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In New Jersey, buyers of Tesla Motors' Model S can save about $5,000 or more, because they won't have to pay the 7% sales tax on their zero-emission vehicle. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR If you've bought a hybrid or fully electric car or are still kicking the tires, you've probably heard how a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 will "reduce" the price of the car. But buyers of many popular hybrids and EVs no longer qualify for the tax credit, which ends for each carmaker when they sell 200,000 cars. The full $7,500 tax credit is still available for Tesla's Model S, a four-door luxury hatchback with an MSRP of about $70,000 for the base model. Still, you can't claim the credit until you are filing your federal tax return, and then, you'll only be able to use it to reduce the federal taxes you owe. If you don't owe the government $7,500 in taxes, you can't use the full credit.

Volkswagen executive Marcel Zirwes addressing the monthly meeting of the International Motor Press Association in Manhattan. An executive from Bosch, which paid for lunch, was a no-show. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR Members of the International Motor Press Association heard thousands of words praising "clean diesel" at their monthly meeting today in Manhattan. But none of the executives who spoke claimed a new generation of diesel engines are cleaner than such gas-electric hybrids as the Toyota Prius. Bosch paid for cocktails and a lunch of farmed salmon, oysters on the half shell, salad and fruit, but a representative was said to be unable to attend because of illness. Executives of Diesel Technology Forum, Volkswagen and General Motors spoke to the automobile writers and public relations people. In answer to questions, executives indicated hybrids with diesel engines would cost too much to produce. And the appeal of diesel engines over hybrid technology is that the former is ...

Tesla Motors' Model S on display at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan. The Model S plugged in at the Tesla Showroom and Service Center on Route 17 north in Paramus, N.J. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR Consumer Reports has anointed the Toyota Prius as the magazine's top pick for Green Car nearly 15 years after the gas-electric hybrid was introduced in the United States. "The purity of the Prius' functional excellence dictates that -- although almost at the end of its model cycle -- it remains atop our list as the best green car," the editors wrote in the April 2015 Annual Auto Issue. And Tesla Motors' Model S was crowned Best Overall: "For all of the impressive new vehicles released in 2014, none was able to eclipse the innovation, magnificence, and sheer technological arrogance of the Tesla. "That's why it's our best overall pick for the second consecutive year.... The Model S is a ... high-performance electric vehicle with usable real-world ra...

A Tesla Model S at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, N.J., where owners of the all-electric luxury hatchback spend the thousands of dollars a year they save on gasoline. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR The contrast between buying a Tesla Model S and a Toyota or any other car couldn't be starker. Even more remarkable, you rarely read about the many high-pressure car salesmen that give a black eye to all of the major automakers. We bought four Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrids between 2004 and 2009, and paid list for each one.  I guess I should be thankful I wasn't hit with "added dealer markup" for models that are in high demand and short supply. I'll be paying list for my Tesla Model S 60, but was able to pick options and place a $2,500 deposit online, using a credit card. My car will be delivered in late April. California-based Tesla Motors sells its cars directly to the public, and doesn't employ any fast-talking car salesmen or women. What you will find are produc...

On Monday, I test drove an all-electric Tesla Model S 60, the base model, from the company owned showroom and service center on Route 17 in Paramus, N.J., above and below. Today, I logged onto the TeslaMotors.com site and placed a $2,500 deposit on the Model S 60 I had configured a few weeks ago. My luxurious four-door hatchback is scheduled to be delivered in late April. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR After I take delivery of my Tesla Model S in late April, the only reason I'll have to visit a gas station is to adjust tire pressures. With several options, my 60 kWh Model S will cost $79,120, including a "destination and regulatory documentation fee" of $1,170. I won't have to pay New Jersey's 7% sales tax (take that, Governor Christie, you're no friend of the environment). And in a year or so, when my accountant prepares our 2015 tax return, I will able to claim part or all of a $7,500 federal tax credit.* *The caveat is that I have to have a tax liability that m...

An all-electric Tesla Model S on display at the Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan is usually covered with fingerprints after the curious slam the doors and kick the tires. Red Multi-Coat Paint is $1,500 extra, but that is one option I have to have. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR I can't wait two years for an affordable all-electric car, whether it is from Tesla or Chevrolet. And if I could, I don't think I'd settle for the Chevy Bolt, a 2017 model GM promises will cost thousands of dollars less than the Volt plug-in hybrid. Have you seen photos of the Bolt concept, a stubby four door? It doesn't compare to the elegant Tesla Model 3, another 2017 model with a range of 200 miles and an MSRP of about $35,000. And the Model 3's big brother, the Model S 4-door luxury hatchback, is available now starting at around $70,000. Battery guarantee Originally, I reasoned I'd be happy with the base Model S with a 60 kWh battery and a range of 208 miles. I'm retired, and ...

The Chevrolet Spark EV, above, and the Bolt EV Concept, below, bear a family resemblance. The Spark is available only in California and Oregon. The Bolt is scheduled to be produced as a 2017 model with a battery that will give it a range of more than 200 miles, General Motors says. The Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept. Compare the forthcoming Tesla Model 3 to the Chevy Bolt Concept. This photo is from Auto Express. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR If you treat an auto writer to an espresso and pastry before a splashy press conference, he or she will write almost anything. That must be the explanation for all of those stories out of the Detroit Auto Show, setting up a confrontation between all-electric cars from Chevrolet and Tesla. Yes. Chevy is the GM division that gave us defective ignition switches, the Nova or "no va" (Spanish for "doesn't go") and the Corvair's dangerous swing-axle rear suspension. Tesla, the upstart maker of all-electric luxury cars, is working on ...