In President Trump's plan to freeze fuel economy standards last week, the EPA and NHTSA made a strange statement. They said that two of the main technologies used to improve fuel economy standards—turbocharging and multi-speed transmissions—were not as effective as had been expected. Having studied fuel economy standards from their... Multi-speed transmissions and turbochargers don’t save much fuel–oh, really? Analysis
In President Trump's plan to freeze fuel economy standards last week, the EPA and NHTSA made a strange statement. They said that two of the main technologies used to improve fuel economy standards—turbocharging and multi-speed transmissions—were not as effective as had been expected. Having studied fuel economy standards from their...
Today's environmentally conscious students are thinking more about the environment in the choices they make. They still need to get around, but they may be less likely to accept the price of doing so in a car with a tailpipe spewing pollution and greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Many may need to make long trips back and forth to school that...
Nissan announced Friday that it sold its in-house battery division in a business deal that has been a long time in the making. Electric car sales drop off in Canada after purchase incentives were canceled in Ontario. We look at how Tesla's lawsuit in Michigan could open its ability to sell cars nationwide—eventually. And our latest Twitter...
Spreading electric car chargers will do little good if they don't work. Studies repeatedly show that one of the most important things needed to spread adoption of electric cars is to install more public chargers for them. Expanding public charging infrastructure makes it more convenient to own an electric car, makes it possible for electric-car...
When it comes to electric-car batteries, Nissan is no longer going its own way. The company that launched the first modern, mass-market all-electric car has sold its electric-car battery subsidiary, Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) to Envision Group, a Chinese renewable energy company. The two firms announced the deal on Friday. "With...
Chevrolet's Volt wasn't the original, or even the first Volt from GM. Electric Auto Corporation receives that distinction for their car built in 1980, at the height of America's second gas crisis. It built the Silver Volt, a plug-in hybrid based on a contemporary Buick station wagon—16 years before the GM EV1. CHECK OUT: Modern electric cars...
What cars were Tesla Model 3 buyers most likely to trade in? Which company just announced the largest diesel emissions recall in history? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Aug. 3, 2018. Friday, we learned that Teslas will soon get new Autopilot hardware, which will...
Apparently the problem with the Tesla Model S and Model X was that they're too normal. They have a separate instrument cluster—a digital one—behind the steering wheel and a few solid controls. Tesla must think that's too much. The company is designing a new interior for them that looks a lot like the one in the Model 3, first reported...
Tesla announced Wednesday that it would release a complete update to its Autopilot system later this month, including new self-driving capabilities. The new version, which Tesla owners and fans have long-awaited, will update the system with faster hardware as well as new optical software that CEO Elon Musk says will improve safety. Pete Bannon, a...
President Donald Trump and federal officials on Thursday formally proposed scaling back Obama-era regulations for fuel economy and cited safety concerns that lighter, more fuel-efficient cars would be more dangerous on American roadways. The 978-page proposal outlines federal guidelines to freeze emissions standards at 2020 levels and potentially...
Buyers driving home Tesla Model 3s are moving up. In its second-quarter earnings call Wednesday, Tesla executives revealed the top five cars they have taken in on trade for new Model 3s and the results were unexpected. Rather than other entry-level luxury sedans that form the Model 3s competition, four of the top five cars that the startup...
Diesel-engine giant Cummins agreed this week to the largest diesel recall in history the EPA, according to a Reuters report. The recall affects about 500,000 medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines in vehicles produced between 2010 and 2015. The engines were installed in everything from big rigs to so-called "vocational trucks," such as garbage and...
As it ramps up production of the Tesla Model 3, Tesla announced Wednesday that it reduced its financial losses in the second quarter—barely. The result is significant, because Tesla is racing against the clock to keep from running out of money before it can build enough of its new, more affordable Model 3s to turn a profit. Tesla says it...
In the latest draft of new fuel economy and emissions standards obtained by the Associated Press, the Trump administration argues that reducing mileage standards will improve safety. It's an argument that dates back to the beginning of fuel economy standards in the 1970s, and one that ignores technological improvements made along the way. Under...
For decades, Mercedes-Benz sold only two passenger cars. Now, the automaker is promising 10 different electric cars. Although the Mercedes has not revealed plans for all of them, spy photographers have recently captured a large electric sedan from Mercedes-Benz testing at Mercedes's headquarters in Sindelfingen, Germany. The spy pics were...
Toyota is going big on fuel cells. Its latest effort expands on the Mirai sedan by converting semitrucks to hydrogen fuel-cell power. The company has been testing a fuel-cell powered semi for more than a year at the Port of Long Beach, California, ferrying goods from the Toyota Logistics facility to distribution points headed for factories and...
After two years in the development wilderness, Faraday Future is marching forward toward producing its first ultra-luxury electric SUV. The company announced Monday that it built its first "body-in-white" of the FF91, the basic body structure of its upcoming first production car. Faraday Future plans to deliver the first FF91s to customers as...
Porsche this week teased us with a few specs of its upcoming Taycan electric sedan ahead of the car's 2019 debut. The Taycan, the production name for Porsche's Mission E concept car, is designed to compete with the Tesla Model S. To compete with Performance versions of the Model S, the Taycan will use two permanent-magnet synchronous motors, one...
Electric cars are becoming more capable, but they still can't do everything, our Twitter followers suggest. Last week, a study showed that the biggest factor in spreading electric-car adoption in the U.S. is a broader selection. Teslas outsell most other electric cars not only because of their performance but also their size and comfort. Various...
The Infiniti Q70 Hybrid won't make it to 2019, the automaker announced last week. Infiniti dropped the full-size, electrified luxury sedan from the lineup after 2018. The car debuted in 2011 as the M37 Hybrid, but sales of the hybrid version always paled in comparison to the gas V-6 and V-8 versions of the big luxury sedan. Although it was renamed...