Jim Motavalli (born 1952) is a journalist, author, and speaker who specializes in environmental issues, particularly green cars, climate, transportation,[1] and various aspects of sustainable energy.

[2] He writes for E–The Environmental Magazine as a senior writer, The New York Times as a blogger and columnist, and for various other publications including TheDailyGreen, NPR, and Mother Nature Network.

He currently writes and blogs for The New York Times as a member of its "Automobiles" section and has a syndicated column called "Wheels", hosts a show on WPKN,[3] and speaks often on National Public Radio's (NPR) Car Talks program.

[1] Motavalli has authored four books – Naked in the Woods: Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery, Forward Drive: The Race to Build "Clean Cars" for the Future, and Feeling the Heat: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Climate Change – and edited three others.

[6] Forward Drive: The Race to Build the Clean Car of the Future is a 2001 publication[7] that explores the interlinking history of sustainable energy and the automobile industry.