New propaganda video on electric-car tax credits: time to debunk!

Nissan Leaf at West Coast Electric Highway charging station (Photo by Pine Mountain Sports)The U.S. federal income-tax credit for purchase of an electric car has seen its share of attacks over the years. Now a new video seeks to twist the facts to paint those subsidies in a bad light. While facts don't lie, it's easy to create a new narrative by taking carefully chosen facts out of context and presenting only a small part of a broader...

Tesla Model 3 Easter eggs, discovered by board member Steve Jurvetson

Tesla Model 3 Easter eggs screenThe few dozen 2017 Tesla Model 3 owners who've already taken delivery of their electric cars will find a few surprises inside if they look closely enough. The Silicon Valley automaker handed over the first examples of its new Model 3 to customers, one of whom happens to be Steve Jurvetson. Jurvetson is well known among the Tesla community not only...

Propaganda video claiming ‘dirty electric cars’ debunked

Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open  [photo: David Noland]For years, electric-car skeptics raised concerns about what was cleverly dubbed "The Coal Tailpipe": the idea that plug-in vehicles produced just as many harmful emissions as gasoline cars, but in a different place. That's not remotely true for carbon dioxide, as multiple studies over the years have shown, though it is in limited cases for a small...

Video explains how electric cars work, battery and motor technology included

Electric motor, shown in 'How Does an Electric Car Work?' video by PatreonWhile many drivers generally understand the concept of an electric car, understanding generally stops there. It's a car, and you plug it in to get power to run it. That's fine as far as it goes. Beyond that, things get hazy pretty quickly, we've found. DON'T MISS: Plug-in hybrid problem: buyers don't understand them at all We've stopped counting...

2017 Chevy Bolt EV rated a Top Safety Pick by IIHS

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV crashThe Chevrolet Bolt EV has just been awarded a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This makes it the first electric car from the 2017 model year to receive an IIHS award. In order to qualify as an IIHS Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest score of “Good” in the institute’s five...

How to drive Ford C-Max Hybrid for best gas mileage? Owner video explains

Hypermiling a Ford C-Max HybridPurchasing a hybrid vehicle makes for a slightly different ownership experience than a traditional gasoline-only car. There are always a few tips and tricks for owners to return the best mileage and range from electrified vehicles, and now a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid owner has shared his secrets. Owner Paul Jones has prepared a detailed video to...

Hyundai Ioniq Electric: what happens when battery is run down to the end?

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric battery depletedOne owner has now run his 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric's battery down all the way to "empty" so other owners know what to expect. The Ioniq Electric is EPA-rated at 124 miles of range from the 28-kwh battery pack that powers an 88-kilowatt (118-horsepower) electric motor. The driver in the video tells viewers that his car has been returning 137...

South’s good ol’ boy drag racers whupped by Tesla, not happy about it

Tesla Model S P100D drag raceFor as long as there have been automobiles, drivers have had the itch to go faster than the guy in the next car. Throughout decades we've seen horsepower wars waged between giant, large displacement V-8 engines and even 4-cylinder engines with plenty of forced induction. The rise of the electric car, however, has changed things quite a bit. DON'T...

Video shoot shows Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV in production form

Production-ready Jaguar I-Pace spotted in MonacoThe British luxury brand Jaguar, far smaller than any of its three German competitors, may be looking to steal a march on all of them. While Audi revealed a concept version of its forthcoming e-tron all-electric SUV 18 months ago, and Mercedes-Benz followed with its EQ Concept last September, the Jaguar I-Pace concept was the surprise hit of...

Hyundai Ioniqs: pitting hybrid vs electric on video

2017 Hyundai Ioniq HybridRoad trips have been a staple of automobile culture for decades, but with the rise of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure has thrown them a curve ball. Unlike gasoline-powered vehicles, which can refuel almost anywhere in a populated area, electric vehicles require a little more planning to ensure things go smoothly. So, how easy is it? The...

Low-budget Chevy Bolt EV dealer ad normalizes electric cars

Image from 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric-car ad by Ourisman Chevrolet, Rockville, MarylandAh, local car-dealer ads on television. You've likely seen them, usually during the local ad minute on national shows, often late at night or in the cheaper slots. They're mostly formulaic, but each one mixes several elements for its own unique blend of attention-grabbing pitch. DON'T MISS: This family has 2 Chevy Bolt EV electric cars, uses no...

Volkswagen T-Roc video teases new small SUV five months early

Teaser for 2019 Volkswagen T-Roc debuting at 2017 Frankfurt auto showSales of crossover utility vehicles—the ones that look like tough, capable, high-riding SUVs but actually sit on passenger-car underpinnings—continue to surge all over the world. Carmakers are meeting the demand by adding new varieties (four-door coupe utility vehicle, anyone?) and smaller sizes. Volkswagen has big plans for the...

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric: first drive review of 124-mile electric car

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric - frame from video road testFor the first six years of electric cars, from 2011 to 2016, we've had a variety of mass-priced cars with ranges of 62 to 107 miles. This year, in 2017, we got the Chevy Bolt EV, at 238 miles. But there's a new competitor as well. This is the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid video drive review It's one of three...

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid video drive review

2017 Hyundai Ioniq video road test with Green Car Reports editor John VoelckerIt's been said that the only global carmaker Toyota is really worried about is Hyundai. This year, the legendary Prius hybrid—which celebrates its 20th anniversary—has some new competition. This is the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq. It's a hybrid, but there are actually three models of the Ioniq. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: first drive...

Tearing down the Tesla Model S battery pack (video)

Tesla Model S battery pack teardown: frame from YouTube video by JehuGarcia, Feb 2017The 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...

Chevy Bolt EV electric range: can 238 miles stretch to 300 miles?

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVThe 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has an official EPA-rated range of 238 miles per charge on the combined test cycle. That gives it the longest range of any electric car currently on sale in the U.S. that isn't a Tesla, at a base price around half that of the least-expensive model from the Silicon Valley automaker. It's enough for the Bolt EV to be...

Nikola Tesla drives Tesla Model S: amateur fan video imagines

Nikola Tesla drives a Tesla Model S in fan-made videoAs an auto company that exclusively produces electric cars, Tesla Motors has a very appropriate name. It is, of course, named after Nikola Tesla, a famed engineer who pioneered technologies related to electricity. So what might Nikola Tesla think of his namesake? DON'T MISS: Pilot production of Tesla Model 3 to start Feb 20: report That's the...