Green
-
Swedish company Einride has officially unveiled the first full-scale prototype of its futuristic autonomous electric truck. First announced back in April, the T-pod is touted as being more than a simple self-driving electric truck—it’s pitched as an entirely “new transportation system,” with plans to have an active fleet of 200 T-pods running in Sweden by 2020. Each pod is 23 feet (7 meters) in length and can hold 15 “standard” pallets, for a total weight of 20 tons when full. DON'T MISS: Tesla semi truck to test self-driving, capable of 'platooning'...
-
Used Renault electric-car batteries provide DC fast-charging on highway
Renault hasn't tackled the home-energy storage market to the degree its alliance partner Nissan has, but it has found another use for "second-life" batteries. The French brand has worked with UK-based Connected Energy to install two electric-car DC fast-charging stations powered by second-life...
Sean Szymkowski -
China's electric-car sales now twice those in US for Jan-June 2017
Hard numbers provide the latest evidence that shows China is by far the world's largest market for plug-in cars—or new energy vehicles, as they are referred to locally. The latest round of sales figures show the Chinese bought almost exactly twice the number of plug-in vehicles as car buyers...
Sean Szymkowski -
Diesel demand drops, 2018 BMW i3 updates, Exxon lied for decades, Tesla wins in court: Today's Car News
Today, we've got the updates to the 2018 BMW i3 electric car (including the sporty new i3s), an analysis that implicates Exxon, a court win for Tesla, and dire details on used diesel demand. All this and more on Green Car Reports. A week before they debut at the Frankfurt auto show, we now have...
John Voelcker -
Exxon knew climate change was real, ads told public it wasn't
Sometimes it's best not to dare the public to do the research, especially if you're trying to persuade them of something that isn't true. Almost two years ago, Inside Climate News published a significant expose that confirmed Exxon's own scientists had agreed that human carbon emissions contributed...
John Voelcker -
Which carmaker will sell most electric cars in 2020, China included? Poll results
Last year, China's BYD sold more plug-in electric cars than any other company in the world. That includes General Motors, Nissan, and Tesla. Now GM has launched the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the second-generation Nissan Leaf is just days away, and advocates, analysts, and enthusiasts are watching how...
John Voelcker -
As a Tesla lawsuit over the state of Michigan's dealership franchise law grinds on, the Silicon Valley automaker scored a recent legal victory. A federal magistrate has ordered two Michigan lawmakers to turn over their communications to the company's lawyers, including emails they sent to lobbyist groups. State Senator Joe Hune and State Representative Jason Sheppard will be required to hand over all documents and communications to Tesla for "attorneys' eyes only." DON'T MISS: Tesla Model 3 won't be delivered in Michigan to buyers; lawsuit grinds on Both individuals have played a part in the...
-
Used diesel demand drops in Germany over fear of software upgrades
Diesel-powered cars, long a staple on European roads, are starting to lose favor as million of dollars of inventory begins to pile up in used diesel models. The inventory, largely recent models certified under the superseded Euro-5 emission standards, has boomed recently over the possibility the...
Sean Szymkowski -
2018 BMW i3 electric car range adds sportier i3s version
While the 2018 BMW i3 will formally debut next week at the Frankfurt auto show, the company has released details ahead of time on the updates to the lineup of its compact electric car. While battery range stays the same as last year, a new i3s model (for Sport) has been added, with revised...
John Voelcker -
Diesel drama, Nissan battery sale, VW jail time, electric-car charging: Today's Car News
Today, we ended up with two separate stories on the Volkswagen diesel scandal, Nissan sold its electric-car battery unit, transparent solar moonroofs may be coming, and we explain why you should think about hot dogs. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, we summarized last...
John Voelcker -
Transparent solar cells to let Audi capture energy from glass roofs
Solar energy has long generated electricity both on building roofs and in huge "solar farms" for utility companies, but only a few cars have had solar panels on their bodies. Solar roofs aren't a new concept, but Audi and Alta Devices' solution would be the most transparent photovoltaic solar roof...
Sean Szymkowski -
Electric cars and public charging: hot dog and bun, not chicken or egg?
It's an old cliche used to indicate an unsolvable problem: which came first, the chicken or the egg? Sometimes it's applied to the challenge of electric-car charging stations: which comes first, sales of the cars or installation of public charging to support them? Well, Jeff Allen isn't having any...
