Automaker lobbyists continue to push back against the stricter fuel-economy and emissions standards scheduled to take effect in the U.S. over the next decade. Many of their arguments center on costs—not only to the carmakers themselves, but also to car buyers. Regulators and automakers together acknowledge that complying with tougher...
Tesla is the world's only automaker to build and operate its own large-scale network of public charging stations. This year, the Silicon Valley automaker hopes to double the number of Supercharger DC fast-charging sites, to make it more convenient for U.S. Tesla owners to undertake longer road trips. With 373 sites in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico...
Today, we review the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, look at how General Motors' sale of Opel to PSA Peugeot Citroën may affect the automaker's electric-car plans, and examine a report of executive turnover at Tesla. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Lexus RX 450h hybrid crossover was recently redesigned, and we recently had a chance to...
New York state has finally issued details on its effort to step up its efforts to promote electric cars. The Empire State is one of eight so-called "ZEV states" that have adopted California emissions standards. But New York does not mandate automakers to sell zero-emission vehicles within its borders, and currently does not offer purchase...
It looks like lobbying pays off, at least in the case of EPA emission rules. According to numerous recent reports, the EPA is expected to reopen the commenting period for vehicle-emission rules it finalized in January, more than a year ahead of schedule. Automaker CEOs and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers had asked President Donald Trump...
Tesla says it will put its mass-priced Model 3 electric car into production by July, and ramp up production extremely quickly from there. CEO Elon Musk hopes to be building 5,000 cars each week by the end of the year; he previously set a goal of producing 500,000 cars across all model lines by the end of 2018. The Model 3 is the vital linchpin of...
It's been said that the only global carmaker Toyota is really worried about is Hyundai. This year, the legendary Prius hybrid—which celebrates its 20th anniversary—has some new competition. This is the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq. It's a hybrid, but there are actually three models of the Ioniq. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: first drive...
GM said today it will sell its European Opel division to PSA Peugeot Citroën, the French parent of the Citroën, DS and Peugeot brands, for 2.2 billion euros (approximately $2.33 billion). Among the questions surrounding the sale—which includes the U.K.-market Vauxhall brand—is where the change in ownership leaves Opel's...
The Lexus LS 500h luxury sedan that debuts this week at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show will use the same "Multi Stage Hybrid System" as the LC 500h coupe. It's a somewhat different—and arguably more complex—setup than the powertrain of the LS 600h, the previous-generation hybrid version of Lexus' flagship sedan. The LS 600h used a...
The Chevy Bolt EV electric car got off to a fast start in its first full month of Canadian sales, selling 86 vehicles in February. Excluding its first week of availability in late January, the Bolt enjoyed the fourth-best debut month of any plug-in electric vehicle in the Canadian market. It trailed the Tesla Model S (95 in December 2012), the...
The Trump administration’s expected move on emissions and mileage targets would remove a costly mandate, though some efficiency efforts would proceed.
Volvo currently offers plug-in hybrid powertrains in its top models—the XC90 SUV, S90 sedan, and V90. As the Swedish automaker redesigns its lower-level models, it will add plug-in hybrid options to them as well. But whereas the current T8 "Twin Engine" powertrain uses a 4-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive, other models will use a...
What innovation did a 94-year-old battery legend discuss last week? Why should green-car buyers even consider purchasing a new diesel vehicle? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, March 3, 2017. Friday, recent financial data from Tesla Motors prompted us to ask...
The Lexus RX pretty much invented the luxury mid-size SUV category, and it remains a substantial part of the brand's sales in the U.S. 20 years later. It was also the brand's first hybrid crossover, sharing underpinnings with its larger and less-pricey Toyota Highlander Hybrid sibling. The RX was recently redesigned, and we've now had a chance to...
Today, why Tesla Model S and Model X sales could very well have plateaued, how much the Tesla Model 3 might cost, and a preview of the green cars debuting at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. All this and more on Green Car Reports. By the end of this year, Tesla hopes to be cranking out 5,000 Model 3 electric cars a week. But how much will those cars...
Lithium-ion battery-cell chemistry is currently dominant in electric cars, not to mention consumer electronics and other fields. But what seems to be an army of researchers thinks it can be improved. That includes one of the people who helped create lithium-ion batteries in the first place. CHECK OUT: Tesla granted patent on metal-air battery...
The 2017 Geneva Motor Show marks the next stop on the annual auto-show circuit. With press days beginning March 7, we aren't expecting an overwhelming number of green cars at the Swiss show this year. A smattering of production and concept cars with some green elements will debut there, though. DON'T MISS: 2018 Lexus LS 500h hybrid luxury sedan to...
Is there no middle ground in discussing electric-car maker Tesla Motors? The challenge of reading large volumes of Tesla coverage is that it tends to be either rabidly positive or sharply negative. And the company's stock is so obsessively analyzed both by supporters and detractors that sober analysis is often hard to come by. DON'T MISS: Tesla...
![Smog obscures George Washington Bridge, 1973 [From EPA Documerica series]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/smog-obscures-george-washington-bridge-1973-from-epa-documerica-series_100594067_t.gif)
It can be argued that the current presidential administration appears to lack interest in the traditional mission of the Environmental Protection Agency. As a candidate, Donald Trump advocated wholesale repeal of environmental regulations and increased production of fossil fuels. He has also called climate science a "hoax" created by China to hurt...
Advocates of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell cars are often at odds over which powertrain technology is the more practical solution to reducing emissions. But French firm Symbio continues to experiment with ways to combine the two. It fits hydrogen fuel cells as range extenders for battery-electric vehicles, primarily small delivery vans...
