Green
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[UPDATE: Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes says the original report via Bloomberg that Tesla would develop two separate electric models for Toyota was erroneous, and may have been further confused later by the fact that Tesla had developed two prototype RAV4 vehicles.] ++++++ UPDATE: Citing Japanese sources, Bloomberg News reports that the two models in question are the RAV4 crossover and the Lexus RX midsize luxury crossover. Ricardo Reyes, of Tesla Motors, again refused to confirm any details of the cars or their schedule. He did note, however, that other reports in Japanese media had variously...
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Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk Can't Handle the Truth
Elon Musk, the CEO of electric-car startup Tesla Motors and rocket-launcher SpaceX, should be applauded for the mighty challenges he’s taken on and the powers of persuasion he has deployed to build his companies. But along the way, he discovered that he could stretch the truth, casually and...
John Voelcker -
U.S. Buyers Save Less Using EVs (But It's Not About Payback)
Auto industry analysts get paid to issue reports, and most of them are vastly better at data analysis and number crunching than we'll ever be. That doesn't mean, however, that sometimes their data isn't misleading. It's important to keep context in mind, and not miss the forest for the trees...
John Voelcker -
If No One Notices Your Smart ForTwo, Why Not Wrap It In Plaid?
You've got to be at least somewhat extroverted to drive a 2010 Smart ForTwo minicar, the smallest car sold in North America. People stare at it, point at you, and often ask you variations of, "What on earth makes you want to drive that?" Now, for the most extroverted of Smart owners, there's a new...
John Voelcker -
2011 Mazda Mazda2: First Drive Report
The 2011 Mazda Mazda2 subcompact had a somewhat strange introduction, with the car itself unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show but the interior not displayed until three months later. Nevertheless, Mazda's sporty little subcompact is headed for dealerships this fall, starting at the remarkably low...
John Voelcker -
What Consumers Should Know About Cars Converted to Electric
Getting custom-built cars has been a part of the auto industry for many years. From improving the power curve on a small block engine through to creating custom convertibles from anything from a Hummer H3 through to a Toyota Prius, paying a company thousands of dollars for a unique vehicle happens...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
As we move toward the December launch of electric cars from real automakers--the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt--there are many myths and fears that will have to be dispelled among consumers. One of them is the old toaster-in-the-bathtub fear: If you get an electric car really wet ... It. Might. KILL. You! To dispel that inchoate anxiety--or maybe just to highlight yet another facet of the Volt's exhaustive development testing--the latest video from GM's ever-perky PR firm shows a Chevy Volt driving through the flooded-road water trough at Milford Proving Grounds. As the release...
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Toyota Already Building a Car To Test Tesla's Battery, It Says
One of the many unknowns about Toyota's partnership with Tesla was whether it would result in a jointly produced car. That won't be known for many months yet, but Toyota has already taken a first step: It's building Tesla's battery into a test car so it can compare the Silicon Valley startup's...
John Voelcker -
Yellow Is The New Green As Mercedes Bares All With SLS AMG E-Cell
Remember the bright yellow Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell prototype we wrote about back in June? Equipped with a four-motor, all-wheel-drive system the SLS AMG E-Cell is capable of putting out more than 525 horsepower onto the road and packs electric supercar performance into the iconic gullwing body. As...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
California Yanks Prius Perks: No More Hybrid HOV-Lane Access
You may remember that in California, 85,000 lucky owners of three hybrid vehicles were granted special stickers giving them access to High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes, even with only a single occupant in the car. Well, their luck runs out on December 31, the last day those stickers are valid. While...
John Voelcker -
Sports Cars, City Runabouts Electrify 2010 Bridgestone Eco-Rally
The small, seaside town of Brighton UK, some 50 miles south of London, has often been the destination for many a weary Londoner keen to take in its pebbled beaches, kitsch souvenir shops and traditional fish and chip suppers. But today it wasn't sticks of sweet sugary ‘seaside rock' candy cane or...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Math Is Hard: MPG Still Stupid, National Research Council Agrees
More than a year ago, we wrote an article pointing out the flaws in the U.S. practice of measuring a car's gasoline use with the familiar miles-per-gallon (MPG) measure. Now, no less a body than the august National Research Council has agreed with us. As it noted in a pre-publication summary...
