Green Car News
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Despite having its mileage ratings lowered, the Ford C-Max appears to still be popular with customers.
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Is $35,000 Or Less The Threshold Price For Volume Electric Cars?
The recent $5,000 price cut for the 2014 Chevrolet Volt has dropped the range-extended electric car into a significant price bracket. That group is the "$35,000 and under" club--occupied by every plug-in car on sale right now except for the Tesla Model S and the Toyota RAV4 EV. It makes us wonder...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview: Green Cars & Concepts (UPDATE)
The 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show is soon upon us, and it's set to be another big one for green vehicles. It's a big show in general, spread throughout several buildings in the manner of a small town. Most are occupied by huge displays of the German automakers' collective might, and those German firms...
Antony Ingram -
Detroit Electric To Build Electric Sports Cars In...Holland ?!?!?
Detroit Electric's first sports car will be a little less Detroit than first intended, it seems. The company has announced that the first of its SP:01 electric sports cars will be built not in Southeast Michigan, but in a factory in Holland, owing to delays in its plans to start production in Wayne...
Antony Ingram -
Are The BMW i3 And i8 Electric Cars Too Much Of A Stretch?
The BMW i3 and i8 are both impressive technological exercises, but will anyone actually want to buy them?
Stephen Edelstein -
Latest Luxury Diesels From Mercedes, Audi, BMW Add Stop-Start
Diesel engines and typical American-style commuting conditions are already a great match. Longer daily-driving distances get diesels up to their peak operating temperature—and hopefully out to higher highway speeds, where they return their best fuel economy. In low-speed stop-and-go driving...
Bengt Halvorson -
This week we dissected Tesla's need for huge amounts of batteries as demand and production of its cars ramps up. Will Tesla run into a battery supply issue? How will the electric-car maker deal with this issue? Also making headlines this week is the possibility of a hybrid Chevrolet Corvette Stingray in the future. Think it's impossible? Don't laugh, says GM president Mark Reuss, it's possible, and in fact, it would be a good idea for numerous reasons. Meanwhile in California, electric-car owners can be happy as their HOV lane access has been extended to 2019. We reported August plug-in...
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Electric Car Sales, Hybrid Hondas, Audi Holds DC Diesel Rally: Today's Car News
Today in car news: Two Honda hybrids, but only one that Americans can buy. Also, Audi feels diesel isn't getting the respect it deserves.
Stephen Edelstein -
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vs Electric Car: Buyer Beliefs May Differ
In writing about green, fuel-efficient, and advanced technology cars, it's important to understand who buys them--and why. Volkswagen, for instance, found that diesel and hybrid buyers are separate groups with little crossover. Now Toyota suggests that the supporters of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles...
John Voelcker -
Electric Erector-Set Motorcycle Laps Isle Of Man TT Course
Located in the Irish sea between Great Britain and Ireland, the Isle of Man plays host to one of the racing world's most famous circuits--the Isle of Man TT course. Every year thousands of motorcyclists from across the world pile onto the island to watch events like the Tourist Trophy and Manx...
Antony Ingram -
Audi Urges Diesel-Friendly Regulations, Holds DC Diesel Rally
Audi and corporate parent Volkswagen believe clean diesels are being ignored by government regulations and incentive programs that promote hybrids and pure electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Gas Mileage: 47 MPG Combined
The official EPA-rated gas mileage figures for the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid are in, and they’re pretty much in line with those released by the automaker back in June. The popular family sedan scores a 50-mpg rating for the city cycle, a 45-mpg rating for the highway and a 47-mpg combined...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Plugging in your electric car to recharge the battery is simple if you have your own garage, carport, or driveway. If you park on the street, it's a little harder; there just aren't that many curbside charging stations yet. So electric-car owners can get very, very resourceful. We said it more than three years ago, when we saw a photo of a Tesla Roadster recharging at a 110-Volt electric plug in the Denver Airport parking garage. Now our faithful reader John C. Briggs sent us these photos of a Chevrolet Volt charging up while parked on the street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on two different...
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All-New Honda Fit On Sale Today (In Japan), Including Fit Hybrid
Honda's all-new Fit launches today in its home country of Japan, and with it comes the latest version of the Fit Hybrid--with Honda's completely new hybrid drivetrain technology. Where once the Honda Fit Hybrid sold in Japan and Europe used the same mild hybrid Integrated Motor Assist (IMA)...
Antony Ingram -
FINAL UPDATE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales For Aug: Volt, Leaf Hit New Highs, Total Exceeds 10,000
Sales of the two highest-volume plug-in electric cars soared in August, with both the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf setting all-time monthly sales records. And two Toyota plug-ins set sales records as well. The Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid sold more than it has all year, and the low-volume RAV4...
John Voelcker -
Hybrid Yaris, Doorless Smart, U.S. Army Goes Electric: Today's Car News
Today on Green Car Reports: We check out two green concept cars, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R and Smart FourJoy, that are set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show--plus, the U.S. military experiments with electric vehicles. All this and more on Green Car Reports. California will extend electric car...
Stephen Edelstein -
Elon Musk's Tesla Electric Car Cross-Country Road Trip Finalized
Earlier this year, Tesla Motors founder and CEO announced his intentions for a cross-country Tesla Model S road trip. In the past, such a trip would have been the work of much planning, countless hours charging and multiple stops along the way. But in these days of Model S electric cars and free...
Antony Ingram -
Recall: 2006-2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrids, 2006-2008 Lexus RX 400h
Toyota announced yesterday that it would conduct a voluntary recall of 133,000 Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h crossover utility vehicles. The affected vehicles cover model years 2006 through 2010 for the Highlander, and 2006 through 2008 for the RX. Both vehicles share a platform and use the...
Stephen Edelstein -
In theory, the silence of electric vehicles makes them perfect for military use. What better for covert operations than a vehicle that generates very little noise? The Canadian military would probably agree. Silent vehicles aren't quite as critical on military bases, but that's where the cost benefits come in. The U.S. Army has already explored microgrid technology at Fort Carson in Colorado, and now that same base has adopted quick charging technology for a small fleet of vehicles. According to Charged EVs, Fort Carson has installed five bidirectional fast-charging stations, allowing them to...
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New Effort: Electric-Car Rentals And Charging For Orlando, Florida
What's the best way to persuade people that electric cars are a viable alternative to gasoline cars? Get "butts in seats." And what's one of the largest car-rental markets in the United States? That woud be Orlando, Florida. Now a new initiative, Drive Electric Orlando (DEO), is coordinating rental...
John Voelcker -
Smart FourJoy Concept For Frankfurt, Previews Next ForFour
Fans of the Smart Fortwo--and they are out there, if not necessarily in the United States--have been patiently waiting for what seems like an eternity for the next-generation car. But, like an enormous candy bar dangled just out of reach of a child, the company has instead churned out concept after...
Antony Ingram -
Not For Us: Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Concept Fully Revealed For Frankfurt
Toyota has released more official images of its Yaris Hybrid-R Concept, a hotted-up hybrid Yaris due at the Frankfurt Auto Show next week. While it looks more or less like a Yaris, the powertrain is far removed from that you'll find in any existing Yaris--and indeed any existing Toyota hybrid...
Antony Ingram -
California Extends Electric-Car HOV Lane Access To 2019
The California Legislature has voted to allow drivers of plug-in cars to cruise the state's High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes solo for another six years.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Servicing, Charging Station Ratings, The End of Internal Combustion: Today's Car News
Today's news roundup includes Tesla's new and improved service program, PlugShare's new PlugScore rating system, and some ambitious plans by the UK government.
Stephen Edelstein