Electric Cars
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One of the biggest criticisms of electric cars is that they only move the pollution from the tailpipe of a car to the smoke stack of a power station. But a new application developed by General Motors' OnStar devision aims to help Chevrolet Volt owners charge their plug-in hybrid when it will have the smallest carbon footprint. The system works by collecting information from utility companies in real-time about the current power mix of the power grid. It then notifies Chevrolet Volt customers via its OnStar smartphone apps when the majority of power being generated comes from renewable sources...
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Revenge Of The Electric Car: Available On DVD, From Today
Last year, Chris Paine’s sequel to Who Killed The Electric Car? --Revenge Of The Electric Car -- premiered to a packed audience at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Since then, the independent docufilm has shown at various art houses and community theaters across the U.S, but...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
First Honda Fit EV Delivered To California City Fleet
While carmakers like Nissan, Tesla and Renault go on the electric car offensive, Honda has been somewhat candid about its electric car plans. The 2013 Honda Fit EV makes the odd subtle appearance at international auto shows, but the company is certainly less than bullish about its electric vehicle...
Antony Ingram -
Want A Cheap, Usable, Toyota Electric Car? Check eBay!
Electric cars are often criticized for being too expensive. While there are many reasons for this, it means some people simply can't afford an electric car. However, there's still hope. Want a practical, reliable, usable electric car, with a decent range? Have a look on eBay! That's where we found...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Nissan Leaf Proves Itself On Snowy Japanese Test Course
Prior to this winter, Nissan has only sold its all-electric Leaf hatchback to customers in moderate climates. But just as Nissan North America was celebrating selling its 10,000th Leaf, Nissan Japan was proving that the Leaf wasn’t scared of winter weather with a special press event held near...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The Politics Of Electric Cars: Attacking Innovation For Partisan Gain
To say there's lots of political posturing and wrangling around electric cars, plug-in vehicles, and the industry and infrastructure that supports them would be a gross understatement. We get more than our share of it here at Green Car Reports. And there are valid debates to be had over whether the...
John Voelcker -
Want to boldly go where few have gone before? If so, you might just have what it takes to become an "Electronaut", BMW's term for the select few who'll be piloting the 2012 BMW ActiveE for the next few years. BMW has started the recruitment process to find 700 potential ActiveE drivers. BMW's "Electronauts" are being touted as forward-thinking adventurers, just the sort of people you need to discover the relatively unknown world of electric motoring GreenCarReports' John Voelcker recently took a drive in one of the first ActiveEs to hit the streets, and came away impressed with both the...
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House Hearing On NHTSA, Volt Battery Fire Starts Wednesday
Often, timing is everything. So Rep. Darryl Issa (R-CA) and his plans for Wednesday likely aren't helped by the NHTSA's decision last Friday to close its Volt battery-safety inquiry after GM developed upgrades for the Volt battery crash structure and coolant filler, and offered them to all existing...
John Voelcker -
NHTSA Closes Chevy Volt Battery-Pack Fire Safety Investigation
Well, it's all over but the shouting now. This afternoon, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a statement saying it had closed its investigation into the causes of a fire in the battery pack of a Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car. The statement said the agency had...
John Voelcker -
What Would You Pay For A 100-MPG Via Full-Size Pickup Truck?
This is a perfectly serious question. A basic 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 full-size pickup truck starts around $23,000, and the rear-wheel drive XFE model is rated by the EPA at 18 mpg combined. The Silverado Hybrid model, a 1500 twin-cab, starts at around $40,000, and the RWD model is rated at...
John Voelcker -
Meet The Next Presidential Ride: An Electric Fiat 500 Limo?
Think of Presidential state cars, and you’ll probably think of the Cadillac-badged limousine the President Obama uses, a car that many of us know as The Beast. Now an Italian coach-builder has come up with its own take on the Presidential limousine, in the form of an all-electric stretch...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Fisker Karma: Brief Drive Report
Well, after three years of asking, we've finally had a chance to drive the 2012 Fisker Karma. And we can confirm that the extended-range electric luxury sport sedan is, in fact, a real car. It's got drop-dead styling, unique interior furnishings, and a good ride that's aided by the fact that it's...
