Green
-
General Motors [NYSE: GM] stock might be up for initial public offering today under the same stock symbol as before, but the company is trying hard to show that it's not the same company in many respects. "We'll do that by demonstrating that GM is doing things differently," said CEO Dan Akerson, introducing a $40 million Clean Energy Initiative that will, over the next year and a half, focus on smaller, community-based environmental projects throughout the U.S. GM's own stimulus back to communities? The initiative—in addition to driving consumers to consider GM's most efficient new...
-
16,000 Miles in an Electric Car? Mission Accomplished
A team of intrepid engineers turned explorers have just finished an epic road-trip from Chena Hot Springs Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. Built in 9 months by a team of graduates from Imperial College London, the two-seat modified racing car drove over the finish line 135 days after it began its...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Need Juice? 7 Home Charging Solutions for Your Electric Car
You’ve read the reports, drooled over the spy shots and saved your pennies for an all-electric or plug-in hybrid electric car. But do you know how you’re going to charge your new car at home, the office or at your parents’ place? There are many different chargers available now or...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Electric Vehicle Conversion Fires: What You Need to Know
Earlier this month, a warehouse containing memorabilia owned by rocker Neil Young was involved in a three-alarm fire that destroyed many priceless possessions. Among the charred remains in the San Carlos fire was a classic ’59 Lincoln Continental. Converted to a hybrid power train by...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2010 LA Auto Show: 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV Powered By Tesla
As they say, everything old is new again. Fourteen years after it launched its very first RAV4 crossover at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota returned to LA to launch an all-electric version of its latest RAV4. And this one is, as the logos in a teaser photo released earlier said, "powered by...
John Voelcker -
2010 LA Auto Show: 2012 Honda Fit Electric Car, World Debut
This afternoon, Honda unveiled its plans for an all-electric version of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback to be launched globally in 2012. The announcement came at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. The announcement represented a full circle of sorts, since Los Angeles was the home of many of the 300...
John Voelcker -
The 2010 Los Angles Auto Show is nearly upon us, and we're getting excited for the wealth of new electric cars on display at the show. It's not just about the cars themselves though - equally imporant are the companies displaying EV-related technology. One such company is Southern California Edison, who are set to launch a new consumer electric vehicle website at the show. In collaboration with the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), SoCal Edison will be launching GoElectricDrive.com. The site is intended to be a comprehensive guide providing consumers with information about...
-
CODA Delays Rollout of Electric Car: Why We’re Not Surprised
Building any car is tough. Building an electric car is tougher. Automakers must devote time, skill, technology and financial investment to designing, engineering, and cutting costs for what is still far from a mainstream drivetrain. Even Nissan, whose Leaf won GreenCarReports’ Best Car To Buy...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Revenge Of The Electric Car Trailer Release To Facebook Fans
Who killed the electric car? Chances are that if you've watched the film that poses this question, you'll have some idea of how the electric car fizzled out and died before its 21st-Century re-birth. 2011 will bring a sequel to the original documentary titled "Revenge Of The Electric Car". As with...
Antony Ingram -
GM Mild Hybrids: If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt has gotten all the attention lately, including a narrow second-place finish in our GreenCarReports 2011 Best Car To Buy award, but General Motors also has a significant hybrid-electric vehicle program. While its full-size Two-Mode Hybrid trucks have had mixed success, the...
John Voelcker -
2011 Nissan Leaf: GreenCarReports Best Car To Buy 2011
It’s been a long time coming. More than 80 years, in fact, since viable electric cars were offered to U.S. car buyers. Now, finally, at long last, it’s happened. The 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first practical, five-seat electric car—a full plug-in, running solely off grid...
John Voelcker -
Nissan To Deliver Only 5 Leafs In 2010, More Delays Imminent?
