Green
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It is one of the more remarkable features of the Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan: door handles that retract flush with the body until needed. But the retracting door handles proved tricky in practice; owner of early Model S cars reported that quite a lot of them had to be replaced under warranty. The problems seemed to have abated, but clearly they're not gone--as Consumer Reports recently learned. DON'T MISS: Tesla Gigafactory: Drone Flyover Shows How Huge It Really Is The well-known consumer magazine took delivery of a brand-new 2015 Tesla Model S P85D, only to find that the car's...
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Ford Opens Electrified-Vehicle Patents, Adds 200 Engineers To Work On Hybrids, Electrics
Ford Motor Company announced this morning that it would open its portfolio of patents related to electrified vehicles--meaning both hybrids and electric cars--to competitive automakers. The Dearborn, Michigan, company says its goal is to "accelerate industry-wide research and development of...
John Voelcker -
New Smaller Commercial Vans Do Well Due To Fuel Efficiency
You can save a lot of money by improving the fuel economy of larger and thirstier vehicles, especially if they cover lots of miles each year. That's why business owners are usually considered to be more rational vehicle buyers than retail customers: The fleet vehicles often consume twice the fuel...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Pops Up, State Electric-Car Fees, Obama Delayed: Today's Car News
We look at vacation car-rental dilemmas, state electric-car fees, and yet another innovation from California carmaker Tesla Motors. All this and more today on Green Car Reports. Tesla takes a page from the retail industry and opens its first "popup store" to sell electric cars in Santa Barbara. Who...
John Voelcker -
Electric-Car Future Is Coming, Just More Slowly Than Predicted: Consensus
It's been no secret that President Obama's goal of 1 million plug-in electric cars on U.S. roads won't be met by the end of this year. That's the goal he announced on the campaign trail toward winning his first term in 2008. The actual number is likely to be perhaps 400,000 or so; the 1-million...
John Voelcker -
Ford Fusion Or Toyota Prius: Environmentalist's Vacation Dilemma
Carbon guilt weighed heavily on my mind as I approached the car rental counter at the Salt Lake City Airport. The book I was reading on the plane (Sustainable Energy, by David JC Mackay) suggested that my portion of the energy for the round-trip plane ride from Boston and back would amount to...
John Briggs -
Six states could soon levy separate taxes on electric cars.
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Small Islands Are Biggest Beneficiaries Of Renewable Energy
A wind farm for an island off the New England coast is expected to dramatically lower residents' electricity bills.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Brings Electric-Car Popup Stores To Summer Resorts: Santa Barbara, Hamptons
So-called popup stores are an increasingly common way for retail brands to get media attention and attract new customers, without the expense of building and staffing a full-time location. Now California carmaker Tesla Motors is extending the concept to bring its luxury Model S electric car to...
John Voelcker -
2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrids, BMW And Mirai Showrooms, Germy Gas Pumps: Today's Car News
We look at the latest hybrid and plug-in hybrid sedans from Hyundai, consider two standalone showrooms for advanced green vehicles, and ask if a gas pump may be the single germiest thing you touch in public. All this and more today (and over the long U.S. holiday weekend) on Green Car Reports...
John Voelcker -
LG Chem Adds Chinese Great Wall Motors Plug-In Hybrids To Its Battery Clients
South Korean battery maker LG Chem continues to be on a roll, signing up automakers left and right that plan to use its lithium-ion cells in new electric cars. The latest to join the roster that includes Audi, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Smart, Volkswagen, and Volvo is the Chinese...
John Voelcker -
Tokyo's Toyota Mirai Dealer & Hydrogen Fueling Site: Photo Gallery
The 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan will go on sale in limited regions of California later this year, but it's already available in Japan. On a recent trip to Japan, your correspondent had a chance to head to downtown Tokyo to take a look at the combination of a dedicated Mirai showroom...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Porsche is recalling all 918 Spyders globally, including the 223 in the U.S.
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A Gas Pump Is The 'Germiest Thing' You Touch: Did You Know?
A Kimberly-Clark study says gas-pump handles have the highest average concentration of germs.
Stephen Edelstein -
First Standalone BMW Electric-Car Sales Facility Opens--In CA, Of Course
Electric cars are still a rarity in most of North America, and for that matter most of the world. But California, which has led automotive trends pretty much since the Second War, is different. Electric cars are increasingly popular there, and they're becoming positively commonplace in Silicon...
John Voelcker -
Computers To Heat Your Home? Startup Nerdalize Distributes Server Farms To Dutch Residences
A Dutch startup uses servers to heat homes.
Stephen Edelstein -
Faradion Electric Bike: Prototype Powered By Sodium-Ion Batteries
A British company unveils an electric bicycle to demonstrate its new battery chemistry.
Stephen Edelstein -
New Prius Efficiency, Gigafactory Flyover, Famous Electric-Car Driver: The Week In Reverse (Video)
Which famous race driver turns out to love driving his electric car around London? And, what really gigantic object did a drone fly over, and shoot video of, last weekend? This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, May 22...
John Voelcker -
Audi and Chrysler make headlines today.
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Next Toyota Prius Hybrid: 40-Percent Thermal Efficiency From Engine, Toyota Says
You may not hear about the thermal efficiency of engines much: It's the ratio of how efficiently they use the energy in the fuel they burn. Conventional gasoline engines have long run about 25 percent, diesels at 30 to 35 percent. But the gasoline engine to be used in the next generation of the...
John Voelcker -
Audi e-Tron All-Electric 'Coupe SUV' Confirmed For 2018
Audi will launch its "sport SUV with electric drive" in 2018.
Stephen Edelstein -
New Chrysler Minivan Might Get Electric All-Wheel Drive: CEO
Chrysler may add electric all-wheel drive to the next-generation Town & Country minivan.
Stephen Edelstein -
Connecticut Electric-Car Incentives Unveiled, Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars Included
Connecticut will offer rebates of up to $3,000 for the purchase of new electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Volvo XC90 Level 2 Charging, 2015 BMW i8 Sales, Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Today's Car News
BMW and Volvo make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein