GM battery layoffs, Trump and fuel economy, more fast chargers: Today's Car News

Pronto.AI self-driving car systemElectrify America gets plans approved to build more fast chargers in California. A new study shows what the Trump administration is missing about how fuel-economy standards affect vehicle affordability. And we have results from our last Twitter poll and a new poll for you to try. All this and more on Green Car Reports. After announcing the demise…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

Study finds what Trump is missing about fuel economy: Poor people don't buy new cars

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars outside dealership    [photo: Patrick Reid]Rising fuel economy standards make driving more affordable for low-income households, not less as the Trump administration argues, according to a new study by the Consumer Federation of America. In their proposal to freeze fuel-economy increases, the EPA and NHTSA argued that increasing fuel economy standards compromised safety by making new cars…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

2019 Mazda 3 sedan and hatch aim for an X factor—and that’s not electric

2019 Mazda 3Mazda has revealed its 2019 Mazda 3 compact car, in new-generation form, at the 2018 LA Auto Show. It’s not surprising, given the brand’s go-it-alone strategy this decade, that the new ‘3’ appears to take a different path than key global compact-car rivals in nearly every respect, ranging from design to driving traits to…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Colorado cleans up, why not a Tesla Model 3 or plug-in: Today's Car News

Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric delivery van in GermanyThe 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid gets better fuel economy than any other SUV without a plug. We take a look at the benefits of short-range plug-in hybrids. Our readers weigh in on why they haven’t yet bought a Tesla Model 3. And Colorado joins up with California emissions standards. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We take a closer look at what…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

GM wants Trump administration to consider national electric-vehicle mandate

2019 Chevrolet Bolt EVThe term “hail Mary” might be appropriate for what General Motors, led by chief executive officer Mary Barra, is attempting at this stage of the federal government’s dialog on fuel efficiency and electric vehicles. GM is launching an effort to propose a 50-state solution for electric vehicles, including a national version of…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

BMW says 85 percent of cars will still have engines in 2030

BMW iX3 Concept front 3/4Once a leader in electric cars, BMW now says it expects 85 percent of its cars still to have internal combustion engines by 2030. Speaking to Australian reporters for GoAuto at the Paris auto show earlier in October, BMW board member for development Klaus Froehlich said, “A very optimistic scenario says 30 per cent of BMWs will be pure…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

Best deals on green cars for October 2018

2019 Chevrolet VoltOne of the best ways to get people to buy green cars is the same way automakers get consumers to buy any car—by making deals. Looking at October sales, among plug in cars other than Teslas, the bestsellers were those that offer the best deals from month to month. This month, many of the same models offer the best deals. The list is compiled…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

Trump fuel-economy proposal writes off rising global temperatures

Smokestacks pollution air qualityIt’s not that the Trump administration doesn’t believe in climate change. It just doesn’t want to do anything about it. In a 500-page draft environmental impact statement concerning the EPA’s and NHTSA’s joint proposal to roll back fuel-economy and emissions regulations, the NHTSA reports that it expects global temperatures to rise by 7 degrees…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

Elio Motors to buy engines, abandons building its own

Paul Elio with 5 successive prototype EliosElio Motors, which has been struggling since 2009 to build its own ultra-cheap, small, fuel-efficient, three-wheeled car, announced Thursday that it will source an engine from a major automaker. Previously, the company planned to build its own 3-cylinder engine with up to 55 horsepower for its projected 84-mpg three-wheeler. The company did not…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

2019 Honda Insight review update: Putting the Civic on notice

2019 Honda InsightThat sound you hear isn’t the 2019 Honda Insight’s hybrid powertrain whirring along. It’s the undertaker coming for the vaunted Honda Civic nameplate. The 2019 Insight isn’t just a better hybrid, it’s a better compact car. I spent a week moseying around in an Insight Touring, a well-equipped $29,000 compact sedan with…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews