Last year, after Tesla updated the radar, camera, and ultrasonic sensors on its electric cars, CEO Elon Musk said the new hardware’s capabilities would lag behind the cars on the street already. Now, Musk has projected that the “Hardware 2.0” cars may surpass the older generation of “Hardware 1.0” vehicles and be “fully self-driving” in 3 to 6…
BMW, Nissan fund EVgo fast-charging network expansion: 670 dual-standard sites open
At the end of 2015, BMW and Nissan announced that the two companies had partnered to fund the installation of 120 DC fast-charging stations for electric cars across 19 states. All the sites had one or more 50-kilowatt stations with a pair of charging cables: one with the CHAdeMO connector that accommodates the Nissan Leaf electric car, the other a... Cost to make FCA diesels emission-compliant in Europe: half a billion dollars
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, believes diesels will allow the company to meet future, tougher fuel-economy standards. But that faith is being sorely tested at the moment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now says the company failed to disclose software for its EcoDiesel 3.0-liter V-6 engine that could affect... Using Plugless Power’s wireless charging with Nissan Leaf: video
Wireless charging for electric cars has been discussed for some time, but at last it is close to becoming a more realistic option for drivers. Evatran currently markets its Plugless wireless-charging system for multiple electric-car models. But what does it really take to ditch that charging cable—and is it really worth it? DON'T MISS... How Paris will ban the dirtiest diesels: color-coded stickers
Yesterday, analyses of the air in several parts of France contained high levels of ultrafine particles emitted by road vehicles. Among the guiltiest culprits were older diesel vehicles with minimal emission-control systems, particularly those built under the Euro 4 standard in effect through 2005. Over the last year, Paris has instituted... $1 billion for electric cars, Mini changes, climate science views, Tesla acceleration: Today’s Car News
Today, we talk about a very controversial Tesla, consider the idea of $1 billion in electric-car infrastructure and incentives, and look at the percentage of Americans who accept climate science (it's high). All this and more on Green Car Reports. Germany's minister for the environment is facing some pushback for his recent electric-car purchase... Renault adds new Master ZE larger electric delivery van
French carmaker Renault sells no passenger cars in North America, and hasn't for almost 30 years now. But in Europe, its all-electric Zoe subcompact hatchback has been the best-selling plug-in electric car for months on end. The Zoe is one of three "ZE" (zero emission) vehicles sold by Renault, and now the ZE lineup is adding another member. DON'T... California utilities submit $1 billion of electric-car projects to regulators
California continues to lead the United States, and in some ways the world, in efforts to reduce and eliminate harmful emissions from road vehicles. Following the lead of Governor Jerry Brown, the state legislature and regulatory agencies have set aggressive goals to reduce emission of climate-change gases, primarily carbon dioxide. That will be... Three-quarters of Americans accept climate science, regardless of Trump
The new U.S. administration has made it clear that it does not accept the scientific consensus on climate change. From President Donald Trump down through his nominees for key roles—Scott Pruitt for EPA adminstrator, Rick Perry for Department of Energy head, and others—key elected and appointed officials have rejected the idea of human... Even top German minister for environment prefers Tesla
Government officials in Germany seeking to express national pride in their choice of vehicle have no shortage of options. The established German luxury brands offer many models that frequently serve in the capacity of official vehicle for an elected official. Indeed, given Germany's considerable investment in its auto industry, using a German car... Hybrid sales, coal in China, Panasonic loves Tesla: Today’s Car News
Today, we cover coal plants in China, plug-in hybrid tests in London, and hybrid sales right here in the U.S. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla Motors has bought battery cells from Panasonic for 10 years; now the Japanese company wants to tighten the partnership. Despite critics' questions about how serious it is about reducing carbon... Hybrid market share peaked in 2013, down since then
![U.S. hybrid vehicle market: total sales and market share, 2000-2016 [source: PIRA Energy Group]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/u-s-hybrid-vehicle-market-total-sales-and-market-share-2000-2016-source-pira-energy-group_100590028_t.gif)
What's a "green car"? Is it a hybrid? A zero-emission vehicle? One that plugs in? Or just one that uses less fuel than other cars in its segment? It's a perpetual conundrum, for Green Car Reports among others, but it illustrates one of the longstanding challenges in the field. Will the market for green cars expand as more enter the market, or is... Alta Motors electric motorcycle: racing victories, test ride video
Alta Motors has jumped out of the starting gate with an electric motorcycle designed for the race track. The company has been taking its bikes to the races and, even more importantly, is now delivering them to customers who made reservations. Exciting news from the track has been coming in steadily. DON'T MISS: Is end of Victory Motorcycles the... SimpleFuel home hydrogen fuel dispenser wins $1 million DoE prize
Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $1 million prize to a little-known team for what you might call a new garage appliance. The SimpleFuel team—actually a collaboration of three separate companies—won the prize, first offered in November 2014, for its hydrogen home-fueling station. The goal is to let drivers of hydrogen... Ford to test plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van in London
Earlier this month, Ford announced a host of new electrified vehicles, including prototype and production hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric models. Before its planned 2019 production launch, one of those vehicles will soon begin testing in London. It's a plug-in hybrid version of the Ford Transit Custom van, designed for commercial use... China axes 103 coal-fired power plants, citing smog, overcapacity
During negotiations for the Paris Climate Treaty signed last fall, a major concern among critics was whether the carbon emissions of China's sprawling and inefficient energy sector could be reined in. With China, the U.S., and dozens of other countries signing the agreement, the world's most populous country committed itself to decarbonizing its... Panasonic sees Tesla as deeper partner for self-driving cars too: CEO
Japanese electronics firm Panasonic has been a close partner of Tesla Motors for many years now. It is the Silicon Valley automaker's sole battery supplier, it helps fund and operate the Tesla "Gigafactory" in Nevada, and the company owns a small stake in the carmaker. But Panasonic wants to move its partnership with Tesla beyond batteries... Energy storage batteries face biggest test in California
From the perspective of both renewable-energy advocates and electric utilities, grid-scale energy storage offers many potential benefits. By storing energy in battery packs for later use, energy storage can make intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind into more reliable forms of power. It also helps utilities "balance" the gird by... New Tesla Model S 100D version rated at 335 miles of electric range
If anything, the pace of new Tesla model changes seem to have increased of late. Over the last year, a 60-kilowatt-hour battery option has reappeared, a new 100-kwh battery was launched, followed by a sequence of software updates to make it faster, and all Autopilot sensors were replaced with new hardware. Now, quietly, Tesla has launched a new... Action on climate change ‘harmful, unnecessary’: Trump White House
![The White House, Washington, D.C. [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/white-house_100170583_t.gif)
If there were any doubt that U.S. policy on climate change would change drastically under President Donald Trump, it should have been laid to rest shortly after noon yesterday. Following inauguration ceremonies for the 45th president of the United States, the Obama White House website was replaced with an entirely new site for the Trump White...