Tesla Stock Slides After Delivery Figures Signal Weaker U.S. Demand
The results followed a series a price cuts aimed at making the company’s electric vehicles affordable to a wider range of customers.
VW ID Roomzz, Toyota hybrid patents, more grid storage from hydro: Today’s Car News
Toyota plans to open its hybrid patents through 2030. Volkswagen introduces the ID Roomzz for the Shanghai auto show. Pumped hydro could deliver more energy storage than batteries. And readers weigh in on what new niche electrics they'd like to see on VW's new ID EV platform. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Toyota is following in Tesla's... Toyota shores up against electric-car threat, by sharing hybrid tech
As some of the industry appears to be leapfrogging directly past hybrid vehicles, in favor of battery electrics—GM with its canceled Volt, for example—Toyota is making no such move. This morning it’s announced that it will open up its banks of patents related to hybrid systems, royalty-free until 2030. That applies to nearly... Which classic VW kit would you like to see revived as an EV? Twitter poll results
Volkswagen is planning up to 70 new electric cars based on its upcoming affordability-focused mass-market MEB platform. But the company itself may not build them all. At the Geneva auto show last month, VW said it was seeking other partners to use the platform to develop lower-volume special interest cars, such as its ID Buggy that harkens back to... Pumped hydro could deliver 100 percent renewable electricity
Achieving 100 percent renewable power, as Congressional Democrats' Green New Deal and other proposals around the world envision, will require a lot of energy storage. And while the cost and availability of a storage batteries has made significant progress lately, they may not be the best solution to store renewable energy. A new study by... Volkswagen ID Roomzz full-size electric SUV to bow in Shanghai
Last month, Volkswagen announced that it will expand its upcoming electric-car lineup from 50 new models by 2023 to 70 new models by 2028. But it gave no indication what many of those new models will be. On Tuesday, the brand revealed the sixth new member of its upcoming ID electric family: The VW ID Roomzz, a full-sized SUV will make its debut in... 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Byton M-Byte, Lightning Strike: Today’s Car News
The Ford Escape Hybrid will make a comeback for 2020—with a plug-in hybrid, too. Chinese Tesla rival Byton reveals the M-byte testing in winter. The Lightning Strike electric motorcycle is out. And our latest Twitter poll asks what kind of electric-car racing matters most. All this and more on Green Car Reports. When the updated Ford Escape... 2020 Ford Escape revealed: Hybrid returns teasing nearly 40 mpg, plug-in hybrid version with 30 electric miles
The Ford Escape was the first Ford hybrid and the first hybrid SUV to hit the market. That was 15 years ago, and Ford has been sitting out seven model years with no Escape Hybrid in the lineup. With the introduction of a new 2020 Escape, Ford is bringing back this model, which once had a very loyal following from taxi companies, public agencies... What kind of racing can best stoke new interest in electric vehicles? Take our Twitter poll
Increasingly, electric cars are taking to race tracks of all kinds to prove themselves not only to their own drivers and other competitors, but also to fans. Volkswagen set a new record climbing Pikes Peak with its electric ID R that didn't lose power to the thin air at the top. Formula E, which aims to bring racing to the people in the stands... Lightning Strikes twice with second, affordable electric motorcycle
Great as the bike may be, the best thing about the new Lightning Strike electric motorcycle may be its name. Perhaps in an effort to beat the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric bike to market, Lightning introduced its new, more mainstream Strike last week. Unlike the LiveWire or the new Zero SR/F, the Lightning Strike is a sportbike, with riders... Byton M-Byte electric SUV tackles cold-weather testing, nears production
With a Chinese base and international outposts—tech in California and design in Germany—Byton aims to create a different kind of electric-car lineup. That vision revolves around a cloud-based Byton Life ecosystem, built-in Amazon integration and, in at least two of its models, what could be the biggest infotainment display yet, a big... Chinese fuel-cell cars, lithium-ion battery growth, EPA and health: Today’s Car News
A Chinese hydrogen company introduces its own line of fuel-cell cars. A Texas startup plans to make motors more efficient. A report shows more battery production coming online. And without science boards the EPA questions some fundamental links. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Chinese Institute of Geosciences and the Environment is... Lithium battery production set to grow 50 percent a year
One of the biggest upcoming challenges for electric cars is having having an adequate supply of lithium batteries. A new report by Benchmark Minerals, first cited by CleanTechnica, shows battery makers are working quickly to meet growing demand for new lithium-ion battery cells from automakers. According to the company's Battery Factory Data... New electric motor could eliminate transmissions
It isn’t just batteries that are making big strides in electric cars. Several companies are also striving to make electric motors more efficient and powerful. Now a new Texas company claims it has a new motor technology that can generate twice the torque, three times the power, and 10 percent more range for electric cars in the same weight... Grove launches hydrogen fuel-cell car brand in China
China is the world's largest market for cars—especially electric cars. The country has even announced that at some point in the future it will ban internal combustion cars. But it's not all about battery electric EVs, it turns out. A new company called Grove Hydrogen Automotive Co. announced that it will focus on fuel-cell cars, starting... EPA panel says air pollution not harmful
It isn't just global warming emissions that the EPA plans to deregulate. At a meeting last Thursday, a key air quality standards board at the agency cast doubt on longstanding findings that particulate matter—the microscopic particles spewing from diesel tailpipes—can cause health problems leading to premature deaths. In the absence of... Obama, buy that Volt!
Our current President, Donald Trump, has made it abundantly clear where he stands on electric cars. It’s quite a contrast to our former President, Barack Obama, whose administration widely supported policy fostering more fuel-efficient vehicles, greener energy, and the path to more vehicles that plug in. This weekend marks the last one for... President Trump derides electric cars, suggests “one car per family” with Green New Deal
President Trump hasn’t minced his words—or his policy—in declaring that he doesn’t think electric cars are a good idea. At a Thursday night rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trump took his electric-car criticism to a new (and somewhat hard-to-follow) level, jumping from jabs about the Green New Deal, to suggesting that the... Chevrolet tax credits, Tesla delays, Nissan Leaf Plus range drive: The Week in Reverse
Which new electric car didn't give us any range surprises in a recent test drive? What new features have been enabled on some Teslas? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending March 29, 2019. After this weekend, electric cars from Chevy will no longer be eligible for the full... Chevy Bolt EV deals, Ram eTorque, in-wheel motors, wind and solar costs: Today’s Car News
Ram's new eTorque does more than most mild-hybrid start/stop systems. Chevrolet is making no big sales push at the end of the quarter, despite the expiration of full tax credits for its vehicles. In-wheel motors for EVs may be making their way to the mainstream. And renewable electricity may have passed a key cost threshold. All this and more on...