Photo of author
Steve Schaefer is a long-time contributor to Clean Fleet Report. He wrote a weekly automotive column for almost three decades, testing more than 1,300 cars. He now is a technical writer at Rivian, although opinions expressed her are his own and do not represent Rivian. Steve remembers the joy of riding in his father’s Austin-Healey. After discovering the August, 1963, issue of Motor Trend, he became entranced with the annual model change, and began stalking dealers’ back lots to catch the new models as they rolled off the transporter. Steve has owned a Chevrolet Bolt EV, a Fiat 500e and now drives a Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV. A founding member of the Western Automotive Journalists, Steve is a Climate Reality Leader, trained by Al Gore. Read his EV/green living blog at Stevegoesgreen.

Steve Schaefer

2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid

Road Test: 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime

The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime, like the Prius Prime, enables 42 miles of EV range, which will likely serve most people’s daily needs. When they have to drive farther, the 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine kicks in.

EVs Now; Steve and his Bolt

Opinion: Why We Need Electric Cars Now

This post, a reflection on the 2020 24 Hours of Reality: Countdown to the Future from the Climate Reality Project, talks about electric cars, the climate crisis and actions we all can take to help solve it, including driving electric vehicles (EVs).

2020 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid PHEV

Road Test: 2020 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid

As a PHEV, the 2020 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid offers significantly more electric range than the hybrid, but is still lugging around a gas tank, engine, radiator, etc., which you’ll need when you want to drive more than 26 miles without charging up.