Uh-oh, Nissan. There’s been word a-brewing on car forums for that the carmaker is experiencing delays in delivering the much-anticipated all-electric Leaf, which is slated to start arriving next month. But only five Leafs will arrive in the U.S. next month — one for each of the five...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
The 2011 Nissan Leaf looks like a conventional compact hatchback with unconventionally sinuous styling. It seats five, has all the usual safety features, and we particularly like the way the navigation system is integrated into the rest of the car’s information systems. But the significance of the Leaf is in what it’s missing: a tailpipe, for one, and a gasoline engine for another. As the first mass-produced electric car from a major automaker in many decades, we knew the 2011 Nissan Leaf would be a strong contender to be nominated as the GreenCarReports 2011 Best Car To Buy. But...
-
VW, Daimler: There’s a Future in Electric Cars, Not Quite Yet
Can there ever be such a thing as too much honesty when it comes to frank discussions about your company policy? Normally we’d say no, but when you start to sow the seeds of doubt about the thing you’re trying to sell we’d say otherwise. Especially in the case of Christian...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
GreenCarReports Best Car To Buy 2011 Nominee: Lexus CT 200h
It's the nominee we know the least about, and in some ways the one we're most curious about. The 2011 Lexus CT 200h is a non-traditional car for Lexus, which has never before offered a compact hatchback. And after the underwhelming HS 250h sedan, it's one we didn't have high hopes for. That was...
John Voelcker -
GM Resurrects Mild Hybrid System For 2012 Buick LaCrosse
As we first reported more than a year ago, a beefier version of GM’s mild hybrid system, the kind that was on the previous Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, is coming next year. Set to debut on the 2012 Buick LaCrosse, GM’s new “eAssist” mild hybrid system is said to improve fuel...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
How Does Nissan Recharge Some Leafs? With A Diesel Generator
We love it when people send us photos. Especially photos of things that manufacturers aren't necessarily keeping front and center for the cameras. The photo here is a "range extender" that Nissan uses to keep its 2011 Leaf electric cars fully charged for media events. The picture was taken (by a...
John Voelcker -
Opel Ampera News - Euro Volt Price Revealed, 42,900 Euros
If you're familiar with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended EV, then you're already familar with the Opel Ampera, since it's essentially the same car. The Ampera will be sold under General Motors' other brands, the Germany-based Opel and in the U.K. as the Vauxhall Ampera. It's not uncommon for...
Antony Ingram -
For its first-ever hybrid-electric vehicle, Hyundai has blazed a new path. Not only does the 2011 Sonata Hybrid carry gas-mileage ratings better than its competition, but it neatly splits the difference between the indistinguishable-from-standard styling of the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion hybrids and a dedicated body style a la Toyota Prius. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid uses the standard Sonata sheet metal from the doors back, with its distinctive swoopy shape, but new headlights, grille, front fascia, and bumper give the front aspect an entirely new identity. This will allow Sonata Hybrid...
-
2011 Nissan Leaf Orders Delayed For Both Dealers And Buyers
Both Nissan and Chevrolet have a lot riding on delivering their first electric cars before the end of December, meaning during calendar 2011. Now it looks like Nissan may squeak by with just a few early production cars delivered to a handful of dealerships, because the company has significantly...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Thanks Toyota CEO with a 2011 Roadster Sport 2.5
Finding the perfect gift to say thank you is a difficult task. Finding the right thank you present is a fine line between a gift that will convey that special message and something you know is unique. So what do you give the CEO that has everything, especially if he runs the world’s largest...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco Gets EPA-Rated 42 MPG Fuel Economy
GM has managed to deliver on its promise of segment-leading fuel economy for its new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model, with the EPA announcing this week that the fuel efficient sedan will return 28 mpg in the city and up to 42 mpg on the highway when equipped with a manual transmission. The numbers...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Magnetic Induction Technology: Charging Without Wires & Plugs
The world of EVs is a strange business. The jump from gasoline and diesel cars to EVs is akin to the jump at the end of the 19th Century from horse and carriage to motor vehicles, in the change in mindset and widespread adoption of infrastructure required. Charging in particular is an area that...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Nissan Leaf Roundtable: High Gear Media Editors Weigh In
The 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car is clearly one of the most revolutionary vehicles to be sold in the U.S. in many years. It's a first battery electric car that relies solely on plugging into grid electricity for its the energy that powers it. Unlike the 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric...
John Voelcker