The auto industry is in transition. This is evidenced by the high-profile move toward electrification by nearly all international automakers, motivated by increasingly tighter government regulation, concern about market share, and the need to craft long-term carbon mitigation strategies.

I’ve logged more than 100,000 miles driving a diverse array of electric cars since Green Car Journal’s launch in 1992, during the very early days of the modern electric vehicle. Here are five things you should know about driving electric.

Hundreds of thousands of fans have been waiting excitedly for Tesla’s Model 3, touted by the automaker as the ‘affordable’ EV for the masses. But is it? The backstory is a bit more complicated with plenty of food for thought.

I drive an electric vehicle every day as part of my job testing cars. It’s not a new thing. In fact, this has been part of the drill here at Green Car Journal since the publication’s launch in 1992…way ahead

Charging your electric vehicle used to be an easy thing, at least in many areas where electrification has long been promoted. Public chargers were installed in high-profile areas like shopping centers, parking garages, and at the workplace. For the longest

Will electrified vehicles dominate our highways in the future? It’s a question on the minds of many these days as an increasing number of battery electric and plug-in hybrid models come to new car showrooms. The answer is not an

Like most kids growing up in the 1960s, my first experience with an electric race car was at a slot car track as a teenager. They were fast…really fast if you used a hopped-up rewind motor capable of smoking competitors

There is a strong push for self-driving autonomous cars sweeping the auto industry. It’s an interesting mix of competing companies merging with both the traditional car brands and the tech industry. The overriding assumption is that taking the driver out

When it comes to chips, automakers are all-in. That is, the silicon variety and not those with which you can gamble away a fortune, something auto companies are loathe to do. Traditionally, the risks auto manufacturers undertake are carefully calculated

Diesel haters seem to be overly anxious to pile-on and shout ‘death to diesels’ these days. It’s human nature to take offense at being fooled and the diesel market certainly is paying the price of the recent emissions scandal. Serious

Some cars leave an impression that lasts a lifetime. The Ford Mustang is one of those cars for me. As a kid, I was blessed with a dad who always had something unique in the driveway, from a Morris Minor

Connected car technologies are transforming the automotive industry much like smart phone apps revolutionized the mobile phone sector.  A new generation of aftermarket products are helping tech-savvy drivers reduce accidents, lower insurance costs, save fuel, and plan routes more effectively.

There are many outspoken and polarizing proponents of the various fuels and technologies at play today. This has been the case for several decades now and isn’t likely to disappear anytime soon. Many electric car enthusiasts do not see a future

A steady stream of advanced powertrains, new fuel-efficient systems like stop/start, and more alternative fuels have helped raise fuel economy to new heights in recent years, but the latest breakthrough in energy-efficient cars may surprise you: safety technology.  You got

Today, consumers in California can drive and lease the first wave of commercially available fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in the U.S, and additional models are promised from several leading automakers in the next few months and years. Of equal

Safety has long been a hot topic in debates over increasing fuel efficiency, but this is less so today. In 2002, Senator Trent Lott warned of ‘purple people-eaters’ (read: silly-looking golf carts) taking over the market if CAFE standards were

I was changed by the 1990 introduction of the GM Impact electric car prototype at the Los Angeles Auto Show, then again by the amazing array of electric, hydrogen, and ‘green’ vehicles I witnessed at the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show.

It is an exciting time to be involved with the auto industry, or to be in the market for a new car. The auto industry has responded splendidly to the challenge of new emission, fuel economy, and safety standards. The

Electric drive vehicles of all types are increasingly in the news, often led by a near-nonstop focus on Tesla and its Model S, Model X, and planned Model 3 battery electric vehicles. People want electric cars. Some feel they need them, or

What does Silicon Valley, California have in common with Leipzig, Germany?  They are both home to the most innovative, technically advanced, and possibly the most significant cars of the 21st century. The Tesla Model S and the BMW i3 are

Location-efficient affordable housing is key to sustainability. Kalos, the Greek word for ‘beautiful,’ may be the name of an 83 unit affordable housing project in San Diego, California, but it also describes the ‘green’ car capacity the developer, Community HousingWorks,

The evolution of the auto industry has been no less than amazing. I have witnessed this first-hand while documenting the advent of ‘green’ cars over two decades at Green Car Journal and at Motor Trend before that. We had electric cars back in the

We are all enamored by the advanced technologies at work in vehicles today. And why wouldn’t we be? The incredibly efficient cars we have today, and the even more efficient models coming in the years ahead, are testament to a

About a year ago, I gathered all our employees for a meeting and proceeded to make one bold statement, and an even bolder prediction. I shared my deep conviction that we were at the forefront of a historic opportunity within

