Although the gigantic new twin-kidney grille might be the most eye-catching addition to BMW’s flagship luxury sedan, the 7-Series, the model in the lineup that’s gone through the most change might well be the one with a charge port: the 745e xDrive plug-in hybrid. The 2020 BMW 745e xDrive iPerformance can go 16 all-electric miles...
As Washington waffles on developing a Green New Deal—or works to torpedo it altogether—LA's environmentalist mayor, Eric Garcetti, signed off on a local Green New Deal for the city on Monday. “Politicians don’t need to look across the aisle to find the answers—they need to look across the country,” he said, in...
GM CEO Mary Barra confirmed that the company is developing an all-electric pickup. Audi is offering significant incentives right out of the gate on its new 2019 E-tron electric SUV. Our editor emeritus debunks some pervasive electric-car myths. Tesla faces a new lawsuit over last year's fatal Autopilot crash in California. And the results of our...
The family of a driver killed in the crash of a Tesla Model X driving on Autopilot filed a lawsuit April 26 against Tesla over the crash, Bloomberg reported. Software engineer Walter Huang, 38, was killed March 23, 2018, when his 2017 Model X drifted out of the left lane of Highway 101 in Mountain View, California and struck a concrete median...
Ah, yes, forwarded emails with subject lines like, “The real story behind …” or “Things you haven’t been told about ….” They can contain much misinformation, and their “facts” can spread at digital speeds. We recently got one from an Australian acquaintance, who helpfully sent it to 70 or so...
![Exhaust emissions from tailpipe [photo: Simone Ramella, 2005, used under Creative Commons 2.0]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/exhaust-emissions-from-tailpipe-photo-simone-ramella-2005-used-under-creative-commons-2-0_100644014_t.gif)
At Green Car Reports, we've developed something of a tradition for Earth Day. Back in 2014, we formulated the question: "When will we start to see tailpipes on cars as morally wrong?" The question came originally from a friend who works in advocacy in public health, who likened CO2 emissions from tailpipes to smoking cigarettes, which has now been...
Just as the 2019 E-tron SUV starts arriving at dealerships, Audi is already offering big discounts on them. The biggest incentive so far is 1.9 percent financing on the E-tron for up to 66 months, which is significantly cheaper than most other models in Audi's lineup, according to our partners at CarsDirect.com. The similar-sized, gas-powered Q5...
General Motors CEO Mary Barra confirmed Tuesday in a call with investors what rumors had long predicted: The automaker will build an electric pickup. Barra didn't specify when the pickup would appear, or whether it would be branded as a GMC or Chevrolet. Rumors swirled earlier this year that GM may invest in EV startup Rivian, but that never...
Smart will no longer sell cars in the U.S. Faraday Future announced two new investments that could keep it afloat long enough to build its long-awaited FF91. And the EPA is warning others to prepare for climate change—as it maintains it's not really an issue yet. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Just a year after converting Smart into...
![Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland [photo: Forth]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/chevrolet-bolt-ev-being-charged-outside-go-forth-electric-car-showroom-portland-photo-forth_100606247_t.gif)
In the last few months, it has become clear how much of an effect the federal plug-in vehicle tax credit has on sales of electric cars. The tax credit on Teslas was cut in half in January, from $7,500 to $3,750, and its sales dropped from more than 90,000 cars to 63,000 after the tax credit was cut. Dec. 31, 2018 was the last day the full credit...
The EPA published a report last week advising local governments to start planning for climate change, despite references by the agency's administrator that the worst effects of global warming won't be felt for another 50 to 75 years. The new report, "Guidance about Planning for Natural Disaster Debris," comes as the Trump administration is working...
Climate scientists have issued frequent warning about the effects of rising sea levels from global warming on cities such as Miami and New York. But among the first places in the U.S. that may suffer the effects of climate change could be Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, according to a 2017 report by the Hawaii Climate Commission report, which showed...
On-again, off-again electric-car startup Faraday may have a future after all. The company announced two new rounds of financing Monday, a $1.25 billion stock sale expected to be completed by the end of the year, and a $225 million bridge loan to make it to the end of the year. In a statement, Faraday Future said the money will pay for the...
Daimler’s Smart brand has announced that it’s pulled the plug on the U.S. sales of its only model, the Fortwo, which went all-electric just one model year ago. The decision, according to Mercedes-Benz USA, holds for both U.S. and Canadian markets and has to do, the company says, with “high homologation costs for a low volume...
The company said it would slash the cost of solar energy by up to 38 percent by standardizing systems and asking customers to take on more responsibilities.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reaches a new settlement with the SEC to avoid contempt charges. We sat down with the chief engineer of the new 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid to learn how it reaches fuel-economy estimates similar to the compact Corolla. Some new infrastructure could help boost wind power in California. And New York puts its public...
When the 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid goes on sale next year, its EPA fuel-economy estimates may match most versions of the Corolla compact sedan. And it has room for eight passengers. To figure out just how Toyota eked out a manufacturer-estimated 34 mpg combined (an EPA number anticipated but not yet confirmed by the agency), Green Car Reports...
Elon Musk's Twitter followers may face a new reality next week. The Tesla CEO reached a new agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, announced Friday, that he will no longer tweet about the company's finances or sales without preapproval from a Tesla securities lawyer. Musk's Twitter feed (@ElonMusk) has until now been a...
![Wind farm outside Fort MacLeod, Alberta, Canada [photographer: Joel Bennett]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/wind-farm-outside-fort-macleod-alberta-canada-photographer-joel-bennett_100608718_t.gif)
In the efforts of Green New Deal and electric car advocates, a new permit for power transmission lines may knock down one of the biggest hurdles to bringing more renewable power to electric cars. Last week, a major new power transmission line from Wyoming to the Hoover Dam won final approval from Wyoming, the last of the states it traverses to...
![MTA 207TH Street rail yard [CREDIT - Fan Railer - Wikimedia Commons]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/mta-207th-street-rail-yard-credit--fan-railer--wikimedia-commons_100699744_t.gif)
Electric cars and public transportation go together in more ways than one. In the latest example, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to add solar panels to the rooftops of its rail yards and bus depots to help feed the local power grid. READ MORE: Forget light poles, British firm to build chargers from cable boxes The MTA...
