...
Bengt Halvorson -
Cold-weather EV range: Polar Vortex, AAA, local news paint a bleak picture; don't panic!
If you plan to drive an EV in winter weather you’ll need to charge more often to avoid “being stranded by a dead battery.” So sums AAA about its report on electric vehicle range, released this past week, which resulted in a very useful data set underscoring the reality of how EV...
Bengt Halvorson -
Green New Deal, Mercedes diesels, going solar, electric ride sharing: The Week in Reverse
Which automaker is facing a new lawsuit over emissions from its diesel engines? What companies plan to introduce new electric cars in their fleets? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Feb. 8, 2019. On this week, Green Car...
Eric C. Evarts -
Green New Deal introduced to Congress aims to cut emissions, create jobs
Until now, the Green New Deal proposed by various Congressional Democrats has been mostly a theory—the idea that a concerted national push, with significant federal support, could accomplish goals of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions while spurring the economy and creating...
Eric C. Evarts -
For the second time in barely more than a month, Tesla has cut the price of its entry level Model 3. On Jan. 1, the company cut prices $2,000 on all its models to partly compensate for a $3,750 reduction in the federal tax credit its buyers can receive. (Tesla's tax credits are phasing down as originally scheduled after it reached 200,000 sales last year.) Last week, it revealed a $1,000 price cut on Model S and Model X. Now the company has also cut prices by $1,100 on the Model 3. The move comes after the company ended its customer referral program in January, which offered buyers free...
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Hyundai and Kia EVs may just avoid "compliance car" stigma, but is that enough?
The Kia Niro EV that we drove earlier this week is one of the year’s best new green vehicles, and a great long-range electric car. However, unless you happen to live in one of several specific states and regions, the chances that you’ll see one are quite low. Based on conversations with...
Bengt Halvorson -
Green Car Reports is 10!
Ten years ago this week, in February 2009, Green Car Reports published its first story—one packed with insight regarding the Chevrolet Volt, which was then still nearly two years away. Despite all that could have happened to the Volt in GM’s bankruptcy, it arrived on time and was...
Bengt Halvorson -
Diesel lawsuit proceeds against Mercedes-Benz
While Volkswagen has reached a historic settlement and had to buy back hundreds of thousands of its diesel cars in the U.S., it isn’t the only automaker to be investigated for cheating on diesel emissions. Fiat Chrysler recently agreed to recall its Ram and Jeep EcoDiesels and pay owners for...
Eric C. Evarts -
How to charge your electric car from the sun, at home
With the big upturn in electric-car adoption driven by the Tesla Model 3, incoming Kia and Hyundai options, and the highly competitive Chevrolet Bolt, many drivers will be moving to vehicles that will be primarily charged at home. This means that their household electric bills are likely to show a...
George Parrott -
Tesla aims to make service quicker, roadside assistance automatic
Soon, if your Tesla breaks down, you may not even have to call a tow truck. Your car will do it for you. That was one of the goals Tesla CEO Elon Musk laid out for 2019 in a conference call with investors last week as part of a larger push to streamline the company's service processes. Musk didn't...
Eric C. Evarts -
Just before reaching a tight series of esses on the Monterey Peninsula’s famous 17 Mile Drive, I clicked the left steering-wheel paddle to bump the Niro EV up a regeneration level—a motion that mimics downshifting in a gasoline vehicle—then clicked the right paddle to ease things for my passenger as we breezed slowly by a quiet, off-season Pebble Beach. Minutes later, rolling into Monterey and its Cannery Row, I held the left paddle when approaching each stop, which triggers maximum regeneration—enough on a gentle approach to get the Niro EV all the way to a stop...
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Audi Super Bowl ad: Heavenly electric-car future, hackneyed themes?
Audi’s 2019 Super Bowl ad for Sunday’s Big Game focuses in on the brand’s electric and electrified future. Like many EV ads, it’s a head-scratcher. In a series of almost clichéd nods to Field of Dreams, Back to the Future, and other movies that would be familiar to...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla profits, GM doubles down on EVs, Mustang and 911 hybrids: The Week in Reverse
Which company showed a new hybrid system this week? What new retro-themed electric car does Volkswagen plan to build? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Feb. 1, 2019. The news this week centered around Tesla, as it often...
Eric C. Evarts -
Chargeway Beacon to help shoppers and dealers navigate past EV charging confusion
Multiple electric vehicles arriving this year promise a driving range of more than 200 miles. While that’s great news, and it’s bound to convince more households to make the jump to a fully electric vehicle—and to take road trips with it—it presents a new challenge to...
Bengt Halvorson -
Commentary: Tesla races to outrun perfect storm from tax credit, production, cost hurdles
Tesla's earnings call on Wednesday showed the company making money—but struggling to keep doing so. Based Tesla's financial reports as well as its recent moves to restructure its model lineup and cut prices in response to a cut in federal tax credits for its buyers, there are a few things...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla turned a profit at the end of 2018; Model Y coming by end of 2020
Tesla recorded a $139 million profit for the last quarter of 2018, smaller than the $311 million quarterly profit before it, but ended 2018 down nearly $1 billion, the automaker told investors Wednesday. "Last year was the most challenging year in Tesla history, but also the most successful," Tesla...
Aaron Cole