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In trying to keep my 2015 Tesla Model S ding free, I usually park far away from the entrance of stores, as I did when I shopped a one-day sale on wine at Whole Foods Market in Paramus, N.J., above. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR On the way into Whole Foods Market the other day, I saw one of those enormous GMC Yukons that seemed to be wedged in between two other vehicles in the parking lot. I wondered whether the overweight, middle-aged white guy behind the wheel of the gas guzzler could open the driver's door without dinging the far smaller vehicle next to him. After I bought a zero-emissions Tesla Model S in April and started enjoying all of its great features -- including its exclusivity -- I started thinking of just about everything else on the road as so many pieces of crap. What else can you say about gasoline- and diesel-powered cars that use antiquated technology to fill the air with fumes that are slowly killing people and noise that hounds them to their deaths? I still have a ...

Drivers of gas-electric hybrid, plug-in and all-electric vehicles are getting less of a break after Sunday's hike in cash and EZ-Pass tolls at the Lincoln Tunnel, above, and all of the other crossings operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR Owners of more than 40 all-electric, plug-in and gas-electric hybrid models still can save $3.50 each time they use the George Washington Bridge and other Port Authority crossings. On Sunday, the off-peak toll for cars with a "Green EZ-Pass" went up to $7 from $6.25 in 2014 and $5.50 in 2013. The off-peak EZ-Pass toll for drivers of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars jumped to $10.50. The hike is the last of five annual increases approved in 2011 by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Drivers of green cars pay $12.50, the same EZ-Pass toll as everyone else, during peak travel periods. Off-peak travel On Saturdays and Sundays, off-peak hours are before 11 a.m. and after 9 p.m. On w...

This shot from a spy photographer is said to be a pre-production version of the Chevrolet Bolt EV that is scheduled to go on sale at the end of 2017 as a 2018 model. The Chevrolet Bolt concept shown in January at the Detroit Auto Show. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR You can forget about an all-electric Chevrolet Bolt with a 200-mile range and a starting price of $30,000. Now, according to the Gas2 blog, the 2018 Bolt will go on sale at the end of 2017 for "under $40,000." That means the automotive media have a full two years to again change their reporting on the Bolt EV, which was first shown as a concept at the January 2015 Detroit Auto Show. The latest spy photos show a four-door hatchback with a cab-forward design. None of the production date and price information appearing on the Gas2 blog or in other media can be found on Chevrolet's official Bolt site. And Chevrolet has said nothing about a network of fast chargers for the Bolt that would allow the EV to stretch its le...