Sales of electric cars droop so far this year, amid Tesla issues

2019 Tesla Model 3 PerformanceBy any measure, sales of plug-in cars had a bad first quarter. Even with the addition of a couple of compelling new models, total sales of cars with plugs, led by Tesla, dropped from 101,338 in the final quarter last year to 92,210 in the first quarter of 2019. In fairness, the fourth quarter of any year, with the holidays and end-of-year...

Epic electric road trip: After 3 years and 33 countries, it’s a wrap

Wiebe Wakker finishes electric-car tourWiebe Wakker took one very long drive in an electric car—for a total of 1119 days, covering 59,000 miles and traversing portions of 33 countries on the way from the Netherlands to Australia. It was, by just about any standard, an epic road trip. Wakker reached Sydney last Sunday, April 7, and was welcomed with a parade of EVs, across the...

Best deals on electric, plug-in, and hybrid cars for April 2019

Honda Clarity Electric at Honda R&D Center, Tochigi, Japan, June 2017Just because tax credits are winding down on some of the most popular plug-in cars doesn't mean there are no deals to be found. Green Car Reports' carbuying partners at CarsDirect.com scour automakers' rebates and incentives every month and have found some great lease and sales discounts on electric, plug-in, and hybrid cars for April, starting as...

Report: EPA backs off plans to freeze fuel economy rules–slightly

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerEPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced Thursday that the agency will delay and revise its plan to freeze emissions and fuel-economy rules, which was expected to be released early this month. The proposed rule, the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule, would freeze fuel-economy standards at 2020 levels through 2026 and reverse...

2019 Audi E-tron ads take aim at electric myths

Audi e-tron quattro ad: One reason that electric-car adoption hasn't taken off faster is that, while automakers market the heck out of the benefits of SUVs and crossover vehicles, they launch EVs with nary a peep. Now Audi is on the cusp of launching its first all-electric model and is taking direct aim at many of the concerns that potential buyers have about electric...

Tesla Model 3 updates: Leasing, Autopilot standard, base model limited

Tesla Model 3 bought [Photo by reader AH]Tesla announced major changes to its model lineup Thursday, especially the Model 3, in an effort to shore up sales. After the federal tax credit available on its cars halved Jan. 1, Tesla has dropped prices, added features, streamlined its model lineup, and introduced new lower-priced options for the Model 3, including the long-promised $35,000...