While automakers work to meet stricter carbon-emissions standards, another sector of the U.S. economy has already made notable progress in reducing ts emissions. Carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions from electricity generation during the first six months of 2016 were the lowest since 1991, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)... Carbon emissions from U.S. power generation fall to 25-year low
While automakers work to meet stricter carbon-emissions standards, another sector of the U.S. economy has already made notable progress in reducing ts emissions. Carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions from electricity generation during the first six months of 2016 were the lowest since 1991, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)...
The Audi R8 e-tron—an all-electric version of the German automaker's R8 supercar—is no more. Less than two years after the production R8 e-tron was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Audi plans to stop building the car. So ends one of the longest and most convoluted development stories of any new car in recent memory. CHECK OUT...
Advocates of hydrogen fuel-cell cars are working to make their presence felt in much the same way that electric-car advocates have for years. Last Saturday was National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day. The specific date (10/08) was chosen in honor of hydrogen's atomic weight (1.008). Fuel provider Air Liquide used the celebration to launch a new...
Three long-range electric cars at affordable prices will move the industry forward over the next year or two. The Chevy Bolt EV is within several weeks of arriving at the first dealers that will carry it, and a second-generation Nissan Leaf should go into production by the end of next year. That leaves the Tesla Model 3, unveiled this past spring...
Today, we take a closer look at the statistics used by Tesla CEO Elon Musk to defend the carmaker's Autopilot system, survey the upgraded 2017 Honda CR-V crossover, and look at how Formula E electric-car racing could make road cars better. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Certain 2016 and 2017 Toyota Prius hybrids are being recalled to...
The 2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid remains the only three-row hybrid crossover utility vehicle sold in the U.S. today. And for the 2017 model year, it's gotten some mild updates. a power increase, and a critical feature for family vehicles: a total of five USB ports. We had a chance to spend half an hour in a new 2017 Highlander Hybrid during last...
Within the next 15 years, the world's wealthy cities could be teeming with electric cars. That's the prediction of a new report, which claims electric cars could account for two thirds of the cars on the roads of 50 major world cities by 2030. Researchers predict that a combination of growing consumer interest and stricter emissions standards will...
The 2017 Honda CR-V compact crossover utility vehicle was unveiled today, featuring more fuel-efficient powertrains, evolutionary styling ... and a volume knob for the radio. That latter detail may seem minor, but widespread complaining about the lack of such a knob was one of the few criticisms of the otherwise well-received new Honda Civic last...
One of the tools Elon Musk and Tesla Motors have used to defend the safety of its Autopilot software is the dark and perplexing art of statistics. After a fatal Autopilot-related crash in May, a company blog post pointed out that the crash was “the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles where Autopilot was activated.” The...
The adage "racing improves the breed" is often used to justify automakers' participation in motorsports. The implication is that technology developed for racing, and tested under the harsh conditions of competition, can eventually be applied to production cars. Indeed, items that many of today's drivers take advantage of—from the rear-view...
The latest generation of Toyota Prius hybrid cars is being recalled to address an issue with their emergency brakes. The Prius was redesigned for the 2016 model year and is now also being sold as a 2017 model. The recall—which encompasses 92,000 vehicles—includes cars from both model years. DON'T MISS: Toyota Prius design, popular in...
Today, two Tesla stories, a new diesel, a future electric Mini, and a look back at half a century of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. All this and more on Green Car Reports. With its new Chevrolet Cruze Diesel, Chevy thinks it can appeal to diesel-loving buyers left stranded by VW's pullback after its diesel emission scandal. BMW has confirmed that it...
Electric cars are virtually as old as the auto industry, but hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are not. In fact, exactly fifty years ago this month, GM showed off the first one, which it called the Electrovan. This remarkable and innovative prototype for a zero-emission vehicle used the body of an adapted GMC Handi-Van, containing the first fuel cell...
The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV is due at dealers within a couple of months, and little is known about the next Nissan Leaf. That leaves the Tesla Model 3 as the biggest question mark among electric cars. We know what the car is, since Tesla unveiled prototypes this spring. It's whether the company can get the Model 3 into production on schedule. DON'T...
Toyota has made it abundantly clear that it believes its hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are a better path to the future than battery-electric cars. The Japanese automaker believes hybrid cars—a segment it dominates—are the more practical choice for reducing fuel consumption, and that fuel-cell cars will eventually surpass...
It's increasingly evident that BMW will offer all-electric versions of existing models, departing from its previous strategy of building dedicated plug-in models under the "i" sub-brand. The carmaker has said it would add all-electric versions of the next-generation X3 crossover, as well as an unspecified Mini model. The move comes as BMW seeks to...
General Motors chief in North America confirmed that Chevrolet will bring its diesel compact car to the U.S. and "seize" on ground that VW has lost. "People who drive diesels, love diesels. And so there is a customer base there that wants to drive this type of vehicle and have this type of performance. What we're doing is providing that option,"...
Today, the Nissan Leaf S base model gets the same 30-kilowatt-hour battery pack previous offered only on higher trim levels, Germany contemplates a ban on sales of new internal-combustion cars after 2030, and automakers show more interest in the Formula E electric-car race series. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The Nissan Leaf S quietly...
Plug-in electric cars are going to be a bigger part of the vehicle mix in future than they have been to date. That much is abundantly clear. Electric cars are one of four significant forces that will likely change what we think of as an "automobile" forever, the others being autonomy, connectivity, and sharing. DON'T MISS: Tesla and China: why an...
The leaves are beginning to change, and so are the deals on green cars. Our monthly survey of best deals on hybrid, plug-in electric, and fuel-efficient cars includes some new models, as well as some with incentives retained from previous months. As we get further into the 2017 model year, carmakers are getting more eager to rid themselves of...