New emails show FCA knew of diesel cheats as early as 2010: report

2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, Bear Mountain, May 2014Fiat Chrysler Automobiles discussed using illegal software to cheat emissions tests in diesel versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram EcoDiesel pickup as early as 2010, newly revealed documents show. The emails, which were unsealed last week as part of a proposed class-action lawsuit against FCA show the company was interested in using...

Toyota may let mechanics repair faulty recall inverters on older Prius

2012, 2013, and 2014 Toyota PriusToyota may supply independent mechanics with parts and instructions for repairing, but not replacing, potentially faulty inverters on certain 2014 Prius models, Green Car Reports has learned. According to Automotive Career Development Center founder Craig Van Batenberg, Toyota for the first time has released parts for mechanics to potentially fix...

Oklahoma Supreme Court rules state’s electric-car tax unconstitutional

2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman All4 plug-in hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, July 2017When the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that imposed new fees on owners of hybrid and electric cars only, it was swiftly sued by the Sierra Club. Now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in that suit, filed in August. In a 6-3 decision, the state's highest court struck down the bill as an unconstitutional tax...

Tesla wins Michigan court fight to get e-mails by lobbyist, lawmaker

Tesla Store Los Angeles [photo: Misha Bruk / MBH Architects]As a Tesla lawsuit over the state of Michigan's dealership franchise law grinds on, the Silicon Valley automaker scored a recent legal victory. A federal magistrate has ordered two Michigan lawmakers to turn over their communications to the company's lawyers, including emails they sent to lobbyist groups. State Senator Joe Hune and State...

Ruling that EPA must regulate carbon emissions: now 10 years old

Chrome exhaust pipeAnniversaries often provide an opportunity to reflect on important past events, review what has happened since, and reflect upon the future. April 2 of this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts vs EPA in which the EPA was forced to regulate carbon emissions. The passing of this anniversary was marked by an...

Sierra Club to sue EPA over failure to report on ethanol

FlexFuel badge on E85-capable 2009 Chevrolet HHRThe confirmation of Scott Pruitt as Environmental Protection Agency administrator was expected to rankle environmental groups. Pruitt is a climate-science denier who, in his previous position as Oklahoma attorney general, sued the agency he is now charged with many multiple times over its efforts to enforce environmental regulations. But what may...