Choking on internal-combustion engines, but yearning for simplicity, quiet of EVs

A NEW LEAF: Inside the second-generation, all-electric Nissan Leaf. Switching on "e-Pedal" brings the four-door hatchback to a stop at red lights and in traffic when the driver lifts off of the accelerator pedal.

IT'S COMPLICATED: The pricy, all-electric BMW i3s also has a busy interior that emphasizes style over function. Can you find the shift lever?

TESLA MODEL 3: The interior of Tesla's affordable Model 3 is even simpler and less cluttered than the bigger Model S and Model X, with most controls accessible from a 15-inch touch screen.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

BEAR MOUNTAIN, N.Y. -- The annual spring driving event staged by the country's oldest organization of auto writers and publicists still is dominated by noisy, polluting internal-combustion engines.

As the owner of an all-electric Tesla Model S, I'm struck by the contradiction of inviting lead-footed members of the International Motor Press Association to foul the air of the beautiful, 5,025-acre Bear Mountain State Park.

The event is dubbed "Spring Brake" -- despite all the high-speed driving on public roads, and a cat-and-mouse game with park police.

Among dozens of luxury and performance vehicles available last Thursday, I found three zero-emission EVs -- a second-generation Nissan Leaf SL, Chevrolet Bolt and BMW i3s -- and a handful of plug-in and other gas-electric hybrids.

I got a chance to drive the Leaf and i3s over winding park roads overlooking the Hudson River, and on the highway, and both delivered strong acceleration and the quiet, calming experience battery electric cars are known for.

I also drove luxury performance cars from Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac, but no boring Volvos, and came away still believing they are an incredible waste of money.

With every purchase, owners are buying into further destruction of the environment, premature deaths from tailpipe emissions, and noise pollution in our already noisy world.

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Driving the new Nissan Leaf 

FOUR-DOOR HATCHBACK: The redesigned Nissan Leaf is a vast improvement over the original, but this all-electric vehicle could be mistaken for any manufacturers' four-door hatchback with a gasoline engine.

ZERO EMISSION OR EMISSIONS? Should this badge say "Zero Emissions"? TV ads for the new Leaf don't even mention the all-electric powertrain.

QUIRKY: The interior and exterior design of the BMW i3s, a sportier version of the all-electric i3 with a range of 114 miles on a full charge, certainly stands out, but with models starting at $44,450, sales of the i3 have lagged.

DASHBOARD FOR TREE HUGGERS: A wood dashboard is one of the interior options on the i3.

HYUNDAI THREE WAYS: The Hyundai Ioniq is available as a gas-electric hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, below; and with an all-electric powertrain and a range of 124 miles (sold only in California).

PLUG IN, FILL UP: On the way home to northern New Jersey, me and my son stopped at Cosimo's Ristorante & Bar on Route 300 in Newburgh, N.Y.; plugged in my Model S at a free Tesla Supercharger; and stuffed ourselves with a couple of oversized slices of wood-fired pizza and a salad, both made with plenty of great cheese.

SHRIMP SCAMPI: A slice of the Shrimp Scampi Pizza with large shrimp, baby arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and three cheeses -- provolone, mozzarella and shaved parmigiano ($15 for the pie).

HAIL CAESAR: We also split a large Caesar Salad covered with shaved Parmesan ($10).

Writers just want to have fun at annual track event sponsored by the automakers

Honda imported the first gas-electric hybrid into the United States in 1999, but now the Japanese automaker is competing in a horsepower race with other companies. This Civic Type R, which packs 306 horsepower into a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, was among performance models auto writers could drive on a racetrack in the Catskills.

If you dare spend more than $100,000 on a Mercedes-Benz AMG performance sedan with 563 horsepower and all-wheel drive -- another track car -- just hope you never encounter a Tesla Model S at a traffic light.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

MONTICELLO, N.Y. -- Automakers threw a party of sorts this week for members of the International Motor Press Association, the nation's premier organization of automotive journalists and public relations professionals.

Cadillac, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Mazda, Toyota and other sponsors made available more than 100 cars, minivans and trucks to nearly 215 auto writers and others for two days of racetrack, on-road and off-road driving in New York State's Catskill Mountains.

Breakfast and lunch were provided by the Monticello Motor Club, a private 4.1-mile racetrack for the wealthy. 

On Tuesday night, IMPA members also enjoyed a reception, dinner and after-party at the Honor's Haven Resort as part of 2017 Test Days.

They paid $100 each for tickets to the event, held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Previous editions were staged for many years at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania and before that at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

Pollution kills

You'd never know these are troubling times for world auto manufacturers, which face stricter gas-mileage standards and pressure to produce more hybrid and all-electric cars, minivans and trucks.

A new global study blames pollution for an estimated 9 million premature deaths annually.

The study, published in The Lancet medical journal, concludes that pollution "endangers the stability of the Earth's support systems and threatens the continuing survival of human societies."

A news story from USA Today didn't break out how many of those deaths are caused by vehicle emissions, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk has cited an MIT study that said 58,000 people die prematurely from them every year in the United States.

Only one EV

Yet, the writers who attended the event found only one zero-emissions car, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, and a handful of hybrids.

Nissan brought its brutal GTR, but the Japanese automaker ignored the Leaf, the first mass-produced all-electric car, which the company treats like a stepchild.

Honda's Acura division allowed writers to drive the NSX, a gas-electric hybrid sports car, on country roads and lanes in and around Monticello.

"It's a Japanese Ferrari," one writer blurted out.

Of course, most of the auto writers who attended the event weren't thinking of air pollution or climate change.

They prize horsepower, loud mufflers and driving fast so much you'd think they had gasoline running through their veins.

In fact, many have to be warned repeatedly about speeding and endangering children in quiet hamlets near the track.

And many of them write for publications, websites and blogs that are supported by the same automotive and oil industries that are resisting change. 

The Lexus LC 500 was available to drive on twisting, two-lane country roads like Dingle Daisy Road, as well on the challenging racetrack at the Monticello Motor Club, above and below.

The all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV is fast, smooth and quiet -- the perfect vehicle for a beautiful day when the leaves are changing. When the transmission is shifted into low, regenerative braking allows one-pedal operation -- the Bolt comes to a stop at traffic lights and stop signs when you lift your foot completely off the accelerator.

Toyota brought the 2018 Camry gas-electric hybrid.

Honda's 2018 Accord sedan is available with as much as 252 horsepower from a turbocharged engine, and a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Some IMPA members brought their vintage cars to compete in the Catskill Concours.

A 1954 Jaguar XK120 open two-seater, above and below.