Green Car News

  • Opel Monza concept

    Opel, European arm of General Motors, has revealed the first official images of its Monza concept, set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. The Monza name has plenty of history with the Opel brand, having first appeared on a sleek six-cylinder coupe back in 1977--but the concept looks very much to the future with its own powertrain. Under the Monza's hood is a three-cylinder, 1.0-liter turbocharged engine, as part of a range-extended electric drivetrain. Opel calls it a development of the technology found in the Ampera--the Volt's European cousin--but unusually, the small engine...

  • 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, May 2013
    Five 40-MPG Mid-Size Sedans You Can Buy Today

    Imagine it's 2025 and the full impact of tougher gas-mileage regulations has taken effect. That year, it's easy to buy a mid-size sedan--perhaps even something a bit larger--that returns 40 mpg in regular use. Here's the thing, though: For 2013, there are already a handful of sedans that do that...

  • Ride The Future electric vehicle tour ends at Google HQ (Photos: Morgan Vanderwall)
    Ride The Future Cross-Country Electric Road Trip Ends At Google HQ

    After more than 3,000 miles, 44 cities and some new Guinness World Records, 12 riders have finally completed their electric Ride The Future vehicle tour across the U.S. The group pulled into Charleston Park in Mountain View, California--home of Google and the Google Campus--after completing 3,745...

  • 2014 Nissan Rogue SL
    Nissan Will Add Murano Hybrid, Rogue Hybrid In 2015 (Or So)

    The 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid hasn't quite hit the dealerships yet, but already Nissan is promising more models that use the same hybrid system. When they're redesigned during the next couple of years, both the Murano and Rogue crossovers will be offered with a hybrid option, Nissan said. The...

  • 2015 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid
    2014 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid: Plutocratic 78 MPG Plug-In

    The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid may not have a catchy name, but we've been expecting it for some time--ever since the marque showed off its Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid Concept back in 2009, in fact. No self-respecting luxury automaker can be without a plug-in model these days. Rival Audi...

  • Nissan Titan pickup to get Cummins turbo diesel engine
    Nissan Titan Pickup To Get Cummins Turbodiesel Engine

    Nissan has become the latest company to announce a diesel option for its full-size pickup truck range. The next-generation Nissan Titan full-size truck will feature a newly-developed Cummins V-8 turbocharged diesel unit, helping broaden the model's appeal in the competitive truck market. A...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S

    Today on Green Car Reports, we look at the secretive world of electric car trademarks, examine the safest car on U.S. roads, and see what Toyota is planning to reveal at the Frankfurt Auto Show. All this and more in today's car news, right here on Green Car Reports. One small Chinese electric car company is damning political correctness and naming its top-secret tech trademarks after top secret-revealer Edward Snowden. Tesla is also getting on the trademark bandwagon...only its 'Model E' moniker refers to one of its future vehicles. That's not all for Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]--its existing...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S
    Will Tesla's 2017 3rd-Generation Car Be Called The Model E?

    From the ridiculous to the intriguing, today is all about trademarks, it seems. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has applied for a new trademark, with the name 'Model E', specifically referring to "automobiles and structural parts therefor". The company filed for registration of the trademark on August 5...

  • Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Concept Revealed In Full, Debuts Frankfurt

    Toyota has revealed a full teaser image of its Hybrid-R concept due at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show--and it's the hot hybrid hatch we were expecting. The company revealed a simple R logo a few weeks back, and rumors were rife it might find its way onto a next-generation Supra sports car. Then the...

  • Chinese electric car maker names its top-secret tech after Edward Snowden
    Chinese Electric Car Maker Dubs Its Top-Secret Tech 'Snowden,' After You-Know-Who

    Sometimes, you just can't make them up. A small Chinese electric car firm is currently seeking permission to name its new electric car technology 'Snowden'--named for the former U.S. intelligence contractor now in political asylum in Russia, after leaking top-secret mass surveillance details to the...

  • 2009 BMW X5
    Recall: 2009-2010 BMW X5 Diesel Crossovers Fuel Heater Issue

    BMW has announced the recall of more than 1,500 2009-2010 BMW X5 diesel models to correct a fuel filter heater issue. The xDrive35d models, manufactured from June 13, 2009 through November 9, 2009, could be affected by an issue that causes the filter heater to remain on and overheat. The fuel...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S crash test by NHTSA (Image: crashnet1 Youtube screen grab)
    Tesla Models S Gets Highest Safety-Test Score Ever Awarded By NHTSA

    The Tesla Model S is no stranger to awards and high scores, but its latest accolade could be its most important yet. Its five-star National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash test rating was revealed a few weeks back, but Tesla Motors (NSDQ:TSLA) has now revealed the car's score is...

