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 suspension and a Sport mode added to its drive-mode... 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 suspension and a Sport mode added to its drive-mode...
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 week's top green-car stories. We also reported on the...
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 of it. He wants to talk about hot dogs, and buns...
On August 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would reopen the Comment Period for the vehicle-emission standards for model years 2022 through 2025 it had finalized in January. The auto industry and its lobbyists had complained that the agency had moved too quickly, despite its issuance last summer of a voluminous Technical...
Former Volkswagen employee James Liang was sentenced in Detroit yesterday 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 controlled exhaust emissions only when Volkswagen and...
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 the week ending on Friday, August 25, 2017...
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...
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 likely concentrated in California and perhaps Oregon...
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 and more on Green Car Reports. How much...
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. Electric cars, it turns out, have some anomalies...
We spent a few days with a gasoline-powered 2018 Chevy Equinox back in May, but now we've driven a much rarer version. The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Diesel will start to arrive at U.S. Chevy dealers within two weeks, the company says. On Wednesday, as part of a comprehensive presentation on the five diesel engines GM uses globally, we got some "seat...
Electric-car drivers know that range anxiety abates quickly once you start using an electric car and get confident with its abilities. Although a range of 60 to 90 miles covers the majority of daily car use in the U.S., it isn't enough for many drivers with longer commutes—especially at high speeds or in very hot or cold weather, which can...
Today, Elio delayed, California survived, Nissan used adjectives, and we looked at a couple of electric-car videos comparing Teslas to the Bolt EV. All this and more on Green Car Reports. There's a new 2018 Nissan Leaf teaser video, plus a photo of the taillight—but not a lot of new information with it. California's solar generation waned...
Entrepreneur Paul Elio's concept for a simple three-wheeled car that would cost only $6,800 has now been with us for eight years. During that time, he has shown the car hundreds of times to diverse groups of people, taken tens of thousands of reservations, sold stock in the company, and suggested an EPA fuel-economy rating of 84 mpg highway. Elio...
With the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car due to be unveiled to the world in Japan on September 6, the company continues to release bits and pieces of teaser information. Yesterday, Nissan issued a video promoting a list of the new model's features. It also provided a photo of the electric hatchback's rear corner, showing a very different taillight...
Today, we've got Tesla Model 3 poll results and a new poll too, news on Ford's electric-car plans, California's encouraging sales results, and some stunning images of yesterday's dream cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports. When we asked what car is the closest competitor to the Tesla Model 3, the results of our poll were evenly split...
Every week or so, Green Car Reports posts a poll on Twitter to survey our followers on their opinions on a variety of topics related to the news we cover. In general, we get 100 or so responses to our polls: more on electric cars, fewer on other subjects. In the many comments on a previous week's poll results, one reader made a smart...
Ford was the U.S. maker to build hybrid cars, starting in 2004, and it launched its Focus Electric hatchback in December 2011, just a year after the arrival of the Nissan Leaf. It also continues to sell Energi plug-in hybrid versions of its mid-size Fusion sedan and its compact C-Max tall hatchback, two vehicles now in their sixth model years...
Much of the electric-car world is waiting to see how quickly production of the Tesla Model 3 will ramp up over the balance of this year. Will it reach the remarkable level of 5,000 cars per week by December 31 that CEO Elon Musk has set as a goal? Analysts and industry commentators are skeptical, owners and advocates are hopeful, and now at least...
Today, we've got details on the super-efficient Mazda SkyActiv-X engine, a Bolt EV cop car, the future Fisker Emotion unveiling, and lots on the Volkswagen ID Buzz electric Microbus. All this and more on Green Car Reports. This weekend was all about the Volkswagen ID Buzz, the reincarnated VW Microbus that's all-electric and coming in 2022. Oh...