John Voelcker -
One of the best parts of the electric-vehicle world is the camaraderie. Someone knows someone who passes us along to a friend who knows a guy ... you know the story. Which is how we ended up in San Francisco on a sunny Friday, driving a well-used--but still reliable--example of one of the highest-volume modern electric cars built to date, the Toyota RAV4 EV. First, Think As EV advocate Marc Geller explains it, he became convinced a decade ago that an electric car was the best way he could reduce his consumption of oil and his carbon footprint. After 9/11, when his aging French station wagon...
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How Do First Responders Act Around a Crashed Hybrid or EV?
Once more, a reader question prompts us to share the answer with our entire green car audience. In this case, it's about how first responders should approach accidents that involve vehicles with high-voltage battery packs, whether they're conventional hybrids (e.g. Toyota Prius) or upcoming...
John Voelcker -
Green stocks sputtering out on public markets as Zipcar nears IPO
Last week, electric car maker Tesla Motors made history as the first automotive company to go public since Ford in the 1950s, but its share price continues to drop, down another 9.24 percent so far today. Despite its buzz and sex appeal, it looks like the company won’t be able to escape the fate...
John Voelcker -
2009 Volkswagen CitiGolf: Driving a Brand-New Retro Rabbit
Most car sites run test drives of new cars. That is, cars that you can actually buy. And now for something completely different: A test drive of an almost-brand-new, 35-year-old, 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit. It's not called that; it's called the 2009 Volkswagen CitiGolf. Same car, though--just check the...
John Voelcker -
Sexy Red Electric Concept Displays French Dream For Sports EVs
Concept cars are often no more than an automaker's chance to dream about a future of fully autonomous vehicles, sweeping curves and Jetsons-style glass panels, but once in a while a concept is unveiled which has what it takes to make it to production. And these days, no concept would be complete...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Can GM Convince You a 2011 Chevy Volt Is the Go-Anywhere EV?
As we count down the months before the first 2011 Chevrolet Volts arrive at dealers in California, New York, Michigan, and Washington, D.C., it's time for the latest reboot of the Chevy marketing machine to kick into action. Chevrolet said in a press conference last week it would start running ads...
John Voelcker -
What can you do in three minutes? Boil a egg? Buy a Coffee? Check your Mail? Visit the bathroom? Thanks to Japanese based JFE Engineering, you can now add half-charging your EV to the list, courtesy of its ultra-fast charge station. Designed to comply with the CHAdeMo standard developed by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Toyota, the system is capable of charging a 2011 Mistubishi i-Miev from empty to 50% full in just three minutes. Even just three minutes plugged into the fast-charge station was enough to enable a standard 2011 Mitsubishi i-Miev to travel a...
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2011 Chevrolet Aveo Shown Sans Disguise; Thanks, Photoshop!
Some auto writers (not us, truly) have been known to sneer at car forum sites. But we try to monitor the forums regularly, 'cause sometimes you see the darnedest things. Take, for example, this photo of a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo in undisguised form, minus the usual spy-shot camouflage. It comes from...
John Voelcker -
Forget The Showroom, Your First EV Test-Drive Could Be A Rental Car
Imagine going on a vacation to London, or Paris. You've just got over the jet-lag and are feeling like exploring the city. You've done all the usual tourist activities and have some friends on the other side of town to visit. Do you navigate a strange subway system, take a taxi, or make your...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
World-Record Gas-Mileage Champ For Sale, From 1959, For $425K. Ahem.
It's the Friday before a long holiday, which means most of you aren't around to read this. But for those who are, here's our bit of green-car randomness to launch the Independence Day celebrations. How would you like to own a semi-derelict, half-century-old, very odd-looking German car that holds a...
John Voelcker -
2011 Chevy Volt: Freedom Drive Underway, GM Offers T-Shirts
Taking a break from the relentless drumbeat of news about Tesla Motors, its stock offering this week, and the latest model of its electric two-seater, the Roadster 2.5--we bring you a story about the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric vehicle. Specifically, a Volt is now en route...
John Voelcker -
Why Is Tesla’s Stock Deflating After Only Two Days?
Good news for those of you who shorted Tesla Motors' stock: the electric car company’s shares are already falling in price as the zeal around its $226 million public debut begins to fade — after just two days. TSLA closed at $21.96 today, its third day of trading, after falling $1.87. Yesterday...
John Voelcker