In October, a federal judge signed the final agreement covering the majority of cars affected by the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal. That allowed the Volkswagen Group to start issuing buyback offers for half a million vehicles sold by the VW and Audi brands from 2009 through 2015 that were fitted with 2.0-liter TDI diesel engines. But four... Volkswagen diesel buyback: some buyers still waiting
In October, a federal judge signed the final agreement covering the majority of cars affected by the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal. That allowed the Volkswagen Group to start issuing buyback offers for half a million vehicles sold by the VW and Audi brands from 2009 through 2015 that were fitted with 2.0-liter TDI diesel engines. But four...
Tesla will undertake a major expansion of its Supercharger network of DC fast-charging stations this year. The Silicon Valley automaker is already one of the most committed to offering widespread DC fast charging, positioning the stations as a way for customers to complete longer journeys more easily. After expansion slowed in 2016, Tesla hopes to...
It was one of the new battery-electric vehicles anticipated for this year, a mid-size sedan from a global maker that remains the second highest-volume hybrid maker in the world. Then the news hit earlier this week: the all-electric Honda Clarity EV would have a rated battery range around ... 80 miles. From the justifications they offered, we...
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump vowed to "bring back coal" as part of a larger program to encourage greater production of fossil fuels. But the coal industry believes it needs more than an ostensibly friendly administration in Washington to survive. With coal production down and electric utilities continuing to switch to lower-cost...
The Tesla Model S may have upended the luxury-car establishment, but it's the Silicon Valley automaker's Model X crossover that most traditional luxury brands now seem to be targeting. Audi, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz will each launch a new all-electric SUV within the next two years. And those pricey electric cars may soon be joined be a somewhat...
Today, Tesla's market value approaches that of the Detroit Three U.S. automakers, General Motors pitches its diesels to green-car buyers, and Volvo Trucks adds a hybrid powertrain to its efficiency-focused concept semi-truck. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla has become a Big Three U.S. automaker. At least, when it comes to market...
Because they cover significantly more mileage than the average passenger car, with much worse fuel economy, large commercial trucks are a major source of emissions. Last year, Volvo Trucks aimed to address this issue with a concept truck that demonstrated ways to improve fuel efficiency through aerodynamics and weight reduction. Volvo Trucks sells...
As the old saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The biofuel and fossil-fuel lobbies have argued in the past over the blending of biofuels with the general fuel supply. But now the two groups have found something they can agree on. DON'T MISS: Sierra Club to sue EPA over failure to report on ethanol A U.S. biofuel-lobbying group is...
As in other industries, "big data" is an increasingly common buzzword these days in discussions of electric cars. Last November, several research entities presented relevant data sets and advocated for their use at an electric-car "datathon" hosted by the White House. Putting theory into practice, Ford has now analyzed customer data to analyze how...
Diesel engines will continue to appear in pickup trucks, European luxury SUVs, and at least a few mass-market crossover utility vehicles. Two of those are the Chevrolet Equinox and Mazda CX-5 crossovers that will launch for the 2018 model year. But the future of diesel in U.S. passenger cars remains far more up in the air, due to a confluence of...
Tesla Motors has spent more than 10 years beating the odds for startup automakers. Most new, independent makers barely survive long enough to produce a handful of vehicles, let alone sell more than 100,000 and garner praise from both customers and the media—as the electric-car startup has done. Now the Silicon Valley automaker can claim...
Today, a report claims the 2018 Honda Clarity EV will have one of the shortest ranges of any battery-electric car, Elon Musk responds to a Tesla worker's claims of problems at the company's Fremont plant, and the Volkswagen executive arrested last month in connection to the diesel scandal pleads not guilty. All this and more on Green Car Reports...
California leads the way when it comes to electric-car adoption in the U.S. That's due in large part to a zero-emission vehicle mandate that requires the largest-volume automakers to sell cars without tailpipes, combined with a generous state purchase incentive that encourages residents to buy them. But local governments have also played an...
A Volkswagen executive appeared in a federal courtroom in Detroit on Thursday to be arraigned on charges related to the automaker's diesel-emissions cheating. Oliver Schmidt previously headed the VW Group's U.S. regulatory compliance group. He was arrested by the FBI in Florida last month, while attempting to return home to Germany from a...
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded vigorously to an employee's claims of low wages and commonplace on-the-job injuries. In an email to employees and statements to media outlets, Musk denied the claims and accused the employee who made them of being a paid union agitator. Earlier this month, Jose Moran said Tesla employees, "routinely work well over...
The 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...
One of the more eagerly awaited all-electric cars coming to market this year has been the 2018 Honda Clarity EV. It's a battery-electric version of the 2017 Clarity Fuel Cell already on sale in some regions of California, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. But unlike most of the pure electric cars on the U.S. market, the Clarity is a mid-size sedan...
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is a crucial car for General Motors in more ways than one. With an EPA-rated 238-mile range and $37,495 base price (before federal, state, and local incentives), the Bolt EV considered a groundbreaking electric-car game changer. But the Chevy hatchback is also GM's main platform for self-driving car development. DON'T...
What did we think of the new 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, with its 58-mpg combined gas-mileage rating? When will the Tesla Model 3 be rolling off the production lines in high volumes? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, February 24, 2017. Friday, we previewed the...
Today, we have spy shots of the 2018 BMW i3 electric car, estimations of which automakers will lose their electric-car tax credits first, and an argument for liquid hydrogen as a replacement for jet fuel in airplanes. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tax credits for electric cars start to phase out when automakers reach 200,000 sales. So...