Automakers Near a Victory on Rollback of Fuel Standards
The Trump administration’s expected move on emissions and mileage targets would remove a costly mandate, though some efficiency efforts would proceed.
Volvo’s next plug-in hybrids: 3-cylinder engine, smaller cars
Volvo currently offers plug-in hybrid powertrains in its top models—the XC90 SUV, S90 sedan, and V90. As the Swedish automaker redesigns its lower-level models, it will add plug-in hybrid options to them as well. But whereas the current T8 "Twin Engine" powertrain uses a 4-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive, other models will use a... Future electric cars, GM diesel hopes, 80-mile Honda EV, Tesla Model 3 prices (maybe): The Week in Reverse
What innovation did a 94-year-old battery legend discuss last week? Why should green-car buyers even consider purchasing a new diesel vehicle? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, March 3, 2017. Friday, recent financial data from Tesla Motors prompted us to ask... 2017 Lexus RX 450h hybrid gas mileage review
The Lexus RX pretty much invented the luxury mid-size SUV category, and it remains a substantial part of the brand's sales in the U.S. 20 years later. It was also the brand's first hybrid crossover, sharing underpinnings with its larger and less-pricey Toyota Highlander Hybrid sibling. The RX was recently redesigned, and we've now had a chance to... Tesla sales plateau, Model 3 price, 2017 Geneva Motor Show preview: Today’s Car News
Today, why Tesla Model S and Model X sales could very well have plateaued, how much the Tesla Model 3 might cost, and a preview of the green cars debuting at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. All this and more on Green Car Reports. By the end of this year, Tesla hopes to be cranking out 5,000 Model 3 electric cars a week. But how much will those cars... Battery legend Goodenough not done yet: new solid-state chemistry introduced
Lithium-ion battery-cell chemistry is currently dominant in electric cars, not to mention consumer electronics and other fields. But what seems to be an army of researchers thinks it can be improved. That includes one of the people who helped create lithium-ion batteries in the first place. CHECK OUT: Tesla granted patent on metal-air battery... 2017 Geneva auto show: green car preview
The 2017 Geneva Motor Show marks the next stop on the annual auto-show circuit. With press days beginning March 7, we aren't expecting an overwhelming number of green cars at the Swiss show this year. A smattering of production and concept cars with some green elements will debut there, though. DON'T MISS: 2018 Lexus LS 500h hybrid luxury sedan to... Have Tesla Model S and Model X electric-car sales plateaued?
Is there no middle ground in discussing electric-car maker Tesla Motors? The challenge of reading large volumes of Tesla coverage is that it tends to be either rabidly positive or sharply negative. And the company's stock is so obsessively analyzed both by supporters and detractors that sober analysis is often hard to come by. DON'T MISS: Tesla... Photos reveal how polluted the U.S. was before EPA was founded
![Smog obscures George Washington Bridge, 1973 [From EPA Documerica series]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/smog-obscures-george-washington-bridge-1973-from-epa-documerica-series_100594067_t.gif)
It can be argued that the current presidential administration appears to lack interest in the traditional mission of the Environmental Protection Agency. As a candidate, Donald Trump advocated wholesale repeal of environmental regulations and increased production of fossil fuels. He has also called climate science a "hoax" created by China to hurt... Fuel-cell range extender for Nissan e-NV200 electric taxis announced by Symbio
Advocates of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell cars are often at odds over which powertrain technology is the more practical solution to reducing emissions. But French firm Symbio continues to experiment with ways to combine the two. It fits hydrogen fuel cells as range extenders for battery-electric vehicles, primarily small delivery vans... Tesla Model 3 prices: reader makes his guesses, via spreadsheet
Since more than 350,000 people around the world put down $1,000 deposits to reserve a place in line, the Tesla Model 3 electric car has assumed larger-than-life status. Its maker, Silicon Valley-based Tesla Motors, recently reaffirmed that series production will start in June and that Model 3 deliveries will begin in the second half of the year... Six new electric cars, Daimler invests in ChargePoint, U.S. average gas mileage: Today’s Car News
Today, we look at six new electric cars coming in 2018 and 2019, Daimler invests in charging network ChargePoint, and a new study indicates U.S. fleet average fuel economy did not increase much over the past 25 years. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We have additional plug-in electric car sales figures for February 2017, showing that the... Will plug-in hybrids catch on faster than electric cars? Poll results
There are essentially two types of electric cars on sale today. Battery-electric vehicles are powered only by a battery, while plug-in hybrids have an engine to supplement a more limited battery range. Which type will ultimately predominate isn't clear; each has advantages and disadvantages. DON'T MISS: Plug-in hybrids to catch on more quickly... Overall U.S. vehicle fleet gas mileage rose only slightly over last 25 years
The average fuel economy of the new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. is appreciably higher than it was 10 years ago. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute has demonstrated that in its regular reports calculating new-car average fuel economy since October 2007. But researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle found... Daimler invests in ChargePoint to grow electric-car charging in Europe, joins BMW
As automakers produce electric cars in greater numbers, public charging infrastructure will become even more crucial to lure new buyers and convince them the cars can be practical. Some automakers have already invested in charging infrastructure, while others are just starting to contemplate public charging stations for the electric cars they plan... Tearing down the Tesla Model S battery pack (video)
The lithium-ion battery pack is at the heart of any electric car. Its cost, energy density, and safety features do as much as any other feature of an electric car to determine its success. And battery packs from Tesla Motors differ from those built by virtually any other electric-car maker in at least one key aspect. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model 3... 3 billion cars by 2050 would need biofuels to offset climate impact: projection
Even with aggressive promotion of battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell cars, hundreds of millions of internal-combustion vehicles will remain on the world's roads for decades to come. But estimates of exactly how many internal-combustion cars will be displaced by alternatives in a given period vary wildly. One alternative-fuels lobbying group... Six new electric cars coming for 2018 and 2019
The next couple of years promise to be quite interesting for electric cars. A minimum of six new models are expected in that time period, all promising ranges of 200 miles or more—which until a few months ago had been the exclusive province of Tesla Motors. The list includes two affordable 200-mile electric cars: the second-generation Nissan... Feb Plug-in electric car sales, Tesla Supercharger expansion, Bentley electric SUV: Today’s Car News
Today, we have plug-in electric car sales tallies for February, plans for a major expansion of the Tesla Supercharger fast-charging network, and a report that Bentley is considering an all-electric SUV. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Bentley is considering an all-electric SUV that would be smaller than the current Bentayga. Such a model... Plug-in electric car sales for Feb: Volt outsells Bolt EV substantially
Once again, it's the first day of the month following a weekday sales close, when the auto industry turns its eyes to the sales charts emerging from all automakers (except Tesla). For plug-in electric cars, the question this month remains the same as last month: how many Chevrolet Bolt EVs did GM deliver? As distribution of the first affordable...