Green Car News
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Batteries in electric and hybrid cars--and this may not come as much of a surprise--are large, and they're heavy. Reducing the size and weight of these vital components is priority number one for scientists all over the world, and Volvo is among them with its latest technological development. Using nanomaterials, an EU-funded research project involving ten companies (Volvo the only automaker in the group) has developed a new concept of lightweight structural energy storage components. Put simply, the technology involves using a car's exterior body panels as energy storage systems. This isn't...
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2014 Range Rover Hybrid: Drive Reports Emerge For Diesel-Electric SUV U.S. Won't Get
Land Rover hasn't exactly cultivated a reputation for environmental friendliness over its history. While its products have always been adept at forging through the wilderness, it could be argued that its engines, rather than its tires, have done the most damage to the natural world. Still...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Chevrolet Impala To Be Offered As Bi-Fuel Model With Natural-Gas Tank
Natural gas has so far made little impact in the automotive sector, at least when it comes to passenger vehicles. As new extraction techniques such as fracking increase domestic supply of the gas, that could change--and Chevrolet will become the second manufacturer to sell a production passenger...
Antony Ingram -
South Park Doesn't Think Too Highly Of The Tesla Model S (Or Maybe It Does)
You can say a lot of things about South Park -- it's crude, it's offensive, it's predictable -- but you can't accuse creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone of being clueless about pop culture. Given the topics that the show covers, the duo are obviously big news junkies. And thanks to South Park's...
Richard Read -
Electric Car Rentals, BMW i3 Production Boost, Larger Toyota Engines: Today's Car News
Today's car news deals with emissions regulations in the United States and the European Union.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW Ponders Production Boost For i3 Electric Car After High European Demand
High demand isn't something experienced by many automakers selling electric cars, but then BMW is a little different from many automakers. It's fair to say you could put its badge on pretty much anything and it would sell on reputation alone--but with the i3, its first full production electric...
Antony Ingram -
Over the last few years, several large rental firms have helped the electric car cause by adding plug-in vehicles to their rental fleets. In theory, it's the ideal people to get people into electric cars in general--some seat time is usually enough to convince people that EVs are the way to go. The good news is that people are certainly renting those cars. The bad news is that they aren't doing so for very long, and it's due to a familiar electric car sticking point: range anxiety. According to Bloomberg, customers trying out Nissan Leaf electric cars as part of Enterprise's rental fleet are...
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Supreme Court To Review Permitting Aspect Of Greenhouse-Gas Rules
A case before the Supreme Court challenges EPA regulations of greenhouse gas emissions, but not those involving cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Toyota Thinks Larger, Non-Turbo Engines Can Deliver Better MPG
One of the most popular motor industry trends in recent years has been that of 'downsizing' engines--reducing capacity even in larger vehicles to improve fuel efficiency, while usually adding a turbocharger to make up for lost power. It's why Ford can now sell a 1.0-liter engine in the U.S. in its...
Antony Ingram -
Hydrogen Fueling Permits, Tesla Model X Shown, Mitsubishi Mirage Drive: Today's Car News
The BMW i3, Tesla Model X, and Mitsubishi Mirage make headlines in today's car news.
Stephen Edelstein -
Better Place Obit Asks: Has Tesla Done What Israel Couldn't?
Why is Tesla succeeding where Better Place failed?
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 Mitsubishi Mirage: 40-MPG Minicar Gas Mileage Test
Do you miss your old three-cylinder Geo Metro? If so, Mitsubishi has a new car just for you. The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage five-door hatchback minicar has the highest fuel-economy rating of any non-hybrid on the market. The EPA rates it at 40 mpg combined (37 mpg city, 44 mpg highway) when fitted with...
John Voelcker -
Hundreds of owners and fans alike turned up for the opening of a new Tesla Store in Palo Alto, California, this past Saturday. They weren't all there just to see the store, though. Many focused on the store's centerpiece--the latest prototype of the Tesla Model X crossover, the next car in Tesla Motors' product plans. Reaction, says the San Jose Mercury News, was positive, and the sleek crossover won plenty of fans for its design and interior. It's a design and interior we've seen before; the prototype appears unchanged from the model we saw at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. That...
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CA Will Work To Streamline Permit Process For Hydrogen Fueling Stations
The hydrogen ball rolled a little further in California last week. The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development--GO-Biz for short--has now announced plans to streamline the permitting process for hydrogen and electric fueling stations. It's the latest move to prepare the state for...
Antony Ingram -
What Do You Want To Know About The 2014 BMW i3 Electric Car?
The 2014 BMW i3 electric car is one of the most radical new vehicles on the planet. And the innovation comes in many different facets of the car. There's its shape, which is tall and somewhat van-like--unusual for a BMW. Its styling introduces a new design language for BMW's 'i' series of plug-in...
John Voelcker -
ChargePoint Incentives, Toyota Fuel-Cell Prototype, Lexus CT 200h Variants: Today's Car News
ChargePoint, Lexus, and Toyota make the news today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Giving Thanks (In Canada) for Electric-Car Charging On Roads
Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, though the country's electric vehicle enthusiasts could be forgiven a bit of pessimism. Plug-in car adoption has been slower than expected, and support seems unlikely from a federal government that has reshaped the country from mild, modest milquetoast to combative...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Lexus CT 200h Compact Hybrid Faces New Mercedes, Audi Competitors
As luxury brands expand their efforts to sell more fuel-efficient cars, Lexus will join Audi and Mercedes-Benz in offering a range of compact models in years to come. Reports say that the Lexus CT compact hybrid hatchback will likely be offered in a variety of body styles--including a four-door...
John Voelcker -
To launch its Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, General Motors chose to build and expand its very own battery lab. Crosstown rival Ford is taking a different route. According to the Detroit News, it will partner with the University of Michigan by helping to fund a laboratory where car makers can test prototype battery cells for future plug-in electric cars. The university is to announce the plan today. Total funding of $8 million will be split among the university's engineering department, Ford, and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Ford now sells two types of plug-in...
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Toyota Prototype Of Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car Shown To Journalists
Toyota has given a small selection of journalists their first taste of prototypes of its long-awaited hydrogen fuel-cell production car--and driving impressions are beginning to surface. The Japanese automaker has shown off hydrogen concepts for some time, most prominent of which is the FCV-R...
Antony Ingram -
Should Public Quick-Charging Be A Marketing Cost For Businesses?
Every so often, stories appear about new networks of charging stations for electric cars that have just opened. But if there's no business model to support public charging stations over the long term, who's going to pay for that infrastructure in the future? One possibility, observers suggest, is...
John Voelcker -
Will NYC Taxis End Up The Same Mix Of Hybrids As Any Other City?
So what will New York City's next taxi be? As little as a week ago, you might have assumed that Nissan's NV200 'Taxi of Tomorrow' would become the dominant cab in NYC. That plan has now been curtailed, at least to some degree, by a state Supreme Court ruling that the city's plan to standardize its...
Antony Ingram -
Got A Blink Charging Station? ChargePoint Offers Up To $2,200 For You To Switch
Last month, Ecotality became the latest green company to fall foul of the tricky emerging market when it filed for bankruptcy. It leaves customers of its Blink network of charging stations--and indeed, owners of businesses who had them installed--unsure as to what their next step should be. For the...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S Desk Greets Visitors At Draper University Hero City
The Tesla Model S all-electric luxury sedan is now close to ubiquitous on the streets of Silicon Valley. But you might not expect to see one walking into a building. Or at least part of one. But the side of a Model S, used as the front of a receptionist's desk--compete with two Tesla front...
John Voelcker