Green
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VW Group of North America now owns hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen and Audi TDI diesel vehicles it has bought back from owners under the terms of various diesel emission scandal settlements. Yesterday, it got some very good news: the EPA has approved a modification that will it allow it to resell the oldest and dirtiest of those vehicles. Known as "Generation One" diesels, they use the old EA189 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine but were not built with the modern urea-injection emission treatment system. DON'T MISS: EU investigating diesel collusion among Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, VW...
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Bollinger B1 all-electric utility truck revealed
It's square-edged, with flat body panels, large knobbly tires, and a simple interior that can easily be hosed out when dirty. The Bollinger B1 electric utility truck revealed tonight at the Classic Car Club on New York City's Hudson River was designed out in the country, where trucks have to be...
John Voelcker -
Propaganda video debunked, diesel worries from Europe, electric-car battery evolution, BYD expansion: Today's Car News
Today, discussion of diesel bans in Europe, updates on Toyota solid-state cells, context of the pace of electric-car battery advances, and some BYD news to boot. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We added some additional details to yesterday's story on Toyota plans for solid-state batteries...
John Voelcker -
Electric-car battery progress: incremental improvements, not revolutionary leaps
The report that Toyota is planning an electric car with a solid-state battery for 2022 has led some fans and advocates to suggest huge new leaps in electric cars are imminent. The 2011 Nissan Leaf had an EPA-rated range of 75 miles combined; the comparable figure for a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is 238...
John Voelcker -
UK to ban diesel, gasoline car sales by 2040; follows France, Norway, Holland bans
The United Kingdom will follow in the footsteps of some European countries as it announced plans to ban the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars by the year 2040. The initiative closely follows a similar announcement from France, which also declared 2040 as the year it will phase out...
Sean Szymkowski -
Propaganda video claiming 'dirty electric cars' debunked
For years, electric-car skeptics raised concerns about what was cleverly dubbed "The Coal Tailpipe": the idea that plug-in vehicles produced just as many harmful emissions as gasoline cars, but in a different place. That's not remotely true for carbon dioxide, as multiple studies over the years...
John Voelcker -
It's been several years since Chinese electric-car maker BYD retreated from plans to sell cars in the United States, but now it may be ready to get more serious about the market. BYD has found success in building and selling electric buses for public transportation agencies, but it has not yet launched a vehicle for private consumers. The company plans to focus more on selling to the private sector in coming years, and to expand its efforts in heavy-duty electric vehicles as well. DON'T MISS: China's BYD built more plug-in cars than any other maker last year The latest information comes from...
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European commissioner warns against cities' diesel bans, fears market collapse
The warning came even before last week's plans for updates to 9 million European diesel cars by German luxury makers Audi and Mercedes-Benz were announced. In a letter sent to the transport ministers of European Union countries, EU industry commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska warned that proposed bans...
John Voelcker -
2022 Toyota electric car to use solid-state batteries: updated report
Toyota has long claimed battery-electric cars are suitable only for limited uses, and promoted hydrogen fuel cells as the best zero-emission vehicle technology. Pushed by China's increasingly tough emission rules, the company recently—and reluctantly—committed to building all-electric...
John Voelcker -
Electric Mini, CAFE freeze, Model S back on top, electric cars and solar panels: Today's Car News
Today, an electric-car driver explains his decision to add solar panels to his house and runs through the math, we've got two stories on the future electric Mini Cooper, and the Trump administration plans another anti-environmental move. All this and more on Green Car Reports. As it turns out...
John Voelcker -
National Drive Electric Week to be bigger than ever: 175 events so far
The White House's energy week may have been low on renewable and zero emission technology, but National Drive Electric Week is poised to make up for it. Each year, Plug In America, the Electric Auto Association, and the Sierra Club join forces to implement one week of electric car events, parades...
Sean Szymkowski -
Next Mercedes-Benz small cars to get even tinier engines
Not so many years ago, a 1.2-liter engine would only have been found in the U.S. in the smallest and least impressive of subcompact cars. It might have been a 3-cylinder, and certainly wouldn't have had even 100 horsepower. But times change, and engines of that size will soon be found even in the...
