VW ID.Buzz review, EPA diesel-truck crackdown, Lightyear funding: Today’s Car News

The EPA cracks down on diesel “tunes” for trucks with millions in fines. Lightyear gets more investment for its higher-volume solar EV. And we drive the ID.Buzz electric Microbus, but for Americans it remains a couple years off. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. 

In a review of the VW ID.Buzz electric van—in production form—we found this reboot of the Microbus to be a charming, comfortable, and efficient counterpoint to crossovers. When it arrives in the U.S. in two years in long-wheelbase, three-row form, will it be a great family vehicle in the tradition of a minivan?

The EPA has announced that it’s cracking down on companies offering aftermarket diesel “defeat device” solutions

that circumvent original emissions devices. These devices, sold as “delete tunes” or “delete kits” and claim to make engines run better or more efficiently, lead to dramatically higher levels of NOx and particulate matter—and direct health effects.

And Lightyear has announced another round of investment that it says will spur development of the “high-volume” Lightyear 2 solar EV

and help fuel a planned international expansion. The Dutch startup EV maker aiming to offset high charging demands with solar panels, aerodynamic work, and more hasn’t yet announced U.S. plans, however. 

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