Volkswagen Group fined $1.2B by German authorities for diesel scandal

VW TDI badgeThe fallout from a global emissions cheating scandal keeps falling. This week, German authorities fined Volkswagen AG nearly $1.2 billion for selling more than 10 million cars with emissions-cheating software. The sum pales in comparison to the billions Volkswagen has paid in the U.S., which has totaled more than $24 billion so far, but is one of...

2019 Hyundai Ioniq preview

2019 Hyundai IoniqThe 2019 Hyundai Ioniq returns this year as an inexpensive alternative for green car shoppers on a budget. Its lineup has fully matured now; the Ioniq is available as an affordable hybrid, a slightly more expensive plug-in hybrid, or a fully electric model available in limited areas. We say: green, greener, or greenest—no bad pick. The most...

Quantum computers could make specialized batteries for Volkswagen EVs

VW to use quantum computers in electric-car battery developmentQuantum computers could analyze and help build highly specialized electric vehicle batteries in the future, Volkswagen announced this week. Using the highly complex computing tech, researchers simulated industrially relevant molecules in EV batteries that could help shape the next generation of compounds for use in green cars. Researchers said...

Porsche Mission E to be called Porsche Taycan

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo conceptPorsche announced Friday that its long-running Mission E electric sedan will be called the Porsche Taycan when it starts production next year. The 2020 Porsche Taycan (pronounced "tie-con") takes its name from the horse on the Porsche crest, according to the automaker, which itself was taken from the Stuttgart coat of arms. The name Taycan means...

Investigators: Autopilot sped up before fatal Tesla Model X crash

Tesla Enhanced AutopilotA preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday said that a Tesla Model X traveling on Autopilot increased the vehicle's speed before it crashed into a highway barrier and killed its driver. The report of the March 23 crash that killed 38-year-old Walter Huang details the minutes and seconds before impact, and...

Tesla Model Y coming in 2020; Roadster and Semi still on the way, says Musk

Teaser for Tesla Model Y electric SUV due for reveal in 2019Tesla CEO Elon Musk told shareholders Tuesday that the last few months have been "hellacious" for building the Tesla Model 3, but that the automaker expects by the end of this month to build 5,000 of the mid-size luxury sedan each week and beyond. "It's insanely hard to stay alive," Musk added. The Model 3 may be critical for the automaker to stay...

Battery tech may be getting a big solid-state boost soon

Tesla Motors - Model S lithium-ion battery packA Woburn, Massachusetts, company may be attracting big name attention for its solid-state technology that it says can withstand higher temperatures and offer higher capacity. For battery makers, producing a stable solid to withstand the rigors of charging and discharging has proved elusive. Ionic Materials said in February that it had secured $65...

Elon Musk announces Tesla Model 3 AWD, performance Model 3 specs

2018 Tesla Model 3It wasn't quite a message in a bottle, but Tesla boss Elon Musk tweeted Saturday night some specifications and a ballpark price for his company's long-awaited all-wheel-drive and performance versions of the Model 3. The all-wheel-drive Model 3 will add $5,000 to the base Model 3's price and offer the same 310-mile range as the Long Range Battery...

Shoppers in Canada may wait nearly a year to buy new Chevy Bolt EV

2018 Chevrolet Bolt EVThe new Chevy Bolt EV was a long time coming, but interested buyers in some parts of Canada may have to wait longer. Kent Wallace reported to us last week that Toronto-area dealerships were quoting shoppers an 8- to 12-month wait for the 238-mile electric car. A GM spokeswoman in Canada confirmed the delay. DON'T MISS: Driving a Chevy Bolt EV...

Elio Motors says it will build production cars next year

Elio Motors founder Paul Elio at New York Auto Show press conference, Apr 2015Paul Elio told investors and media Friday in Shreveport, Louisiana, that his three-wheeled car would go on sale next year after several delays and questions about funding. "I believe this project has to happen," Elio said. Elio told media that his company had raised more than $110 million for a three-wheeled car that would cost $7,500 and manage...

Elio Motors says it will build production cars next October

Elio Motors founder Paul Elio at New York Auto Show press conference, Apr 2015Paul Elio told investors and media Friday in Shreveport, Louisiana, that his three-wheeled car would go on sale next year after several delays and questions about funding. "I believe this project has to happen," Elio said. Elio told media that his company had raised more than $100 million for a three-wheeled car that would cost $7,500 and manage...

Automakers may not want to roll back fuel-economy standards after all

General Motors CEO Mary Barra provides an update on the ignition switch recall investigationAverting a showdown between 17 states and the federal government may take priority over industry-friendly fuel-economy targets. At least, that's what they're saying. Reports leading up to a May 11 meeting between leaders of America's automotive industry and President Donald Trump indicate that automakers may lobby the federal government to scale...

Toyota may let mechanics repair faulty recall inverters on older Prius

2012, 2013, and 2014 Toyota PriusToyota may supply independent mechanics with parts and instructions for repairing, but not replacing, potentially faulty inverters on certain 2014 Prius models, Green Car Reports has learned. According to Automotive Career Development Center founder Craig Van Batenberg, Toyota for the first time has released parts for mechanics to potentially fix...

Report: Former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn criminally charged over dieselgate

Martin WinterkornFormer Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn was charged with defrauding the U.S. in a Michigan federal court Thursday for his role in the widespread VW diesel emissions scandal. The charges were first reported by Reuters. According to the report, the charges were filed secretly in March and made public Thursday. Winterkorn was CEO of Volkswagen when...