John Voelcker -
Nissan might have ended 2011 a with sales of its all-electric Leaf a few hundred cars short of its 10,000 unit target for the year, but there are now over 10,000 Leafs on the roads of the U.S. According to Autobloggreen, the happy event occurred last week during the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, which is probably why the news has been a little slow in getting out. The 10,000 car total includes all the cars which were sold since the Leaf’s launch in December 2010, and represents just under half of the total number of Leafs sold worldwide to date. “From a Leaf perspective, 2011 was a...
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Nissan Examines Second Life For Used Leaf Battery Packs
In the aftermath of the last year’s devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami, more impetus has been given to the idea of turning electric cars -- and their battery packs -- into emergency backup power systems. But now a new project has been set up to take the idea of using electric car...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Ryan Reynolds Gets Funny With The 2012 Nissan Leaf: Video
Isaiah Mustafa has ruined advertising. He may not have written his own monologues for those popular Old Spice ads, but Mustafa's deadpan delivery and sublime quirkiness have inspired a thousand would-be imitators. Even talented actors like Ryan Reynolds can't measure up, as we see in a new clip for...
Richard Read -
BMW ActiveE First Drive: At The Wheel (Video)
Yesterday we reviewed the BMW ActiveE electric car after spending an afternoon in the first ActiveE delivered in the U.S. Now, we have a brief video clip to take you inside the car, hitting some of the high points of the driving experience. The clip starts with the car at rest in the remarkably...
John Voelcker -
Can Your 2012 Chevy Volt Use California HOV Lanes? It Depends
When General Motors launched the Chevrolet Volt in 2010, the state of California decided that it didn’t meet the required emissions standards needed to classify it as an Electric Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle (e-AT-PZEV). At Launch, No HOV Lane Access As a consequence...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
BMW ActiveE Electric Car First Drive: What's It Really Like?
The first BMW ActiveE electric car in North America was just delivered last Friday. Now, with only 600 miles on that car, we've driven it. Our first impressions of BMW's final electric test car, converted from a standard BMW 1-Series two-door sedan, are favorable. It's solid, comfortable, performs...
John Voelcker -
On January 1, 2012, California Assembly Bill 475 came into effect in California. Essentially, the new law makes it possible that your plug-in car could get towed if you haven’t locked your car to the charging station cord. Backed by general Motors, the bill’s advocates claimed it was necessary to make it possible for owners of plug-in hybrid cars like the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid to legally charge their vehicles at public charging stations. But while the bill did away with previous legislation that restricted parking in certain electric car spaces...
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Three Tips To Help You Drive Your Electric Car This Winter
As anyone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest will tell you, cities like Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon are known for their damp, dreary winter months. This winter, as with many other parts of the U.S., heavy snowfall is taking the place of rain, turning the usually temperate Northwest...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Fast-Charging Adds Appeal To Electric Cars—Especially In Portland
If you plan to get a Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi i (or already have one), and you live in Portland, Oregon, consider yourself fortunate. Because all of these places have at least one DC fast charger reported as currently in operation.
Bengt Halvorson -
Rare EV-1 Up For Sale, But It Isn't An Electric Car
Earlier today, our colleagues over at MotorAuthority told us about a collection of over 100 rare cars going under the hammer in Sweden. Among them, a complete EV-1. Complete with aerodynamic coupe styling, solar-powered cooling fan and a film appearance under its belt, bidding for this futuristic...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tennessee's Electric Car Rebate Fund Still Healthy
If you live in Tennessee and you're holding out for more electric cars to hit the market, then you could be in luck. So far, only buyers of the Nissan Leaf have been benefitting from the $2,500 electric car rebate, with no other electric vehicles to choose from. The Tennessean reveals that, of the...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Update: Model S On Track, Reservations Good, Don't Worry
After news on Friday that two of its executives had departed, the stock price of Tesla Motors plummeted. Reporters and the many, many commenters on all things Tesla raised questions about whether undisclosed problems had resulted in the resignation of Peter Rawlinson, chief body and chassis...
John Voelcker