Lithium is a key component of lithium-ion battery packs that power electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles. A recent report from Pike Research forecast global sales of EV charging equipment will grow from 200,000 units sold in 2012 to nearly

For most Americans, our transportation choices are limited to the fuels offered at the local gas station. For generations, regular gas stations served our needs pretty well, but America’s transportation needs are changing. Every day we learn about new choices

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing ‘Tier 3’ cleaner tailpipe standards that will significantly reduce smog-forming pollution from vehicles. These standards will save lives, reduce asthma attacks, and give Americans cleaner air to breathe. Today, more than one in three

Due to our rigorous vehicle test schedule here at Green Car Journal, we are very aware of the fluctuating pattern of fuel prices. Fuel economy testing requires regular and sometimes daily fill-ups. This past week was telling. The price of

It is said that today’s teenagers are more interested in cell phones than in cars. I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but it does signal a kind of dematerialization that could create major opportunities for sustainable transportation. The triumph

It’s the beginning of awards season in Hollywood as I write this and we are in the thick of making plans for our annual Pre-Oscar party. It’s been almost 10 years since we launched the Global Green USA ‘Red Carpet,

While Washington was gripped by negotiations over the fiscal cliff, California got a welcome dose of good news. On December 27, the Environmental Protection Agency granted California a waiver to move forward with its Advanced Clean Cars program. Currently, vehicles

In the wake of the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy, the government released its findings that last year was the hottest on record for the continental U.S. While exact causes are difficult to pin down, what we do know is that

I am an electric car fan, always have been since I drove my first electric car – the experimental Sears XDH-1 – back in the mid-1970s. Over the years I’ve driven many battery electric vehicle prototypes and all production EVs

I recently climbed out from behind the wheel of a 2013 Lexus GS450h. Fully loaded, this very luxurious hybrid will easily top $70,000 MSRP. And that’s not the most expensive hybrid offered by Toyota’s luxury brand. The LS600h L starts

While we sadly may be part of the exception rather than the rule here in LA, many of Global Green’s staff in Santa Monica live close enough to the office to walk or bike to work with ease. We have two

Model year 2012 was a record breaking year for green cars. Average fuel economy (23.6 mpg), conventional hybrid sales (399,782), and plug-in electric sales (37,753) all hit historic highs. As a result of steadily rising fuel efficiency over the last

Recent media coverage of electric vehicles has featured claims of high environmental impact due to the production and disposal phases of the vehicle life cycle. ACEEE’s Green Book, which evaluates such impacts for real vehicle models, helps put this issue

The development and growth of the U.S. ethanol industry over the course of several decades has had concrete impacts on every day Americans. It is helping more than 400,000 of our friends and neighbors find work or keep the jobs

The basic facts about our dependence on oil are troubling. Burning oil is changing our climate and it threatens our health and environment. We use about 18 million barrels of petroleum products every day with about two-thirds of that going

With a bumper crop of fuel-efficient vehicles driving sales and jobs growth, automakers and their suppliers are looking ahead to a brighter future after the dark days of the recession. Since June 2009 when the industry hit bottom, the American

After spending four months in São Paulo, I’m taking a more expansive view of feasible policy options. Car ownership is still low in Brazil, but in wealthy São Paulo it’s far higher and growing at breakneck speed. Daily paralysis of

For all of our Global Green projects to help communities, people, and the planet in crisis, we seek to reduce greenhouse gases and stem climate change. On the road, that means reducing emissions by promoting the use of public transportation,

Clean cars and dirty fuels don’t mix. EPA and DOT will issue final standards to strengthen fuel efficiency and slash carbon pollution spewing from 2017-2025 vehicles. These standards pick up where the standards for 2012-2016 vehicles leave off, promising 13

Automakers, and especially Detroit’s Big Three, will see greater sales and profits from stronger federal fuel economy standards. That’s what a recent report by Citi Investment Research in collaboration with Ceres found. It looked at what Washington’s plans to boost

The Gasoline Regulations Act (H.R. 4471) should be known as the ‘Gutting Air Standard Protections Act’ – or ‘GASP Act’ – because it denies the public the right to breathe clean and healthy air. There is no question that this bill

With the rise of online social networks and so many more of us carrying smart phones and tablets — with the ability to connect anywhere and at any time — we are seeing bigger and more modern versions of good

Those in the natural gas industry have long known that natural gas-powered vehicles will play an increasingly important role in our future. However, to work toward this future, we have had to navigate several challenges. Storage vessels, specifically, have presented

The huge gulf between environmentalists and the auto industry is shrinking. The relationship between these two interests has evolved to where we are finding a way to agree, and not just reflexively oppose everything the other side has to say.