Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for November 2016

2016 Kia Optima HybridIt's once again time to look at the best deals on green cars. As we get further into the 2017 model year, manufacturers are becoming more eager to eliminate leftover inventory of 2016 models, creating some good opportunities for bargain-hunting car shoppers. As always, our list spans hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric cars, and fuel-efficient...

Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, October 2016: Volt’s seven-peat

2017 Chevrolet VoltThe Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years; the Chevy Volt won the Canadian electric-car sales trophy for the seventh time in seven months. Though Chevy Volt sales in Canada fell from stratospheric to mere tropospheric levels in October, the vehicle remains Canada's monthly sales leader for the seventh consecutive month...

Past Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy winners: the recap

2013 Tesla Model S owned by David Noland, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2015On Monday, Green Car Reports will name its 2017 Best Car To Buy. It will be the seventh time we've given the award, and it's worth looking back to see how far green cars have progressed in those seven years. We were lucky to start the award in 2011, the year two remarkable cars arrived on global markets: the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. DON'T...

Workhorse range-extended electric pickup truck announced for future

Workhorse W-15Last year, Amp Electric brought the Workhorse truck group from Navistar (formerly International), with the goal of developing electric commercial vehicles. Since then, Workhorse has delivered 125 electric delivery vans to United Parcel Service (UPS). Now it plans to expand into the pickup-truck market as well. CHECK OUT: Amp Electric's Workhorse...

2017 Nissan Versa Note gets updates before LA Auto Show

2017 Nissan Versa NoteThe 2017 Nissan Versa Note subcompact hatchback will appear at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show later this year with minor updates. Introduced to the U.S. as a 2014 model alongside the Versa sedan, the Note hatchback has never made as much of an impact here as it has in other markets. For 2017, the current-generation model will remain mostly...

VW offers $1,000 loyalty bonus to all owners of 2001-later Volkswagens

2016 Volkswagen Passat SEL long-term testIndividual dealers and several competitor automakers have already tried to cash in on the Volkswagen diesel settlement, but VW itself hasn't offered any notable incentives since the settlement was approved. The settlement applies to 2.0-liter 4-cylinder TDI diesel cars found to have illegal "defeat device" software. It gives owners the options to...

Renewable energy to hit 9 percent of U.S. total in 2017

Photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TennesseeU.S. renewable-energy generating capacity is not only growing, but it is beginning to erode coal's share of the electricity-generating mix, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The agency predicts renewable energy—particularly solar power—to continue growing. At the same time, a combination of renewable...

Dominant Audi racing team dumps diesel hybrids for electric power

2016 Audi R18 LMP1 World Endurance Championship race carOver the past decade and a half, Audi has built a racing dynasty. The German luxury automaker has dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, one of the most prestigious events in motorsports. But that dominance is coming to an end. DON'T MISS: How to promote a Porsche hybrid? Bring its Le Mans sibling into rush-hour traffic Audi will pull...

Oil in ground may be worth less, Exxon concedes, unhappily

Oil well (photo by John Hill)As low oil prices remain steady, many oil companies have been forced to write down the value of their reserves. It's something oil giant ExxonMobil has resisted, even as its revenues have dropped. But the company is now expected to reassess the value of 3.6 billion barrels of oil-sand reserves, and 1 billion barrels of other North American oil...

Peak oil, SUV definitions, LeEco cash problem: Today’s Car News

Faraday Future FFZERO1 conceptToday, Shell predicts oil demand could peak by 2020, automakers use the loose definitions of different SUV categories to make meeting fuel-economy standards easier, and Faraday Future backer LeEco runs out of cash. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Faraday Future backer LeEco is running out of cash, the company's CEO recently admitted in a...

How China’s horrific air quality magically turns cleaner: cotton

Beijing smogChina is known for having some of the most polluted air in the world. But officials in one Chinese city found a way to at least make that air appear cleaner, for awhile. Like many Chinese cities, Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi, in the northern part of the country, has air-monitoring equipment. DON'T MISS: Coal in China: huge problem for...

Are you driving a car, a crossover, an SUV, or a truck? Do you care?

2017 Honda CR-VAre you driving a car or a truck? The answer may be harder to determine than you think. U.S. safety and emissions regulations generally split cars and trucks into two categories, but the line between those two vehicle types has become blurred in recent years. That's thanks to the car-based crossover utility vehicle, which now represents one of the...

Global oil demand could peak by 2020, says Shell

Oil field (Image: Flickr user johnny choura, used under CC license)The rise of electric cars has led many analysts to make predictions about the future of the oil industry. ExxonMobil and OPEC have both made statements indicating confidence that the majority of vehicles on the world's roads will continue to be powered by fossil fuels for the next few decades. But Shell recently made a prediction that is a bit...

Faraday Future backer Le Eco is running out of cash, CEO admits

LeEco LeSee concept, 2016 Beijing Auto ShowFaraday Future plans to put an electric car into production within two years at a brand-new factory with a stated price tag of $1 billion. So far, this ambitious plan has had the backing of Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, and his LeEco tech empire. But now LeEco may be running out of cash. DON'T MISS: Faraday Future imperils electric-car factory...

Coal in China: huge problem for clean power, climate efforts

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)Over the past few years, China has made impressive strides in renewable-energy investment. The promotion of renewable energy will only become more important as China works to meet its commitments under the recently-ratified Paris climate agreement. But the country's reliance on coal for electricity generation still poses a huge problem for these...

Tesla to charge new buyers for Supercharging after Jan 1

Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open  [photo: David Noland]A major perk for Tesla Model S and Model X owners has been free access to the carmaker's network of Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. But after January 1, new Tesla buyers won't get that free access. Tesla will charge anyone who buys one of its cars after that point for use of Supercharger stations, a move it says is meant to emphasize use...