Green
-
Put them side by side, and they could be vehicles from two different planets. The new 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car is GM's green halo car, its foray into the future of electric drive vehicles, and the focus of a huge marketing and publicity effort. The 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid is a big, old-fashioned, body-on-frame full-size sport utility vehicle that happens to have a Two-Mode Hybrid transmission behind its V-8 engine. Two-Mode DNA Nonetheless, it turns out the Volt has more than a little Two-Mode Hybrid in its DNA. Chevy will release more details this morning, but we...
-
2011 Chevrolet Volt: Electric Drive Impressions
In one light, it was nothing more than a drive in a new car on a sunny autumn afternoon. But in another, it meant taking the wheel of the most radical new car since the 1997 Toyota Prius—perhaps more significant yet—and driving it on public roads for the first time. After almost four...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Sells Its Two-Millionth Prius Hybrid ... And Counting
We missed a milestone a couple of weeks ago: Toyota built and sold its two-millionth Prius hybrid earlier this month. The first-generation Prius, the world's first production hybrid-electric vehicle, was launched in Japan late in 1997. It stayed a low-volume car for several years, and wasn't...
John Voelcker -
What Do YOU Want To Know About the 2011 Chevrolet Volt Electric Car?
After just shy of four years, two distinct body styles, much disbelief, and more press releases than we can count, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car is here. We'll be driving the 2011 Volt this week, and we have a lot of questions about what the car is like. But we expect you do...
John Voelcker -
From The Fastest To The Greenest: BMW F1 Expertise For EVs
"Racing improves the breed". So said the late Soichiro Honda, believing that the lessons learned on the racing cars and motorcycles could be used to improve the marque's road vehicles. The evidence is plain to see. Technologies such as anti-lock brakes, traction control, unibody chassis...
Antony Ingram -
Curiouser and Curiouser: Tesla's 'Gay' Electric Car Connection
Oh, what a tangled web we weave in the insular little world of electric car advocates. Take the news earlier today that Universal Pictures has agreed to a request from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation that it pull a trailer for a new Vince Vaughan movie in which the B-list star...
John Voelcker -
Despite the hype and the near-ubiquity of the Toyota Prius (pictured), most Americans remain leery of buying alternative-fuel vehicles. That’s probably because they don’t have the basic knowledge to understand it, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive. The survey, which sampled 2,242 adults in July, took a look at consumer opinions on alternative fuel vehicles on the market — hybrids, all-electric, hydrogen electric and diesel and biodiesel-compatible cars. The good news: Almost half of those surveyed would be interested in buying some kind of...
-
Kia Working On Range-Extended Electric Vehicles
Now ranked as the world’s fifth-largest automaker in conjunction with its Hyundai sister brand, Kia is making strides to build a product line that reflects its status among the world’s top manufacturers. And for the South Korean automaker it means being a leader in the field of green...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota Smart Center Benefits Home Efficiency, Not Just Cars
We've seen Onstar from General Motors. We've heard about iPhone apps that allow you to keep tabs on how your 2011 Nissan Leaf or Smart Electric Drive are charging too, and some energy companies are wanting to develop services that keep you updated on the status of your EV. Smart-Grid technology is...
Antony Ingram -
New York Power Authority Embraces Ford's Electric Future
New York City has one of the best mass transit systems of any major metropolis. But the City itself is still noisy, polluted and congested. The first two may soon be eased, thanks to continuing work from New York’s Power Authority (NYPA), which showcased a range of all-electric and hybrid...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Chevrolet Volt Could Join Feds' Fleet
The White House wants to walk green while it talks green, which is why the government's purchasing department is now placing an order for 100 electric cars to be distributed through agencies later in the year. The New York Times reports the Obama administration's executive order from October 2009...
