Hybrids

  • FVT eVaro Front Quarter

    A lot has changed since a group of forward thinking Canadians set up shop at SEMA in 2006 to raise money for the electric super car of the future. First off, their company's former moniker, Fuel Vapor Technologies, has been appropriately revised to Future Vehicle Technologies. Secondly, the modified Honda Accord engine that powered their three-wheeled, two-seater concept has been replaced with a plug-in series hybrid powertrain, similar to that of the upcoming Chevy Volt. The new car, dubbed the "eVaro" (Electric Vehicle with Advanced Regeneration Onboard), is powered by a 75 kW electric...

  • Hybrid parking spot, by Flickr user rscottjones
    July's Most Popular Green Car Posts: Prius Parking Perks...and Urine

    Once more, it's the end of the month, when we celebrate by recapping our most popular posts. For July, we completely turned over our most popular posts from June ... and, our VW diesel fanboys have returned! This month, the most popular posts seem to have been the quirkiest. They're actually kinda...

  • Exclusive Zeus Honda Insight
    Honda Insight Gets Low

    The Japanese tuners at "Exclusive Zeus" may have unlocked some hidden potential in the Honda Insight. Just when you thought the new Toyota Prius had delivered the knockout blow to Honda's poorly selling hybrid, someone got the wild idea to turn the Insight into the world's first hybrid low-rider...

  • 2010 Suzuki Kizashi
    New 2010 Suzuki Kizashi: Suprising Source For AWD Sports Sedan

    Near where we spend our weekends, in the hilly terrain of upstate New York, there are three Subaru dealers. For several years, the largest one has paired strong-selling Subarus with the Suzuki lineup of all-wheel-drive entries and small, relatively green cars. When we got the word about the...

  • BMW X6 Hybrid
    Hybrid Sighting: BMW X6

    If there was an award for the "Most Badass Hybrid Debut In 2010," the new BMW X6 ActiveHybrid would win. BMW won't call it a sport utility vehicle, and for good reason. There's not much utility left in it. Oh, but there's plenty of sport. The so-called "sports activity coupe," was spotted near the...

  • 2010 Toyota Prius
    Want That 50-MPG 2010 Toyota Prius For $21K? Keep Waiting

    Often we get our best topics for posts from AllAboutPrius.com readers. Yesterday, Steven Ileras sent us a note asking about the status of the mysterious Prius I trim level. When we ran down the 2010 Toyota Prius equipment levels and packages (numbered II, III, IV and V) right after introduction, it...

  • 2009 Fisker Plug-In Hybrid

    It's one thing to put a car on display. Fisker has been there and done that. Now, they'll put their prototype to the test on the racetrack. As part of the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, the Fisker Karma will complete two laps around the 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Karma will be the first plug-in hybrid ever to grace the track at the Monterey Historics on August 15. If you'd rather see it standing still (which might be easier, given how fast it goes) the Karma will be on display alongside its hardtop convertible sibling (a.k.a. Karma Sunset) at the Concorso Italiano on...

  • 2010 Lexus HS 250h
    2010 Lexus HS250h Pricing Starts at Exactly $35,000

    The 2010 Lexus HS250h is an interesting beast. We've covered it quite a lot because, among other interesting traits, it pioneers a new market segment: the dedicated luxury hybrid sedan. We did an initial Drive Report and then, more recently, a full review, and now Lexus has completed the last piece...

  • Acura Super Hybrid Sports
    Will The Next Acura NSX Be A Hybrid?

    Just over a year ago, Acura was building a V10 for the next generation NSX supercar, despite concerns about gas prices. Five months later, the project was put on hold as vehicle sales plummeted and the global economy fell apart. Now, the folks at 7Tune.com are reporting that the NSX project is back...

  • Welcome to Prius
    Prius Driver Charged With Evading The Scene Of An Accident

    Less than a week ago, we told you that hybrid drivers are more likely to get into accidents than non-hybrid drivers. Today, one Connecticut woman has become a mildly amusing example of this puzzling statistic. State police have identified the driver of a Toyota Prius who ran into a utility pole in...

  • 2010 Lexus HS250h - front side
    2010 Lexus HS250h Pricing Slots Neatly Above 2010 Toyota Prius

    From our first Drive Report to our recent full review, we've covered the 2010 Lexus HS250h quite a lot here at AllAboutPrius.com. Now the other shoe has dropped: Lexus has released the pricing. And, surprise, surprise, the 2010 HS250h slots very neatly just above the highest-spec model of the 2010...

  • 2010 Honda Insight - side
    Honda Hip To (More) Hybrids

    Honda can never be accused of producing gas guzzlers. There's not an engine bigger than a 3.7 liter six cylinder in their stables. Japan's number two automaker had recently considered building a V8 for their luxury Acura division to compete with the likes of Lexus, Infiniti, and every other luxury...

