Some are almost unnoticeable, others make the car shudder each time they activate—but stop-start systems are here to stay. First rolled out in Europe and Asia, where crowded city driving requires cars to spend more time at a standstill, they switch off the engine when the car's not moving. When the driver starts to lift a foot off the brake... Do stop-start systems wear out your car’s starter?
Some are almost unnoticeable, others make the car shudder each time they activate—but stop-start systems are here to stay. First rolled out in Europe and Asia, where crowded city driving requires cars to spend more time at a standstill, they switch off the engine when the car's not moving. When the driver starts to lift a foot off the brake... 
There's wind power, solar power, and—tire power. Sumitomo Rubber is developing a new tire that can restore energy to a car as it drives down the road. The energy recaptures static electricity generated when the tires deform and return to their original shape as they roll down the road. Recovering energy from a portion of tire rolling... 
Some of the largest automakers in the U.S. have banded together with California—to set an example for the EPA and its long-stalled emissions and fuel economy revamp. The agreement between Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and BMW's U.S. division would raise fuel-economy standards by about 3.7 percent a year through 2026 to a final target of about 50... 
Policymakers have long pointed to two straightforward paths for cutting carbon emissions: cleaning up the vehicle fleet itself, by making it more efficient (and electrified), and reducing the total number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT). While the new-vehicle front is affecting serious progress—likely soon slowed by pending changes to... 
Some 2017 and newer Ford vehicles may have illegally polluted more than the company claimed during emissions certifications, and the company admitted Friday that criminal investigators were looking into the matter. The disclosure that the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating the Ford vehicles in February was made during the company's... 
With electric pickup trucks from Ford, GM, and others—including newcomers like Rivian—looking likely to arrive in the next few years, the truck field could be on the verge of a clean, quiet, tailpipe-emissions-free shakeup. That said, you wouldn’t know this segment as being poised on a revolution. Progress in the efficiency and... 
An EPA report released Wednesday shows that cars are getting better gas mileage in response to rising fuel economy standards. Yet a roaring economy and low gas prices have put Americans on a truck-buying spree, and the EPA is working to undermine those standards. According to its annual automotive trends report, the average new car reached a... 
![San Luis Obispo, CA National Drive Electric Week 2018 [Credit Justin Bradshaw SLO Climate Coalition]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/san-luis-obispo-ca-national-drive-electric-week-2018-credit-justin-bradshaw-slo-climate-coalition_100679776_t.gif)
If the goal of the Green New Deal proposed by Democrats in Congress is to get people talking about a transition to renewable energy, then it looks to be gaining traction. The Senate generated controversy on both sides of the aisle by proposing to hold a token vote on the proposal. Studies have arrived on both sides and in the middle of the... 
Last week the U.S. EPA released final fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Toyota Corolla lineup. They include a confirmation of what Toyota had claimed when it introduced the lineup last fall: that the Corolla Hybrid will carry an EPA combined rating of more than 50 mpg. The 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is rated at 52 mpg combined (53 mpg city, 52... 
![Exhaust emissions from tailpipe [photo: Simone Ramella, 2005, used under Creative Commons 2.0]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/exhaust-emissions-from-tailpipe-photo-simone-ramella-2005-used-under-creative-commons-2-0_100644014_t.gif)
Now that the government has reopened after a 35-day shutdown, EPA employees are going back to work facing a backlog. Toward the end of the shutdown last week, executives at all three major Detroit automakers expressed concern about certification delays that could affect new models they plan to bring to market. It can now begin addressing that... 
Until all cars can become electric, it makes sense to support making internal-combustion passenger cars as fuel-efficient as possible. It makes even more sense for popular, thirsty large pickups, where each mpg improvement can save a lot more gallons of gas. Unfortunately, some of the latest attempts as improving fuel economy in big... 
Electrify America gets plans approved to build more fast chargers in California. A new study shows what the Trump administration is missing about how fuel-economy standards affect vehicle affordability. And we have results from our last Twitter poll and a new poll for you to try. All this and more on Green Car Reports. After announcing the demise... 
![2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars outside dealership [photo: Patrick Reid]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-electric-car-photo-patrick-reid_100605961_t.gif)
Rising fuel economy standards make driving more affordable for low-income households, not less as the Trump administration argues, according to a new study by the Consumer Federation of America. In their proposal to freeze fuel-economy increases, the EPA and NHTSA argued that increasing fuel economy standards compromised safety by making new cars... 
Mazda has revealed its 2019 Mazda 3 compact car, in new-generation form, at the 2018 LA Auto Show. It’s not surprising, given the brand’s go-it-alone strategy this decade, that the new ‘3’ appears to take a different path than key global compact-car rivals in nearly every respect, ranging from design to driving traits to... 
The 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid gets better fuel economy than any other SUV without a plug. We take a look at the benefits of short-range plug-in hybrids. Our readers weigh in on why they haven't yet bought a Tesla Model 3. And Colorado joins up with California emissions standards. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We take a closer look at what... 
The redesigned 2020 Toyota Corolla sedan will soon spawn a hybrid variant, the first gasoline-electric version of the automaker's popular compact car. Toyota made the announcement Thursday as it unveiled the Corolla sedan at simultaneous events in California and China, underscoring the model's global appeal. Toyota was mum on additional details... 
Turbocharging has mostly not lived up to its billing of being the savior of internal-combustion engine technology. Earlier this decade, facing increasing fuel economy requirements, automakers rushed to boost fuel economy by adding turbochargers to lots of small engines. The problem is, many of them turned out not to be very efficient. As critics... 
The term “hail Mary” might be appropriate for what General Motors, led by chief executive officer Mary Barra, is attempting at this stage of the federal government’s dialog on fuel efficiency and electric vehicles. GM is launching an effort to propose a 50-state solution for electric vehicles, including a national version of... 
Once a leader in electric cars, BMW now says it expects 85 percent of its cars still to have internal combustion engines by 2030. Speaking to Australian reporters for GoAuto at the Paris auto show earlier in October, BMW board member for development Klaus Froehlich said, “A very optimistic scenario says 30 per cent of BMWs will be pure... 
One of the best ways to get people to buy green cars is the same way automakers get consumers to buy any car—by making deals. Looking at October sales, among plug in cars other than Teslas, the bestsellers were those that offer the best deals from month to month. This month, many of the same models offer the best deals. The list is compiled...