Development of new vehicles, especially if they're on underpinnings that haven't been used in previous models, follows a very predictable schedule. First, a concept car is revealed. Often, it's a thinly disguised version of the future production car with some added design flourishes that won't make it onto the assembly lines. Then spy shots of... Tesla Model 3: beta phase to be skipped, will go straight to production?
Development of new vehicles, especially if they're on underpinnings that haven't been used in previous models, follows a very predictable schedule. First, a concept car is revealed. Often, it's a thinly disguised version of the future production car with some added design flourishes that won't make it onto the assembly lines. Then spy shots of...
Since the election of Donald Trump, considerable attention has focused on how a candidate who campaigned on promoting fossil fuels would treat the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies charged with regulating those industries. But potential changes to the EPA do not come solely from the Executive Branch. Over the past few...
The mid-size sedan was once the default for a majority of U.S. car buyers. While the segment's position has been eroded by the rise of crossover utility vehicles of many sizes, these sedans still remain quite popular. Given the number of options available among hybrid mid-size sedans, that should remain the case among buyers who want passenger...
In multiple states, electric utilities are beginning to establish networks of electric-car charging stations. But plans for such a network in Michigan recently hit a roadblock. Last week, local utility Consumers Energy withdrew its request to install public electric-car charging stations at an estimated cost of $15 million. DON'T MISS: California...
Sport-utility vehicles started out as truck offshoots, essentially tall wagon bodies on truck underpinnings. Think of the first Chevy Suburban in 1935, which remained a specialty vehicle (mostly for Texans) for its first 40 years. Fast-forward another 40 years, and my, how things have changed. DON'T MISS: 2018 Toyota C-HR - full review With...
Today, we look at whether 100 miles of range is enough to lure electric-car buyers, the Tesla Model S 60 and 60D variants are discontinued, and UPS plans to spend $90 million on natural-gas vehicles and fueling stations. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Catch up on recent news with our Week in Reverse feature. The Tesla Model S lineup slims...
Several Chinese or Chinese-backed automotive startups are currently trying to replicate the success of Tesla by designing and selling their own luxury electric cars. But Hybrid Kinetic likely predates most of them. Started by the founder of Chinese automaker Brilliance, the company made headlines in 2010, when it announced plans to build hybrid...
Lots of people like horse races, win-or-lose competitions, and rankings. They're easy to understand, and definitive. They may also lose the forest for the trees, which is what we're tempted to suggest about a new article that addresses the launch of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. GM's 238-mile battery-electric hatchback is rolling out...
One of the major sources of carbon emissions is electricity generation. It's an issue that is becoming increasingly important in the automotive sphere, due to the slow rise of plug-in electric cars. So what would it take to eliminate carbon emissions entirely from making electricity? DON'T MISS: Bipartisan governors' group urges Trump to back...
Hyundai first made the argument that energy efficiency in electric cars is just as important as their range, as part of its launch of the Ioniq Electric hatchback, EPA-rated at 124 miles. Now Honda is making that argument as well, based on a news report it confirmed saying that the Clarity EV electric mid-size sedan will have a battery range of...
Natural gas has not proven popular for vehicles bought by individual consumers, but some fleet operators continue to find it an attractive alternative to gasoline and diesel. That's because the lack of public fueling infrastructure proves a major drawback for natural-gas passenger cars, but fleets can circumvent that by operating their own...
Unlike conventional hybrids and many plug-in hybrids, the first-generation Chevrolet Volt makes extensive use of both electric and gasoline power. With a fully-charged battery pack, it will drive on electric power alone until the charge is depleted, at which point the onboard gasoline engine activates. The gasoline engine serves as a generator...
The ever-shifting Tesla Model S lineup has gone through another change. It will slim down as Tesla discontinues the electric car's current base models—the rear-wheel drive Model S 60, and the all-wheel drive Model S 60D, both with 60 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity. Both versions are being pulled from the Model S lineup after less than a...
What did President Trump actually say he'd tell the EPA to do when he spoke to automakers in Detroit on Wednesday? Why did one longtime reader decide to cancel his order for a 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, March 17...
However you choose to view the 2017 Kia Niro hybrid—Kia says it's a crossover utility, we call it a wagon—it's a good-looking and relatively capacious small car. The debate over segments comes because the Niro has neither the ground clearance of a utility vehicle nor available all-wheel drive, making it more of a wagon or "square...
Today, we have analysis of President Donald Trump's much-discussed appearance in Detroit, 30 cities plan to buy $10 billion worth of electric cars, and why the upcoming Lexus UX crossover may get a hybrid powertrain. All this and more on Green Car Reports. A female Tesla engineer is suing the automaker, alleging a "culture of discrimination"...
It may have taken some time, but the auto industry is now reacting to Tesla in full force. More than four years after the first Tesla Model S was delivered, we are on the verge of a bumper crop of luxury electric cars. A mix of established automakers and startups looking to emulate Tesla's success are planning a growing array of new models, the...
One of the challenges of today's uber-polarized political environment is that fear and alarmism increasingly overtake the factual realities of an issue. This appears to be the case with President Donald Trump's Wednesday appearance in Detroit to announce the reopening of the comment period for EPA emission rules for vehicles in model years 2022...
While federal policies to reduce vehicular emissions of carbon dioxide are now back in the limelight, it's a different story on the state and local level. A group of 30 U.S. cities is discussing a major purchase of electric cars for their municipal fleets. The cities have jointly asked automakers for cost and feasibility estimates of providing...
For better or worse, many Toyota models ultimately donate their underpinnings to the Japanese automaker's Lexus luxury brand. That may not give certain Lexus models the pedigree some purists desire, but it's a fact of life in the modern auto industry—and an effective way for Toyota to amortize development costs into higher-profit luxury...