  • 2013 Honda Fit EV drive event, Pasadena, CA, June 2012

    Today on Green Car Reports, we look at the most energy-efficient cars on sale, dive into Ford's C-Max gas-mileage mess, and offer career advice to potential repo men. All this and more in today's car news, right here on Green Car Reports. How to figure out what are the five most energy-efficient cars on the market? Simple; the EPA tells us. We explain how Ford's C-Max mileage mess happened, and what it means in the long run. The secret stealth hybrid military vehicle being developed in Canada is...a snowmobile. Better Place founder Shai Agassi weighed in on the lessons to be learned from...

  • 2013 Honda Fit EV drive event, Pasadena, CA, June 2012
    The Five Greenest, Most Energy-Efficient Cars of 2013

    What cars available in dealers today make the most efficient use of energy? The answer turns out to be four battery-electric vehicles and one plug-in hybrid. Gasoline and diesel cars don't even come close; internal combustion engines waste two-thirds to three-quarters of the energy in their fuel on...

  • Better Place user David Rose w/keys to Renault Fluence ZE electric car in Israel [photo: David Rose]
    Shai Agassi Weighs In On The Lessons Of Tesla & Electric Cars

    Shai Agassi, founder of the now-defunct Better Place electric-car service in Israel, hasn't been in the public eye much of late. But on the business network LinkedIn this morning, he emerged to weigh in on the lessons of Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and what the auto industry at large could learn from...

  • First Nissan NV200 New York "Taxi of Tomorrow" rolls off the line in Mexico
    NYC's Nissan NV200 Taxi Of Tomorrow Rolls Off Lines In Mexico

    New York, your Taxi of Tomorrow is on its way--as the first examples have just rolled off the line at its factory in Mexico. Taxi of Tomorrow is another name for Nissan's NV200 van, chosen by the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission as the city's official taxi--replacing cars like the venerable...

  • 2013 Nissan Leaf electric car tested as taxi in New York City, April 2013
    NYC's Phone Booths To Die; Could Sites Charge Electric Cars Instead?

    Aside from movie characters and intoxicated individuals looking for somewhere to relieve themselves, nobody really uses public pay telephones any more. New York City has around 8,000 active payphone kiosks, which is a lot of real estate going to waste. So why not, as The New York Times writes, put...

  • Snowmobile (Image by Flickr user katerha used under Creative Commons license)
    Canadian 'Loki' Stealth Hybrid Military Vehicle: A Snowmobile

    There are many reasons for making a vehicle a hybrid--driveability, improving gas mileage--but "covert operations" is the best we've heard so far. You could sneak up on people in a Prius--as you'll probably have discovered in parking lots as pedestrians dive out in front of your near-silent...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt plugged into Coulomb Technologies 240V wall charging unit

    If you drive an electric car, the chances are that you do most of your charging at home. Why wouldn't you? It's the place your car probably spends the most time during an average 24-hour period, and it's the place you can always be sure of a good charge. But those with longer commutes may be interested in charging at work too--and workplace charging could be the next major push for the electric vehicle industry. While Silicon Valley companies have been quick to jump on the workplace charging bandwagon, it's unfortunately not the same everywhere. Few businesses are likely to install a row of...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012
    Ford's C-Max Mileage Mess: How It Happened And What It Means

    Ford spent nine months justifying the 47-mpg fuel-efficiency rating of its new 2013 C-Max Hybrid--before it bowed to public pressure and lowered it to 43 mpg late Thursday. While its three latest hybrid models continue to sell well, the latest reversal draws attention to Ford's challenges when the...

  • Green Car Reports comments using new Disqus system
    UPDATED: Green Car Reports Switches To Disqus For Reader Comments

    We love our commenters: You all are an informed, passionate, and very active group, and we thank you. So, here's some news. As of this morning, we've switched our commenting system from the old homegrown one to the Disqus system you've likely seen on an increasing number of websites. There are two...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S
    Is Tesla Model S The Best Way To Sell Politicians On Electric Cars?

    We've long known the best way to get people interested in electric cars is simply to let them drive or ride in them. It's easy enough to tell people they're quick, smooth and near-silent, but people are naturally skeptical of something they aren't familiar with. That includes politicians, but just...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Energi  -  Driven, June 2013
    The Ford C-Max MPG Brouhaha Brews, Tesla CEO's Hyperloop Is Revealed: This Week In Social Media

    As cars get greener, there's more controversy surrounding how we judge exactly how green they are. That tops the headlines this week in social media here at Green Car Reports, as Ford announced revised gas mileage stats for its 2013 C-Max Hybrid and promised to do better for 2014. In other news...

  • Carpooling
    North Carolina To Make Trip-Reduction 'Green' Laws Illegal

    Oh, North Carolina: Are you cutting off your nose to spite your face? That's the impression at least some commentators have gained on learning of a state bill that will become law on August 25, with or without the signature of Gov. Pat McCrory. The bill would invalidate Durham County's Commute Trip...

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