Tech Roundup: Why Regulation Benefits (Yes, Benefits) Electric Cars
An argument can be made that governments can prod companies to innovate. The growing popularity of electric cars provides a case in point.
Electric cars in winter, Chrysler diesel woes, why Opel is gone, fast charging: Today’s Car News
![2017 BMW i3 electric car during winter snow storm [photo: owner Chris Neff]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2017-bmw-i3-electric-car-during-winter-snow-storm-photo-owner-chris-neff_100596468_t.gif)
Today, we look at winter driving in electric cars, why the oil industry doesn't care about plugs, and Fiat Chrysler is in more hot water over its diesel engines in Europe. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Faster charging for electric cars, modeled by Tesla in its Supercharger network, is slowly getting more real for the rest of the plug-in... Driving electric cars in winter: tips from experienced owner
![2014 BMW i3 electric car during winter [photo: owner Chris Neff]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2014-bmw-i3-electric-car-during-winter-photo-owner-chris-neff_100596467_t.gif)
One of the challenges of electric cars is persuading potential buyers that they can do virtually everything that most other vehicles can. For those who live in wintry climates, that includes dealing with snow, slush, road salt, ice, and variable traction. Given the recent major snowstorms that hit large swaths of the U.S. this month, we felt an... Europe’s emission limits, small cars far from global mainstream: is this why GM sold Opel?
At the 2017 Geneva auto show, General Motors announced the sale of its entire European operations—comprising factories and the Opel and Vauxhall brands—to PSA Peugeot Citroën. German Opel and its British Vauxhall sibling have represented GM's main presence in Europe for decades, but the U.S. automaker was willing to let them go... Europe’s emission limits, small cars far from global mainstream: is this why GM sold Opel?
At the 2017 Geneva auto show, General Motors announced the sale of its entire European operations—comprising factories and the Opel and Vauxhall brands—to PSA Peugeot Citroën. German Opel and its British Vauxhall sibling have represented GM's main presence in Europe for decades, but the U.S. automaker was willing to let them go... The oil industry doesn’t care about electric cars: here’s why
It crops up in comments from electric-car advocates and clean-energy users fairly regularly. And it goes something like this: "Big Oil and Gas are on the verge of collapse, as clean energy and electric cars make them obsolete." Occasionally the sentiment is followed by an approving emoji. DON'T MISS: Electric cars pose little threat to oil demand... French prosecutors to investigate Fiat Chrysler for ‘aggravated cheating’ on diesel emissions
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles continues to be dogged by allegations that it cheated on various diesel-emissions tests. In the U.S., the company faces two lawsuits alleging that diesel vehicles use "defeat device" software to circumvent emissions tests in a similar manner to Volkswagen's cheating TDI vehicles. In January, the EPA said FCA had failed to... Faster electric-car fast charging: test site in Fremont, VW plans 300 kw-plus
Charging infrastructure projects for electric cars have mostly focused on expanding the number of charging sites available to the public over the last six years. But now significant effort is also being put into increasing the power those public charging stations can provide. This is due to anticipated technological improvements to electric-car... Fuel-economy rules & jobs, Tesla quality issues, high-volume VW electric car: Today’s Car News
Today, we look at why looser fuel-economy rules won't create more jobs, why Tesla owners love their electric cars despite significant documented quality issues, and when the first high-volume Volkswagen electric car will arrive. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The first high-volume Volkswagen electric car must arrive by 2020, executives... Another Chevy Bolt EV electric-car owner weighs in on pro and cons
We've had a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in our fleet for a handful of days, and have been thinking about our impressions of the car in everyday use. While a major snowstorm cut half the days out of our test run—with a 7-foot snowdrift blocking the road to my house—we've been using the Bolt in and around the New York City metro... Plug-in hybrid London taxi plant opens in U.K., owned by Chinese firm Geely
Few vehicles are as iconic as the London black cab, known the world over for its upright shape and ubiquity (although many of them aren't black any more). But under the stewardship of Chinese automaker Geely, the black cab is about to get a green makeover. The London Taxi Company recently completed a U.K. factory that will build a new version of... Tesla electric cars have quality issues, but owners love them regardless
Tesla electric cars have many notable and pioneering qualities. Faultless reliability has not necessarily been one of them. Since the Model S launched in 2012, multiple quality issues have been documented by both owners and media outlets like Consumer Reports. The Model X debuted with a particularly high level of initial-quality issues, likely a... Ignore politicians: lower fuel-economy rules don’t create jobs, analyst says
A common refrain among critics of current and future fuel-economy standards is that the need to comply with them produces job cuts in the auto industry. It's a theme picked up by President Donald Trump during a much-publicized visit to Detroit last week. In the hometown of the Big Three U.S. automakers, Trump discussed plans to end what he termed... First high-volume VW electric car must arrive by 2020, CEO says, mostly for China
As it tries to put the ongoing diesel-emissions scandal behind it, VW Group is focusing its future on electric cars. The Volkswagen brand within the sprawling German company has developed an electric-car specific platform called MEB, and has shown multiple concepts based on it. Those include the ID hatchback, and the ID Buzz and Budd-e, both... Trump Says Regulations Impede. Perhaps Not in the Electric Car Business.
Sometimes the only way to push technology advances is through rules. Loosening the ones on fuel economy could leave the car industry out of step with the future.
Trump Says Regulations Impede. Perhaps Not in the Electric Car Business
Sometimes the only way to push technology advances is through rules. Loosening the ones on fuel economy could leave the car industry out of step with the future.
Chevrolet Bolt EV pricing, Tesla Model 3 update, hybrid mid-size sedans: Today’s Car News
Today, Chevrolet Bolt EV pricing fluctuates, the Tesla Model 3 may skip one of Tesla's prototype phases, and we look at 2017-model hybrid mid-size sedans. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Looking for a hybrid mid-size sedan? Here are all of the 2017 models, plus one due for 2018. A bill that would make it more difficult for scientists to... Chevy Bolt EV pricing across U.S.: some discounts, some markups on electric car
With a base price of $37,495 and an EPA-rated range of 238 miles, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has no real direct competition at the moment. All other electric cars in its price bracket offer substantially lower ranges, while the 200-mile luxury electric cars sold by Tesla now start at $75,000. Just seven states into the Bolt EV's nationwide... World’s largest electric-car charging site in parking facility: in Norway, of course (video)
![Electric-car advocate Bjorn Nyland shows off Vulkan parking garage, Oslo, Norway [video, Mar 2017]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/electric-car-advocate-bjorn-nyland-shows-off-vulkan-parking-garage-oslo-norway-video-mar-2017_100596280_t.gif)
Parking garages often aren't very well-lit, and a video tour of one may not sound like a particularly enjoyable way to spend time. But if you're an electric-car driver or advocate in North America, an 11-minute tour by electric-car advocate (and Tesla fanatic) Bjørn Nyland may be time well spent. That's because his tour of the Vulkan... What’s the most important fuel-cell car so far? Poll results
About 600,000 plug-in electric cars have been sold in the U.S. in the past 10 years. The number for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is lower: as of the end of last month, it's below 1,600. Nonetheless, Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota today offer zero-emission vehicles powered by hydrogen in limited areas of California, and other makers are likely to launch...