Turbocharging has made its way from a niche performance upgrade and diesel-engine enabler to a mainstream power-booster aimed at making small, fuel-efficient engines drive like larger ones. What's next? As it turns out, the answer is hybrids. No, we're not just talking about slapping a turbocharger onto the ICE in a hybrid powertrain. What...
Volkswagen disclosed Tuesday that on November 19 it will reveal a new concept car that’s part of its fully electric ID family. Based on the picture teased by VW, the model due for production could be what the carmaker has already suggested is in the works: a model termed the “ID Aero”—a sporty sedan or fastback that might...
The Midwest, not smog-plagued California, may realize the most health benefits from a pivot to cleaner energy, according to a new study geared toward exploring the impacts of converting America's power grid to future-proof sources of electricity. The two regions that would stand to gain the most are the Great Lakes/Mid-Atlantic area and the Upper...
Hyundai revealed its own semi concept, aiming to go big with hydrogen fuel-cell tech. A lightweight electric off-roader shows the potential from just one supplier. The Tesla Model 3 gets the nod for New York yellow cab duty. And the Dutch Lightyear One electric car might hold a new record for aerodynamics. This and more, today at Green Car...
Dutch startup Lightyear claims its One electric car is the most aerodynamic car in the world, thanks to a Cd below 0.20, the company announced Tuesday. "During a week of testing in a windtunnel facility in Turin, the Lightyear team was able to validate their simulation models and confirm a drag coefficient (Cd) below 0.20," Lightyear said in its...
Your next yellow cab ride in New York City might be a little bit greener. New York City has officially approved the Tesla Model 3 for taxi duty. As Electrek reports, this makes the Tesla Model 3 the very first electric car to be formally certified for taxi duty by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. With this approval, the window...
Hyundai says it wants to explore opportunities in the U.S. commercial truck market with its new fuel-cell-powered HDC-6 Neptune Class 8 semi concept. While Hyundai didn't give us much in the way of detail about its commercial concept, it did say that Neptune is a clean-sheet commercial vehicle design based on a "groundbreaking futuristic...
What happens when a dedicated fun vehicle goes electric? Supplier BorgWarner has an idea of how to create that—from the Ariel Nomad off-roader. The Ariel Nomad is essentially a jacked-up variant of the small toy builder's Atom, itself little more than a tube-frame chassis with one of a handful of different engines thrown in the back, from...
Toyota’s support of the Trump administration in its fight with California over auto emissions shocked consumers in a state known for its environmental activism.
Mini prices its Cooper SE. London has a new (electric) kind of black cab. A special kind of clutch pack could help keep performance EVs lean. And GM is among several companies now actively opposing California in its battle with the EPA. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. GM, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler have allied to support the Trump...
While the industry clamors to put electric taxis in the air, London is taking its first real steps toward electrifying its ground-based taxi fleet. The aptly named Dynamo Motor Company has deployed its first all-electric, zero-emission taxi cab. The cab itself is based on Nissan e-NV-series passenger van and sports an 80-kilowatt (107 horsepower)...
Mini's new battery-electric Cooper SE will start at $30,750 when it goes on sale next spring, the company announced Monday. That includes the $850 destination charge, and it doesn't include the $7,500 federal EV tax credit or any other state or local incentive. Mini notes that the SE could be had for as little as $18,750 (incl. destination) in...
Some upcoming high-performance electric vehicles—such as those with Tesla’s upcoming Plaid powertrain—are positioning a second electric motor at the rear axle to assure accurate torque vectoring, and improved handling. If the new Torque-Vectoring Dual-Clutch unit from the supplier BorgWarner works the way it’s intended to...
General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Toyota have come out against California and its Zero Emission Vehicle rules that mandate electric vehicles and place tighter restrictions on tailpipe emissions. The automakers are allying with the Association of Global Automakers, the lobbying group representing a number of foreign automakers...
Proposed support from the federal government could help automakers catch up with China on EVs, over 10 years. Nissan teases a dual-motor Leaf. SUVs are a big part of the CO2 problem. The EPA says that despite a higher limit it will reduce CO2. And Honda renames its hybrids and plug-ins. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Honda has announced...
The Trump administration may be on a mission to curb environmental regulation, but EPA chief Andrew Wheeler revealed Tuesday that its new emissions rules should actually cap CO2 output at a lower levels than those set by the Obama administration. How? By removing loopholes. "In some of the out years, we’re actually more restrictive on CO2...
Honda is going to re-brand its alternative powertrain vehicles under the new global e:Technology nomenclature in a bid to consolidate its various electrified two- and four-wheel vehicles under a single umbrella, the automaker announced last Thursday. This new scheme will eliminate terminology such as "two-motor hybrid" from Honda's marketing...
When Nissan launched the updated 2018 Leaf, company representatives told Green Car Reports that a dual-motor variant was still off the table. What you see before you, then, shouldn't be possible. And yet... This prototype's front and rear motors combine for more than 300 horsepower and almost exactly 500 pound-feet of torque, which is quite a bit...
While individual vehicle emissions have decreased on a per-mile basis over the past decade, shifts in consumer habits are pressuring CO2 production upward, an upcoming publication says. The growth in the SUV sector has made them the second-largest contributor to increasing CO2 emissions over the past ten years, contributing more than heavy...
Buyers of Tesla and GM electric vehicles will soon be ineligible for the federal EV tax credit. Meanwhile automakers (GM most recently) are grappling with production locations and long-term labor negotiations amid uncertainties over how EVs will play into new federal emission and fuel economy rules. It might be time to revisit how the federal...
