Tesla electric car battery life, Toyota fuel-cell fervor, new diesels still dirty, coal-free England: The Week in Reverse

Tesla electric car battery life, Toyota fuel-cell fervor, new diesels still dirty, coal-free England: The Week in Reverse.

Why did readers post 1,000 comments when we asked whether Toyota's fuel-cell cars were foresighted or foolish?

What good news did we get this week for Tesla Model S electric-car owners?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, April 28, 2017.

Friday, we wrote about a study of the latest, cleanest European diesel cars sold under new, tougher emission standards. But in real-world use, it turns out those latest new diesels can still be really dirty[1].

We also looked at an enduring alternative-fuel myth. You know how the Ford Model T was designed to run on all sorts of liquid fuels, including kerosene? It's not true at all[2], as it turns out.

On Thursday, we covered what's known so far about Tesla Model S battery life[3] and how well the electric car's packs hold their capacity over time.

The news was relatively encouraging, and it generated lots of discussion among readers.

Wednesday provided Tesla news too: the Silicon Valley electric-car maker plans to double its number of Supercharger outlets[4] globally, in the preparations for the launch of its less expensive, higher-volume Model 3 electric sedan.

The same day, we also covered new information uncovered on Apple's self-driving car software efforts[5], which may not take the form of a car at all—but which inevitably lead to a question: how does Apple plan to play with carmakers?

On Tuesday, we described new efforts by BMW, Nissan, and EVgo to boost public charging infrastructure for electric cars. They include a fast-charging corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C.[6]

EPA head and climate-science denier Scott Pruitt apparently won't challenge the agency's endangerment finding[7] that allows the agency to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions—because it's based on science, and so he'd lose in court.

Monday, we kicked off the week with a piece that looked at whether Toyota's fuel-cell fervor is foolish or far-sighted[8]. So far, it's received 1,000 comments and generated a great deal of discussion.

We also covered a momentous day for England: April 21 was the first day since 1882 in which the country didn't burn a single piece of coal[9] to generate electricity. Given coal's core role in the industrial revolution, that's progress.

Over the weekend, we previewed the 2018 Subaru Crosstrek[10], a small crossover utility from the company that offers many of the AWD vehicles with the highest gas mileage sold in the U.S.

And on Saturday, April 22, we celebrated Earth Day by re-running a piece that asked when cars with tailpipes will be viewed as morally wrong[11]. Much discussion ensued.

Finally, good news for Tesla buyers: while values of used Nissan Leafs and other low-range electric cars have plummeted, the prices of used Tesla Model S electric luxury cars[12] have held their own.

Those were our main stories this week; we'll see you again next week. Until then, this has been the Green Car Reports Week in Reverse update.

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