Green Car News
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Toyota is serious about hydrogen fuel cell cars, and to prove it the company will unveil a new fuel cell concept at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. Called the FCV, Toyota's new concept is the clearest hint at what its fuel cell production car--due in 2015--might look like. It's certainly less science-fiction than the FCV-R concept rolled out at numerous auto shows over the past few years. The midsize FCV-R was Toyota's first hint that it was working on a production hydrogen vehicle, and recent tweaks to the concept clarified Toyota's direction for the eventual road-going vehicle. The FCV...
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Will Small 48-Volt Lithium-Ion Battery Boost Start-Stop In U.S. Cars?
Johnson Controls hopes its new compact lithium-ion battery pack will jump start the mass-adoption of start-stop systems.
Stephen Edelstein -
Will Quebec Join California, Oregon As Electric-Car Pioneers?
Today, California buys the largest number of plug-in electric cars by far of any North American state or province. But the many civic benefits of electric cars--from zero emissions to greater energy efficiency--are inspiring other locales to step up to the plate. Last Friday, the government of...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Have You Driven A Diesel Lately? If So, You're In The Minority
If you've been considering diesel power for your next car, you can count yourself among a small proportion of Americans who have. Unlike Europe, where half of all vehicles sold are diesels and at least one diesel is on most consumers' shopping lists, the U.S. market still reels from repuations of...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mazda 3: First Drive
The 2014 Mazda 3 is the one of the more eagerly-awaited compact cars hereabouts, and now we've had a chance to spend 90 minutes behind the wheel. During a recent test drive that brought together Best Car To Buy 2014 finalists, every High Gear Media editor got a chance to drive a variety of vehicles...
John Voelcker -
Tesla 'Giga-Plant', BMW-Toyota Hybrid Supercar, Electric-Car Grid Impact: Today's Car News
Tesla Motors, BMW, and Toyota make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
What do you call an all-electric minicar that has elements of the Chevy Volt, can spin its drive wheels if you have a heavy foot--and still ranks as the most efficient plug-in car sold in the U.S. this year? We'd call it the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV. And it's one of our five nominees for Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2014 award. MORE: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2014: The Nominees We had some hesitation over including the Spark EV. At the moment, it meets some of the criteria for deeming it a compliance car--which is to say, a car built grudgingly by a major automaker solely to...
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PG+E Data: Electric Cars Have Almost No Grid Impact So Far
Electric-car charging hasn't overloaded power grids yet.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW, Toyota Decide On Hybrid Supercar Project
We've known for some time that BMW and Toyota were planning to develop a hybrid sports car together, but until now it hasn't been clear what market that sports car would be aimed at. Now we know, and the news isn't great for anyone expecting the companies to develop something affordable. Instead...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Earnings Call: Lithium-Ion Cell 'Giga-Plant' Needed For Future Production
Tesla held its third-quarter earnings call yesterday evening, and CEO Elon Musk stayed pretty much on message. He reiterated that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] continues to produce its Model S electric luxury sedan, at a current rate of 550 cars per week, and that it is working steadily to reduce the...
John Voelcker -
132-MPH Tesla Model S, Methane Fuel, October Plug-In Hybrid Sales: Today's Car News
The Tesla Model S, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and Chevrolet Cruze Diesel make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy Nominee: 2014 Chevy Cruze Diesel
The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is a somewhat daring car, and one that diesel fans have been urging a U.S. maker to sell for years, if not decades. It's the first diesel-engined passenger vehicle sold by General Motors since 1986, and it's a fully modern car with the latest in emissions control...
John Voelcker -
Six degrees of separation: The theory that every person on the planet is connected to every other person in six steps or fewer--Elon Musk perhaps, or his polar opposite, Jeremy Clarkson. The automotive world is similar. A new technology partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation could connect more cars than ever before--and is likely to beget the next Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car, using Renault and Nissan expertise. The companies today announced their intention to "explore several new projects", with existing links between Nissan and Mitsubishi now to...
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Ford Outsells Toyota In Plug-In Hybrids For First Time (Volt Too)
Ford plug-in hybrids may be shifting the sales balance away from battery-electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Will Europe Too Write Rules To Make Quiet Electric Cars Noisier?
This one just isn't going to go away, is it? A member of the UK parliament is set to raise concerns that electric cars are "a new threat" to pedestrians due to their low levels of noise. Mary Glindon, Labour Party constituent in North Tyneside, cites statistics from the Guide Dogs charity that from...
Antony Ingram -
Yet Another Green Fuel: Landfill Methane On Sale In California
Methane may not come from the most glamorous places, but ti does offer many green benefits.
Stephen Edelstein -
Yes, A Tesla Model S Can Hit 132 MPH On The Autobahn (Video)
A few weeks back at the opening of a Tesla Motors service center in Munich, Elon Musk told a room full of fans and journalists that Tesla would offer a special tuning package for high-speed Model S driving. It makes a lot of sense--sections of Germany's Autobahn network are among the few roads on...
Antony Ingram -
FINAL UPDATE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales For Oct: Volt, Leaf Hold Steady
In October sales of plug-in electric cars, both Chevy and Nissan improved on their September results, but didn't come close to beating their record August sales numbers. The month as a whole rebounded toward August's record-breaking level, improving on September's slump--but the Tesla sales may...
John Voelcker -
The Lexus RC 300h, Fiat 500, and Smart Fortwo make headlines today.
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More Details On 2015 Smart Fortwo: Third Time Lucky?
Will it be third time lucky for the Smart Fortwo minicar? That's what Smart's parent company Daimler must be wondering, as disguised versions of the third-generation Smart undergo final testing out in the wild. The latest model, spotted here by Motor Authority spy photographers, show a car very...
Antony Ingram -
Fiat 500 To Match MINI Cooper, Offer Endless Variants In Growing Range?
While basing a selection of models on the same platform is nothing new these days, only MINI has managed to spin a whole range of cars off a minicar designed in the 1950s. If Fiat gets its way over the next few years, MINI won't be alone for long. According to Autocar, Fiat's global head of design...
Antony Ingram -
Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy Nominee: 2014 BMW i3
The 2014 BMW i3 is the most audacious expansion of a well-known car brand in many years. BMW--the maker of "ultimate driving machines"--is using electric propulsion, a carbon-fiber reinforced body, and a Scandinavian Modern interior not in an expensive luxury sedan, but in a subcompact hatchback...
John Voelcker -
Via Motors Range-Extended Electric Cargo Van Completes Crash Testing
Via says its Chevrolet Express-based plug-in van will return 100 mpg in mixed driving.
Stephen Edelstein -
Lexus RC 300h Hybrid Coupe To Debut At Tokyo Motor Show
The next few weeks are going to be busy ones for car fans, with both the Los Angeles International Auto Show and Tokyo Motor Show happening simultaneously. The latter is set to play host to the usual throng of unusual Japan-only concepts, but among the kei-cars and crazy metal, Lexus will...
Antony Ingram