Earlier this month, Japanese automaker Mazda laid out its future powertrain strategy and dropped a massive announcement in the process. In 2019, Mazda will introduce a gasoline-powered Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition engine, dubbed Skyactiv-X, that the automaker promises will offer huge strides in efficiency and fuel economy. That means...
The availability of charging stations for electric cars is likely to remain a major factor for many would-be owners as plug-in cars become more popular. While the United States boasts tens of thousands of charging stations, some areas remain better-covered than others. Unfortunately for taxi cab drivers in Washington D.C., the lack of charging...
Henrik Fisker, legendary automotive designer and the man behind the now-defunct Fisker Automotive company, is getting ready for his grand return to the industry. Spearheading the return will be the Fisker EMotion, which will arrive from the designer's new company, Fisker Inc. Although we only have preliminary specifications on the EMotion electric...
When you see a concept car drive onto the stage at an auto show, don't be fooled into thinking it's what you'll drive out of the dealer a couple of years later. We got to drive the Volkswagen ID Buzz all-electric Microbus concept car Saturday for a couple of miles along the oceanside road outside Monterey, California. Our drive in the ID Buzz...
The Volkswagen ID Buzz concept, an all-electric reinterpretation of the iconic VW Microbus, generated huge enthusiasm and public crowds when it debuted in January at the Detroit auto show. Today, the company announced its board had officially approved production of the vehicle, a distinctive entry in a growing lineup of electric cars planned for...
Using electric cars as police vehicles has some distinct advantages. Among them are near-silent operation, maximum acceleration from 0 rpm, and a novelty factor that can lead to friendly, beneficial interactions between officers and citizens. Now, the small Maryland city of Hyattsville, a suburb of Washington, D.C., has a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV...
![2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier and 2017 BMW i3 electric car, Aug 2017 [photo: Tom Moloughney]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-premier-and-2017-bmw-i3-electric-car-aug-2017-photo-tom-moloughney_100618415_t.gif)
Which very noticeable plug-in car has been resurrected after five years—and what did we think of it on the road? What secrets does the Tesla Model 3 hold, and do those make it "Car 2.0" as some have suggested? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, August 18...
Today, Tesla is hugely expanding its Fremont assembly plant, but its real future may be concealed inside the Model 3 electric car, while Hyundai shows a hydrogen SUV concept and a BMW i3 owner tries out a Chevy Bolt EV. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Our occasional author and BMW i3 REx owner Tom Moloughney spent a week and 800 miles with...
The Tesla Model 3 continues to generate an inordinate amount of interest from electric-car advocates and the general public, as pretty much any Tesla model has in the past. But unlike the Model S in 2012, which broke new ground on multiple fronts, the lower-priced Model 3 appears to be less innovative based on what we've seen as the car goes into...
Hyundai arrived first to market with the world's first production hydrogen fuel-cell crossover utility in 2013 with the Tucson Fuel Cell, and we have a good idea of what to expect from the brand's follow-up act. The Korean brand unveiled a lightly-disguised concept this week that previews its next fuel-cell SUV to come in 2018, which remains...
Electric-car maker Tesla is at a pivotal time in the 13-year-old company's history as production of its mass-market Model 3 ramps up and ambitious plans to roll out additional vehicles loom. Coinciding with the production start of the Tesla Model 3 are plans for a major expansion the Silicon Valley automaker's assembly plant in Fremont...
Owners of specific electric cars sometimes tend to become boosters and fans for their particular EV as well as plugging in to drive in general. So it was with Tom Moloughney, whose purchase of the very first 2014 BMW i3 REx range-extended electric car in the U.S. he wrote about for us three years ago. That car was regrettably totaled in an...
Batteries and electric motors will have a major role in powering cars and trucks of our future. But gas engines have a lot of life left.
Today, we've got the latest on Hyundai-Kia's aggressive electric-car plans, a eulogy for natural-gas cars, plug-in sales in Europe, and a poll about the future of ads for cars with engines. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We polled our Twitter followers on when ads for cars with tailpipes would be banned as a health hazard. Results were...
It's long been said in the auto industry that Hyundai-Kia is the only competitor that truly scares industry colossus Toyota. Thirty years ago, the Korean company was a bit player, producing designs adapted from obsolete Mitsubishi technology. Today it's a major global player, reacting fast to market swings—and its goal is to be second only...
The numbers are in, which means it's once again time take a look at European electric and plug-in hybrid sales. Delivery and registration data is compiled from January through June of 2017, and once more, it remains clear Europe has a favorite electric car. The Renault Zoe walks away with an even higher market share than it had in May and leaves...
Natural gas vehicles were first promoted starting in about 2000 as a way to reduce reliance on imported oil and cut tailpipe emissions. Their promise appeared to grow near the height of the global financial crisis, when gas prices hovered around $4 per gallon across much of the United States. The domestic fuel promised to cut carbon-dioxide...
Just 30 years ago, people could smoke anywhere, including offices, malls, and restaurants. The 1987 opening of a New York City restaurant called "Nosmo King" (read it again) was considered a bizarre, if amusing, idea that restauranteurs said would bankrupt the place because no one would give up cigarettes to eat there. Now, throughout much of the...
Today, the least efficient plug-in car, why rallycross should go electric, possible CAFE changes, and where electric cars should charge. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We drove the Fisker Karma in 2012; now we've driven the 2017 Karma Revero, the reborn version of the sleek, low, inefficient plug-in hybrid luxury sedan. Are gas stations...
Consumers all over the world, but especially in North America, are buying more crossover utility vehicles and fewer passenger sedans and hatchbacks. The U.S. auto industry makes the bulk of its profits on light trucks, which include crossovers, pickup trucks, and even minivans. The Trump Administration has said it wants to roll back environmental...