John Voelcker -
With the global introduction of the second-generation Nissan Leaf electric car due next week, one open question concerns the source of its battery cells. To date, Automotive Electric Supply Corporation—a joint venture between Nissan and Japanese electronics giant NEC—has supplied lithium-ion cells for every Nissan Leaf built, a total now approaching 300,000 over more than six years. Now, a Chinese private investment fund has agreed to purchase Nissan's stake in AESC, a deal first reported in late May by Bloomberg. Nissan will also buy NEC's shares of the joint venture and include...
-
Audi diesel: another shoe drops as top VW Group execs implicated
It has been nearly two years since Volkswagen came clean and admitted its "clean diesel" engines were actually quite dirty. In 2015, a VW engineer admitted the TDI diesel cars sold in the U.S. since 2009 were outfitted with "defeat device" software that let them pass emission tests, only to emit...
Sean Szymkowski -
How Teslas charge in US and UK: similarities and differences
It's well-known that electrical outlets in the United States and elsewhere vary, but it also makes for somewhat different charging experiences with the Tesla Model S. In Europe, the standard voltage is higher than the United States, which means more power can be drawn from a standard wall outlet...
Sean Szymkowski -
VW engineer gets 40 months in jail, $200K fine, for diesel cheating role
Former Volkswagen employee James Liang was sentenced in Detroit on Friday to serve 40 months in prison and pay a $200,000 fine for his role in the global Volkswagen diesel-emission cheating scandal. It was a stiffer sentence than expected for an engineer who helped to create software that...
John Voelcker -
Electric-car range, Audi A5 g-tron, Chevy Equinox Diesel, Bolt EV battery failure: The Week in Reverse
How many miles of electric-car range turns out to attract many more buyers than a number slightly lower? Which German sport sedan did we test-drive, using a fuel that's all but irrelevant in North America? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV battery may fail due to faulty cell; new pack needed for a few GM electric cars (updated)
General Motors has informed "a few hundred" owners of 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars that their cars could suffer from a problem with the lithium-ion battery pack that could cause it to fail without warning. The cars were among the very earliest Bolt EVs produced for public sale, so are...
John Voelcker -
Today, we've got news on the future Tesla semi tractor, we drove a natural-gas-powered Audi, a few Bolt EV batteries will be replaced, and the Royal Mail launched its all-electric delivery vans. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Tesla semi tractor will reportedly have 200 to 300 miles of range; it is expected to be unveiled next month. We've driven an Audi A5 Sportback g-tron, powered by natural gas as well as gasoline. It's not offered in the U.S., but it's one of several Audi g-tron models. A small number of Chevrolet Bolt EV battery packs will be replaced following discovery of...
-
UK Royal Mail electric vans now entering service
The United Kingdom's Royal Postal Service has entered a new era as its first electric mail vans enter service. In total, nine electric postal vans from local company Arrival will enter the Royal Post's fleet, along with another 100 electric vans to be added in December from French brand Peugeot...
Sean Szymkowski -
Audi A5 Sportback g-tron: first drive of natural-gas luxury sport sedan
Audi’s vision of future mobility primarily centers around an array of long-range electric cars scheduled to debut in the coming years under the "e-tron" badge. These are intended to be Tesla killers, as they’re often called in Germany. But there’s another kind of tron with a...
Green Car Reports -
Tesla semi reportedly has 200 to 300 miles of range
Tesla's first foray into the commercial vehicle sector—an all-electric semi truck—is expected to debut next month, but specifics surrounding the electric-car maker's latest project have been few and far between. An exclusive report may have revealed Tesla's range figure as it prepares...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla beats supercar, Equinox Diesel drive, 300-mile electric cars, bad news for coal: Today's Car News
Today, we've got a report from our very, very brief drive in the Chevy Equinox Diesel compact crossover, some interesting survey data on how much electric-car range is "enough," another Tesla-trashes-supercar dragstrip video, and musings on a new Detroit factory and why it's where it is. All this...
John Voelcker -
New LG Michigan plant could boost GM electric-car domestic content
The question of where consumer goods are made has become more prominent in our political discourse of late, cars among them. Every automobile sold in the U.S. carries a listing of content sources, specifying what percentage by value of its overall content comes from which countries or regions...
John Voelcker