VW looking for battery lessons, ‘Ring record with ID R racecar

Volkswagen ID R NürburgringThe clouds parted just long enough to let sunlight timidly lick the surface of the Nürburgring race track in Germany. The previous night, I watched in amusement as an amateur racer had a blast taking a fully stock, 1970s Volkswagen bus around the former Grand Prix track in the pouring rain. On this wet late-April morning, however, I was...

Electric crossover charge: These are the rivals to the Tesla Model Y

2019 Jaguar I-Pace, photographed outside Tesla Store, Mount Kisco, NYAs Tesla finds its sea legs as a larger-scale global automaker, the launch of the Model Y small crossover is its most critical test since the California company started in 2003. No other Tesla has faced this much competition. No other Tesla has faced much of any. When Tesla first delivered the Roadster in 2008 it was a novelty. The peerless Model...

2019 Toyota Prius AWD-e: First drive of 50-mpg all-weather hybrid

2019 Toyota Prius AWD-e XLE  -  First Drive  -  Wisconsin, December 2018Between the unexpectedly wild styling, the very wide model range, the Prius Prime plug-in, and now the all-wheel-drive 2019 Prius AWD-e, it seems that Toyota has opted for a mix-and-match philosophy for the current fourth generation of America’s favorite fuel-sipper. The big news for 2019—and perhaps the biggest hope of all these...

Electric car-sharing programs expanding in U.S.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in Maven car-sharing fleet, Los Angeles [photo: Dan MacMedan foElectric cars and car sharing go naturally together. Both aim to clean up the environment by reducing gasoline consumption. With lower maintenance, electric cars are also easier to maintain for fleets than gas cars. Combined with gas cars, car-sharing fleets can also provide a backup for electric-car owners who want occasional access to a larger...

Battery electrics steal sales from hybrids

Honda Clarity lineup at Honda R&D Center, Tochigi, Japan, June 2017Strong sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids in California seem to have a downside. According to an analysis by the California New Car Dealers Association, all of those new plug-in cars are replacing traditional hybrids, not conventional cars. So the fuel and emissions savings aren’t what they could be. Data from the CNCDA’s...

Explainer: What is WLTP and why should you care?

Mazda6 undergoing real-world emissions testing in Europe [Credit: LSDSL - Wikipedia]Starting next month, Europe will implement the first phase of new fuel economy and emissions standards that were intended to take effect worldwide. Automakers are required to release initial ratings based on lab tests using the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) on Sept. 1, followed next year by the results of new real-world...

2018 Chevy Bolt EV makes successful 2,000-mile road trip

David Edwards' Chevy Bolt EV draws a crowd while charging Readers like David Edwards periodically send letters about road trips they’ve made in their electric cars. While long road trips are becoming somewhat commonplace with Teslas, he points out that they still aren’t common for other electric cars. Just last year, reader Jay Lucas sold his Chevy Bolt EV after finding it too difficult to...

Canadian gold mine cleans up its act with electricity

Sandvik DD422iE in Goldcorp Borden mineMining operations get a lot of flack for creating environmental problems around the world. Yet they provide much of the basic material that keeps the global economy humming. Some mining companies are drilling down in their efforts to clean up their acts. As the world’s fourth-largest gold mining company Goldcorp has received its share of...

Beyond the federal tax credit: A Guide to Clean Car Incentives

Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland   [photo: Forth]The king of all financial incentives for plug-in cars is, of course, the federal tax credit of up to $7,500. It’s not the only one, though. With Tesla’s federal tax credit already on its way to expiring and GM’s close behind, it’s worth knowing where to look for other incentives for those who want an electric car. The...

2018 Nissan Leaf battery technology, a deep dive

2017 Nissan Leaf showing battery pack (Source: Nissan)When the first-generation Nissan Leaf debuted in 2011, it quickly became the best-selling electric car in history, with no real competition. By the time the most recent version debuted in 2017, it was nearly outdated before it left dealers’ lots due to a shorter range than rivals from Tesla and Chevrolet. The biggest issues with the...

Everything you need to know about California’s new HOV stickers

Traffic at the I-10 & I-405 interchange in Los Angeles, California (by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz)If you’re more than a little confused by California’s rules allowing clean cars into the much-prized diamond lanes, join the club. The state DMV and the California Air Resources Board haven’t done a great job of clarifying matters, either, though they’re getting better. Things will come to a head in the new year with a new...

Reader Report: Spending a year with two Chevy Bolt EVs

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars outside dealership    [photo: Patrick Reid]Many Green Car Reports readers have electric cars. Fewer own two, and have removed gasoline cars from their family fleet altogether. Reader Patrick Reid bought two Chevy Bolt EVs last year (one in January and another in April.) Last year, he wrote us about his experiences, why he likes the Bolts and what he doesn't, and how the cars have worked...

Ford’s future 300-mile all-electric performance SUV: what we know

Ford's future hybrid and PHEV lineupLots of automakers wish they could get a bite of Tesla’s business. While critics and auto-industry analysts harp about the company's lack of profitability and slow production, fewer acknowledge that when the Model S was launched it quickly claimed the mantle as the bestselling luxury sedan on the market. If traditional automakers remain...

Ford to electrify most SUVs, promises to pass Toyota in hybrids

Ford's future hybridsFord hasn’t given up on hybrids and electric cars, despite letting its existing models languish since 2013. That was the message conveyed by various executives at an event Thursday morning at the Ford Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan. The company will build a hybrid version of five SUVs it sells by 2020, promised Jim Farley...

Mitsubishi e-Evolution Concept electric SUV for Tokyo Motor Show

Mitsubishi e-Evolution concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor ShowThe Tokyo Motor Show is a chance for Japanese automakers to show off what they've been working on in secret labs and design studios. At the Mitsubishi booth this year sits an aggressive-looking all-electric SUV that shows one version of what your next large electric car could look like, if you enjoy hulking rear ends on your high-clearance 'ute...

How I rode 4,000 miles on an electric motorcycle for $10

Double charging a Zero electric motorcycleEach summer I ride my electric motorcycle over 4,000 miles to show how easy it is. Except it wasn’t actually easy—until this year. What I mean by that is that it wasn’t easy and practical until this year. MORE: The 2017 Zero Electric Motorcycles lineup Of course it was easy in 2013 to ride 4,500 miles in 44 days, only going about...