Who will be biggest electric-car maker in 2020? Take our Twitter poll!

A Honda dealership in Erie, Penn. Every week or so, Green Car Reports posts a poll on Twitter to survey our followers on their opinions on a variety of topics related to the news we cover. In general, we get 100 or so responses to our polls: more on electric cars, fewer on other subjects. In the many comments on a previous week's poll results, one reader made a smart...

Ford pairs with Chinese maker Gotye for electric-car expansion

Ford Mustang in ChinaFord was the U.S. maker to build hybrid cars, starting in 2004, and it launched its Focus Electric hatchback in December 2011, just a year after the arrival of the Nissan Leaf. It also continues to sell Energi plug-in hybrid versions of its mid-size Fusion sedan and its compact C-Max tall hatchback, two vehicles now in their sixth model years...

Electric cars now 5 percent of California new-car sales: report

Tesla Supercharger site in Vacaville, California, before expansion    [photo: George Parrott]California continues to lead the country in adoption rates for cars that plug in, both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models. The state offers numerous local and statewide incentives, and many utility companies reward customers for choosing an electric car over a fossil-fuel powered vehicle. Combined, it's made for a very electric-car...

What car is closest Tesla Model 3 competitor? Poll results

2018 Tesla Model 3Much of the electric-car world is waiting to see how quickly production of the Tesla Model 3 will ramp up over the balance of this year. Will it reach the remarkable level of 5,000 cars per week by December 31 that CEO Elon Musk has set as a goal? Analysts and industry commentators are skeptical, owners and advocates are hopeful, and now at least...

Chevy Bolt EV: looking at electric car’s long-term challenges

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVThe electric car that became the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV reset industry norms overnight when it was unveiled as a concept car at the 2015 Detroit auto show. The most important parts wasn't the car's shape, or its interior space, or hatchback configuration: it was the combination of price (below $40,000 before incentives) and range (200 miles or...

Fisker EMotion electric luxury sedan to be shown at CES in January

Fisker EMotionHenrik 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...

Volkswagen ID Buzz drive: electric VW bus offers unique EV concept

Kirk Bell and John Voelcker in Volkswagen ID Buzz electric Microbus concept vehicleWhen 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...

Is this the country’s first Chevrolet Bolt EV police car?

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric police car, operated by Hyattsville City Police Department, MarylandUsing 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...

Tesla Model 3: do design features point to self-driving car-sharing service?

2017 Tesla Model 3 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...