The electric car that became the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV reset industry norms overnight when it was unveiled as a concept car at the 2015 Detroit auto show. The most important parts wasn't the car's shape, or its interior space, or hatchback configuration: it was the combination of price (below $40,000 before incentives) and range (200 miles or... Chevy Bolt EV: looking at electric car’s long-term challenges
The electric car that became the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV reset industry norms overnight when it was unveiled as a concept car at the 2015 Detroit auto show. The most important parts wasn't the car's shape, or its interior space, or hatchback configuration: it was the combination of price (below $40,000 before incentives) and range (200 miles or...
When you see a concept car drive onto the stage at an auto show, don't be fooled into thinking it's what you'll drive out of the dealer a couple of years later. We got to drive the Volkswagen ID Buzz all-electric Microbus concept car Saturday for a couple of miles along the oceanside road outside Monterey, California. Our drive in the ID Buzz...
The Volkswagen ID Buzz concept, an all-electric reinterpretation of the iconic VW Microbus, generated huge enthusiasm and public crowds when it debuted in January at the Detroit auto show. Today, the company announced its board had officially approved production of the vehicle, a distinctive entry in a growing lineup of electric cars planned for...
Using electric cars as police vehicles has some distinct advantages. Among them are near-silent operation, maximum acceleration from 0 rpm, and a novelty factor that can lead to friendly, beneficial interactions between officers and citizens. Now, the small Maryland city of Hyattsville, a suburb of Washington, D.C., has a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV...
Which very noticeable plug-in car has been resurrected after five years—and what did we think of it on the road? What secrets does the Tesla Model 3 hold, and do those make it "Car 2.0" as some have suggested? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, August 18...
Today, Tesla is hugely expanding its Fremont assembly plant, but its real future may be concealed inside the Model 3 electric car, while Hyundai shows a hydrogen SUV concept and a BMW i3 owner tries out a Chevy Bolt EV. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Our occasional author and BMW i3 REx owner Tom Moloughney spent a week and 800 miles with...
The Tesla Model 3 continues to generate an inordinate amount of interest from electric-car advocates and the general public, as pretty much any Tesla model has in the past. But unlike the Model S in 2012, which broke new ground on multiple fronts, the lower-priced Model 3 appears to be less innovative based on what we've seen as the car goes into...
Today, we've got the latest on Hyundai-Kia's aggressive electric-car plans, a eulogy for natural-gas cars, plug-in sales in Europe, and a poll about the future of ads for cars with engines. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We polled our Twitter followers on when ads for cars with tailpipes would be banned as a health hazard. Results were...
It's long been said in the auto industry that Hyundai-Kia is the only competitor that truly scares industry colossus Toyota. Thirty years ago, the Korean company was a bit player, producing designs adapted from obsolete Mitsubishi technology. Today it's a major global player, reacting fast to market swings—and its goal is to be second only...
Just 30 years ago, people could smoke anywhere, including offices, malls, and restaurants. The 1987 opening of a New York City restaurant called "Nosmo King" (read it again) was considered a bizarre, if amusing, idea that restauranteurs said would bankrupt the place because no one would give up cigarettes to eat there. Now, throughout much of the...
Today, the least efficient plug-in car, why rallycross should go electric, possible CAFE changes, and where electric cars should charge. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We drove the Fisker Karma in 2012; now we've driven the 2017 Karma Revero, the reborn version of the sleek, low, inefficient plug-in hybrid luxury sedan. Are gas stations...
Consumers all over the world, but especially in North America, are buying more crossover utility vehicles and fewer passenger sedans and hatchbacks. The U.S. auto industry makes the bulk of its profits on light trucks, which include crossovers, pickup trucks, and even minivans. The Trump Administration has said it wants to roll back environmental...
The 2017 Karma Revero remains as much of a head-turner today as the low, sleek four-door sedan was when it debuted a decade ago under another name. It also happens to be a range-extended electric luxury sedan, though we tend to think that the Karma would sell just as well if it ran on coal dust and baby-seal blood. It's a big, low, handsome shape...
Today, Tesla and its impact on the German auto industry crop up in two very different reports, you can get $10,000 off an electric car (if you live in San Diego), and we honor Dull and Boring drivers. All this and more on Green Car Reports. With continued attention on Tesla's latest product, we ask: is the BMW 3-Series the most direct competitor...
There's a new generation of the BMW 3-Series sport sedan coming next year, and rumors suggest there will be an all-electric version in 2019 or 2020. If so, there's only one car that it would be targeting: the Tesla Model 3, the 220-mile or 310-mile electric sedan from the Silicon Valley carmaker that says it will be making 5,000 of them by the end...
Like the company's three previous electric cars, the Tesla Model 3 launched into production with a splashy media event during which owners received the keys to their new cars and the company's fans applauded. Like the Model S and Model X, production is starting at very low rates, with the rate of increase—to 5,000 cars a week by December 31...
Today, a baffling visit in NYC, a tiny two-seat electric car for China, whether the Tesla Model 3 should really be dubbed "Car 2.0," and how does the Lunar Rover compare to a modern electric car? All this and more on Green Car Reports. As always, we ran down last week's top green-car news stories on Saturday. How does the all-electric Lunar Rover...
Those who've lived in New York City since 2001 sometimes choose to avoid the World Trade Center site when possible. The area has largely been rebuilt into a combination of offices, shopping, and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, with construction on some very tall towers still ongoing. A lunch date with a friend prompted us to wander into the Ford...