In the waning months of 2016, no dramatic changes occurred in European plug-in electric car sales. The established players remained on top of the sales charts, in virtually the same sequence seen in previous months. The Renault Zoe was again the best-selling electric car in Europe between January and November, the most recent month with available... European electric and plug-in hybrid sales for Jan-Nov 2016
In the waning months of 2016, no dramatic changes occurred in European plug-in electric car sales. The established players remained on top of the sales charts, in virtually the same sequence seen in previous months. The Renault Zoe was again the best-selling electric car in Europe between January and November, the most recent month with available...
This might not seem to be the most convenient moment to restart production of a gaggle of diesel cars. The Volkswagen diesel scandal continues to unfold, and last week the EPA accused Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) of failing to reveal eight separate software routines that altered the behavior of diesel engines in Jeep and Ram vehicles...
Last month, the first Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars were sold in California's Silicon Valley. Electric-car advocates and buyers across the U.S. now want to know when they too can expect to take delivery of their 238-mile electric hatchbacks. And as numerous comments and e-mails from readers attest, some Chevy dealers don't seem to have a clue...
The differences between gasoline and diesel engines lie not only in their fuels, but in how those fuels are ignited. Gasoline engines use spark plugs, while diesels simply use compression. But it is possible to ignite gasoline in an internal-combustion engine with compression, as in a diesel. DON'T MISS: Mazda diesel to arrive fall 2017 in new...
One of the benefits of electric cars is that slowing down becomes a useful activity. Regenerative braking recovers energy normally lost as friction heat, as it does when the accelerator pedal is not pushed and the car is coasting. In some cars, regeneration is aggressive enough to allow "one-pedal driving," where the friction brakes are only...
While modern electric cars have only been available in large numbers for a few years, electric trains have been commonplace for some time. As with electric cars, the source of the electricity used to power these trains impacts their overall carbon footprint. The cleaner an energy source, the cleaner the vehicles it powers. DON'T MISS: Alstom...
It's been a busy week for U.S. agencies as they release information on their final actions before a new administration takes office. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly opened a criminal probe into the actions of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles over the emission certification of its diesel engines. The investigation follows an...
Which U.S. automaker may have its own diesel emission problem (though it's different to those bedeviling VW)? And what all-new version of an extremely popular hybrid sedan broke cover at this week's Detroit Auto Show? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, January 13...
Today, the U.S. Justice Department indicts Volkswagen executives in connection to the diesel scandal, details on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's claims that Ram and Jeep diesel vehicles used "defeat devices," and Tesla releases "Ludicrous Plus" mode for its P100D performance models. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Yesterday, the...
Seven days before the advent of a new presidential administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has locked in planned auto-emission standards through 2025. The emission limits tie directly to fuel-efficiency rules issued by the NHTSA, effectively requiring those rules to stay the same as well. Announcing its final determination this...
Tesla announced in November that it would end free unlimited use of its Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. Now that the cutoff point for that perk has arrived, the company is offering more details on Supercharger pricing. The new rates take effect for buyers who ordered a Tesla electric car after January 15, a deadline Tesla extended from its...
On Wednesday, six senior VW Group executives were indicted by the Justice Department on multiple counts of conspiracy and intent to defraud. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, to defraud customers, and to violate the Clean Air Act. All stemmed from the Volkswagen diesel scandal that erupted in September 2015. Over the...
It has long been official Chinese government industrial policy to dominate the world's production of lithium-ion battery cells and to establish a commanding electric-car industry. This would not only position the country in crucial industries of the future but give it a way to start attacking the choking smog in its cities that affects public...
China is now the world's largest new-car market, but no native Chinese manufacturers sell passenger cars in the U.S. At least one of those manufacturers is at least considering having a go at the U.S. market. GAC appeared this week at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show with three vehicles, including an electric car and a concept plug-in hybrid. DON'T...
As well as software updates to add back Autopilot functionality in its latest cars, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted on Twitter at an update to improve performance even further. Musk recently teased a software update that would allow the latest Model S P100D to do 0 to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds—shaving 0.1 second off the time previously...
Today, a report claims the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will accuse Fiat Chrysler Automobiles of using an illegal "defeat device" to cheat on emissions tests, plug-in electric car sales were strong in December 2016, and the Ford GT supercar returns low fuel economy, despite its EcoBoost engine. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Four...
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles may have used illegal software emissions controls to pass more than 100,000 trucks and SUVs through emissions testing, the EPA said Thursday. The agency hasn't yet called the software controls "defeat devices," but has asked FCA to explain up to eight auxiliary emissions controls devices on those cars they say help the...
While electric cars received a disproportionate amount of media attention over the last five years, the focus is now turning. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show and Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, cynical journalists were moved to propose a drinking game. Participants would have to take a drink every time an automaker used the words...
While still just shy of the 30,000 vehicle milestone, cumulative Canadian plug-in electric vehicle sales likely finished 2016 high enough to scale Mount Everest (elevation in feet: 29,029). While the full 2016 milestone is unlikely to be reached by January 11—birthday of Sir John A. MacDonald, the country's first Prime Minister—it may...
Since Ford launched its line of downsized EcoBoost engines in 2009, the "eco" part of that name has often required an asterisk. That's because some owners have found that real-world fuel economy results don't always live up to the vehicles' official EPA ratings. The phrase "you can have Eco, or you can have Boost, but you can't have both at the...