John Voelcker -
The Tesla Model S has retaken its spot as the luxury sedan that gets the highest ratings from Consumer Reports after the electric car gained back automatic emergency braking that works at all legal road speeds. Some may remember Tesla restored the automatic braking during an update to vehicles earlier this year, but the system only worked at speeds up to 28 mph. Now, Tesla has restored the system's full-speed capabilities and the Model S sedans are capable of braking at highway speeds up to 90 mph. DON'T MISS: Consumer Reports restores some points to Tesla electric cars for automatic braking...
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Electric Mini to be made in U.K., despite BMW's Brexit worries (updated)
Mini, despite being owned by BMW since 1994, has long been a decidedly British brand. But both employees and fans worried that its British roots might be overlooked as a decision on where Mini's electric car is to be built closed in. Most Mini production takes place at the brand's Oxford plant in...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota electric car in 2022, diesel updates, fast plug-in sales, EV owner attitudes: Today's Car News
Today, we have two separate articles on solid-state batteries for electric cars, updates to lower diesel emissions, and a rare house editorial piece. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Breaking news this morning indicates that Toyota will launch an electric car with a solid-state battery...
John Voelcker -
Note to (a few) electric-car advocates: get off your high horses
Any movement produces passionate advocates and angry detractors, even as the vast mass of people pay it little or no attention. When that movement involves most people's second most-expensive purchase, and plays a role in reducing manmade carbon emissions to alleviate the worst effects of climate...
John Voelcker -
When will sales of of electric and gas cars be equal, globally? Poll results
It's now clear that much greater numbers of plug-in electric cars will be sold in coming years and decades than have found buyers to date. With battery costs falling faster than expected, and toughening regulations in China requiring higher volumes of electric cars, the onus is on the world's...
John Voelcker -
Fisker: about those graphene electric-car batteries? Never mind
Fisker's promise to bring advanced, solid-state graphene cells to the battery pack of its upcoming Emotion electric car is officially dead. Automotive-grade graphene batteries have yet to be perfected, but Fisker was poised to become the first company to utilize the technology. The batteries...
Sean Szymkowski -
Both Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Volkswagen Group have approved new plans to retrofit older diesel-powered vehicles with new software at no cost to owners. The largest number of such cars will be in Europe. The news comes amid the latest allegations surrounding German automakers and their brands' diesel cars—and more updates could be on the horizon. DON'T MISS: European fix for VW diesels complies with law, but real-world emissions still too high BMW has also committed to a voluntary program to retrofit older cars, though it has outright denied any wrongdoing on the topic of...
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VW electric cars, oldest Prius hybrid, California charging-station plans, diesel Jeep: Today's Car News
Today, we've updated our glossary of green-car terms, profiled the oldest Toyota Prius hybrid in the world, read through a 24-page report on VW's Electrify America plans for electric-car charging, and covered a future diesel Jeep. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, we ran...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen's 5 electric cars start in 2019: what we know so far
As Volkswagen works to look toward the future, following its damaging diesel deceit, electric cars and plug-in vehicles will be front and center in its product publicity. The German automaker has already hinted at its future electric cars with a handful of concepts, but its first high-volume...
Sean Szymkowski -
Jeep Wrangler Diesel already testing, before 2019 launch
The iconic Jeep Wrangler is a tough vehicle to make fuel-efficient. Its separate frame and body add weight, and it has all the wind-cheating grace of a small municipal hospital. The Wrangler SUV only gets redesigned every 10 years or so, so each new generation is a big deal to Jeep fans. DON'T...
John Voelcker -
California should approve VW 'Electrify America' plan for electric-car charging: CARB analysis
This Thursday, the California Air Resources Board will meet to consider what action it will take on an important plan that could bring many more electric-car charging sites to the state. That document is the first 30-month investment plan submitted by Volkswagen for its "Electrify America" program...
John Voelcker -
1946 Chevy pickup truck is world's oldest Prius hybrid. Really.
There are countless tales of classic cars and trucks receiving new life via parts from a completely different automobile. Whether it's an engine swap, a new platform, or a mix of a few different vehicles, project cars make for some of the greatest stories. This 1946 Chevrolet pickup truck is...
Sean Szymkowski