2019 Nissan Leaf Plus vs Leaf: A first look at the differences

2019 Nissan LeafEarlier this week, at an event coordinated with the Consumer Electronics Show, Nissan introduced the Leaf Plus, a new longer-range of Nissan’s compact electric car. The 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus, which will reach dealerships this spring, finally offers more than the 200 miles that many Americans seem to see as the new minimum for driving range...

Was 2018 the peak for internal-combustion car sales?

2018 Tesla Model 3 Long-Range RWDElectric-car sales are growing. Total car sales around the world are shrinking. Put the two together, and the conclusion from many analysts is that sales of cars powered by internal combustion engines around the world have already peaked. From 2019 onward, they're likely to do nothing but shrink, according to several automotive analysts...

Toyota and Kenworth to build 10 fuel-cell semis for LA port duty

Kenworth T680 powered by Toyota hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain, at 2019 Consumer Electronics ShThe word "drayage" isn't commonly used, even among green-car fans, but it's used by the shipping and logistics industries to refer to the transport of goods over short distances. Drayage turns out to be the sweet spot for early efforts to put zero-emission heavy trucks on the road, including a joint project between Toyota and PACCAR's Kenworth...

eMotorWerks lays groundwork for vehicle-to-grid charging

eMotorWerks JuiceBox wall mount charging Tesla Model XAt first blanch, a new business agreement between home charger manufacturer eMotorWerks and utility software provider LO3 Energy sounds strictly like the stuff of dull business contract lawyers. Dig a little deeper, though, and it could be the kernel of the next generation electrical system, long discussed, but never-quite-practical...

One-step Plug&Charge coming to (Electrify) America

Chevrolet Bolt charging at Electrify America 350 kw charger at Home Depot in Chicopee, Mass.It's easy to plug in an electric car. What trips up many new electric-car drivers is paying to charge. At some charging stations, drivers pay by the kilowatt-hour. At others, they pay for the time they park their car in the space, or pay a base rate for parking plus a smaller amount for the charge. Some charging stations take credit cards. Others...

2019 Nissan Leaf Plus revealed: 226-mile range, quicker acceleration

2019 Nissan LeafNissan unveiled Tuesday a new version of the 2019 Leaf electric car, called the Leaf Plus or Leaf e+, that can go well over 200 miles on a charge. Although such a model has been a long time coming, the 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus stands as strong evidence that in the eight years since the first deliveries of the Leaf, Nissan has listened carefully to...

Tesla sales, VW tech, electric Harley-Davidson: Today’s Car News

Toyota Research Institute simulation of actual 3-car crash, to test Guardian active-safety systemWith final sales reports out from the whole auto industry, we built some context around Tesla's end-of-the-year sales numbers. The Model 3 is setting the pace among luxury cars. Volkswagen buys wireless tech from Volvo. Harley-Davidson announces pricing and a date for buyers interested in purchasing its LiveWire electric motorcycle. And our...

Volkswagen buys wireless car service from Volvo

Volkswagen MOIA electric ride-pooling vanIn automotive electronics news that doesn't come from this week's CES, Volkswagen announced late last month that it is buying wireless automotive technology from Volvo. The technology is expected to enable VW's upcoming We car sharing program as well as to allow drivers to control some vehicle functions remotely, which could impact things such as...

Tesla factory and screen interface, Byton back at CES: Today’s Car News

Byton M-Byte conceptPatent filings show new features that may be coming to updated Model S and Model X cars later this year. Chinese startup automaker Byton makes another appearance at CES. And our latest Twitter poll asks readers which electric pickup they think may hit the roads first. All this and more on Green Car Reports. On Sunday night, Musk took to Twitter to...

Tesla breaks ground on China factory for Model 3 and Model Y

2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter Sunday night that the company would break ground on its new Chinese factory on Monday. Musk said the plant, known as Gigafactory 3, will produce up to 500,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for China and other nearby markets when it is completed in 2020. Initial construction, however, planned to be completed...

Tesla breaks ground on China factory for Model 3 and Model Y

2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter Sunday night that the company would break ground on its new Chinese factory on Monday. Musk said the plant, known as Gigafactory 3, will produce up to 500,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for China and other nearby markets when it is completed in 2020. Initial construction, however, planned to be completed...

Patent shows new Tesla “windows” operating system

2017 Tesla Model STesla is known for having the Apple of car user interfaces on its big center displays. A recent patent filing shows Tesla may not be finished up dating the system, either for the Model 3 or the Model S or X. The latest filing, last month, shows the company may expand the number of windows Tesla drivers can open at a time, to four, plus the menu...

Here are the electric-car models on the way for 2019

2019 Audi e-tron first drive  -  Abu Dhabi UAE, December 2018Regular readers of Green Car Reports know we have been saying for a year now that 2019 is the year of the electric SUV. Now the year is finally here, and we thought we'd give our readers a peek at what we know about all the upcoming models. Most are SUVs, with a couple of hatchbacks thrown in. In many cases their specific arrival dates are not...