  • 2009 Toyota Auris

    Awhile back, we speculated that Toyota's new, smaller-than-Prius hybrid would be based on the Auris Hybrid compact hatchback sold in Europe. We were wrong; in fact, the US will get a hybrid version of the already-high-mileage Toyota Yaris subcompact instead. But the Auris Hybrid is moving along nonetheless, and now Toyota has announced they'll be making it in the United Kingdom starting in 2010. The site is the company's Burnaston plant in the northwest of England, and it's the first time Toyota will build hybrids in Europe. The company builds the bulk of its hybrids at several plants in...

  • Hybrid parking spot, by Flickr user rscottjones
    Prius Perks In Peril From Plug-In Privileges?

    There's been a fair amount of grumbling about so-called "Prius perks," including parking spaces set aside for hybrid vehicles at Ikea, Whole Foods, and other retailers. In fact, the spaces--although designated "hybrid"--are more properly allocated to any alternative-fuel vehicle. That includes...

  • 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid Plug-In
    Ontario To Give Cash To Electric Car Buyers

    The government of Ontario expects to put a charge into electric car sales by offering incentives to buyers. Starting on July 1, 2010, drivers who purchase plug-in hybrids or pure electric vehicles will qualify for between $4,000 and $10,000 in incentives. The program is part of the government's...

  • 2007 Toyota Prius Touring Edition
    High-Intensity Headlight Horrors Perplex Prius Owners

    There's nothing the media love more than a nice juicy auto problem. Imagine that your car's headlamps failed, and replacing them cost you THOUSANDS. OF. DOLLARS  !!! Well, that's the premise of a late June story in AdAge, which discussed a potential problem with the optional xenon high-intensity...

  • 2009 Volvo V70
    Volvo To Use Ener1 Li-ion Batteries in Plug-In Hybrid Demonstration Cars

    In a press release issued earlier today, American lithium-ion battery maker, Ener1, announced that their products would be tested in two Volvo V70 plug-in hybrid wagons this fall in Europe. The tests are in preparation for Volvo's plans to launch a production plug-in vehicle in 2012. Volvo is...

  • 2010 Toyota Prius production line, Tsutsumi factory, courtesy of Just-Auto.com
    2010 Toyota Prius Shortages Ahead Due To Global Demand?

    Last summer, with $4/gallon gasoline, you couldn't find a Toyota Prius on dealer lots anywhere. Early this year, in the depths of the economic doldrums, US dealers could hardly give away the high-mileage hybrids. Now, once again, the Tsutsumi factory in Japan is cranking out hybrids as fast as it...

  • 2007 Honda CR-Z Concept

    While the 2010 Honda Insight has gotten a lot of attention lately, it's far from Honda's only hybrid. Now the company has announced that it will put two more hybrid-electric vehicles on sale in Japan next year: the 2011 Honda CR-Z and the 2011 Honda Fit Hybrid. Honda had previously announced both cars, but this is the first time it has confirmed timing. The CR-Z goes on sale in Japan next February, and will likely be shown at this fall's 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The Fit Hybrid will go on sale "before the end of 2010". Small, sporty two-seater The 2011 Honda CR-Z will be a small, sporty hybrid...

  • 2010 Lexus HS 250h
    Toyota Takes 1,500 Pre-orders For Lexus HS Hybrid In Japan

    The people of Japan love their hybrids and the Lexus HS 250h is no exception. The Nikkei reports that Toyota has already taken 1,500 pre-orders in Japan for its upcoming luxury hybrid. This exceeds the automaker's expectations three times over. Not to be outdone, the overwhelmingly popular third...

  • 2010 Honda Insight - front three-quarter
    Drive Report: 2010 Honda Insight

    The 2010 Honda Insight was eagerly awaited before its launch, but reviews have been mixed. Some laud it for overachieving on the fuel economy front, while others (most notably the influential Consumer Reports) have slammed it. Our half-hour drive in a new Insight left us with mixed impressions. But...

  • Bliss Trek eco-driving application for Apple iPhone 3G or 3g S
    Driving Green Becomes a Game, Now On Your iPhone

    Even if you're not in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, you too can grow green leaves on your dash display when you save fuel by driving with a light foot. Except in this case, the leaves appear on your iPhone 3G or 3G S, courtesy of Bliss Trek. It's the first eco-driving app for Apple's cult favorite...

  • 2009 Fisker Karma
    Fisker Stays On Schedule; Plug-In Hybrid Deliveries Start Next May

    When you think of startup companies planning to build luxury sedans with advanced electric powertrains, one name springs instantly to mind: Tesla Motors. Among the executive battles, government loans, and launch hoopla around the electric 2012 Tesla Model S sports sedan, the company gets rafts of...

  • 2010 Toyota Prius
    2010 Toyota Prius Technology: Bidding Bye-Bye to the Bladder

    Reading the reams of coverage pouring out on the 2010 Toyota Prius, we realized we hadn't covered one new feature that corrects an irritating problem with its predecessor, the 2004-2009 Prius hybrid. That was the earlier car's fuel "bladder" gas tank, a flexible membrane that expanded and...

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