Martin Padgett -
Touring Tesla: Electric Car Startup Struts Its Green Stuff
It's debatable whether Tesla Motors should even be called a startup. It's five years old, it has almost 1,400 cars on the road, and it has 700 people working for it globally. Yesterday, in a bid to reinforce its credentials as a real automaker--the kind that can design, engineer, test, and build a...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars need to be recharged, obviously. How car companies choose to provide the all-new equipment to do that varies significantly among makers. For its upcoming 2012 Ford Focus Electric, Ford just jumped out ahead of the car to announce that it will provide what it calls a "convenience cord" that will allow the electric Focus to be recharged at any standard (120-Volt) wall plug. That charging won't be very fast, of course. Using the faster wall-mounted 240-Volt charging station--which Ford calls "optional," meaning they'll charge for it, just as Nissan and Chevrolet do--the Focus...
-
2011 Nissan Leaf Tested On An Island Amongst The Trees
We love cars here at AllCarsElectric, but sometimes there's nothing better than heading out of the cities and away from civilization to enjoy all that nature has to offer. The last thing we'd want when we got there would be to find our favorite retreat filled with motor vehicles and the fumes they...
Antony Ingram -
Nation-E Reveals All-Electric HUMMER H1 'Angel Car'
The HUMMER H1 is often the vehicle people picture first when they think of the most environmentally unfriendly thing on four wheels. So what better vehicle to demonstrate the diversity and flexibility of the electric car revolution than one of its main antagonists? That’s exactly what the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lexus CT 200h May Spawn Plug-In Hybrid Version
The all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h is scheduled to hit showrooms early next year complete with a 134 horsepower hybrid drivetrain and a very reasonable--for a luxury car--EPA combined fuel economy rating of 42 mpg. However, this is just the initial setup that Lexus engineers have planned for the CT...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
After Top Gear, Ben "The Stig" Collins Digs Electric Cars
What happens when mysterious masked racing driver of the U.K’s most famous car-based entertainment show reveals his identity? Contrary to the opinions aired on the testosterone-filled, gear jamming show he actually quite likes electric cars, and he's not been afraid to share his admiration...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Smart, Nissan to Share Car for U.S.
Smart USA has confirmed it will have a new car in its showrooms starting in late 2011--and that the new car will be sourced from Nissan. As a part of a wide-ranging cooperation forged earlier this year between Nissan-Renault and Daimler, the companies will share technology and development costs for...
Martin Padgett -
We know you love checking out the latest news on green cars, especially the very best in electric car news, reviews and buying advice. But we also know you’re busy. Sometimes it’s nice when the news comes to you, not vice versa. Many of our readers have asked us to improve the way we get the news to you and we’ve listened. So today, we’re launching our new news daily e-mail update as well as an improved RSS feed, so you can get the latest news from AllCarsElectric in a format you prefer. Don’t forget too that you can follow us on Twitter. We’re...
-
Surprise, Surprise: Yes, Young Buyers Will Pay More For Less
If you listen to conventional wisdom coming out of Detroit, you'd think that every single U.S. car buyer secretly wants a Suburban. Call it the bigger-longer-badder-better principle: Everyone wants the largest car they can afford. Often that's true. But not always. Sometimes people want the most...
John Voelcker -
Getting Younger Generations Interested In Electric Cars
Cape Town in South Africa has just hosted the end of a journey of almost 2,500 miles on solar, hydrogen or electric power. The race, the South African 2010 Solar Challenge, was won by Japan's Tokai Challenger, a solar-powered vehicle with a top speed of 100mph which has previously won the 2009...
Antony Ingram -
Report: Fisker Considering Six Model Lineup, Filing For IPO
Electric car start-up Tesla successfully launched a stock IPO earlier this year and in the process managed to earn the company a handy $226 million; crucial funding that will go on to help spawn several new models for the company. Now, closest rival Fisker is thinking of doing the same, revealing...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Tesla Plays Cautiously, Recalls 439 Roadsters Over Potential Fire Risk
Tesla Motors, manufacturers of the all-electric Tesla Roadster and Tesla Roadster Sport has decided to recall 439 of its sexy sports car, over a potential fire risk. The Palo-Alto based automaker has often been in the news this year, from its roller coaster initial public offering back in June...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla Recalls 439 Roadster Models Over Potential Fire Risk
Tesla has recalled 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 models due to a low-voltage cable that might be defective. A 12-volt auxiliary cable is the culprit. The cable could lose power, which would affect the headlights, taillights, turn signals/hazard flashers, and airbags. On one vehicle, the cable caused a...
Tim Healey